EvainSicily

Erice's style from tradition to innovation... De Simone

how many coffee?     "How many coffee?"  asked Katia Amore ( www.lovesicily.com -Fb -twitter  @lovesicily) after her lovely cooking class at her  home in Modica  showing proudly her collection of caffettiere!! espresso =  coffe!! moka = caffettiera!! you don't need to ask for an espresso in Sicily.. just ask for a coffee ! the best? at home made with the caffettiera !!

   Yesterday just in time in Noto to see the silver urn  leaving th Cathedral  during the procession of St Conrad* the patron -saint there   my Korean tourists where excited and said "we just saw this kind of things in the movies" I was happy to show them true moments of devotion * it takes place four times a year,twice i february and twice in August

Experience Sicily: have a good breakfast!  

 What a nice surprise: natural soaps made like grandparents used to but with new flavours  making soap more fragrant and tasty!!! A few days ago I found in Marzamemi a  stall called AMICI PER LA PELLE  - BEST OF FRIENDS , a group of young Sicilian producers from Enna who has invented an interesting line of  natural soaps  made at cold temperature so that it  keeps its natural active principles, without using palm oil or parabens and not tested on animals! They have no shops and at the moment you find them all around Sicily  at festivals and fairs! here their contact: amiciperlapelle1@gmail.com It was  quite difficult to choose among such a variety of soaps so well displayed before my eyes ! Then I had:  ginger& mint soap - energizing and refreshing lavander green tea & almond: moisturing and cleansing

 between myth & truth  ...past & present... ...old & new...

  last 19th February -on st.Conrad's day The Infiorata in Noto - May 16th - 17th- 18th  under these beautiful balconies- Via Nicolaci

In these days Caltagirone is not simply the triumph of  pottery as usual, but it's also a lovely animated town by beautiful Presepi for all Christmas holidays With a combined ticket you can visit about 16 different presepi walking all around the streets and churches of the historical centre but my favourite one (and the best to me!) is not included into the traditional route. The Chiesa del Carmine is the perfect location for a marvellous Presepe by: This Presepe was exhibited at Christmas 1999 for the opening of the European   Parliament in Strasburgo It's a very detailed animated Presepe made in terracotta and canvas almost 80 sq.mt extended.

Ci siamo quasi!!!!   Ci siamo quasi per la raccolta delle olive, quest'anno un pò in anticipo forse ... ------------------- Almost ready for  harvesting and the new good Sicilian olive oil !!!

 One of my photoes in ortigia became a papyrus watercolour ! You find it at Galleria Bellomo - via Capodieci, by Flavia Massara a wonderful lady ..the best in making papyrus watercolours in Siracusa. Grazie Flavia! Do still have it? Lo hai venduto ?

 I found it , a few das ago in Noto registration cart : 1960

 Una delle più interessanti rappresentazioni sacre in Sicilia: La Madonna dei Milici a Scicli Rievocazione della battaglia vittoriosa dei Normanni di Ruggero d'Altavilla contro i saraceni di Belcane, aiutati dalla Madonna a cavallo apparsa sul luogo di battaglia nel 1091. Stasera ore 20! ------------------------ One of the most interesting miracle palys in Sicily :The Madonna of Milici in Scicli. Evoking the victory of Roger of d'Hautville against the saracens led by Belcane. helped by the horsed Madonna who appeared on the battlefield in 1091 Tomight at 8.00 pm in Scicli!

Toc toc, push with two fingers and turn it upside down.. the ricotta comes out from the cavagna , the old typical cane container for it I like to see my tourists very curios and amazed when they discover  how to do ! Buon appetito!!

(in these days....very busy - veru tired and..a little bit sad...)

on a carob tree Vedere un albero di carrubo è tra  le mille curiosità dei turisti, soprattutto d'oltre Oceano. Qui nel sud Est di Sicilia..non è un problema:la campagna   mediterranea offre splendidi esemplari di carrubi ovunque... Piuttosto risulta  difficile per noi mostrare il frutto maturo se si è in città. Giorni fa ho trovato queste splendide carrube al mercato di Ortigia..ed inevitabile la domanda fattami :  "what's this? carruba? what do you do with this?" Già..che si fa con la carruba oggi? Nei ricordi di famiglia..si faceva lo sciroppo di carruba, bollendole  e mescolandole  poi con miele....un magico decotto per curare la tosse. In campo farmaceutico si producono sciroppi a base di carrube ed ancora  delle ottime caramelle, ma difficili da trovare in commercio, riconoscibili per l'involucro semplice di carta oleata che avvolge questi piccoli rettangoli semi trasparenti dal sapore dolce ed amaro al tempo stesso...cosi' diverse dalle ...

 Il Duomo di s. Giorgio , ad Ibla, uno dei capolavori del Barocco siciliano...oggi una delle immagini più sfruttate per promuovere i capolavori artistici del Sud est siciliano. ------------ St. george in Ragusa Ibla, one of the jewel  of the Sicilian Baroque and today one of the most famous images of the artistic masterpieces in Sicily.. .

 It's dramatically true that a piece of chocolate can help your mood... but what I really like about BACI PERUGINA is reading the ticket enveloped inside(?how do you call it in English..?) After the one I found yesterday night I felt better: Start by doing what is necessary, and then do what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible!!  (St. Francis )