The Sicily Chronicles (part uno)

Well, I officially have an incredibly sore bum.

Driving to Sicily from Puglia is a long way. Although I shouldn't really be complaining too much because I wasn't the one who had to do all the driving. (I am yet to be trusted with a car that's driven on the 'other side').

Anyway. All I can say, is that Sicily is incredible. 

We stayed in a lovely place, ate (lots of) delicious food and saw some absolutely stunning scenery. I took way too many photos, but every time I saw something amazing, I just had to get the camera out.

Now, if you're like me, lots of heavy text can get a bit dull. I quickly lose interest and wander off in search of coffee/gelato/something to do with shopping. So, I'll let the photos do the talking. I'll just add in some *witty* comments and essential Sicily info every now and then.

Let me show you where we stayed...

This fantastic place is called Cala dell'Arena. It's a little village of self catering cottages right between the mountains and the sea, and it's just so pretty. 


There's also a b&b, but we went for the self catering option. Our little house was just perfect, and we indulged in lots of sweet treats whilst sat out on the terrace.

The swimming pool is clean, not too cold and nestled in a perfect position to gaze up at all the gorgeous scenery around you. The beach isn't too far away, and there are plenty of towns nearby as well as San Vito Lo Capo, with it's beautiful beaches and numerous sea food restaurants.

Having a car here was essential. The only place you could comfortably get to without one was the beach. Luckily they have a very decent sized car park on site.

If you want to find out more, have a look at this link. It really is a fantastic, chilled out place to use as a base for exploring the area around Trapani.

(Yes, we may have made a little friend too...)

Arrivederci Sicilia...

Well, it's our penultimate day in Sicily.

And once you have a look at these photos, you'll know why I'm incredibly reluctant to leave. It has been amazing discovering and exploring all the fantastic things about this place. We've packed in so much this week, so today we're simply going to relax by the beach. Work starts again on Monday, so we'd best make the most of it....

yes, we did eat these for breakfast one morning.

green, gooey, gorgeous: the cassata.

yes, it was somewhat blustery.

(Actually on second thoughts, maybe it's for the best that I'm heading back to Puglia tomorrow. I really have been eating faaaar too much dolce.) Expect more photos (many of them are of dolce, yes) and more info about all things Sicily related upon my return. Until then, have a smashing weekend! :)

Buona Domenica from Sicily

Buona Domenica from gorgeous Sicily.

A certain someone is having a lazy afternoon nap, so I thought I'd show you a couple of Sicily bits so far. I know I know, only 1 mini cannolo in two and a half days is disappointing, but I'm working on it...

Right, nap time for me too. :D 

Ciao!

Things to share (mini blog)

Oh yes, it's another...

I came across a couple of things that I wanted to share with you.

The first, is this 'oh so true' message that I nabbed from ForExpatsByExpats:

Being in Italy definitely makes me see things in a new and different way. Often a good way, occasionally bad, but always new and interesting.

I also came across this 'travelholic' and his fantastic website The Road to Anywhere. He's recently posted a load of fantastic photos from around Italy. Make sure you have a look! They really are incredible.

And finally, very soon I'm heading to Sicily...SO.INCREDIBLY.EXCITED!! I've always wanted to visit and so I can't wait to spend some time there. I want to explore, enjoy the sunshine, discover the culture and of course, eat lots of these:

via

Ciao for now!

The 'sagra'

Last week my boyfriend suggested that we go to a 'sagra'. What on earth is that? I asked, secretly hoping it would be something to do with food, the beach or shopping. Well, it was the former. Result! A sagra is a type of food festival that takes place in lots of the smaller towns and villages in Italy. A town often has more than one per year, and each festival has a food 'theme', so to speak. It could be pasta, a type of meat or a particular vegetable. The sagra that we went to was in a small town called  Casalnuovo in the 'Subappennino Dauno' zone between Puglia and Molise. And their choice of food for said Sagra? Boar. My word it was simply delicious. (Even if I did feel a bit sad seeing the picture of the boar and then, well, eating it)

After walking through the little streets (following our noses of course) we came across a plaza with lots of big tables and a marque with a long queue of people (who knew, maybe Italians can queue!). We joined the line, paid our 10 euros, and ended up with a (rather school canteen-like) tray full of amazing food. Pasta, meat and contorno- the vegetables/salad that accompany your meat. And bread of course. No meal in Italy is complete without bread.

food

close up of food

very very happy Amy eating food

 The meat was absolutely exquisite. I was full to bursting by the end but kept nibbling on the pasta. I just couldn't resist it! After filling our bellies we went and watched some dancing. We didn't join in due to my excessive consumption of food. Maybe next time! Because we will be going to another one of these festivals. I'm still dreaming about the amazing pasta even now...

dancing

eating

Oh we do like to be beside the seeeaaasiiiiiide...ALL of us!!

Have I ever mentioned how much I love the beach? I've also proabably said several times how much I'm fond of Italians. And summer holidays.

But beach+Italians+summer holidays?

Good grief. 

Now, as it's August, and especially around the time of Ferragosto, Italians flock to the beach. And I mean, why shouldn't they? They're on holiday and the beach is the only place to really cool off when it's 40 degrees. They take their towels, their beach bags, their picnic, their children/aunts/uncles/grandparents, their rubber rings and then another 20 beach bags just in case. My boyfriend's brother even takes a mini slide for the little ones. (It is quite adorable watching them splash about) This means that the beach gets super crowded. And I mean super crowded.

Like I said, I heart the beach. But I may avoid the lidi during this busy period. As much as I try to absorb myself in my book (more Sophie Kinsella...in English this time, shame on me), it's no use. I become one with the mass. Bring on September, slightly cooler (hopefully) temperatures and not-so-crowded beaches :D

Lots of folk (but ohhh look at the gorgeous sky...)

The sea's over there somewhere

Can you tell the Italian feet from the English feet?!

Pasta con pomodori e melanzane

I haven't done a pasta recipe for a while. So, here's one! This is, like most of the other recipes I put on my blog, is really simple. But it tastes so good! I asked the boyfriend if it has a special name. Unfortunately it doesn't, so it just translates as 'pasta with tomatoes and aubergine'. Original.

Here's what you need:  

 (I forgot to write on 'pasta' (it's the heat), but by then it was too late...so you also need 'pasta'.... :D )

1. First, chop up the aubergine into very small pieces.

2. Put the aubergine in a pan with the garlic (chopped) and oil. Add a little water to the ingredients and cook until the aubergine almost becomes a sort of puree. (You can always puree the aubergine in an electric mixer if you want. I don't have one of these. *Wish list*)

3. Chop the tomatoes into small pieces and add to the pan. Cook for another minute or so.

4. Add salt, a handful of chopped parsley, a little grated Parmesan and if you fancy a bit of a kick, a little chili too.

5. Boil the pasta in salted water, add to the pan and cook for a minute to get the two nice and mixed up.

6. Eat! I sprinkled an extra load of Parmesan on mine. Mmmm...

A mini Monday blog!

Mini blog post today!

Just a couple of things to mention. Firstly, I have been featured on this fantastic expat website:

You can read my interview (and then check out the rest of the website) HERE!

Secondly, you may have noticed the little extra bar at the top of my blog with silly things like 'about me' and 'find me online' on them. Well, they are new. So click on them! :D I have been experimenting with blogger features (oo-er) and creating 'stand alone pages'. (Seriously, I don't have a clue what I'm talking about). Anyway, have a look! Anything else you think I should (attempt to) add? Let me know!

And finally, I've been busy putting together a couple of yummy food-related posts. So watch out for those.

Happy Monday!

A place to stay in Rome?

Last weekend myself and my man decided that driving from Puglia to Rome and back again was just too much to do in one day. So, we decided to stay the night in Rome. Just look at this fantastic place we found!

 The Hotel Selva Candida is a great place to stay if you are keen on avoiding the busy streets and smog of the city centre. There's public transport to and from the centre though, so if your comfortable using the bus and metro, it's perfect. It's also only about 15/20 minutes from Fiumicino airport.

The hotel seems like it's in its own little piece of the countryside, and the decor inside is gorgeous. The staff are friendly and helpful and the prices are very reasonable indeed. We paid €50 for the room (which was incredibly clean and consisted of not only a bedroom, but a very decent sized bathroom and an extra room with a sofa and desk), including breakfast. And what a breakfast it was: cake, croissants, cereal, fruit, bread, yogurt etc etc. There's also a big car park (free and no need for a reservation).

There doesn't seem to be much in terms of things to do in the immediate area, but there are a couple of places to eat, including a great pizzeria just along the road from the hotel. I had some of the best bruschetta ever. And the tiramisu? Out of this world.

So if you're looking for somewhere a bit more tranquilla whilst in Rome, go to Selva Candida. Have a look at the official website here!

Buona domenica!