Our Sicilian Adventure and Next Steps

 

We dedicated the months of April and May for an exploration of Sicily. Our primary goal was to visit some of the towns that are on our list for potential retirement destinations. Our secondary goal was to visit John's two ancestral home towns, Alcamo and Augusta, with the hope of meeting some cousins in person. And, thirdly, we wanted to experience some of the beautiful sights in Sicily. Since the secondary goal was so special and meaningful, we've chosen to write about it in separate blog posts. I promise they are coming. As well, our more toursit-oriented activities are also found in existing or future blog posts. So this blog focuses on the potential retirement towns we visited, as well as some experiences and observations about life in Sicily. 

(If you want to read about our upcoming plans for the next few months, jump down to the section called What's Next.)

The Retirement Town Hunt

The towns we visited circled in red. Black for reference points.

Isole delle Femmine

This is a small seaside town about an hour train ride from Palermo. Since it wasn't far from our home base in Palermo, we made a day trip. This cute town was very well-kept, and the people were very friendly. As we walked out of the train station, a woman was on her balcony and greeted us, saying what a beautiful day it was. Being small, everything was pretty compact and easy to walk to. Even though small, the town is famous for being the ancestral town of Joe DiMaggio. There was also a pretty sitting area by the marina. The down side was that the beach area was more outside of the city and would require a car (either to get to the beach if one lived in the city centre or to get to town for shopping, etc., if living by the beach). 

The marina showcases the beautiful sea. 

The Statua del Pescatore honors fishermen. Many immigrants from this town went to central California in order to pursue their trade, and Pittsburg, California is a sister city to Isole delle Femmine

The town square is in front of the church. Many people were sitting on benches, and later in the day we watched some boys playing soccer.

 We had a delicious lunch at a local restaurant. I muddled through talking with the waitress a good bit and she said ci vediamo (we'll see each other again) and gave us a cookie as we were leaving.

Balestrate

This is a small seaside town not far from Alcamo, near Trapani province, but in Palermo province. It came highly recommended from several locals, so we decided to have an overnight stay there. Everyone we encountered was really friendly, and our B&B host Giuseppe was ready to find us a property! The city is very well-kept and has lots of art on the buildings. It is relatively flat, and has a nice overlook area of the water. The beach is walking distance and had beautiful, clear water, but access to it is pretty far and down a steep road.

View toward Trapani province from the overlook.

Artistic repurposing of Sicilian cart in our B&B

Artistic touch around town

Calm and relaxing

Giuseppe was so funny. He was really selling the benefits of Balestrate. When we returned in the evening, he said (in Italian), "We're going to have fresh ricotta with breakfast tomorrow. Come with me to get the cheese." So, we hopped in his car and were off to the cheesemaker, Gaspare, who gifted us with some cheese. The next day Gaspare drove by us, and stopped to chat. 

The nice beach with crystal clear water

Trappeto

This small seaside town, about half the size of the previous two, is one over from Balestrate, also in Palermo province and it had a lot of similar features. We were able to have an overnight stay here as well. There was a lot of art and a nice place to view the water, and the town was well-kept. Some locals said the property was more affordable here than in the neighboring Balestrate, but the beach was not easily accessible at all.

Piazza by the train station renamed for victims of COVID.

Artistic touches around town

Beautiful views of the sea. John always happy to find sfincione.

Cefalù

This is a beautiful city and popular tourist destination located between Messina and Palermo. It is about triple the size of Balestrate. We were only able to spend a day here, but it was enough time to confirm what we already suspected - this isn't the right city for us. It's a little too big, too populated, too hilly and too toursity. Still, we understand why people find it so charming and want to visit and vacation here.

The beach meets the ancient part of the city, making for a unique experience. Cefalù is home to another of the UNESCO cathedrals, but we didn't have the right timing to go inside. Lots of hills are hard on our knees, but they do afford great views!

Brolo

This small seaside town, in Messina province, is about the size of Balestrate. It has a small lungomare and beach piazza, and the beach area is fairly flat and accessible if one lives in the lower part of the city. However, the city centre is a bit elevated. John liked Brolo about as much as or more than Balestrate and Trappeto, but it didn't vibe with me. It didn't seem as well-kept as those cities and it was lacking in the charming art.

People were out enjoying Brolo's nice beach, as well as this cute park in the town centre.

Capo D'Orlando

This is a larger city, slightly smaller than Cefalù, in Messina province. We had chosen here as a place to stay for 10 days while we explored towns closer to Messina. We really liked it here, and I don't think just because we spent more time. The city is relatively flat, with a long lungomare to enjoy walks along the sea, which we did basically every day. Our host's mother Grazia was so friendly, introducing us to many people, and full of suggestions of where to go. The city also seems to be thriving. It has a large centre, with shops of many kinds. At the main piazza, there is a nice playground with benches painted by students. This was our winner, and we would like to return here to explore more as a home city when we get to return to Sicily.

A beautiful seaside, with an extensive small pebble beach and crystal clear water.

Grazia took me to the weekly market and made my haircut appointment for me. She also brought treats for us many days, e.g. homemade wine and pasta sauce.

Along the lungomare.

Sicilian Life

Chris: Aspects I Loved

The food! Everything is fresh and delicious. Every single tomato I ate was so flavorful. I realized, sadly, that I haven't had a good tomato in years. 

Look at all of those delicious fresh veggies on my pizza!

We had delicious pork many times. In the States, I don't even like to eat pork unless it's slathered in sauce of some type. The pork in Sicily was juicy and tasty on its own. 

We ate spiedini several times, mostly pork, but sometimes veal or chicken. Note the price is 8-10 EUR per kilogram, not pound (1 kg=2.2 lb). Three to four skewers was less than 5 EUR.

Vibrant citrus (particularly lemons) was readily available, and I enjoyed being able to have spremuta (fresh juice) for a reasonable price. 

 

Having these fresh ingredients available makes even a simple pasta meal seem gourmet. I had read that Sicilian cooks are excellent at balancing flavors so not one flavor overpowers, and I found this to be very true in many dishes. 

All the Pasta! Bolognese, Busiate al Pesto di Mandorle e Pinoli, Busiate Fresca con Pinoli, Lobster Ravioli, Cacio e Pepe, Pasta Puttanesca, Sauce with Polpette, Pasta with Peas and Carrots, Pasta alla Norma.

As well, the food is presented in an artistic way, always visually pleasing. Even when you buy cookies from the bakery, they are wrapped up in a pretty package like a gift. 

I tried several foods that I thought I didn't like and found that I actually did, in particular ricotta cheese. I guess I've never had ricotta from happy sheep?! 

 

The ricotta experiences. That cannoli was delicious; I look drunk! Breakfast in Balestrate included fresh ricotta and some other cheeses I had never tried before. I discovered on this trip I love everything pistacchio! 

This was a type of wine I tried when we visited the Impellizzeri cousins. It was buono! There's a UNESCO connection with this wine, making yet another UNESCO-related experience on our adventure.

John is more adventurous than me. Here are two things he tried that I just couldn't do: stigghiola and cavallo. We are told that donkey meat is even better than horse, but John didn't get the chance to try that.

And ... granita! Forget about gelato, this is the best.

 

All the granita! Lemon, strawberry, almond, and pistacchio, yum!

Finally, the lemon sodas! I'm not much of a soda drinker, but I was hooked on this stuff. My favorite was by the company Polara, called Gassosa. However, all those I tried were yummy. Polara also makes other flavors, and these were delicious too. The sodas are not heavy and overly sugared, but rather light and refreshing. 

The Sicilian sun. Even though we encountered some unusual colder and rainy weather for part of our time, when the sun shone, it was marvelous. Combined with the fresh sea air, you cannot help but feel good. It's a treat being surrounded by and immersed in such beauty and history.

It is easy to be happy in Sicily

Ability to travel by train. I know some people complain about Italy's trains, but compared to the U.S. they are heavenly. We were able to easily go to all of our cities of interest by train, except Alcamo, but that was accessible by bus. (You can get to Alcamo by train, but the station is not in the city centre, so difficult for us pedestrians.) We found the prices to be reasonable, particularly in comparison to the UK, and we had mostly good fortune in terms of on time, etc. The one time there was a big delay, they were sending a replacement bus, but then the train was able to get going. The app is also very easy to use. More remote places are also accessible by train, but they are a bit harder, and the trains are older. This is a great essay by a journalist who traveled on the regional trains in Sicily, shared by our friend Tamar. We did the one in Piraineto a couple of times for transfer to Balestrate and Trappeto, and it's just like the writer describes and shows in the photos!

 

All the wonderful people we encountered. For the most part everyone was very nice, particularly when we stopped to have a little chat. Almost everyone was very, very kind to me with my attempts at practicing Italian, which was so appreciated because it helped build my confidence. When we told people we were looking to move to Sicily, the attitude was, "Of course you do, it's wonderful," and was accompanied by warmth and encouragement. For several encounters, we felt like we left with friends.

Our Impellizzeri cousins

Francesco aka 007

Grazia

Cousin Salvatore

Cousin Nelly and Carmelo

The relaxed lifestyle. There just isn't the focus on money being the most important thing in Sicily. This allows more importance to be placed on family, friends and just enjoying your day. We're not huge TV watchers, but we typically watch a show or movie in the evening. In Sicily, we did this much less often. Instead, we would walk out by the water and enjoy the sunset or be having a meal or enjoying a sight. More of the day was just spent focused on living. In the morning we might go to the market to get supplies, chat with the vendor, stop and have a coffee. In Capo D'Orlando, I loved seeing so many people out walking, jogging and riding bikes on the lungomare. 

Cost of living. Many things are less expensive in Sicily. Most foods, prescription medicines, a coffee, and train fares come to mind. One can also fly to other places in Europe at a very reasonable price. Eating out seemed about equivalent to the States, but they don't overcharge for drinks, and tipping isn't necessary (although sit down restaurants do charge coperto, a small per person fee). The only expense we were surprised to see as much higher was over-the-counter medicines like ibuprofen and sudafed.

Food comparison examples (prices converted to USD and include tax): jar of jelly 1.37; oregano .60, basil .76, jar of pesto 1.14, bag of grated grana padano aged 14 months 2.70. Several of these items would cost 3 times as much at a U.S. grocery store.

Chris: Aspects I Found Challenging

For me, the most difficult aspect was aligning with the Italian timetable for eating, including the approach to breakfast. For those who don't know, I have always had issues with low blood sugar, and I really need to eat at certain intervals or I start to feel very bad. Typical Italian breakfast is coffee and sweets (a cookie, a pastry, granita). While this is fun and yummy, a sweet treat is not the best way for me to start my day (although the coffee is delicious). This is compounded by the fact that lunch is 'late,' around 1. Dinner is also quite late, at the time we are normally in our jammies and settled in for the evening. None of this is especially a problem if you are eating at home. But living very actively (where we were often needing to eat lunch or dinner out) and with a limited kitchen (particularly our month in Palermo), this was often problematic. I would find myself at 11 a.m., out and about, suddenly feeling shaky. No restaurants open for lunch at this time, although bakeries would have pizza, arancini or stuffed rolls. Again, yummy, but not something one can eat on a regular basis. We rarely went out to dinner because there often weren't any open at the time we wanted to eat.

A second aspect that was disappointing was how many people smoke. I've grown accustomed to not being around cigarette smoke, so it really stood out. It was sad to see how many young teenagers were smoking and vaping.

The final part I found frustrating was the lack of taxis or Uber. Since we didn't have a car, we on occasion needed a ride somewhere that was too far to walk (e.g. with a bunch of groceries or to get to the train station with luggage). We eventually learned that we had to find a jitney, someone who drives people in their personal car. This involves networking and asking around. Salvo, in Augusta, was my favorite driver. He really helped us out in some difficult situations. Talking with him about his surnames, we figure he and John are probably cousins somewhere along the way! 

Salvo to the rescue. So grateful for him!

I find jitneys amusing, because my mom, aunt and grandma would always use this term and utilize these services. It's the OG Uber!

This is my great grandaunt, Nina Ardale Van Dosen. The notation says she is driving jitney service! 1914 Uber.

I did have some frustrations around language, for example not being skilled enough to call for a dinner reservation or a carry out order. I also was often called upon to be the 'translator' which gets tiring when I don't have skills for this level, but I guess it helped me practice! 

John: Aspects I Loved

The food, the beautiful vistas and the people. Although the timing of meals was a challenge they were almost always delicious. Food we made at home was great because everything was so fresh. Fruits and vegetables were so good. Meat and fish were amazing as well. We think it is because things are very local and don't involve transportation or processing.

I enjoyed several fish fries.

Some delicious fresh foods. Second photo all left for us by Grazia.

The landscapes are stunning. Every where you looked there were mountains extending down to the sea. The water is crystal clear with islands on the horizon in many places. Sicily is visually charming.

We met many wonderful, friendly people beyond our family! Sicilians are very laid back and enjoy life at a slower pace. I really liked the cafes, the passeggiata and the street markets.

Alcamo Vice Mayor and Head of Council, after randomly meeting in piazza, took time out to have a coffee and look at John's Alcamo ancestors.

John: Aspects I Found Challenging

One thing I found challenging in bigger cities like Palermo and Catania was the crazy drivers both in cars and on scooters. These are not the cute Vespas of Italian films. These are loud, fast motorcycles. Sicily has very few stop signs or traffic lights at intersections...really! Guess they figure why stop when there are no cars coming! This makes you become hyper-aware when walking. Many older parts of the city have tiny sidewalks. This means walking in the street. My hearing became very attuned to the sound of scooters so we had enough time to jump out of the way. This was my main frustration. Fortunately, we are not interested in the big cities. 

Ape taxi passing right next to our table at lunch, Palermo

Of course the pedestrians are another story! They, like the drivers, don't stop. When they want to cross they just go! It's like Dustin Hoffman in Midnight Cowboy, "I'm walkin here!" as he pounds on the car hood.

Other Interesting and Fun Aspects

Tiny elevators and big keys

 

Palermo apartment elevator. Don't let go of the button!

Elevator in our Catania apartment. Doors on each side fold in as they open. Look how they had to cut out the wall for the call button when the elevator was added to building.

Cleaning Clothes

Sicilian clothes dryers. Better for the environment, although sometimes your clothes are a wee bit 'crunchy.'

I had some frustration with our washing machine in Palermo, as it took over two hours to run a cycle. It must have been ancient, because all of our other washers had a 'rapid' cycle, from 15 to 35 minutes. Much better!

We didn't have to use a laundromat in Sicily, but here's an example of one. You can't see in the picture, but it is an alcove off of the sidewalk!

Vehicles

Postal carrier

I'm fascinated by the l'ape. Most are used as work trucks or for vending, but in Palermo they were tourist taxis. I didn't take a ride, though, because they were at very inflated tourist prices. One day!

Vintage Fiat Cinquecento

I'm also obsessed with Vespas!

Police car

Garbage truck

Trash and Recycling

Recycling was inconsistent depending on where we were. The larger cities didn't seem to have an option for this. In fact, in Palermo, because we were in the very old historical centre where even that tiny truck cannot get through, we had to bring our trash to a communal spot a few blocks away. This area was not pleasant, as you might imagine, and there were definitely no recycle bins. However, in the smaller cities, recycling was prominent. There were small bins, one for each type of recycling, with complicated pick-up schedules. In Capo D'Orlando, Grazia took care of putting the bins out on the appropriate day, but in Augusta, we had to pay attention to the schedule our host sent us.

All of these bins take up a lot of space in a small apartment, but kudos on the efforts!

Wow!

An impressive aspect of recycling (also in UK): the packages give helpful recycling information. Perhaps also you can see how much thinner the cardboard is?

What's Next

Now, out of the Schengen Zone, and in a quieter period here in St. Leonard's, England, we were at a decision point. We had plans in place until July 31 but needed to make plans and reservations for the next leg of our journey. Stay in the UK longer until eligible to return to Sicily (late September) or return to the States and return to Sicily later in 2022?

The first option would allow us to pursue our larger plans in a more timely manner, but the second option would allow us to handle some business items more easily, as well as to attend a wedding of dear friends. While I was in the midst of compiling infor for those comparisons, an issue arose that requires us to return to the States, so that decision was made. 

So, next was timing and method for our return. Choice one was flying out after our cruises end, while the other choice was to sail from England transatlantic at the beginning of September, the earliest available choice. The lovely couple we met in Palermo, Gráinne and Denis, had offered to let us stay with them a few days in Dublin and return to the States from there, rather than from London which is twice as expensive. 

Enjoying evening cocktails with Gráinne and Denis in Palermo.

We had hoped we could debark a day early from our last cruise, in Dublin, and then initiate those plans. That plan didn't have any amount of certainty, and the costs of flying were still very high. As pensioners, our budget takes a huge hit when we have to spend $1,400+ on one flight! (I spent days searching for all variations of ways to accomplish this to no avail.) Additionally, we have both been concerned about the situation in airports; between short staffing, potential strikes, an abundance of travelers, cancelled flights and other problems, we weren't confident a purchased flight would be secure.  Travel right now is crazy, especially internationally!

So, we've decided on a return by ship, even though this choice delays getting back to take care of various items, as well as pushing back our timeframe for returning to Sicily. For $600 more than the cost of the flight, we can have transporation, lodging, meals and entertainment for two weeks, and it's just an overall more pleasant way to travel. Since the sailing isn't until early September, we also had to fill the month of August, and we've booked a place to stay that looks like a nice location for more England exploration. I am very disappointed, though, that we won't get to visit with our friends in Dublin.

So here is our itinerary for the next few months:

For history buffs, yes, Hastings is that Hastings as in William the Conqueror.

St Leonard's until July 9; transfer to Dover.

Embark on Carnival Pride for B2B cruises (Britain, Ireland and Iceland) July 10; return July 31.

We got great deals on these cruises, less than lodging cost. I do have to 'spend' 4 Schengen days to go to Iceland, but I have a handful of days remaining.

Chippenham, England July 31 - September 2.

Chippenham is a market town on the River Avon, not far from Bath, which I definitely plan to visit.

Transfer to Southhampton, embark on Enchanted Princess for TA cruise September 2 - 17.

Norway and the Azores will be new stops for us. I have to 'spend' 2 Schengen days, but I'm still within my visa limit. I'll be glad when I eventually (it seems so far away) become an Italian citizen by marriage!

Arrive in New York, transfer to Michigan, September 17. We will be in Michigan for at least a month, possibly longer. Where we will stay is not yet determined. Hoping to see Michigan friends and family! Who has a guest room?!