Capo D'Orlando Part One: Living Test

 

Arrival

As last time when we flew into Palermo, we exited the plane via steps (I always feel like the President), then onto a shuttle bus for a short ride to the terminal. Traveling between Spain and Italy, no Customs, so it was just a matter of waiting for our luggage then on to find the shuttle bus service to take us into central Palermo. 

€12 total for 2, for a pretty drive along the sea and into the city: Excellent! More inland from here is the city Carini, which is one of John's ancestral home towns going farther back.

Carini ancestors are in the line of John's paternal grandmother, Benedetta Adamo. Carini connections begin with Agostino Gambino, John's 4th great-grandfather. I have more work I can do in this line. So many branches, so little time!

Agostino Giuseppe Michelangelo Gambino, baptised 19 September 1764 in Carini.

Since Capo D'Orlando is about two hours from central Palermo by train, we stayed overnight at a B&B a block from Palermo central station. Around the corner was a kebab place with good ratings, so that was dinner. John was happy to be reunited with the €2 Moretti. Our dinner was delish, and we had a nice chat with the owner. After a long day of travel my brain was too fried to speak Italian, so I was happy to find that he was from England. He has a kebab shop here and there (in Bolton). He treated us to an espresso and ended our discussion with il bacetto (I have finally figured out on which side to start with this!) 

Onward to Capo D'Orlando the next morning. This was a fairly new Trenitalia train with comfy seats.

Upon arrival at the apartment, friend Grazia had a delicious lunch waiting for us. Yum!

After some unpacking and a pisolino (nap), we were off for supplies. It was nice to already be familiar with where things are located. A beautiful vista on our commute back from the supermarket!

Since we arrived, we've just been 'living,' as that's our purpose for being here - checking it out. We're doing the everyday things like shopping, getting a haircut, taking the bus, meeting up with friends, etc.

At il barbiere e la parrucchiera.

Our local bus adventure. This took days to pull together. First we had to find the main bus stop and figure out where to buy tickets. Next, we had to find the schedule. Then we had to decide on a route to explore, buy the tickets, and explain to the bus driver that we were riding the entire route, not getting off. We ended up choosing the exciting route! From the city centre, we went to the marina, then quickly ascended (ear pops!) up winding, narrow roads to a high point, then across through several hamlets of Capo D'Orlando, and back down into the city. We were rewarded with beautiful vistas!

We've been fortunate to make many friendships in town already. John and I both love the tradition of meeting up with friends for a coffee, aperitivo, meal, or a walk, enjoying the experience, not in a rush. In the photos above ... Donna is American and working on her Italian citizenship through her Sicilian father. Her family lives in small towns nearby. She has an interesting story, which I am inserting below if you'd like to read. Matteo is a massage therapist and musician from a nearby village. We discovered we have a lot of common interests. Manuela is from Capo D'Orlando and owns a store with her family. She speaks impeccable English, which she learned as a child watching television. Impressive! Hanna, Marcos and Alexis (back row) are all Americans currently living in Capo D'Orlando. (In the front row, friends of theirs from Sinagra,  a nearby village.) We met Marcos and Alexis on the lungomare, and they introduced us to Hanna. They are all teachers and have lived in many countries. All are lovely, warm people, and we feel fortunate to have encountered them. In addition are all of the wonderful acquaintances - Morgana, Ernesto, Pasquale, Antonio, the Biancos and other neighbors, and all the owners and workers at the various businesses we frequent - who always have a kind greeting and patience with our Italian learning. We've truly felt welcome!

Donna's story

And, of course, there is wonderful Grazia, our host and now dear friend. She is a beautiful person inside and out, and we've enjoyed our many conversations and shared times together. More in the future!

Getting closer to my lifetime dream of living at the sea.

Home 

My favorite aspect of everyday living here is the passeggiata. 

Il lungomare is the perfect place for passeggiata any time of day.

You might stop and have un caffè.

Strolling with friend Grazia. We were on a mission to the butcher's, since the pollo ruspante (free range chicken) was on offer that day.

Photo taken by Alexis, who spotted us while on her passeggiata.

We've also been spending time researching and getting a handle on what rental / purchase options are available and debating what would work best for us, as well as what additional considerations would be necessary to make various options successful. We are not yet ready to buy, and finding a longer term rental option is proving challenging. The problem, briefly summarized: In order for me to stay longer than 90 / 180 days, I need to establish residency, which means having evidence of an address during the process to obtain permission to stay (as spouse of an Italian citizen). Since Capo D'Orlando is a desired summer beach destination, there are many apartments. Unfortunately, a large proportion of the owners are not interested in long term rentals, since they make enough income to their satisfaction from their summer rentals. For the smaller number who are interested in renting long-term, a proportion do not want to provide official documentation of a lease. So, we're having to navigate this problem and find the magical match. 

One thing for certain is that we want to make this move happen. We're hoping we'll make more progress on that front when we return in the Fall. We really like it here - from the beautiful surroundings, to the food, to the warm and welcoming people!

If you are a regular reader of our blog, you'll recall I wrote about cost of living, food, etc. after our Sicily visit last year. Here, I'm re-visiting those topics, because we get asked about them quite often, and there's more to say. 

Cost of Living Comparisons

One of the topics many are curious about is the cost of living. Being a smaller town, housing is less expensive here than in large cities in Italy like Rome or Milan. Additionally, the cost of housing is noticeably lower than in the U.S. We wouldn't be able to afford to be anywhere near the sea in the States! We are staying in a vacation rental now, so I cannot yet report on specific costs to rent or buy, but our research is looking favorable. 

A couple of examples of apartments in the city center.

Since we don't have a car, I also don't have much to say on that front either. My impression is that, compared to the U.S., for the type of car that would be of interest to us, the cost is less; however, gas prices are higher. Hopefully, though, we will be able to meet our goal of not having a car! In the event we need local transportation, John's investigated an entire realm of options from scooters, to electric bikes, and beyond. We will dig deeper when we know what we'll require, if anything.

We have found the price of train travel very fair and reasonable. For example, early in our stay we traveled to Sant'Agata di Militello, a town about 30 minutes away by car. The cost of our round trip for two was 13.48 USD + some foot power, took less than 15 minutes, and was more favorable to the environment.

Food is the primary area I have noticed big differences in price. Unless I'm hunting something from home  that is unusual in Italy (e.g. like Cheerios), I have found that the prices are much more budget-friendly here. Even if prices were the same, it is still more favorable here, because the food is fresh and healthy. In the States, for example, food travels long distances and items like fruits are harvested early and treated in order to be "ripe" at the store. I find most meat in the States to be bland, and I have concerns about the way animals are treated and the conditions under which meat is processed. Of course, organic is an alternative option, but I believe it is beyond the budget of the average American, including ours. Below are some examples from our shopping.

Two large, breaded and spiced, pork chops, €4. The pork here is absolutely delicious. I don't even eat pork in the U.S. unless it is covered in some kind of sauce. To me, it is bland.

A huge bag of tomatoes from the Farmer's Market, €5. Funny story on this one. I told the vendor I wanted a kg of tomatoes (I believe they were 2 or 2.50 per kilo). It was the end of the market day, and he said, I'll sell you all these for 5. It was a lot of tomatoes! I gave some to Grazia, and then we made a lot of tomato dishes. 

1/3 pound of swiss cheese, on offer, €1.33

Here is an example of a shop. I bought ingredients for three meals, plus some staples. The prosciutto was a fancy kind, thus the price.

Fancy cheese and olives from the local gourmet store, €10. That orange cheese with the pepper is SO good! I learned from the young man at the shop the story of this cheese: It is said to have been created to cure the depression of a princess. Love! The color comes from zafferano (saffron), which probably explains its cost! There are many types of cheese here that we've never tasted before.

Homemade red wine from the local deli, €3.50.

Recent farmer's market purchase: leaf lettuce, broccolini, strawberries, carrots, and eggs (harvested the day previous): €7.50

Household supplies shop: tissue, ?, aluminum foil, qtips, paper towel, air freshener spray, body wash, small laundry detergent, ?, laundry spray, bar soap: €18.46, of which 3.08 was tax. One interesting observation on the tissue ... A box of tissue was on the expensive side, about 2.5, but a 12 pack of mini-tissues was only 1.49 (so I got those!). 

A delicious meal for two for €6,28.

Gelato! The "equivalent" at Baskin Robbins would be that price or more for one.

In terms of eating out, I've found that coffee shops are less expensive. Restaurants are about the same ... sort of. To explain ... "Entrees" cost about the same. However, drinks are substantially lower (appropriately so, in my opinion), and there is no huge tip (they've really gotten out of control in the U.S.). There is coperto, but that mostly works out to less than a tip. Additionally, I've had experiences where the coperto was waived or we were given something free, like a dessert or coffee. In the end, then, the cost of a nice meal out is sometimes lower.

Coffees at the bar are usually €1.5. The treats are another .50 - 1. Compare to the cost of a cappuccino at local coffee shop or chain! The cookie with the arrow is called occhio di bue, "bull's-eye." The 1/2 cornetto was filled with my favorite flavor, pistacchio!

Here is a specific restaurant example. Our friend Francesco suggested we meet up with friends of his, Steve and Leslie, who are in the process of relocating to Italy. Their town is close to Sant'Agata di Militello, a few train stops over from Capo D'Orlando, so we met up there for lunch at Ristorante e Bar Carletto. We had 3 pasta plates and 1 of their specialty, swordfish rolls, a pitcher of house white wine, a bottle of water, 1 coffee, and 4 limoncellos. The price was €56. Leslie laid down a 50, and the owner said, "That's enough." So the grand total was €50. I can't think of a U.S. restaurant that would include those drinks and the bill only be $50. 

Additional scenes from our day visit to this cute Sicilian town.

Sicilian / Italian Specialties

Food here is amazing! There's a reason that Italy has this year submitted for its food to be granted placement on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List. In other food news, Italy is the first country to move toward banning synthetic meat. That's a hot topic, so I'll avoid discussion on that and move to sharing some of the delicious foods we've tried - and re-visited.

 

Granita! This is one of John's and my favorite Sicilian treats. You eat this for breakfast (very nice when it is hot outside) or as a snack. It is traditional to eat it with a brioche and can also be topped with panna. In the first photo, I had pistacchio while John had lemon; in the second photo we went with the traditional classic, strawberry. Both times we split a brioche in order to eat less bread.

Limoncello! Look at the color from the marvelous Sicilian lemons. Maybe I had a little too much alcohol this day?!

Gelato! I think I may have discovered my new favorite flavor: Sette Veli. Google translated this as seven veils, and from my research I learned it is named after the Biblical dance of the seven veils and based on a traditional Sicilian cake called Setteveli. I also learned it is one of the most popular flavors.

I don't drink much soda, but if I do, Polara Ancient Sicilian Recipes is the brand I want. My favorite flavor is Gassosa, but this one was pretty delicious too!

Cannoli. This cannolo was called Albanese style, I think because of the candied orange. Yum!

Arancino (or arancina, if you are from Palermo, arancini/e if there is more than one, and arancinu in Sicilian - got that straight?!). However you choose, it is a rice ball coated in bread crumbs and deep-fried. It can have different types of fillings, but very common (like this one) is ragu and meat.

 

Our apartment coffee maker. We usually drink espresso, but sometimes its nice to have a cappuccino. The foamer on the machine is kind of sloppy, so Grazia loaned us her foamer so we could try making cappuccino. It works quite well. Sono barista! It has been interesting to learn about and experience all of the subtleties of Italian coffee culture. If you really try to adapt, the process is similar to the mindfulness of a Japanese tea ceremony!

Pasta aisle at the grocery store. So many shapes!

Seen at the weekly market. Can you guess what they are for?

Sauce base made from cherry tomatoes, delicious. I love the pretty label.

A man selling vegetables came down the street, and Grazia suggested we buy some of his high-quality bietola. This green was unfamiliar. The stalk looked a little like celery. Grazia told us how to prepare it to serve with pasta. Later, when I looked up the translation, I learned it was chard. We've had chard before, but I don't ever recall it in pasta. It was quite tasty. Also, interesting pasta note - the bag did not say rigatoni, it said the equivalent of 'striped' to describe the pasta.

Fresh rosemary and sage for the pollo ruspante. 

When I asked Grazia what to cook for Easter, she said pasta, with a special ragu. She gave me a note for the butcher to explain what type of pork, then she ordered this fresh pasta for us from the "bread lady" (she stops on the street every day, but the pasta has to be ordered a day in advance). It was sweet that she wanted us to have a special Easter dinner. 

Local wine is readily available at various shops.

A liqueur similar to limoncello, but made with orange and ginger.

Italian version of Kraft singles - on another level, LOL.

Beautiful Italian cookies, purchased fresh from the "bread lady." 

Italian chocolate spice cookies, Tetú or Dedú, from our local bakery. These cookies are popular on All Saints' Day, as well as at Christmas.

Another type of biscotti, special for Pasqua (Easter). An egg is baked into the biscotto, which are often in special shapes related to Easter symbols.

These aren't exactly biscotti, but they are petite pastries (the waitress called them profiteroles) from the pastry shop around the corner from where we are staying. Tentazioni (Temptations) has all kinds of wonderful treats and is a nice place to stop for a coffee or snack.

A dessert from a local bar with the most hilarious name: Palle del presidente. This means the President's Balls (in reference to Berlusconi). The balls (Babà mignon) are soaked in limoncello and served in a lemon cream. You can learn more about their history and connection to Capo D'Orlando here.

John really wanted to learn how to cook the fresh anchovies. Grazia took us to the fish shop, then gave John a lesson in preparation. He really enjoyed that!

I got a cooking lesson too! Grazia taught me how to make ceci.

Grazia showed me how she makes homemade maccheroni. I did the cutting. Fun!

A nice lunch. John had a fresh fish platter; he liked the calamari the best. I had pasta all'amatriciana. We shared grilled seasonal vegetables and carafe of house wine. Delicious!

We returned to Le Siciliane with new friends Leslie and Steve. Since we were four, we had the chance to try the appetizer this restaurant is known for, grilled seasonal vegetables, prepared Sicilian style. Yum! Our mains were delicious as well (I tried the porcini mushroom pasta, John the sardines, and Leslie and Steve pastas with seafood). 

Recipes

With all of these wonderful fresh ingredients, I enjoyed making a couple of Sicilian recipes that John's cousin Nelly gave me. I have made them before, but the taste was fantastic with everything being sourced here! 

This frittata has tomatoes, prosciutto, parsley and cheese. You can switch up ingredients from the basic recipe. 

Parsley potato salad. I made a variation, without the anchovy in the dressing. Since I didn't have a blender, I used fresh parsley and just tossed with the oil and vinegar. This bursts with flavor and is not heavy like traditional potato salad.

Treats from Grazia

Many of the delicious foods we have had were treats from our host and friend Grazia. 

Citrus "from around" and eggs from Grazia's hens.

Easter weekend: Grazia brought us some special egg / biscotto treats. Her husband, Salvatore, arrived home with some nespole and said "take some." Nespole are considered a beneficial and healthy fruit. 

More citrus and homemade pepperocini.

Putting some of those oranges to use in a new way. This was a delicious fruit salad that Grazia explained how to make: oranges, green onion, fennel, and a dash of olive oil. 

Ceci, Minestrone with fava beans and artichoke. Turns out I like fava beans. Who knew?!

We were surprised to learn how abundant kiwi are here. 

Cured meat from the black swine of Salvatore's friend. (Salvatore is Grazia's son.)

Lemons are abundant here, as you can see from the photos above. However, these are special lemons to be eaten like an orange (with a little salt). 

Another gigantic fruit!

Olive oil from the country and homemade sauce base. And some biscotti for good measure.

We've enjoyed using all of these treats: homemade hot sauce (and a date for a snack, yum!). Fresh dried oregano, fresh parsley*, and special high-grade olive oil. *I've never understood why parsley was in so many Italian recipes. It always seems to have no taste and not add anything. After having the fresh, I understand why!

Upcoming Plans

Sadly, it is almost time to depart. We leave Capo D'Orlando at the end of May, when we will fly to Barcelona to catch a transatlantic cruise on Carnival Venezia, as it relocates to its permanent home of New York City. Then we will be off to Laredo to take care of some business and visit with Emily. We will return to Europe in the Fall, via transatlantic cruise on Carnival Freedom. That feels full circle, as Freedom was our first Mediterranean / Transatlantic cruise.

After 10 years at Platinum Status, we have finally reached the highest loyalty status on Carnival. We're Diamond - our luggage tags prove it, LOL!

Boarding Carnival Freedom, when she was brand new, in Civitavecchia, Italy, 2007.

I have two more Capo D'Orlando blogs to share - it was just too much for one! In Part Two of this series, I'll present a photo essay that I've been compiling. In Part Three I'll talk about our various explores and adventures during the time we stayed here. But for now I will say as they do on Carnival, "Ciao for Now!"