Images: Orange Pickers at Dawn outside Pantalemi; SL at "Gole Alcantara" - the Gorge: JL and SL at Gorge: More Gorge.
You would think that we have had enough of tiny, twisting mountain roads, but on Tuesday, we decided to take the road up to the hilltop village of Motta Camastra, to eat at the Pizzeria Panoramica. Although this road was wider than the one to our previous mountain home, it was even steeper.
Twenty minutes of this brought us to the top of the mountain, where a tiny village perched, clinging to the cliff. The restaurant did indeed have a panoramic view, but it was closed.
No matter how hard we try, we really can't figure out the hours of business here. We understand that the stores are all generally open in the morning till one in the afternoon, closed till four or five, and then open again till seven or eight- later for the restaurants, as Sicilians don't seem to start dinner till after nine at night. Our journey to Castigione de Sicilia to get our phone working, however, met with a town still sleeping at 11:00 in the morning. It was explained to us that Monday was the day AFTER Sunday, so of course, things are closed in the morning. We intended to wait till the phone store opened that afternoon, but were told it would not open as the owner had gone to Catania. Wednesday afternoon? Everything closed.
The “Internet Point” said it would open at one, so I arrived there at one, to find it was closing in fifteen minutes. We drove to another pizzeria, to find it open, but no pizza “Pizza solo sera.” Pizza is only at night.
Today we visited the Gole Alcantara – the Gorge. The rock formations looked like strips of playdough, with the water rushing through the narrow chasm below. Very beautiful.
SL and I made our way down, then back up, the 206 stone steps to the bottom of the canyon. John Harasym and I laugh at such a test, as we have conquered the 330 steps in Dundurn.
Tonight I made a meal pasta with a sauce made from everything we had in the fridge. Steak, sausage, garlic, butter, olive oil, onions, carrots, capers, tomatoes and tomato sauce. It was actually quite delicious.
It was a good thing that we had decided to stay in, as the wind rose to a howl that continued all night, knocking over our metal patio furniture, and screaming to get in every window and door. SL and I were awake most of the night, and I finally had to get up and try to plug each little crevice with paper towel to stop the banging as the banshees tried to get at us.
We awoke to the full-throated conversation of the orange pickers right outside our window. It seems that Sicilians do not converse – they shout. What on earth they could be talking about with such fervor is beyond me. I mean, Fantasy Football is still months away!
Today, Etna!
Twenty minutes of this brought us to the top of the mountain, where a tiny village perched, clinging to the cliff. The restaurant did indeed have a panoramic view, but it was closed.
No matter how hard we try, we really can't figure out the hours of business here. We understand that the stores are all generally open in the morning till one in the afternoon, closed till four or five, and then open again till seven or eight- later for the restaurants, as Sicilians don't seem to start dinner till after nine at night. Our journey to Castigione de Sicilia to get our phone working, however, met with a town still sleeping at 11:00 in the morning. It was explained to us that Monday was the day AFTER Sunday, so of course, things are closed in the morning. We intended to wait till the phone store opened that afternoon, but were told it would not open as the owner had gone to Catania. Wednesday afternoon? Everything closed.
The “Internet Point” said it would open at one, so I arrived there at one, to find it was closing in fifteen minutes. We drove to another pizzeria, to find it open, but no pizza “Pizza solo sera.” Pizza is only at night.
Today we visited the Gole Alcantara – the Gorge. The rock formations looked like strips of playdough, with the water rushing through the narrow chasm below. Very beautiful.
SL and I made our way down, then back up, the 206 stone steps to the bottom of the canyon. John Harasym and I laugh at such a test, as we have conquered the 330 steps in Dundurn.
Tonight I made a meal pasta with a sauce made from everything we had in the fridge. Steak, sausage, garlic, butter, olive oil, onions, carrots, capers, tomatoes and tomato sauce. It was actually quite delicious.
It was a good thing that we had decided to stay in, as the wind rose to a howl that continued all night, knocking over our metal patio furniture, and screaming to get in every window and door. SL and I were awake most of the night, and I finally had to get up and try to plug each little crevice with paper towel to stop the banging as the banshees tried to get at us.
We awoke to the full-throated conversation of the orange pickers right outside our window. It seems that Sicilians do not converse – they shout. What on earth they could be talking about with such fervor is beyond me. I mean, Fantasy Football is still months away!
Today, Etna!
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