Art and Chocolate- Two of my favorite things.

December 3.

John and I had a quick breakfast and explored the property we were staying on. We took some great photos of the picturesque views.  We also discovered german shepherd puppies right outside our hotel room.  (so cute!) We spent an hour driving out in the small town of Piazza Armerina and discovering all the little street markets.

We headed to Ragusa this morning which was about 2 hours from Piazza Armerina. I have to admit, this was the first time I had a little bit of trouble with the winding roads.  I felt a little car sick and had to take a little nap to avoid it developing into anything. John got us to Ragusa all on his own (with the help of our Garmin who’s been a lifesaver this journey!)  We went to the center of town and ate at a place called Cucino e Vino where John had:, Eggplant capinata and ragusano d.o.p., dried fava bean and fennel soup, paccheri pasta with lamb and potato ragu, with pecorino cheese, and tripe tomatoes and capers. (and he finished mine!)  I had focaccia, ravioli de zucca (squash sauce and pancetta from ragu) and braised pork shank (John made me order it to make it look like he wasn’t ordering all the food. )

I was very excited about our next two adventures in Modica:

Adventure 1: Visit a good friend of Francesco who provides John with olive oil he uses at Panozzos.  Francesco’s friend, Alessandro, is a glass artist.  He is famous in Sicily and I couldn’t wait to see his work.  I wanted to see how he creates his art and couldn’t wait to see his gallery! Our visit to meet Alessandro was even better than expected.  He is truly an inspiring artist.  His work is dynamic and so intriguing.  He has been working with glass for 15 years and is self taught.  Very impressive! Alessandro’s friend, Giorgio was nice enough to be the translator during our visit.  Not only did he give us a great tour of his studio, show us the process of glass making, and answer any and all questions we had- but he also took us to what adventure #2 would be: The oldest pastry shop in all of Sicily.

Adventure 2: Antica Dolceria Bonajuto

Bonajuto and Modica is most known for its chocolate.  The chocolate here isn’t made with any additional cocoa butter besides what’s naturally in the cocoa bean.  Also, the chocolate isn’t heated in order for the sugar to melt, so the texture is more coarse and granular.  I LOOOOOOOOOVED the chocolate at Bonajuto! Might be the best chocolate I’ve ever had in my life.  The texture is different, but a very good different.  The cocoa is so prevalent in this chocolate- It’s really great.  We tried a bunch of samples given to us by Pierpaolo who is the 6^th generation from the Bonajuto family.  I really enjoyed the chocolate covered orange peel, and the 90% dark chocolate.  We got to try chocolate covered almonds, and chocolate liquor and the best cannoli we’ve had in Sicily yet! Other samples included: Quince paste and candied orange peel.  He spent time talking with us about the history of his store and how it’s known throughout all off Sicily.

After visiting the best chocolate shop EVER- Alessandro took us to the bar that he owns. It’s called Hemingway’s and is in the perfect location in the center of Modica. We learned quickly by walking in the streets with Alessandro and Giorgio that Modica is small enough for everyone to know everyone.  The people of Modica are super friendly and always acknowledge each other when passing by.  Hemingway’s was a great chance to relax and learn more about the Modica way of life.  Thanks to Francesco for exposing us to both of these opportunities.  Because of him we will be coming home with much more glass, and chocolate than we came with.  Thanks to Giorgio for being our great translator and to Alessandro for showing us his passion and sending us off with great works of art… not to mention a great bottle of wine.

Tomorrow we will visit Francesco’s family’s olive oil mill and almond and olive farm in Pozzallo and Ispica.

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