Rainbows and More Sheep?

December 1, 2009

I had fresh squeezed blood orange juice for the first time ever this morning at Pensione Tranchina.  Breakfreast was bright, but unfortunately, they day was not.  It was raining when we woke up and although we saw an incredible rainbow (check out the photo!) the rain put a little bit of a damper on our day.

We decided to drive to Trapani.  It took us an hour to get to Trapani from Scopello. The first thing we noticed when we arrived in Trapani is that it was much bigger than we anticipated.  It’s a city known for its sea salts and coral.  I found a nice clothing store to spend some time (and money) in before we headed to lunch.  While we were in this clothing store, they closed their door for the daily “siesta.”  Worried that I was keeping them, they assured me that I wasn’t by bringing me more things to try on.  Even though they were closed, I didn’t feel rushed. The women who were working were so pleasant and helpful.

We seeked out a local spot for lunch.  This restaurant, Al Solito Posto, was one that our hosts recommended we try.  When we walked in this restaurant it seemed like the entire restaurant all turned around at the same time.  It’s amazing how obvious the “we’re not from here” sign is on our foreheads.  Before we even spoke to the host, he said to us, “It will be 20mins. Fish ok?” I still don’t know how he knew we didn’t speak Italian.

Our meal was nice.  For those that are curious: John had a sardine tarte with pine nuts, currants, and fennel.  I had mussels to start.  We also both got a different busiate pasta. I ordered the busiate with shrimp, botarga (dried salted tuna row-not a big fan), tomatoes, and bread crumbs.  John ordered the cuddle fish ink busiate. (It literally looked like a few black pens exploded on his plate.. refer to photos to see!) Next course was fritto misto (fried mix) of squid and prawns.  John had grouper with tomatoes and capers.  While we were eating- no one really spent much time talking with us.  As we were paying on the way out and John was speaking the best Italian he could- they asked us where we were from.  One of the guys had some family tie to Elizabeth, NJ.  “You know, the Sopranos.” Was about all he could say in English.  We found that was ironic since John grew up not too far from there.  They kept asking us if we “Live with the stars?” Not understanding what they were asking us, we kept saying we live in Chicago.  Then I understood what they were asking. The man said, “Ah- you live with stars? Like Robert Redford?”  What they were asking is if we lived with or around any celebrities.  We explained we did not live with the stars in LA, and he explained how much he loved watching David Letterman with subtitles.

On our way out the door we ran into an English speaking older Italian man.  Turns out he lived in NYC for about 30 years.  He had a great sense of humor.  Two things he told us: “I made a big mistake.  I love that apple.”  In reference to him moving back to Italy from NYC.  And “I learned how to speak English by watching the Johnny Carson Show.”  He sells olive oil and wine in the states.  Who knows- you might just find it one day at Panozzo’s.

Since Trapani is known for its coral, I wanted to check out a coral shop before we headed back to Scopello.  When I asked where one was- they started giving me confusing directions.  Then the one guy who didn’t speak much English offered to show us the way.  Probably something that would rarely happen in the states.  He literally drove us across town to the coral shop.

We headed back for a quiet night in Scopello with our great hosts. Dinner was pasta alla norma. (Ziti with fried eggplant. 4 different local cheeses) Then we has sea bass (grilled branzino)  I learned that it’s not normal to serve fish without the head and tail on.  Italians want proof what kind of fish it is and where it came from, and how fresh it is.  If you get fish like we typically do in the states, you never really know what you’re eating. With our grilled branzino, we had grilled zucchini.  For dessert, we had a lemon custard with amaretti cookies rum and fudge.

John and I were both sad that we would be leaving our quaint place in Scopello the next morning. But we were also excited to see what southeast Sicily would bring.

December 2

We woke up at 6am to get a really early start to our day.  After breakfast we walked around Scopello and enjoyed the fantastic views.  The same little dog who greeted us when we arrived in Scopello was there to see us off.

One interesting side note about locks on doors in Sicily: Every single lock you’ll find whether it’s a door lock or a cabinet lock, you will find has an old key in it.  To lock the door, you have to turn the key.  I’ve never found a door in the US that has a key in the hole to lock it. It’s a small detail, but very charming.

One our way to our first stop from Scopello we were just about to get on the main highway and had a little delay- Sheep in the Street! A huge heard of sheep held traffic up in the middle of the road.  I’ve never seen anything like it! (check photos!)

Our first stop from Scopello was a very nice, well known restaurant in a small town called Licata.  When I say small, I mean- uh- I can’t believe there is any restaurants here let alone a fine dining spot.  The restaurant is called “La Madia.” John was told that this restaurant was one of the top 2 restaurants in Sicily.  When we arrived to Licata 3.5 hours from Scopello, we had a hard time believing that would be true.

Licata is not a destination town.  In any way.  The old streets were filled with people but the town was significantly smaller than others we’d visited.  Walking into the restaurant I thought maybe someone played a little joke on John.  A 1 star Michelin restaurant in a town like Licata?

Then we walked in.  The waiters looked like they weren’t working in the same town as we were in.  They looked like they should be working at a restaurant in downtown Rome, Palermo, or any other big city with a fine dining appeal.

At our 2 hour 8-10 course meal we heard the song “Chicago” about three times.  I’m sure they did it on purpose since they asked where we were from but when we asked if they did-they said no.  It’s very possible they didn’t understand our question.

After our meal (see photoworks photos for all the photos of the food!) we headed to Piazza Armerina where we would be staying at Giglioto.  This agriturismo is located inland and would be the only hotel we stay at that’s not on the coast.

When we pulled up to Gigliotto we couldn’t help but notice how their property went on forever.  The sun was setting and looked awesome on the rows and rows of cactus and vineyards.

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