Fonza d Agro Village in the hills

The ancient village of Fonza d Agro 420m above sea level in the even higher mountains above the Crystal Sea Hotel was just calling me so a nice Sunday drive "but ... no Sunday drivers" it was like an Italian hill climb for rally cars and a race to the top.

 

Loving the panorama setting on the Ipad with views to the east to the Ionian Sea and the mainland of Italy

 

 

This is the village that a lot The Godfather was filmed

 

 

As you can imagine its is ALL steps, so tired legs by the end of the day.

 

 

  A beautiful 25 deg day so great for exploring

 

 

Check out the individual terracotta drain pipes

 

 

A view to Mount Etna in the far distance

 

 

More weathered steps, but this time up to a chocolate museum in the old church so lets check that out

 

 

 

A confusion picture "so I esplain you"

Gosh I'm sounding so Italian they say that all the time.

Alora above in a picture of a street in Sicily and the bottom 3 steps are all made in white chocolate and painted to look like tiles.

The whole museum was of  historical building and statues

 

 

 That's a LOT of chocolate Sandy!!!

  

 

 

Even the Godfather film set was done in chocolate

 

 

So its a curvy drive back down the race track to the Crystal Hotel past the remains of a Norman Castle.

Copy and Paste

Some days I don't need to blog as the people around me can do all of the crazing writing for me!!!
Here is an email just arrived for this weeks cooking classes directions.
Maybe a long day coming Monday and perhaps another drink will be needed at the other end also!!!!

Request received from: Le Chiuse di Guadagna
Message:

Dear Sandy and Pete,
the farmhouse is located in the countryside between Scicli and Modica and hasn?t got any specific address. We remind you not to insert our address in the GPS, because it is not able to  find it, hence it could be misleading.
From Catania you have to enter the highway called A18 towards Siracusa. Once you will have reached the nearby of Siracusa, just keep on driving along the same highway A18 towards Rosolini, the town where the highway ends.
From Rosolini just follow the main road that is called SS115 towards Ispica. You will reach a large roundabout beneath Ispica so keep on driving along the main road that is now called SP46, towards Pozzallo. Then you go straight forward to Marina di Modica. At one point the SP66 will split in two, so pay attention: on the left, the direction is Modica (SS194); on the right, the direction is Marina di Modica. Please do not drive to Modica, do not enter the street called SS194. Just keep on driving along the SP66 towards Marina di Modica. After this crossroads, you will drive on an overpass and then reach a roundabout: turn immediately on the right once you will have passed the roundabout.
At this point, drive straight and follow the road signs to Modica. After 3-4 kilometers you will find another crossroads. At this crossroads turn left by continuing to follow the road sign to Modica: this new street is called SP43. Drive along the SP43 and you will soon pass by a gas station uphill. Keep on driving straight and after a couple of minutes after that gas station you will find a road sign on the left to C.da Nacalino (or Contrada Nacalino). When you see that road sign, leave the main road SP43 by turning left towards C.da Nacalino: this countryside road is curvy, please drive carefully.
You will drive on an overpass, pass by a farmhouse called Nacalino, then through a small rocky canyon. At the end of this curvy road you'll end up at a T junction uphill: turn left and after 300 meters you will finally arrive to our farmhouse that is on the right side of the road.

If you have any problem, you can contact us by calling the office number: +39 0932 1850237.
We could also send you our location via Whatsapp. 
Normally, the check-in begins at 2pm and ends at 8pm.
Would you please let us know your arrival time?

See you tomorrow

Arianna & Luca          

 

Weekend Off

So after a hard week in the southern Italian kitchens ( oh play that little violin's Pete) its time to let someone else cook for us.
My mission was to find a place to stay that was, well lets just say not so Harmony Hotelish.
So after about 1 hour heading south on the east coast of Sicily with the Lonian Sea off to our left I can hear a G & T calling ... Sounds like I'm turning into a bit of a plonko ... but you try driving down here and you too would need a little drink or three to end your day.


Granted this time we did pass a few "Harmonious" looking places and then off the right and you guest it UP A HILL 4 beautiful little stars appeared.
Not a star snob, but sometime 1 more little star can make so much more difference. Crystal Sea Hotel is above the little beach town of Letojanni and just 10km north of Taormina and this will be our home for the next 2 nights before its "Back to work Monday" and next weeks cooking classes.

 Check out the view, one G & T down and its on to a cheeky little local white

 

Now its time to read some more of my books.
Done some murder mysteries in Venice so lets try some romance in Sicily.
Already a few pages in and these Italian's sure now how to doooo romance ... well they sure know how to write about it!!! maybe I could learn a thing or two.

To the Ferry Please Gloria 2

Gloria 2 pretty little thing but with a wicked sense of humour ...
So first we need to just get down that mountain ... AGAIN

Its about 150km drive south from Nocera Terinese to the ferry terminal at Villa Saint Giovanni and most will be done on the auto strata but by the look of the map there will be loads of tunnels so lights set to auto and off we go.

 

 

I'm not sure how one got to the ferry terminal pre auto strata but when you looked over the mountain edges and down the steep decent to the teal ocean below it would have taken weeks!!!

 

The views from up here are amazing, at times you felt like you we in a plane, you come out of a long dark tunnel and then thrust into the bright light and there is a suspension bridge that went to the next tunnel. Sorry no suspension bridge picture I think Sandy had here eyes closed a few times ... oh and maybe me to!!

 

My hands were cramping from holding that steering wheel so tight with a very firm grip! Concentrating on my lane as the cars speed so fast past my left as if they were jets in a race to the moon, or was that to the 12.30 ferry.

 

 

 

 

But I won! ... I got to the ferry terminal first! or well, maybe we just missed the 12.30 ferry!!

 

So 1 hour waiting in the holding bay gave us some time to chat to the locals and find out how this all works. Being a inland boy, ferry's are not our first mode of transport and then there was the little bit of Italian language to hurdle, oh and I did mention being the 1st in the queue.

 

 

So first in the queue is first on the ferry, oh and that will mean first off at the other end, bright spark Pete, being first ... I think not, as when that metal gate in front of me drops to Sicilian soil the race track starts all over again, but this time its from a standing start ... We are soooooo going to get RUN OVER.

 

Didn't help last night on google to find out a bit about Sicily and one "lovely little fact" is, that apparently Sicilian driver are WORSE than main land Italians!!!!! oh goodie ...

 

Solution, start to mix and mingle with the locals and with that Aussie hat they wanted to mingle with me.

So a bit of negotiating with most of the cars and trucks on board to ask them to play nice and don't honk their horns as soon as the gates drop oh and remember my Italian language lesson from yesterday Paino Paino Paino

 

 

Looking forward, little oll me tucked in under that huge metal gate oh and looking back some big suckers right on my tail.

But it was like a gift from the heavens as just a few car back from us were the police that should help slow down the traffic, well that what I thought.

 

 

So the race is about to start ... 

 

 

The gate is being slowing dropped just in front of me and the engines are all running and reeving loudly behind me, paino paino I'm saying to myself and well as I'm here writing the blog we came out unscaved and only a little mentally bruised, it is now apparent to me that the Sicilian police drivers are ever worse than the rest of the drivers on todays ferry ... or maybe they had some mafia friends to catch up with for a drink after work!!!! 

 

 

So welcome to Sicily ...

All you have to do is follow that blue line.

 

Light Bulb Moment

Well Gloria 2 ... you call this a highway !!!
This was a light bulb moment saying in the back of my mind that we should maybe turn around and revisit an alternative route!!!

 

Now that's better

 

 

Out side the cooking school and old water mill

 

 

The grotto

 

 

The old 15th century grinding stones

 

 

The other end of the kitchen with more of that mountain coming through the walls.

Well this 1st cooking class has come to an end and as tomorrow is Saturday we are having the weekend off and start our drive to Sicily. 

 

 

 

Pizzo

This morning is some time off from the kitchen duties so lets hit the beach.
Never as easy as it sounds as we are on a hill high on a mountain side and well the beach location I'm sure you can work that out for yourselves.
But its the getting there that is always the fun, narrow roads with tight curves at EVERY corner so paino paino (slow slow)
so that's your Italian lesson for today sorted.

Sooooo worth the 1 hour drive to the medieval town of Pizzo off the main auto strata, once you get off the main roads its just amazing the little gems that are there to be discovered, Pizzo was one of those great finds.

The teal water colour and its so clear

The private little beach here with its fine white sand, as a few km's down the road the sand was black and course.
Its a beautiful 28 deg today and it almost makes you forget how terrifying the drive home will be later !!! 
The seaside village is so cute I could see my self  planted here for a summer.

Olive Oil Fresh and Green

Where it all the magic starts ... ancient olive trees

 

Green fresh olive oil is a tastebud delight and you can't get much fresher then this.

Marko looking more like a mad scientist in his lab coat then a olive farmer.



The old way

 

The new way

 

 

But the building where all the magic happens stays the same.