Arrivals
Mt. Etna was about as clear as I have seen her this trip this morning. Just a wee bit of venting at the top, but not much else. During breakfast, however, she started making her own weather, something she is prone to doing.
Our friends had arrived safely and had enjoyed our bag of food we had brought back from the restaurant.
We agreed on a meeting time and went out walking. Down to Piazza IX Aprile, we wandered and headed over to the railing. The view is pretty spectacular from there, but does not necessarily make a good photograph. Too many things in the way.
We sat on one of the stone benches and watched a clown entertain the crowd.
Around the corner, some of “my gentlemen” were seated in their normal spots. Arnie says I cannot go by them without one of them saying, “Buongiorno!”
“How long are you here,” one of them asked. Some speak Sicilian, a language very different from Italian, and I was at a loss to understand. One of the others who had lived in the US translated for me.
In my fractured Italian, I responded, “Nove giorni.”
We all joked a bit, then moved on. We wanted to check on this year’s entry fee for Teatro Grecco, the amazing Green theater at the other end of town.
“Is that the gelato place,” asked our friend who has a homing instinct for sweets.
“Yes,” is it time to get some?”
And so we went in, ordered a couple of gelatos and waters, and enjoying people-watching.
Eventually, we wandered up the street to check on ticket prices. On the way back, I noticed an odd lion carving with a very large head. With natural fill light, it was interesting. Once an artist’s studio, I wondered what it might be now.
The fact that the name was Siligato, Turi’s last name, also fascinated me. I’ll have to ask Turi tonight!
There was a large cruise ship out in the bay, and busloads of the madding crowd were swarming over the city. We knew about this and figured it would be quieter down at the lido (beach). It would have been an exceptionally steep climb down, and an even steeper one coming back up, so we took the tram, a quick ride.
We returned to a restaurant Arnie have visited before. With a shaded, outside terrace, one can enjoy the blue waters, colorful umbrellas, and boats on the cove.
Conversation, a light lunch, and a bottle of Murgo white wine later, we were ready to meander on. Murgo, by the way, was one of the wineries we visited in Tutti Turi Tour (found below in the YouTube link) three years ago.
Back up the steep steps from the beach, then on up the road for a different view, we savored the day.
It was getting warm, and since tonight is probably not going to be an early one, we headed back on the cable car to return to our hotel.
Some more friend/participants had just arrived, so we greeted them and found they, too, had already fallen in love with Taormina. It is easy to do.
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We met the group before 8:00 for the short walk down to Turi’s place. We were missing one couple who had been delayed, and our Canadian who wasn’t due until Sunday, but again, we left detailed instructions, hoping that the couple would make it.
People were getting to know one another a bit, and we ziggled and zaggled through the narrow streets of Taormina to the restaurant. Turi was outside and gave us all a BIG smile.
“Tutti Turi Tour,” he said, thinking that one of our members was a repeat from three years ago.
“No,” we explained, while they looked alike, this was a new one looking forward to this year’s Tutti Turi Tour.
Upstairs we went. We noticed that Giovanni, one of our servers, was using the new BCPA stylus we gave him yesterday. He clearly was enjoying it.
As usual, we asked for wine recommendations and ordered some appetizers.
On the way in, we had noticed some fresh fish on a platter.
“They are a family close to Dorade,” we were told, but clearly much smaller … smaller even than a small trout.
The first bottle of wine appeared, along with the lemon salad we so like. This time, everyone had the rinds of these sweet fruit, marveling at the flavor.
After a while, two very enthusiastic alumni walked in, delighted to have managed the nine-hour trip from Vienna where they had been visiting her family. There were hugs and hand-shakes all around, and they were quickly engaged in animated conversation.
It was time to order dinner, and Giovanni brought a platter of some of the fish we had seen downstairs, along with the cigarra you may recognize from the first blog. As I was photographing him (or her), he/she kept rising up on claws, almost like doing push-ups. I had to laugh.
These creatures have become rare in this part of the Mediterranean. With no antennae and crusty skin, they look prehistoric!
One of the couples decided to split it for their meal, and it really did look delicious when grilled and presented on the dinner plate.
The meal lasted through a few more bottles of wine and dessert, but it was getting late, and most of our crew were tired from travels.
Back up the hill and steep steps we went, said our good-nights, and collapsed.
The workshop officially starts on the morrow.
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M’Arnie,
Wonderful foodie recap of the first few days. Look forward to lots more!
Madame de Farge,
So lovely to hear from you, knitting away in your rocking chair, observing the world, at least the Sicilian one, through this blog.
Take care,
TBC