Reaching New Heights

What a view! This is what I see from our balcony every morning when I wake up. Straight up the mountain, a little to the left, there is a black opening that you can barely see. I had always thought it was just a crack in the rock. However, I later discovered something quite interesting. 

 

My cousin Giovanni took us to see the view of Cattolica Eraclea, which happens to be my Nonno Joe's hometown. From the top of the mountain we could see this quaint little town surrounded by other beautiful mountains. Not only did I feel like I was on top of the world, but it was wonderful to see the view through my grandfather's eyes.

We drove up the mountain and Giovanni stopped his Jeep. Here we are standing on the mountain, way above the town. We walked for awhile along a winding path. Then I stood in awe as I was now about to enter the same black opening that I saw as a tiny crack from the balcony. I discovered that it wasn't just a crack, but it was actually a grotto.

This photo shows Giovanni and me entering the grotto. It seemed dark and mysterious until we all got inside. Our eyes adjusted after a few minutes. We all sat on the steps for quite awhile and played with our echoing voices. It was fun to yell at the top of our lungs and know that no one could hear from the outside. It was a nice cool place to take a break from the scorching heat. We were amazed at the beauty of our surroundings and the grandness of the mountain. It's amazing to think that we were actually inside, hanging out. I'm sure that the people who lived nearby many years ago would come here for some relief from the heat as well. 

Giovanni then took me deeper 

into the cave. At first, 

I didn't know what to expect and it was difficult to grip the stone with my feet to find balance. Then, I got used to the dips and bumps in the stone and I was able to walk without clinging onto him. We stopped midway and he pulled a piece of rock off the wall of the cave as a souvenir to remember the experience. It was a spectacular moment as I was standing in a dark, cool cave inside a mountain. As we kept moving further into the mountain, I began to see light. Not only was this a grotto, it was also like a tunnel. This tunnel was a short little passageway that allowed you to go to the other side of the mountain.When we got to the other side, we stood and took in the beautiful scenery of the land and water. I clung onto Giovanni as we climbed around the bumpy, rocky mountain. I felt like I was going to fall off because it was so steep! We climbed all the way around the mountain and returned to the other entrance. My sisters and mom were surprised to see us appear outside of the entrance of the grotto.

Now when I look outside the balcony in the morning, I find my spot in the mountain and smile to myself, knowing that I have reached new heights.

-Jennifer xoxo

 

Buzzing with Spontaneity

This morning, I had the purest and sweetest honey I have ever tasted in my entire 22 years of life. It might have been due to the fact that I was eating the honey right from the honeycomb. 

I attribute this experience to my live-in-the-moment cousin Giovanni, who took us on a detour from our beach outing (anyone notice a pattern here...) to visit a honey factory last week.

All ready for the beach, but a bee-utiful pit stop was incredibly nice!

August is a slow month for honey factories, mainly because it is very hot for the bees and their peak working season is spring. In fact, the owner of the factory, Giuseppe, was slightly reluctant to let us in for these very reasons. However, he graciously opened his doors to us and we drove through the iron gate and onto the premises.  

As we approached the rows and rows of boxes, which each contained a bee family working on its own honeycomb plates, I had to remind myself that I am not afraid of bees. This thought slipped away the moment that Giuseppe opened one of the boxes and removed one of the honeycomb plates covered with at least 300 bees, including the queen bee. He advised us all to remain calm and quiet, so we would not disturb the busy workers.

For an hour, Giuseppe explained in Italian the entire honey-making process, while he casually rested the honeycomb plate on his knee.

This is the plate with the queen bee, aka La Regina.

Some interesting tidbits I learned:

• The queen bee can lay over 2,000 eggs per day during the spring and summer months, which helps to replenish the workforce.
• During spring and summer, worker bees live up to 4-6 weeks. They literally work themselves to death!
• The women do all the work... not surprising. To clarify, the worker bees who produce the honey are all female. The only purpose of the male (aka drone bee) is to mate with the queen...and then they die. Ha ha.
• If a bee from one family ventures into the hive of another, it is instantly killed.

Giuseppe even took us inside the warehouse and showed us all the machines that he uses to process the honeycomb into honey for the average consumer. 

The more I learned about honey bees, especially their highly organized society with such intricate cooperation and communication, the more I admired and respected these creatures. I mentally thank them for my delicious breakfast of unprocessed and sweet honey to go with my brioche. It's delicious!

Giuseppe even gave us an entire honeycomb plate to take home! Stephanie took this great picture.

A huge thank you goes to Giovanni for taking us to the factory. An even bigger thank you goes to Giuseppe for having a big heart and sharing his expertise with us. 

After the impromptu tour, we stood around talking about various things -- Giuseppe's horse named Stella that hangs out right outside the factory in the shade, the new-born pups that were wandering around looking for their mother, and of course family. Oh yeah, we found out that we are related to Giuseppe. What a lovely surprise. 

Such cuties!!

- Valerie xoxo

The Essence of Almonds

Almonds. Mandorle. They are just as much a part of life here as bread and olives. Although it is a short walk to the market to buy some almonds already peeled and shelled, there is simply no need to do so when our cousins have land teeming with almond trees. Instead, we drive up the mountain and pick almonds right from the tree. Not only have Jennifer, Valerie, and I tried our hands at picking, cracking, and peeling the almonds, but we’ve also become campanuole in the process – as we’ve learned how to prepare our own glasses of almond milk. 

Before I describe the delectable process of creating almond milk, I’m going to take a moment to describe the almond itself - a most ancient nut. The almond is nestled inside two layers. The outermost layer is a soft, fuzzy peel (like that of a peach, but slightly thicker). It is a pale greenish-yellow tinged with a faint spot of red. Typically, this covering is opened when the almond bud is ripe, which occurs in the month of August (how lucky are we!), so it is easy to peel off. The next covering is a grainy brown shell that’s as indestructible as a hardhat. While in the countryside, we had the cool experience of taking a rock to these hard shells. And what is the reward for peeling and smashing and working meticulously with your fingers to break aside the grainy shell? A sleek brown nut with a cream-colored inside. A sweet little treasure nature goes through great lengths to protect.

While we on our way back from the butcher’s shop in Agrigento (a more detailed post about this to follow), I stopped at a bar, much like our cafés, for a quick drink with my mom and my cousin. This is one of my favorite things about Europe- and in particular Italy. These places with marble or granite countertops, and maybe a table and chairs, allow a person to take a break from their busy day for a gelato or caffé. While there, I noticed a sign that said “latte di mandorle D’Avolo”  D’avolo? Like Diavolo? Devil Almond Milk? Almond Milk of the Devil? Whaa?

Nope. I asked and was told Avolo is a place. Almond milk. The homemade variety.

My cousin Giovanni ordered us a glass and I sipped the sweet stuff while he asked how it was made. The next night we cracked enough almonds to try it ourselves.

Giovanna, our other cousin, pulled out a quaint little notepad full of recipes and she explained to me the old way of making almond milk. The instructions required the grinding of almonds into powder-like dust by hand. I imagine that lots of stories were shared during the hours of grinding almonds. But because it was late at night when we started this process and in the interest of time, we used a food processor. Only a key difference of a few hours, but without any compromise of flavor. 

So, when we had a nice sized bowl of almonds, we boiled them in water for about five minutes. Then we peeled off la pelle, the skin, placing the whitish nuts on another dish. After peeling, we put all of them in a blender and added water. Then, Giovanni ran the thickened liquid through a strainer-type machine to concentrate it. 

We put some of the concentrated deliciousness into a glass, poured in water, stirred, and with a sprinkle of sugar and essence of almond, we finished! Almond milk. And it was buonissimo!

- Stephanie xoxo

Off to the Vineyard

Today was an unexpected adventure. On our way to the beach, our cousin Giovanni, took us on a different route and we were amazed when we saw a beautiful array of fresh grapevines on the mountain before us, our cousin’s very own vineyard. We picked the fresh, juicy grapes right off the vine and ate them. Giovanni showed us the difference between grapes

for wine and grapes to eat.

The red, bitter grapes that have seeds are used to make wine. The green, seedless grapes are as sweet as a dessert… they are hands down the best grapes I have ever eaten.

He also explained to us the meticulous irrigation system that he set up himself. It consists of a tube that takes water from a nearby artificial lake (which he created) and connects to each row of grapes to water them. The grapes are given 6 liters of water every hour to ensure that they mature at a steady pace. A few days ago, he drew the vineyard on paper for me to visualize how the grapes were watered, but when I got to see it in person, I was blown away by the intricacy of the irrigation system. It’s genius! I appreciate that Giovanni shared his passion with us and I look forward to returning to the vineyard soon.

-Jennifer xoxo

Amuninni! (Let's Go!)

It's been five years since our first Sicilian adventure and we all agreed it was high time for another eventful summer in La Bella Sicilia! If you want to know more about why we are writing this blog and what we hope to share with you, check out the "About Us" post. For now, let the blogging begin!

Palermo, 2007

We are big fans of lists (it may just be the OCD in us), so you will certainly see a lot of them. Just keep in mind that we only have 25 days to explore our beautiful second home and it may be impossible to capture all the nuances of Sicilian life. Thus, lists will serve us well here.

Top 10 things we are most excited for:

1. Family. It never seems to stop growing! Every day we are introduced to members of our family, which means lots of kisses... a kiss on one cheek and then the other. Italian style. Because two kisses are better than one, of course.
2. The Sicilian dialect. When we think of Sunday dinners at our Nonno and Nonna's house, we think of pasta and meatballs, cousins, and a mix of Sicilian and English dialogue. It is a familiar sound and reminds us that a part of our heritage is embedded in the language.
3. Brioche con granita (lemon ice served in a sweet roll) and tiramisù gelato, among other savory desserts. Che buono!
4. The calm and crystal blue waters of the Mediterranean.
5. Campagna (the countryside). Picture this: all the family seated at a long wooden table, ready for an evening bbq. And rows and rows of olive, almond, and fig trees, as well as vineyards and huge mountains in the background. It's like living in a postcard.
6. Strolls in the piazza. After eating almost a pound of pasta every day, this is a must!
7. Balconies. Little old men and women waving to each other and calling out across the way, laundry drying on the line, and potted plants growing in the sun -- probably as far from the suburbs as you can get.
8. Music. What words can we use to describe our appreciation for the harmonious blend of the accordian and rich Sicilian voices? When we figure it out, we'll let you know.
9. Il Caretto. A traditional Sicilian horse-drawn cart, adorned with colorful figurines and conventional scenes carved in the wood.
10. The markets. On Friday mornings, there is no need for an alarm clock; we wake up to the vendors shouting in Italian, "Fresh fruit! Fresh fish!" But we don't mind because there is nothing like the hubbub of an Italian mercato!

Until tomorrow, ragazzi!
xoxo i tre gioielli

About Us

There is an ancient tale of a virtuous Roman woman, who lost everything -- her husband, his fortune, and many thought her dignity. One day, she attended a noble gathering with her two sons. Surrounded by abundance and splendor, she walked into the room with her head held high. All in the room were astounded by her grace and poise, as though nothing had changed. In an attempt to shame her, another woman asked, gesturing to her ears and neck, "Signora, where are your jewels?" The unadorned woman could hear the footfalls of whispers throughout the room. She smiled to the lady and, without hesitation, turned to her sons, announcing proudly, "These are my jewels."

Like the noble Roman woman who understood where true treasures lie, our nonno (grandfather) and father have dubbed us their tre gioielli, their three jewels. We are three sisters, Valerie, Stephanie, and Jennifer, documenting our Sicilian experiences, our musings, our lists, our snapshots, and our thoughts. So here it is: our blog to share with you the little joys we discover in Sicilia, the land of lemons and brioche, mountains and the Mediterranean, golden sands and, as always, our love.

Valerie, Stephanie, and Jennifer - xoxo