A list. Of the Sicilian variety.*

1. V- Today I had the best peach of my life. My tastebuds didn't even know what was happening. Seriously, I wish I could take a picture of the flavor to share with you. Sweet, fresh, juicy- a perfect, beach time snack.

2. V, S, J - "Mmmmm!" This is the basic gist of what we say every evening when we pass a certain field ten minutes outside town. It's a field of wild grass that gives off a scent extremely similar to maple syrup. You can only smell it at night, when the air pressure drops.  If we could find a way to bottle the scent and take it back to NJ, we would. Then we would quit school and set up a stand so that people from all over could come and smell it. Millionaires, we tell you, millionaires.

3. S- My favorite time of day is when the sun is low in the sky and casts its rays over the land. I'd like to sit under an olive tree and witness the passing of time as the sun sinks behind the mountains.

Photo credit: Stephanie

4. V, S, J - We've come to appreciate the stories and mannerisms of several wizened people. Things these people have in common: They are old. And cute. Really, really adorable in the way that they speak (some with gravelly, low voices and others with bursting, strong laughs). These lovely men and women told stories of their lives from the 30s and 40s as they experienced life under Mussolini's regime. Some men wove in tales of working the land, while one woman smiled sweetly as she remembered the first time she made eyes at her future spouse from across the piazza during a traditional festivity. We listened with great reverence and admiration as they relayed moments of hardship, times of laughter, and expressions of profound love. 

5. J- I want my own balcony. S and V- So she can sing, and sing and sing and sing. And singggggggg! And honestly, we wouldn't mind. As proud sisters who love to hear her sing, it was a true joy listening to Jen perform karaoke to the song "I Hope You Dance" in the piazza. She received a thunderous applause. = )

Jen prepping for a private performance in campagna.

*We wrote this post last week in Sicily. From here on out, however, we are writing our blog entries from our lovely American home. Our last week in Sicily was chock-full of adventures and visiting. With such busy days and a mishap with Val's computer (it crashed), we had to delay the posts. So stay tuned as we continue to share our Sicilian experiences.

Valerie, Stephanie, and Jennifer xoxo