Apologies for the time away from posting. It must have been very hard on both of you. But you must certainly be able to understand our brief absence. For a week we have splashed in the sun warmed saline sea off the island of Ponza, a tiny rock of an island a little over an hour’s hydrofoil ride from Anzio. There’s not much to tell about our visit here. Just a little swimming, a little breathing in the clean, cool salt air, a little seafood here and there and a little chilled white wine. Just normal stuff. Continue reading Ponza in Pictures→
We’ve been on Ponza for a number of days now, having left Sicily in our rearview mirror but saving a special place for it in our hearts. This is our fifth visit to this little known island and our days are filled with sun, sand, water, seafood and wine. It is, truth be told, a little slice of heaven. Continue reading Sounds of Ponza→
Today is our last day in Sicily. A week spent on this exotic, magical island has, as was the case with our two previous three and four day visits, not been long enough. It has been an interesting, fun packed visit, with experiences galore – culture, people, history, food. And plenty of relaxation. Choosing a place on the beach in a fairly remote corner of Sicily has been an excellent choice.
For our penultimate day in Sicily our plans called for a drive toward Palermo to the town of Monreale, a community that could be described as a Palermo suburb perched on a mountain. The purpose of our visit was to meet with Maria Grazia, the owner of Elisa Messina Ceramics, a Sicilian ceramics studio that we were introduced to by the Italian Trade Commission (ICE) back in December. The day would also give us the opportunity to spend a little time in and around Palermo. Continue reading Unreal Monreale→
Some time between bedtime on January 14 and the morning of January 15, 1968, while Americans crowded around their black and white television sets watching Bart Starr and the Green Bay Packers dismantle the Oakland Raiders in just the second installation of a new, exciting professional [American] football championship that would come to be known as the “Super Bowl,” the inhabitants of the Belice Valley, a poor, rural area in southwestern Sicily were being jostled from their sleep by a magnitude 6.1 earthquake. That earthquake leveled a number of towns, among them Salaparuta, Poggioreale and Gibillina, claiming 380 lives, displacing over 70,000 people and shattering a rural lifestyle that tied these people to their land, their villages and their past, a way of life that was ingrained in villagers from their birth until their death. Continue reading Salapalooza→
With so much history, with an incredibly complex and interesting culture, with natural resources galore, not least of which is the sea that surrounds this enchanting and intoxicating island, one could almost overlook food as a source of adventure and pleasure on a visit to Sicily. But then one wouldn’t be Bill and Suzy. Continue reading Island Fare: Sicily→
Today’s story could be titled Two Gentlemen from Verona. Except they aren’t from Verona. One is from Costa Rica, the other from Sicily. Two citizens of the world. Nonetheless, it is the story of two gentlemen. Continue reading Che Syrah→
So goodbye Bevagna. Farewell Umbria. Arrivederci to my little friends in the Piazza Garibaldi. On our Friday, the second day of our trip, we do spend a glorious day in and around Bevagna – running errands, visiting a new and intriguing winery that is built to resemble a turtle shell, having lunch with Marco and Chiara and their two beautiful children, dining at Simone’s amid the hubbub of another night of the Mercato del Gaite. But perhaps our minds have already transported us to Sicily, our destination the following day, where we will spend the next seven nights. Continue reading Open Sicily→
Our second Italian adventure this trip starts where we left off from the first – in Bevagna on our first day in country, many, many hours since our arrival in Italy and many, many more hours since we woke up and began the long trip to Italy. In fact, when we last left you, after filling our stomachs with a grand meal at the even grander restaurant Redibis, it was 11pm at night on our arrival day. Continue reading Gaita Bait→
I’m beginning to feel a little like Lucille Ball manning the conveyor belt at the candy store. No matter how fast I churn out a post, the days move more quickly and a bunch of candy comes falling off the belt and onto the floor. Guess I’ve got some ‘splainin’ to do. Continue reading Lucy, I’m Home→
Why is it that we tend to make friends in Italy so often with chefs and winemakers? It must have something to do with the question posed to Willie Sutton about why he robbed banks. “Because that’s where the money is.” Continue reading Home Cooking→
Apologies for the time away from posting. It must have been very hard on both of you. But you must certainly be able to understand our brief absence. For a week we have splashed in the sun warmed saline sea off the island of Ponza, a tiny rock of an island a little over an hour’s hydrofoil ride from Anzio. There’s not much to tell about our visit here. Just a little swimming, a little breathing in the clean, cool salt air, a little seafood here and there and a little chilled white wine. Just normal stuff. Continue reading Ponza in Pictures 
