BUON FERRAGOSTO 2018

I wish all Italians, and all who, like me, are Italian in their hearts, a happy Ferragosto evening, wherever you are.  I am also thinking, tonight, as I'm sure you are, of those for whom this will be an unimaginably sad Ferragosto following the terrible tragedy in Genova on the eve of the holiday. Please know that our thoughts are with you.

Left to right: Tempio della Concordia, Agrigento; a somewhat pregnant pesca tabacchiera; us; Ragusa Ibla at dusk.

Oh, and I thought you'd like to see my seasonal anguria (watermelon) nails as well:

A MARKETING MASTERPIECE?

Originally shown at Milan Expo and published on Vimeo in September, the video below has now, with much fanfare, been uploaded to YouTube and is being hailed here as a masterpiece. It is certainly a break with traditional clips promoting Sicily and has been conceived with social networks in mind. The target market is Northern Europe, where people are known to start planning their holidays in January.

I'd very much like to know what all of you think before I divulge my own opinion but I do want to congratulate the Comune di Ragusa for having the courage to do something in a new way and I wish them every success.

Ragusa - easy to reach, hard to leave

Another, shorter version [1m.05] is also available on YouTube. The director is Riccardo Lupo.

FEASTING AND FIREWORKS

The festive season cannot end without my showing you what I ate on Christmas Day, can it?  I was very happy to be spending the day with friends and to partake of focacce, grilled meat, fruit and perfect crème caramel prepared by Neapolitan chef Pino Mainolfi [on the left in the pictue] whom I enjoyed meeting. His blog [in Romanian] is here.  I made and took along my second Christmas cake of the season:

I spent New Year's Eve at home because I was worried about the effect the inevitable fireworks would have on Bertie-Pierrine, whose first Christmas with me this was. She didn't seem overly peturbed - I was probably more frightened than she was, for Italians do not do things by halves - but I was glad I was here with her.

A lot of town councils all over Italy had banned New Year fireworks out of respect for the environment and animals and thus it was in Palermo, Catania, Siracusa and Ragusa, but not Modica. Nevertheless, a nine-year-old child in Palermo Province had to have his hand amputated after an accident with a firecracker and there were 190 firework-related injuries in Italy as a whole on New Year's Eve.  Is it worth it? 

If I sound like Scrooge here I would just like to say that I am outclassed in that respect by Telecom Italia, who managed to send their email bills out on Christmas Day. Now, that should be illegal as well!

OUT OF THE PAST - 6

My birth mother, Violet

My adoptive mother, Violet,
on her wartime wedding day

"Once again it's Christmas time", as the song says, and, at the end of another year, I am thinking about the incredible events which led to my happy reunion with my birth sister, Jill and the rest of my birth family. If you missed them, there are links to all my adoption posts here.

Candles for two Violets

To start with, I would like to take you back to 9th October 2014, a beautiful, sunny day in Modica, Sicily. I am walking along a familiar street, greeting people and looking at what is on the fruit lorries, as I do every day, but my thoughts are a world away, in another era, for today is different:  I am on my way to meet my birth sister, after 64 years. Can you imagine how that felt? All I can tell you is that I was happy, experienced no anxiety and felt as if I was truly going home, a sensation which intensified the moment we fell into each other's arms and sobbed the years away.

Chiesa di San Giacomo Apostolo,
Ragusa Ibla

I had trusted Jill from the first communication we had had just a few months before and I knew I would like her. But as I spent time with her that week, I began to realise how very much I loved her. Yes, she was the person with whom, had the world been a little less cruel in 1950, I might have grown up and we might have shared so much but it was no use going there now, for we cannot know what might have happened. All we could, and can, do is to enjoy what we have and nurture it as if it were a little garden of sisters.

And when we visited another garden one evening that week, the beautiful Giardino Ibleo in Ragusa Ibla, I found, to my surprise, that the charming church of San Giacomo Apostolo was open and there I lit a candle for each of my two mums, who were both called Violet [though my birth mum didn't like the name]. I'm sure they were with us.

A graveside in Norwich

This year it was a great pleasure to be able to spend some time in Norwich, UK with Jill and her husband and to meet the rest of my wonderful birth family, all of whom I would like to thank here for their warmth, kindness, acceptance and love.

When Jill and I visited our mother's grave, I had thought I was prepared but nothing could have readied me for the tide of emotion that would engulf me. In Romina Power's book Ti prendo per mano, a novel based on the time she spent nursing her own mother through terminal illness, there is a poem entitled Il Profumo della vita [The Scent of Life] which expresses all that I wanted to say so I read it out in Italian and in English, thus bringing a little of Italy to my first Violet. Then I fell into my sister's arms again and cried till no more tears would come: all those years of wondering about my birth mother - whether she was still alive [I always hoped], what she was like [spirited, intelligent, kind and brave, I now know], whether she looked like me [the answer is very much so], whether she thought of me sometimes [of course she did, every day] and a thousand other questions. And it all ended here, at this graveside in Norwich - except that it hadn't, because love does not die. In this season of love, I am holding on to that.

I never thought I would receive Xmas cards like this.....

....... or be wearing items that belonged to my birth mum.

Romina Power reads Il Profumo della vita

"AND WE SHALL HAVE SNOW"

What with all the midnight fireworks and singing along to Auld Lang Syne from London on the teley, I didn't realise it was snowing outside till about 1 am, when a friend's tweet alerted me. I went out onto the balcony, expecting to find a few inconsequential flakes falling here and there but not settling and found, to my astonishment, snow to be reckoned with!

This was the view from my bedroom window this afternoon:

Snow has not been seen in the Ragusa area since 2005 and not in Modica, I believe, since 2003. Even then, it disappeared very quickly, so you can imagine how the above carpet of what I call "proper snow" is already being declared the event of the century in these parts.

The last time I saw "proper snow" was ten years ago, in Britain and I was with a man I loved very much. I could go all romantic and tell you how it brings back bittersweet memories, how the snow made that last meeting perfect and how I gazed at him adoringly as he drove me home through the storm. But actually, I think I'll tell you that I am scared to go out in case I slip, that the lorries are not out in force sanding the roads, that it is impossible to keep warm indoors unless you are literally sitting on top of a radiator and that I am dreading all the things that could go wrong in Sicily if this admittedly pretty covering does not melt away by tomorrow!

Perhaps I should award the 2015 "Scrooge of the year" prize to myself!

And now, here's a little something from two Welshies:

Tom Jones and Cerys Matthews - Baby, It's Cold Outside

THE INSPECTOR IS SAVED

In September I reported that Sicily was at risk of losing one of its most beloved fictional characters, il commissario Montalbano [Inspector Montalbano]. This was because the company that films the popular television series felt frustrated at what it perceived as a lack of support from the Sicilian region.  Given that "Montalbano tourism" had generated millions of euros for the island over 15 years, the dissatisfaction of the company's executives was understandable.

Happily, the situation now seems to have been resolved, as under an agreement signed last week between the production company and the Mayor of Ragusa the town has committed itself to supporting the productions. In addition, each council in Ragusa Province will have a representative who will liaise with the production company to offer both practical and logistical help. 

But what's this? In the same week, Sicily was warned that it is at risk of losing the UNESCO World Heritage Site status of some of its attractions due to poor maintenance or poor or non-existent infrastructure. Sometimes I want to scream in exasperation at the lack of planning, foresight and even common sense that could allow this to happen. Come on, Sicily! You've saved the inspector - now save his island.

TRAVELS WITH MY SISTER

I'm going to tell you the story of my reunion with my birth sister, Jill, little by little in several posts but first I want to share with you some of the things we did together over the past seven days.

We spent time at the Marina di Modica

and, as you see, I've got me a lovely brother-in-law as well!

We went for an evening walk in Ragusa Ibla with friends,

sat in the park

and ate ice cream in a crepe!

I must say, as we walked through the narrow, softly-lit streets, I felt completely surrounded by love and I hadn't felt like that for a long time.

On Sunday we took a guided tour around Catania. There is always something new to learn from a good guide and the city looked particularly elegant in the October sunshine:

Later, it was on to Militello in Val di Catania for the Sagra della Mostarda e del Fico d'India or Mostarda [made with prickly pears] and Prickly Pear Festival, where the highlight of the afternoon was the parade of Sicilian carts:

This last horse danced to the traditional music and was definitely the star of the show!

When I visited Militello for the same festival four years ago, I never imagined I'd be back there with my sister!

Then suddenly it was Wednesday, Jill and Paul's last full day in Sicily. We decided to spend most of it in Siracusa, for how could I let them go without taking them first to the magnificent Greek amphitheatre there?

The Roman Amphitheatre, Siracusa:

Sisters:

The Greek Amphitheatre, Siracusa:

The Ear of Dionysus, Siracusa:

We had fun calling to each other in the echoing cave where the tyrant Dionysus reportedly imprisoned dissidents and eavesdropped on them. 

Jill and Paul are safely home now and they have promised to come back to Sicily soon. I hope so because I'm already missing my wonderful, newfound sister!

SABATO MUSICALE

Let's hear from Adamo [Salvatore Adamo], who tonight stars in the Ragusani nel Mondo festival in Ragusa. Adamo, born in Comiso in 1943, was awarded the prize in 2001.

This has always been my favourite Adamo song:

Adamo - Le ruisseau de mon enfance

SABATO MUSICALE - A SICILIAN TALENT

Fouteen-year-old Rachele Amenta, from Vittoria [Ragusa Province] has, I think you will agree, quite a voice. She has become more widely known in Italy after appearing on the talent show for youngsters, Io Canto and yesterday left for her first visit to the USA. Let's wish her luck!

Rachele Amenta - Think

RED FACES IN NAPLES

As I reminded Lidl Italia [because I want to know when they are going to get some dried cranberries in] on twitter this morning, it is nearly Christmas and that means it is time for Il Sole 24 Ore to publish their annual Quality of Life in Italy survey.

The figures, which came out on Monday, ranked Italian cities according to six criteria: standard of living, business and work, environmental and health services, population, public order and free time. According to the results, the top ten cities to live in in Italy are:

1.  Trento

2.  Bolzano

3.  Bologna

4.  Belluno

5.  Siena

6.  Ravenna

7.  Florence

8.  Macerata

9.  Aosta

10. Milan

Rome is in 20th position and Turin, surprisingly, in 52nd. These are the Sicilian results, with last year's ranking in brackets:

84.  Ragusa  [81]

88.  Enna  [87]

89.  Siracusa  [88]

91.  Messina  [94]

96.  Agrigento [95]

98.  Trapani  [103]

100. Caltanissetta  [105]

101. Catania  [90]

106. Palermo  [99]

Ragusa at least has the comfort of being top of the Sicilian list! There is little comfort for Naples and its province, coming in last at 107th, and still less for the city's beleaguered Mayor, Luigi de Magistris who, on the same day as the figures were published, was hosting Transport and Infrastructure Minister Maurizio Lupi and other dignitaries at a ceremony to open the new Garibaldi metro station. Just as the party were taking the escalator to the top level of the station, the wretched contraption decided to break down, leaving all to walk up the many stairs and not a few red faces.

Never mind, Napoli - I'm sure Julia still loves you:

SORROW IN SCICLI

Whilst the world continues to focus on the migration tragedy of 3rd October and subsequent migrant boats that have arrived on Sicily's shores, the town of Scicli has been remembering the 13 migrants who died off the beach of Sampieri on 30th September.

Their funeral service was held in Scicli yesterday in the presence of Domenico Manzione, Undersecretary of State for the Interior, the Mayor of Scicli, the Prefect, Police Commissioner and Mayor of Ragusa, other dignitaries, representatives of the emergency services and other citizens. Relatives of some of the deceased Eritrean men also attended the service, having travelled from other European countries where the men had probably hoped to settle.

A Coptic Christian priest spoke in both Tigrinya and Italian and described the migrants' ordeal as they were sold like slaves or objects from one people trafficker to another and then crossed the desert to Libya. From there, they set sail, believing that they were leaving behind hunger and war and travelling to a better life, only to meet death just metres from safety. Padre La China, who conducted the Catholic part of the service, reminded the congregation that the sea is often associated with evil in the Bible:

	And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew.
	So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid.
	But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid. - John 6:18-20 Mr Manzione brought messages of sympathy from President Napolitano and Prime Minister Letta. He said that he had not wished to speak yesterday as he regarded it as a "day of silence" but did say that he hoped the young men were now in a better world and that we who are left behind must guarantee humane treatment for those fleeing oppressive régimes. Mr Manzione had also been very moved by the Coptic priest's words and said that the genuine sorrow of both the Eritrean and Italian communities was an example of the real meaning of solidarity. All the coffins were draped in red, the colour of the city of Scicli, for the funeral. Relatives of the four Muslim men among the dead asked that their loved ones be buried in the Muslim section of the cemetery in Ragusa Ibla, a request that has been granted by the Mayor.

MANGIARI DI CAVALERI

Tumazzo, pani e pira, è mangiari di cavaleri. 

Mellow cheese, bread and pears are food for knights.

- Sicilian proverb

My thanks go today to a student who works in the food industry and was thoughtful enough to bring me two lovely books about cheese:

  

The one on the left, about Ragusano cheese, has fascinating stories and insights about how this product was and is made, as well as beautiful black and white pictures of the cheese itself, the production process and the Ragusan countryside:  

The book on the right, which is in English, is a comprehensive study of three Sicilian cheeses - Pecorino Siciliano, Piacentinu Ennese and Provola dei Nebrodi. As well as scientific information about the cheeses, the volume contains recipes, serving suggestions, flowcharts of the production processes and a list of historical references to each cheese. I was interested to learn that both Pecorino Siciliano and Piacentinu Ennese are mentioned by Pliny the Elder, whilst the first historical reference to Provola dei Nebrodi was in 1886.

Grazie, studente mio!

HAIL

As I write, Messina, Enna and Caltanissetta Provinces have snow and it is extremely cold, by Sicilian standards, all over the island - a state of affairs not helped, of course, by the fact that Sicilian houses are built to protect dwellers from heat rather than freezing temperatures.

In Ragusa Province we have had two days of heavy hailstorms and this will probably continue tonight, according to forecasts. When I say "heavy" I mean it literally as the stones were the size of walnuts and the accompanying noise was quite something. I did think of going outside to photograph one of the stones for you but decided that "She finally succumbed to a passing hailstone" would have been an unfitting obituary.

Despite slippery roads and awful drainage, a severe hailstorm here does not stop people from using their cars - it would take Armageddon to do that - but it is enough to empty supermarkets, encourage people to cancel appointments and cause anxious mothers to wrap their offspring in as many layers of clothing as they can find and at least three wooly hats worn one on top of another [and that is only for indoors].

On the serious side, there has been a lot of damage to fruit and vegetable crops and at Randello Kamarina a 12,000-metre tomato crop has been totally destroyed.  Many other greenhouses and polytunnels along the Ragusan coastline have also been damaged.  Local politicians are calling for urgent regional government help for the growers.

SOUTHERN STARS

The Michelin Italia Hotel and Restaurant Guide for 2013 is out and the South is chasing the North in terms of stars!

Lombardy has the most stars in Italy with 50 one-star, four two-star and two three-star restaurants, while Piedmont is second with 32 one-star, five two-star restaurants and one three-star establishment. But look what happens next: Campania, with 27 one-star and six two-star restaurants, beats Emilia-Romagna [26 starred restaurants in total], Trentino Alto-Adige [25], Veneto and Tuscany [24 each] and Lazio [21]. Puglia has five one-star restaurants while Calabria and Sardinia both have three.

Sicily has eight one-star and three two-star restaurants and I am happy to say that the Province of Ragusa has done very well:  Il Duomo di Ibla in Ragusa Ibla has two stars, the Locanda Don Serafino, also in Ragusa Ibla, has one and another star is retained by Ragusa's La Fenice in the Hotel Villa Carlotta. Lovely, Baroque Modica is not left out as La Gazza Ladra in Modica Alta's Hotel Palazzo Failla retains its well-deserved star.

Only Taormina can rival Ragusa for Michelin stars in Sicily and the Principe Cerami in the San Domenico Palace Hotel retains its two stars, while single stars are again awarded to the Bellevue in the Hotel Metropole, the Casa Grugno [website apparently down] and La Capinera at Taormina - Lido di Spisone.  A celebration dinner for the city's "star" chefs is being held in the Palazzo San Domenico Hotel tonight.

In all, 307 Michelin stars have been awarded to restaurants in Italy for 2013.

Antonello Venditti - Stella

GRILLING SWIMMINGLY

Comic-turned-politician Beppe Grillo - not, it must be said, universally popular in Sicily - is due on the island tomorrow to launch his M5S party's regional electoral campaign here.  The inimitable Mr Grillo has announced that he will not only travel by sea but will swim across the Strait of Messina, an undertaking that, as I write, is causing much jubilation on twitter, where, among other jokes, it is being suggested that this event may at last convince Sicilians of the need for the Messina Bridge.

Mr Grillo will leave Cannitello on the Calabrian coast at 10 am and hopes to arrive at Capo Peloro in Messina Province by 11.30, though Corriere della Sera, to name but one publication, does not believe that he will swim the whole way, given the fact that he is 64 and "is hardly an Olympic athlete".  The determined comedian is rumoured to have spent his summer holiday in Sardinia dieting and training for the purpose, though, so personally I wouldn't be surprised if he were to prove the pundits wrong .

Once safely on Sicily and, presumably, having taken a rest, Mr Grillo will undertake a complete tour of the island and is due in Ragusa on the evening of 14th October.  On the 15th he is coming to Modica for lunch and will do a walkabout in the evening.

I do hope he stocks up on Modican chocolate while he is here as he will need it for energy should he decide to swim back!

A GREAT DAY FOR DONNAFUGATA

One of my favourite places in the Province of Ragusa, the Castello di Donnafugata, was the centre of public and media attention on Saturday as the romantic setting for the wedding of the gorgeous Luca Zingaretti [of Montalbano fame] and his long-term partner, the Neapolitan actress Luisa Ranieri.

Among the guests were the actress Isabella Ferrari, Montalbano producer Alberto Sironi, the actors Cesare Bocci [Mimi Augello in the Montalbano series] and Peppino Mazzotta [Inspector Fazio] and, of course, the couple's one-year-old daughter Emma. There was a red carpet,  from which Mr Zingaretti greeted well-wishers, the castle walls were bedecked with soft lighting, the dinner was cooked by chef Ciccio Sultano and the cake was made by the Di Pasquale brothers of Ragusa's Pasticceria Di Pasquale.

There will be no immediate honeymoon as Mr Zingaretti is completing filming of a Montalbano series.  Although born in Rome, he says he always feels at home in Sicily.

Congratulations to the happy couple- I'm off to hurl myself on the bed and cry now.

CARNIVAL IN RAGUSA

There was son et lumière, a parade of masked figures and dancing for all at Ragusa's Carnevale nel Barocco in the city's Piazza San Giovanni on Sunday evening:

Best of all, €5.00 bought you a tray of pasta with traditional pork sauce, a hunk of local bread, a glass of red wine and a container of chiacchiere:

My, that sauce was good!

MORE PATIENCE AMONG THIEVES

In September I told you all about a thief who, in order to steal a bicycle, patiently felled the tree to which it had been tied.  Now his efforts have been topped by a group of thieves in the Ragusan countryside, reports the Corriere di Ragusa: these thieves have been chopping down telephone poles in order to steal copper telephone cable and 2 kilometres of cable have disappeared recently, causing disruption to lines as well as economic loss   to Telecom Italia.  Fifteen instances of cable theft have been reported in the area since the beginning of January and last year over 15 kilometres of cable were stolen.

One would think that such thoroughness would be welcomed in certain legitimate jobs.

WOMEN AT WORK!

In November Cathy, the Director of the English International School, Modica and I were interviewed for an article in the Ragusa Province magazine Freetime and I thought you might like to see a couple of the photographs:

Cathy [right] and me at the school

Welshwoman at the chalkface in Sicily,
 talking about an American festival.

Photos:  Simone Aprile and reproduced here with his kind permission. 

If you are in Ragusa, you can see the article, our newsletter and more pictures in the December - January edition of Freetime but if you are elsewhere and can read Italian, the text of the article is here on the school blog.

THERE'S NO ESCAPE

On the day that Italy has had its credit rating downgraded by one of the absurd ratings agencies, I thought I would share with you the cheerful news that, if you happen to live in the town of Ragusa, there is no escape from the eurozone crisis, not even when you reach that great financial market in the sky.

The Corriere di Ragusa reports that, on New Year's Eve, while everyone else was preparing to celebrate, the city councillors of Ragusa held a jolly meeting at which it was decided to increase the cost of burials in the city's cemetery from €20 to €50,  that of entombment from €31 to €100 and that of exhumations - necessary because after a certain period your remains are removed to a slot in the wall - from €23 to €100.

As Dorothy Parker famously said, "You might as well live."

Update: Clarification in view of comments
Perhaps I should clarify that the costs mentioned above are for the physical acts of entombment, burial and, eventually, exhumation.  They do not take into account the additional costs of the cemetery plot or the funeral.