Driving in Sicily: Expect the Unexpected
I was reading a Reddit board the other day and had to smile. An American tourist was questioning the way people drive in Sicily and asking whether bad driving was prevalent, or whether he had simply been unlucky. He had been on holiday here for two weeks and, during that time, had almost had three serious accidents. Someone replied: “Only three? Rookie!” Welcome to driving in Sicily! So, what is driving in Sicily actually like? Having lived in seven different countries around the world, I can honestly say that driving in Italy, and Sicily in particular, is definitely not the worst I have experienced. That particular honour goes to the…
Futtitini: A Sicilian answer to modern stress
I have a favourite Sicilian word. It doesn’t translate nicely into English, but here’s my best attempt: f*ck it, don’t worry about it. We have sayings in English that are a little milder. ‘ There is no point crying over spilt milk.’ Or, ‘There is no point shutting the stable door once the horse has bolted.’ The Sicilians are more economical with words for this sentiment. Futtitini. Said with feeling, often with hand gestures unique to Sicilians and Italians in general. It’s stronger than “don’t sweat the small stuff.” It’s more final than “let it go.” It means: this problem is not worth what it is currently costing you. Put…
The week my house smelt of tomatoes
Little Datterini tomatoes drying in the sun
After the rain: Picking fresh figs in Sicily
Every summer in Sicily is hot. It comes with the territory. But this year, the heat has been relentless. An African anti-cyclone low pressure system has settled over the island for weeks now, baking the landscape day after day until the earth has cracked into a thousand pieces. Across the fields, deep fissures spread through the soil like the pieces of an enormous jigsaw puzzle. For days we have watched the sky, searching the clouds for the slightest promise of rain. Most of our rainfall comes during the winter months, but every now and then, summer offers a brief reprieve. This morning, quite unexpectedly, it arrived. First came the wind.…
Why are so many doors in Sicily painted blue?
There are certain things you notice when you first arrive in Sicily. The honey-coloured stone that seems to glow in the afternoon sun. Laundry dancing between narrow streets. Bougainvillea tumbling over ancient walls. And then, quite unexpectedly, the blue doors in Sicily that seem to be the dominant colour in coastal towns and villages. Not every door, of course, but enough of them that you begin to notice a pattern. Walk through the old quarters of Cefalù, Ortigia, Marzamemi, Sciacca or the winding streets of countless fishing villages, and blue begins appearing everywhere. Some doors are painted a deep cobalt. Others are faded turquoise after years beneath the Mediterranean sun.…
