Nova Siri Licodia Eubea

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September 22nd 2008

Published: September 23rd 2008

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Kurtis

On the Ferry to Sicily

Katelyn on the ferry feeling a bit seedy.

Saturday 6th September
Nova Siri - Licodia Eubea

Today was going to be a big day with a long 6 hour drive through the region of Calabria and across the water to Sicily.
The roads were fantastic and I couldn’t believe how big Calabria was!!

When we approached a toll booth and there was no person or section to drop the money, we were all on alert for a ticket!!! We found the ticket, thank god!!!

As we approached the ferry, the GPS (a complete god sent!) sent us straight to the ticket booth. The guy at the counter spoke English and we easily bought a one way ticket for 6 people to Sicily. The cost was E29 and we gave this guy E30 and once he took the money, thanked us and that was it!!! He didn’t give us any change and we looked at him dumbly. The guys thought we were crazy not to demand our E1 change, but most people in Italy have an issue giving change.

As we jumped in the bus, Kurt thought we were all in and started off BUT my Mum had only one foot in the bus and one

On the Ferry to Sicily

Josh my boy Model!

foot on the pavement. (He said next time he’s try harder!!)

As we approached the ferry, the queue started to slow down and we crawled into the ferry. The stench of fumes in the ferry was horrible and Katelyn started feeling sick. Actually all of us felt sick and even when we sat in the ferry, we still felt slightly sick. Outside we stood in the shade facing the direction we were travelling and the breeze was lovely.

The view of Sicily was beautiful. It felt strange knowing that we were travelling back to Licodia Eubea from where my family originates. With the GPS, we slowly made our way to Licodia.

Nothing was familiar to my parents and we almost mistook Licodia for another town. It wasn’t until we entered the town that things looked familiar to me. My brother, Sammy who’d driven a vespa around all of this region 20 years ago, would have remembered the streets almost instantly. Things only looked familiar to me when we entered the Strada Lunga (long street, the main street) and then I was amazed how pretty the town was with its rustic little staircases, potted plants and cobble stones

On the Ferry to Sicily

The family portrait!

roads.

I’d thought the town was tiny with one or two streets but it turned out to be much bigger than I remember.

Our first stop was Zio Nunzio’s house (my grandmother’s baby brother), his wife Zia Enza was home and when she saw us the screeches started and so did the kissing. Kurt’s never been kissed so much in his life!!!!! By men and women!! Here there is a lot of family from Switzerland, so we get three kisses not your regular two!!!

Later we went to see my grandmother’s 2 sisters, Zia Vincenza and Zia Mimmi who also live in Switzerland, but have travelled down to stay with us, and the crying and kissing continued. Zio Nunzio’s granddaughters are similar age to Katelyn and Joshua and it’s been a great time for them. They are forced to talk their version of Italian and it’s hysterical watching their hand action and pantomimes trying to get their ideas across. The two girls Irene and Charia have been trying to teach my kids games and my kids are teaching them Australian songs. And the song they’ve taught them is “Mamma’s making Kan Tong, doesn’t take long for the

In Sicily ...rest stop.

Picking Prickly pears again...you think we would have learned again...

word to get along” Can you believe that? Of all the songs to teach, they’re teaching them commercial songs!!

Giuseppe Falcone (my Dad’s cousin’s son who’d visited us in Australia) dropped in to say hello and the kids who’d remembered him from his trip were thrilled to see him again. Giuseppe’s dad Paoulo, who’s my Dad’s first cousin also came to said hello.

In Licodia we have lots of family, my Mum has all her Mum’s family and my Dad has both his Mum’s and Dad’s family. So we can’t make it down the street, with a heap of kisses and invitations to eat!!!

We had dinner at Zio Nuzio’s place, pasta followed by chips and chicken. Meanwhile the girls had invited my kids to go their own passegiata “casual walk”. On their own!!
So off they went down the street walking arm in arm and I was dying!!!My kids were walking the street of Licodia, a town they’d only been in for 4 hours and unable to speak the language!! And all the family thought I was very funny. I was terrified for my children!!

Pretending I couldn’t wait to go for a walk, I

In Sicily ...rest stop.

Wanted!!!!...in 3 States

grabbed Kurt and went to find my children! The town was celebrating Festa D’uva (Grapes Festive) and there were thousands of people out walking. Although Licodia only has 3000 residents, during Summer the crowds grow and my children were walking in amongst all these people.

The town looked beautiful with lights, music and people stopping, kissing and talking.
All I wanted to do that first night was find my children, and there were millions of Licodian wanting to kiss me and tell me stories about my parents!!! I just wanted to find my kids!!

Finally the kids made their way home, and I enjoyed the rest of the night walking.

Sunday 7th August
Licodia

On Saturday, my mum’s cousin Angela took us to a breakfast of Granita and brioche (croissants). The combination of cold sweet granita and sweet brioche was delicious. It’s no wonder that Joshua doesn’t want to leave when he’s being encouraged to have so much sweet stuff for breakfast. As we were sitting there, Anglea and Giuseppe with their daughter Elisabetta, Angela’s sister Givanna and husband Vincenzo with heir girls Irene and Chiara and my family, it struck me as ironic that

Home!

Sign post Licodia Eubea

20 years ago Givanna, Angela and I used to do this on our own and now we were having breakfast with our husband and children.

As part of the celebrations, a few jumping castle were organised. But the difference is that there is no limit of the amount of children allowed. There were heaps and heaps of children and I was glad my children became too hot and wanted to get off. What was great was the Italian music being played and sung by all the children.

After the jumping castle we went to visit my Dad’s cousin on his mother’s side
(boy, it gets confusing!) Josie and Carmello lived in America for 19 years and Kurt was so relieved to be able to have a drink with someone that spoke English!! Josie thought Kurt was gorgeous and kept telling in her American accent what a good looking guy he was!! I think he’d have been happy never to leave Josie’s house. That visit was great because they spoke about my Dad as a child and heard lots of funny stories.

We went home and had a quick sleep. We were dying!!! And the kids are falling

Licodia

Walking the streets...some quiet time.

asleep all the time! Anyway, the kids fell asleep and we couldn’t wake them up!! We put on the lights and called them but they wouldn’t wake up, so we left them asleep, left them a note and went next door to have lunch. (I know it…. reminded us of Madeline McCain in Portugal and made us a bit nervous)

Next door from Zia Vincenzia lives her daughter Anna Maria and husband Phillipo.So it was there that we’ve been having lots of meals. They have two gorgeous sons Guiseppe living at home; whose going out with Stella and Salvatore whose been married to Giusy (short for Guiseppina) for 4 months. Yeap!! names are very traditional in Licodia. We also meet Zia Vincenzia’s other daughter Angela with daughter Samatha and boyfriend Sebastiano. Anglea’s husband Giuseppe and daughter Emma were out on the farm. Kurt can’t keep up with the amount of Giuseppes.!!

Lunch was beautiful; lasagne followed by meat and salad. It’s normally at Anna Marie’s house that the whole family gets together because they have a terrazzo (roof top terrace) that’s been converted into a huge room that’s spectacular for entertaining in both summer (air conditioning) and winter

Licodia

Brioche and Limone Granita..First of many in Sicily!

. They are also one of the few people who have air conditioning……
After lunch Phillipo showed us his earth moving equipment and assortment of trucks. In a country where unemployment for the youth is a real problem, he has virtually set his sons and grandchildren with work for many, many years to come.

We drove out to the country where he and Anna Maria have brought a huge chunk of a mountain. That’s the only way to describe it!! It was a lot of land, a little of which he’d planned to sell, a big section which was going to be the site for 3 great looking homes (for him and his sons!) and the rest of the land he intends to set up as work for generation to come. The material that makes up his land is able to be dug up, crushed and sold in various states for building materials. He said that he will not finish digging up all the material available in his lifetime and was leaving it for his sons and grandchildren.

Later we went to visit his newlywed son Salvatore and Guisy’s rented apartment. We were amazed when told that most

Licodia

rented apartment come with just the four walls. They had to supply everything including the kitchen sink!! And of course the kitchen goes with them when they leave! All these guys have massive ceiling high wardrobes and furniture in styles very similar to Franco Cozzo in Melbourne!!Unbelievable!!

We’d been out so long at the farm and Joshua even had a ride of one of their huge machines, that when we got back, it was time for dinner!! But we all decided to go for a walk and return for dinner at about 9.00pm.

We left and caught up with Angela and started walking around an art gallery, then we were hijacked by my Dad’s cousin Paulo who convinced us to go for a walk to the ruins of the Castello (Castle). The walk with heels was steep, but the stuff I learnt was interesting.

Apparently our accent has strong traces of Arabic as does a lot of Sicily because so any cultures have ruled over it. The Castello was actually owned by a Spanish king whose family tragically died in an earth tremor and he consequently killed himself and is buried in one of the 7 churches

Licodia

A gelati break!

in Licodia. But I’m told that the castle which has never been excavated could be a great tourist draw, but it’s owned by the Spanish and therefore while we can walk on it, we can’t excavate it.

As we were walking back from the Castello, Kurt highlighted this terrible family condition that it seems my cousin Giuseppe and I have inherited from my Dad and his cousin Paulo. It seems that whenever we talk……we stop. Kurt’s always saying to Giuseppe and I “caminate and parlate” “walk and talk”.

By this time, it’s quickly approaching 9.00pm so Kurt and I who have started walking down to the town from the Castello, decide to ditch my Dad and his cousin, who have of course stop to bloody speak again!! We raced back to Angela’s house to have dinner to find everyone waiting for us! Kurt and I had really enjoyed walking around because the atmosphere was fantastic with lights, music and people trying all types of traditional food, so we’d decided after dinner to continue our walk because around here going out for a passegiato (casual walk) at 11.00pm is normal. But by the time we’d eaten we were so