Advertisement
Published: September 24th 2008
Donnafugata.
Lets just say no photography allowed inside!!!!Friday 12th September
Licodia - Donnafugata..
On Friday Kurt bought a telephone card from the local bar. I’m always so impressed when he heads out on his own with limited Italian and doesn’t hesitate to speak to the locals. After that he went to Giuseppe’s home (my dad’s cousin’s son) to use their internet. He virtually lived there during so much of our time in Licodia, trying to download photos for my blog, reply to emails and do banking. They were always so welcoming and trying to feed him.
Kurt spoke to his Mum and Dad who had just returned from Europe themselves. It was great to hear her voice again although she did sound a bit tired. Travelling Europe can do that to a person!! They, along with Claudette and Rohan (Kurt’s sister and brother in law who were still travelling), had done a deluxe tour of Europe and Kurt was eager to hear all about travels because they’d travelled areas we had yet to see!
After lunch with Zia Vincenzia, Anna Marie and her family, we headed off with Giuseppe, Enza, Angeletta and my parents to Ragusa to see the famous Castello Donnafugata. It was a
lovely castle whose name came from an Arabic term that meant roona fugata which was later changed to donna fugata (which I thought it meant “hung lady”) but actually had to do with the story of a count who kept a lady prisoner in his home because she refused to marry him. She later escaped and apparently that’s what Doona fugata means “escaped lady”.
We were driven to Ragusa Ilba which was the older part of Ragus. We parked our cars and walked up the windy road, past the old homes which opened up to trendy little shops, cobble stone paths and gorgeous piazzas. There was a whole town up at the end of a windy road that was so elegant and beautiful. We ate some ice creams, which Kurt thought were the best we’d eaten in Italy!! The ice cream flavours are unreal. Even the tubs from the supermarket come in the most amazing flavours; hazelnut, apricot, lemon and pistchachio.
Each time these guys wanted to take us out we always had to rush back for another engagement. Much of our time in Licodia was spent like this, rushing from one place to another. It made my
Zia Vincenzia shake her head and smile, each time she’d see me race down the stairs and gasp when I realised the time. She always said, “Tranquille Maria, tranquille.”
We had to get to the town centre in time to watch my twin cousins Angela and Giovanna participate in a Karaoke night. It was a nice night and many people were sitting around café style tables and chairs out in the centre of town where traffic had been blocked off. A few weeks ago, they’d been a karaoke competition and my cousins had been 6th and 4th place and tonight all the entrants could sing again. Any one that wanted to sing could!! So they asked Kurt who said,” why not!”
I couldn’t believe it….. Kurt was going to sing in the town square with the whole of Licodia watching. He’s attitude was…well know one knows me here!! But I thought everyone knows me!!! He wasn’t fazed at all and asked if they had any English songs…wouldn’t you know it they had heaps!! But they didn’t have the one song he’s most comfortable singing Elton John’s “That’s why they call it the blues!” Poor Kurt!
After all
this excitement, they started and everyone from children aged 6 to men and women of all ages, got up and sang. Eventually my cousins got up and sang. I took video and Kurt took photos of them and the organiser noticed us!!! So while I stood aside waiting for the second cousin, the host walked up to me with a microphone and asked if I was a journalist and whether I spoke Italian!! I had visions of myself looking like an idiot if the Italian became more sophisticated than I could manage. So I said in English, “Sorry I’m from Australia.”
Instead he walked across to Kurt who was taking photos and asked the same thing but Kurt said Yes!!!! Can you believe it!!! When they asked his name, he replied in Italian, “Mi chiamo Kurt” loud and confident for all of Licodia to hear. But the guys interviewing Kurt said “Kort? Kort?” and looked around for help as if Kurt had said a strange and mysterious word.
Meanwhile my family, especially my parents were laughing hysterically. Very funny!
Saturday 13th September
Licodia.....Cartagirone
Saturday was a big eating day! Bigger than any of us could have
imagined!
We had a lazy morning because we’d planned to have lunch with my Dad’s cousin, Gaetana and dinner with her brother Pauolo (Giuseppe’s Dad).
We slept in, had a lovely lazy breakfast with Zia Vincenza and slowly got ready for lunch.
Gaetana, who my parents called Tanuzza, was thrilled when we arrived. She made a huge effort for a widow all on her own. Lunch started with a fabulous but massive serve of lasagne topped with melted slices of cheese and 2 whipped eggs. Kurt loved it! My delicious piece was also of gigantic proportions but pig that I am was thrilled to help Joshua finish off his equally big piece. That was until I realised there was more to come!! I helped my Aunty serve the next course; fried potatoes, slices of meat and salad. Oh my god!!! I was way beyond full….. then came Zia Gaetana’s daughter and with them came out the coffee and ice cream!!!!
Zia Gaetana’s granddaughter who also had lunch with us, invited the kids play outside with the neighbourhood kids. For me that has been one of the best things about Licodia; watching my children playing with other
kids. They needed a bit of translation to help with new rules but eventually played. Luckily some of the kids spoke basic English. We eventually left at 5.00pm and went home to rest!!
We were tired and tried to have a sleep….but couldn’t roll onto our heaving, huge stomachs!
A few hours later we were off to Pauolo’s for dinner. It was great to finally sit with Giuseppe, Enza, Angeletta and their family and partners and share a meal together.
The similarities between Pauolo and my Dad were amazing, they had very similar expression and both had strong opinions. (In Australia, that’s known as being stubborn!!) Dinner started with an interesting antipasto. Sweet melon wrapped with prosciutto and accompanied by a tuna and marzapone cheese roll. It wasn’t a roll but a was a long piece bread without of crust (which Enza had to drive 30 minutes away to buy) that was layered with cheese and tuna, rolled and sliced. Next came cannelloni. Really nice cannelloni, but I knew I was getting full and past the point of no return!!! Following the cannelloni came some meat called “Salti bocca” which literally means ‘jumps into mouth”. It was slices
Donnafugata.
Kids wanted this photo for ZIA LINDA!!!!! of meats with prosciutto and bay leaves. Delicious! But I was soooooo full! Next came coffee and cakes. Oh my god …so many cakes! Giuseppe’s girlfriend made a lovely almond cake which was cut into huge slices and Zia Giovanna had bought s big tray of sweet pastries and we’d also bought a tray of biscuits.
For some reason, when Licodian offer other Licodian more food and they say, “no thanks I’ve had enough” or” no thanks I’m full”, they listen!!But whenever we said the same thing, it was as if we’d said, “yes please, I’m still hungry fill me up again!!
We were so full!! The food was so delicious and we’d eaten so much!!!
Zia Giovanna also bought out some ice cream….oh my god!!!
Later Giuseppe and his girlfriend Sofia, Enza and her fiancée Jan Marco, took us to see La Scala (the stairs) in Cartagirone, the ceramic capital of Sicily. We arrived at midnight and it felt like 8pm. A band was singing and there were people and cars everywhere!! The atmosphere was fantastic!! There were heaps of young people, looking very beautiful and not the least bit tired!! La Scala was a huge
staircase that goes up the centre of the town, right up the centre between homes and businesses.
During the annual feast day, the stairs are lit up which must look fantastic because it looked great just with heaps of people sitting on them. The kids counted about 125 steps.
When we got home that night about 2am, and went to bed, I still felt like lunch and dinner were hanging around. We went to bed and felt like beached whale!!! Boy we’d eaten too much and we’re going to pay the price!! I felt so uncomfortable and about 3 months pregnant!!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.07s; Tpl: 0.014s; cc: 11; qc: 29; dbt: 0.0331s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
