Detox

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Geo: 35.91, 14.52

Tears of gelato ... that's what we cried today, our last in Sicily, before returning to Catania to catch a flight to Malta, the final segment of our trip. But the profundity of our mourning was exceeded only by the joy of our belts, which for the past ten days, have been in a constant state of tension, under the same stress and pain that medieval prisoners must have felt when tortured on a rack. There is always balance in the Universe, so it is only fair that our suffering be balanced by some good ...

Today marks the last of everything Sicilian on this trip - the first and last Sicilian cannoli, the last Sicilian pastries, the last gelato, the last granita, the last espresso, the last glass of fine wine blessed with the aromas and flavours of this island's fine volcanic terroir ... writing those words, I can't help but feel a bit ill, as that roll call of everything delicious in Sicily was something we heard every day here, really showing what pigs we have been. But that ill feeling still makes me smile in rather perversely, because in a sick and twisted way, we wanted to eat until we felt sick, because that's why we came to Sicily, damn it!!!

Our flight wasn't until late this evening, meaning that we had plenty of time to enjoy Modica before catching our plane for Valletta. While charming, Modica isn't the most exciting of places, nor is it packed with any must-see sights - so what did this all mean? That our day was mostly spent sitting around, drinking and eating - hooray!!! It all started with a truly fine Sicilian breakfast, and continued spiraling downward from there, with more and more gorging.

It's a good thing that Modica was our last stop in Sicily, because we realized that some of the best sweet pastries in the land are found here, which were prominently featured at the B&B's breakfast. Wonderfully-flaky croissants and danishes, the likes of which would have been at home at any French patisserie, and an excellent homemade tart, prepared by the owner.

Sicilian breakfasts are known for being packed with sweets, something which we haven't been overly impressed with so far, as the sweets haven't been of the best quality. But today was different, and there was also a fine selection of cured meats, cheeses, and fresh fruit. Next up was a sampling of the famous Modican chocolate, something that we had hoped to purchase as a souvenir, until we found it wasn't to our liking - crumbly and grainy, it was unique, but not creamy and smooth, like the varieties we normally prefer. Our belts sighed in relief, at this development ...

Considering how little we did today, we were surprisingly tired - this sometimes happens when you check out of a place in the morning as we did, and have many hours to kill without having a place of our own to relax, until checking in at the next accommodation. That didn't happen until well after midnight, by the time we flew into Valletta and made our way into town from the airport. Far from luxurious, the British Hotel is a borderline dive when compared to some of the excellent value guest houses and hotels we've had in Sicily, but it was suitable for a night, before we head off to the northern coast tomorrow.

We're not quite sure what to make of Malta yet, not having had the opportunity to see any of it tonight, and solely going off the guidebook's description of it as beautiful, but mostly an over-developed tourist resort for the Brits. It's not an entirely appealing summary of the Maltese Islands, but hopefully we can find some nice, less-touristed spots in the next few days.

One thing we were looking forward to in Malta was a good detox and loosening our belts slightly, after all the rich and delicious dining in Sicily - having fallen under British rule for so long, the Maltese cuisine is surely to be of dubious quality, at best. But then we happened to read the guidebook's description of Maltese food, and saw that there were some very obvious Sicilian influences. Could Maltese food be as good as Sicilian? Ugh ... our belts are starting to feel tight again ...

Gelato Selections Of the Day: Besides the last lemon and coffee granitas of the day, back to Degli Angeli for some delicious-looking gelato we noticed the other day. Excellent pineapple and amazing hazelnut, along with an average Bacio and Degli Angeli, a special mix dreamed up by the gelato shop. After finishing our gelato, we had a moment of silence ...

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Photos

Antica Dolceria Bonajuto ...
... perhaps the most famous chocolate shop in Modica, we were not overly impressed with the chocolate, trying a cannoli instead - good, but nothing special. It's a good thing, as we don't need any other delicious things to tempt us while in Sicily.

The Last Granitas ...
... coffee and lemon - decent, but far from the best we've had on this trip. The lemon became much too sweet after a while, so it was nice that they gave us a couple of cups of water to go along with it.

Sapori Doc ...
... wanting a simpler meal, we ended up at this wine bar for a platter. The sausages were the highlight, one of them uniquely containing pistachios, and the other flavoured with fennel. The roasted ricotta was also good, with a toasted popcorn flavour to it, and was especially tasty with the local blood orange jam. The Ragusan provolone was a bit plain.

Best Bruschetta Ever ...
... more like a flatbread, it was freshly baked, a perfect balance of crisp, soft, and chewy.

Melons With Moscato ...
... the melons were great, having steeped in the sweet dessert wine. But the flavour of the wine was a bit overpowering when sipped.

Of the Angels ...
... the translation of Degli Angeli, the gelato shop that we liked in town. The last ones of the trip ... sigh ...

Desperate ...
... wanting a last coffee in Italy, we resorted to having one at a chain cafeteria at the Catania airport. On the left was a concoction similar to a Tim Horton's iced capp, though we had wanted an actual coffee granita. Nothing special by Italian standards, but the thing with Italian coffee is that even the worst cup here is better than the best cup in most countries.

The Last Supper ...
... a couple of paninis, stuffed with Italian meat and cheese. Surprisingly good, considering that it was also from the airport cafeteria.