Spending nine weeks in our little Valledolmo made it feel like the center of the Italian universe, so when we took the mini bus on our Big Trip, I was (for some reason) surprised to see another version of Sicily. The coast! Yes, of course there were more vineyards and citrus groves, but there were functional roads without washouts and potholes! There were towns with more than two restaurants! There were people out there we didn’t know and tourists! Yes this sounds like I was alarmed, but it was quite the country topo visiting the city situation. It was also alarming how (relatively) big the island is, taking the better part of a day to travel to Etna, or from there north to Castel di Tusa, or west to Trapani. 

Etna is among the tallest points in Europe at nearly 11,000 feet and one of the most active volcanoes in the world. These fertile volcanic soils support excellent agricultural production, and therefore the abundance of vineyards and blossoming fruit and nut orchards. It was like walking on the moon, exploring the floes of the volcano, and awe inspiring to look behind and see the peak and forward on that crisp, clear day and see the Mediterranean and mainland Italy. Because we were still luxuriating in the pretense of spring, we enjoyed a warm weather mainstay of granita and brioche, a Sicilian favorite. Giovanna Musumeci, producer of the #2 gelato and granita in Sicily (she claims they don’t bribe the judges like #1 resorty Taormina) taught us her family recipe of this icy treat and we made pistachio and lemon flavors, from local ingredients, of course. Certainly a breakfast I could get used to. 

Headed back west towards Alcamo we visited again with Natalia and her mother Mary Taylor Simeti at their farm Bosco Falconeria Az. biologica. In addition to making wine, they produce vinegars, and manage biodynamic orchards and gardens. If I don’t come back, this is where I’ll be. It was incredible to walk around their land and see the love and work that a family’s lifetime has done. Mary opened up her home to us and cooked a simple meal of soup and bread and salad and wine with cheese and picked figs for dessert. Their generosity was so appreciated, and even that simple home meal made such an impression. It made me both homesick and never want to leave Sicily. It made me want to cultivate something like that of my own. 

Finally we headed west towards Trapani and the salt flats where people have been harvesting and selling salt since the Phoenicians 2700 years ago. We even got to see flamingos who come here during winter because of the abundance tiny shrimp that live in the flats. A quick boat trip to Moxia to see ruins and another Tasca winery and a trip up the mountain to historic Erice and the famous sweets of Maria Grammatico before the long ride back to Valledolmo. A whirlwind! 

Sunday the kitchen was a flurry with each of us preparing dishes for the big final party. Music and sunshine and cooking, it was a great ending to an amazing ten weeks. The evening came and with it a swell of Valledolmese, people we’d gotten to know during our time. The families of the kids in our theater production (didn’t I mention I joined the local theater troupe and we preformed an interpretive dance/Shakespearean play for the final party we’d been rehersing for ten weeks in Italian and English?!), cheesemakers, bakers, and other producers who shared their time with us, and friends from home too. It was a starry night filled with dancing, an abundance of food, plenty of campari spritzes, and joy.