Travel Guide: Behind the Scenes in Sicily
Forget White Lotus. This is how to travel and eat, as the Sicilians do..
Buongiorno one and all!
This email comes to you powered by sugary Sicilian treats. It’s been a few days since I returned from my latest odyssey hunting for grandmothers in the south of Italy but I consumed so much sugar over the past ten days that I’m pretty certain I still have some sweet ricotta in my system, keeping the energy levels up.
Please save the following travel tips for your next Sicilian adventure. It’s a kind of diary of how I spent my days in Sicily last week, including where to stay, where to eat and what to eat while you’re there.
Forget White Lotus. This is full of places you’ll find real locals, eating real food at REAL prices (meaning not extortionate and inflated!) Don’t do it at the same mad pace that i did. Take your time! What I did in five days you should most certainly take two weeks to do in a leisurely fashion…
Some of you will know that along with writing cookbooks, I am a travel journalist. In fact, most of what I do is driven by my hunger for travel and discovering new people and places. Five years ago i spent a sojourn in Palermo, licking my wounds after a pretty painful break up and discovering that life is a brilliant blessing - despite the heartache - while places like Sicily still exist.
I don’t share my top secret spots with many and tend to keep the really special, local places to an ‘inner circle’ of friends that ask me for tips. That’s why this Substack community is so special because I tend to treat all you readers as my inner circle.
So! Without further a-do, scroll on down for behind the scenes on the Sicily leg of Mesogeio (my next book of grandma recipes from the Mediterranean!) Save it for inspiration or as a guide to your next Sicilian adventure…
Catania
We land in Catania and I remember how much I truly love Sicily as we drive the very short distance between the airport and Catania city centre to Nonna Carmela’s home. En route, we pick up the brilliant Agata, our tour guide in Catania’s main piazza and stop off at Canusciuti for Arancini.
Arancini, fried risotto balls filled traditionally with ragu were actually an invention of the Arabs that came to Sicily many centuries ago. We dine on Catania’s most gourmet arancini con ragu surrounded by rowdy Sicilian families and savour the divergent textures - first a crunchy fried layer, followed by dense rice and a rich ragu lava that spills from the core - of our hefty rice cones.
Then onto Nonna Carmela, who whips up a ‘pasta a la norma’ in no time, followed by a Tiramisu (my absolute fav!) for dessert. This pasta dish sings of the flavours of a Mediterranean summer. Rich pomodoro passata, fragrant basil and sweet aubergine slick with olive oil make for the perfect midweek meal. It also tastes delicious cold and can be made in advance and eaten as a pasta salad at a garden party or in a picnic.
Look out for the recipe in my next book or head to Trattoria Casalinga da Nino Mannino for an authentic Norma in Catania.
Etna
We head out of Catania this evening for a stay at Palazzo Previtera, a unique guesthouse that dates back to the 17th century. Located at the foot of Etna, the island’s volcano, Palazzo Previtera is best experienced to be believed. Hand painted murals, extravagant 19th century brocade draping, Murano glass chandeliers and antique furniture that is original to the house are what make this spot a total feast for the eyes. Then there’s the garden breakfast in view of mount Etna which has a puff or two while we eat our ricotta filled pastries (Cassate) in the morning.
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