The Vucciria Market

You know I have been reading Midnight in Sicily*. Yesterday, I was able to place some of the landmarks mentioned in this book. The Vucciria is the most famous market in Palermo. It is situated in the Caracciolo Square and along the narrow roads in the Loggia district. It dates back to the 11th century. I read where it started as a meat market..developing into one that sells fruit, vegetables and fish. Renato Guttuso a famous Sicilian artist from Bagheria painted La Vucciria promoting more interest in this market. Here is Guttuso's painting and also my photo. If you look close ..you can see the baby eggplant presented like eggs in a carton.

It is still offering fruit and vegetables, stalls selling spices, Panelle and fish. Vendors claim the market is not one tenth of the size it was in its heyday. Monday is not a good day for selling fish, so we did not get to see any of these shops.

We did come across a man selling Tuna fish eggs. This stuff was selling for €100. per kilo. This is the sack that contains the fish eggs.

The author of Midnight in Sicily writes about this area. He also mentioned sitting in a Trattoria high above the street where he could look down at its activity. I wonder if this is the same place that we saw.





I got to try my first panelle and a delicious shaved veal sandwich, fast food Palermo style. The panelle and the veal were saturated in oil. One being deep fried and the other splashed with oil. It was delicious just the same.

*http://respiridivita.blogspot.com/2007/07/1992.html

Pasta Contest

The contest continues thru midnight August 6th, my time. We are six hours ahead of the east coast in the USA. You can leave your guess here or go to the original contest posting .

http://respiridivita.blogspot.com/2007/07/contest-contest-contest.html

Above is Antonio Amato pasta one of the very best. Some people call it Sunday pasta!

Good Luck!

Friday Feature

Kappa is a brand of casual sportswear originating from Turin in Italy. Several national sports teams including the Italian National Soccer team have or are wearing clothing by this brand. In a town about 15 kilometers away there is an outlet featuring Kappa clothing besides a few other brands.

Since I heard this outlet was having a sale, I encouraged my New York friend to make a trip with me to see what they were offering.

There were a few interesting items but we didn't drop much money there. However the interesting thing about this store is that you can see online just what they have for inventory before you go there. So if you are looking for a special style or size...you have this information right at your computer screen.

Once you get into the store you are offered another shopping convenience. There are monitors over the bins of clothing articles that will let you know the price and also the location of other colors and sizes of each article. If the customers return clothing to the bins they found it in ...all is according to their plan. You select the article and place the bar code under the arrow. Up comes information about the article including price, colors and sizes available and location and amount of inventory.

I am showing a couple heavy duty sweatshirts that some of you might be interested in and the screen showing the price. I DID look all over this store for a shirt that had PALERMO written on it for my Blog friend GT to see, but no Palermo in the entire store. Not that there won't be a Palermo shirt tomorrow or another day. Stock changes daily.

We bought a couple visor hats and some socks. No big ticket items in our bags. But, you never know when we might be back. We said good bye to the Juve kitty and had a nice ride back along the beach road.

Campanello

Years ago a man named Russo left money to install a bell in the church tower. This bell chimes the hour on the hour...quarter hour and half hour.. again on the three quarter hour. It is also a signal to the town when Mass is going to be said in the church. It gives a certain tone that lets us know when someone is getting married and also when someone has died.

We have heard this bell too many times this year for family who have died. This morning it sounded again. One of our beloved cousins passed away in the night. He wasn't a blood related cousin. When you marry into an Italian family you automatically take the relationship of the family member. Andy and I think he was more than a blood cousin. He was a true friend and a good man.

Celebrate....Come on!

Oliveri is a pretty town. It is surrounded on three sides by mountains and the other side borders the Tyrrhenian Sea. Just a delightful vacation spot until the big feste of the summer. Then it becomes a mecca for vendors selling just about anything you can imagine. This year marks the worst of the worst. Almost every major through way is lined with these vendors. I hope the town is making some money off them. One lane of the beach road has been blocked to accommodate their stalls. The soccer field has booths in three rows. They are to be here through the middle of August. For me it blocks access to the beach. Some of the stall owners sleep in their cars or on the beach. I don't see any toilet or wash facilities so this is also a problem. I might be in the minority but I don't think this is a good thing for this town. Especially for an extended length of time. Here are some photos of the booths and items they are selling.

How about a few more......

Add to this the games of chance and the carnival rides....

Did something catch your fancy? I know it was the *water pipe*---or that lounge chair?

Friday Feature

What better feature could I post on July 20th ...than ME. It is indeed my birthday and I had a great day. It all started off with an invite to have breakfast at the brand new PortoRosa Hilton Hotel. It was a bacon and egg, waffle, apple juice, fruit extravaganza. There was everything you could want and a great atmosphere. I really enjoyed this treat.

Thanks to my family and friends for calls and cards and gifts...and especially to Andy who really wanted me to have a great day.

My daughter sent me a Red Velvet Chocolate Cake Mix and that was devoured before I could get a photo. It was a delicious. I am looking forward to this next year and wishing it to be the best one ever. I have the magic wand to make it so!

M U S C A R E D U

It tasted better than this picture looks. Andy says you don't see these yellow watermelon too often. Muscaredu is the Sicilian word for this melon. It tastes really good. It had better as it was expensive...like buying jewelery!

Contest.....click here>http://respiridivita.blogspot.com/2007/07/contest-contest-contest.html

*CONTEST* *CONTEST* *CONTEST*

This contest will end on August 6th. The winner will be announced shortly after that date and will win a Sicilian surprise packet.

You must guess the amount of pasta we have in my house on today's date in pounds. We buy pasta in 1000g and 500g packages.

Anyone can guess but only one guess per person. If you have ten people in your house they all can have one guess.

In case of a tie there will be a run off. Guess away!

Bragging Rights

This is just too nice a picture not to include it on my BLOG. It wasn't caught in Sicilian waters but caught off the shores of Chatham in Massachusetts by my son. This makes a vacation

S P E C I A L !!!!!!!!!!

Friday Feature

We haven't had any spontaneous fires this year and the vegetation still look pretty green. But it is normal for fires to start up into the mountains. Friday's Feature is showing the planes they use to pick up water from the sea to douse those fires in the mountains. I imagine some places would be very difficult to maneuver a regular type firetruck to.

This week we have seen these planes swooping over the roof tops and down close to the water.

It was windy that day as you can see from the clothes being blown around on the clothesline. He made about a dozen runs and lets hope that he won't be fighting any the size they are having in Utah.

1992

We arrived bag and baggage in 1992 to Oliveri from Newport, RI. At that time I did not know how much history would be happening in Sicily and Italy in that year. A friend loaned me the book Midnight in Sicily and it reveals just what we immigrated into. I am only four chapters into this book and am happy to have it on loan to me.

It was the time of Lima and Ciancimino..Giulio Andreotti... Falcone and Borsellini ..and Totò Riina. They are or were government officials, anti mafia lawyers and mafia heads. This book explains alot of why Sicily is the way it is all going back to the time the Arabs were the dominant culture.

Back in 1992, the major cities in Sicily were policed by the military. Posted outside banks and offices were young fellas with heavy armor. You were stopped often for a vehicle check on the road ways. It was the beginning of the trial of Giulio Andreotti and his famous kiss with Totò Riina. I had read in Time magazine, that Andreotti was associated with the mob and when I mentioned this to a cousin he was outraged. This book explains Sicily's allegiance with Andreotti. He needed them to be able to form a government and he was Sicily's tie to Rome's government.

We were interviewing high schools for our son in 1994 and posted outside a school building was one of these military guards. Not all schools are in school buildings as we know in the USA. Some are in office buildings and are state schools. His middle school had suggested we choose a school heavy in art for our son, as he has a talent in drawing. We asked why the military presence outside the building and was told that there was an office for an anti mafia lawyer housed one floor above this school.

Today we don't see any of the military guards. Banks and other places are guarded by private company persons.

Our son did not choose this art high school but went instead to Liceo Scientifico, which is very close to a USA college directed school curriculum.

Plugs

My new and wonderful iron (separate water tank type...heats up beautifully and glides over the fabric) came with a super pronged plug. There are several types of plugs that come with appliances. Never fear you can get adaptors for any and all of them. Sometimes you might need two to make it work. I suppose it wouldn't take much for an electrician to replug the iron but it works with the adaptors.

Now how do I work with the USA 110 voltage plugs into a 220 voltage Italy system. Why just use a converter. This plug came with our paper shredder. Andy also uses converters in the shop for some of his tools.

All I see is Eggplant

Wait that' s not eggplant that's Eggplant Involtini. This is an old game made up out of boredom. Just keep changing the noun. We have an influx of eggplant and I made Involtini for lunch. My South Beach friends might want to tune out. But I think if you eat just one it wouldn't be much over 75 calories.

Ingredients include:

2 medium eggplant

bread crumb

soft cheese

tomato sauce

cooked ham

parmesan cheese

white sauce

basil

salt

bread crumbs

Place the sliced eggplant in a strainer with salt to drain liquid. Make tomato sauce and a white sauce. I use this recipe for white sauce.

2T butter

2T flour

1 cup milk

grated nutmeg

salt

The eggplant needs to be fried on both sides till slightly brown. Don't overcook as it needs to be soft enough to roll.

Mix the bread crumbs with the parmesean cheese and chopped basil. Add some olive oil to bind ingredients together. You all know how to make sauce that you like but check out the pan the sauce is cooking in. (This pan is over 40 years old. It was purchased from that guy on USA TV who used to bang pots and pans together. ...waterless cookwear! I was lucky to receive a set as a gift. They all look just as new as the day I got them and I use them every day.)

I use small toasted bread to make crumbs. I think they must be like Melba Toast.

The next step is to place a heaping tablespoon of the crumb mix onto each eggplant slice. Then top with some cooked ham and a cube of soft cheese. I am using swiss cheese. That doesn't sound right to be using in an Italian recipe but it gives a good taste and melts just right. Roll the eggplant and cover with more breadcrumbs before placing them into a pan that has a layer of sauce in the bottom. It will make 18 to 20 rolls. We had some extra eggplant so Andy will have a small casserole to snack on later.

Mix the white sauce with the remaining tomato sauce and pour on top of the eggplant and finish with a sprinkling of parmesean.

Bake at 375° for about 30 minutes. You will see it begin to bubble.

I baked it in my little oven. We bought this DeLonghi before we had our kitchen finished 15 years ago and it is still going strong. Nice not to heat up the whole kitchen. We gave some away and had some for lunch. It always tastes good. Now...

dishes, dishes ...all I see is dishes!

Friday Feature cont...

Here is the structure within which a mummy is transformed into a woman. I heard some music coming from inside but did not see any action outside. It was only eight o'clock when I ventured down to check this place out. It is advertised to continue thru midnight. I saved my €3 and did not go inside. I did not go around to the back either but am guessing it is a truck trailer.

Along the side of the road are white tents. They were just setting up the insides. They show up often in the summer in different towns catering to the tourist business.

My curiosity was satisfied. Someone said a sucker is born everyday...well I was born many days ago and I didn't bite on anything except these photos!

Friday Feature

These very mysterious notices are filtering into town along as handbills and posted notices.

Friday's Feature will be two parted as the event takes place tonight thru July 15th. It seems that the Queen of Egypt will appear as a mummy and then change into a person in front of your very eyes.

Several white tent structures have been erected along part of the beach front road. No telling yet what might be sold? The feature will be brief and unbelievable.. so this reads and only €3 for both adults and children.

Keep tuned for part 2.....

Happy Birthday USA

Happy Birthday United States! We will be eating Boston like Baked Beans, Hot Dogs and Pie! I will also wear my Boston Red Sox hat the whole day!

Big and Long Adventure

Greetings.....we are back and had a long day. Very long day!!! It started at 6AM and we returned to Oliveri just after 9PM. This was our outing and adventure to Belpasso.

We knew from the start that we were going to a Sanctuary to the Madonna on a rock where a young boy had a vision and a healing. It should have been no surprise that we were in for a pilgrimage. That is what the local *gitas* usually are but with a sprinkling of local flavor and history along with some scenic interests. I am not of the Catholic faith but I do have a healthy respect for those that are believers and followers of any religious persuasion. I think my tendencies lie to the Quaker meditative and personal interaction with the creator.

From the get go we were prayed over...and over and over. I shall be honest about this. I tried to be attentive to understand the language. The lady doing the Rosary was clear of voice and spoke Italian. The trip to the Sanctuary was 2+ hours of solid praying. I got lost somewhere after the first half hour. Finally we reach the Sanctuary.

It was a pleasant morning and Belpasso is located at the foot of Mt Etna. We were happy to get off from the bus. The Sanctuary is in a remote place and we walked to the Madonna on the rock. This Sanctuary was built in 2000 or 2002...I can't recall exactly. Vendors were selling flowers to be placed around the Madonna. We were cautioned not to expect a miracle of extreme proportions but to ask for a change of ourselves.

Those are my flowers at the base of the Madonna. I put five there, one for each of my children and their families. I was told I placed them in the wrong place as there were containers for flowers around the walk ways. No one moved them and other folks put theirs along with mine. We sat in the seats for awhile as there was more praying and Rosary offerings. We then followed our guide to the grotto. It is a cave like structure with an altar. It is closed fenced and folks leave items on this fence to petition for miracles.

The Mass was scheduled for noon and in the mean time there were more prayers. There were three priests giving open air confessions. The Mass lasted for one and one half hour.
It was much too hot to be under the sun for that length of time and that time of day. There was a medical tent and ambulance situated on the parameter and staff hosed the place down at intervals. Several elderly had to be medically assisted.

After the Mass we went back on the bus and traveled to a restaurant for lunch. I made a friend on this trip who insisted to give me gifts. She had brought vegetables from her farm and insisted that I take a cucumber home. She also gave me a small Etna rock. It was a challenge to me to talk all day in Italian and they really wanted me to talk in Sicilian dialect. My friend speaks dialect Sicilian so they were thrilled with her and she was also able to understand what they were saying. Some comments weren't so nice but since this was a pilgrimage they are forgiven.

After lunch we thought we would be going into the town for some sightseeing but we were bused back to the Sanctuary for another two hours of prayers and adoration to the Madonna. I confess...it was way over the top for me. I had lost it at this point. We sat in the shade with some of other bus mates and waited for those who were praying to finish.
At 6PM we boarded the bus again and were now heading to Catania for the Centro Commerciale. Everyone was so excited to show us the Sicilian Mall. Believe you me...I did not care. I smiled and agreed but I wanted to be going on that autostrada towards home. We got to the Mall and had 45 minutes to browse. It was nice and had 140 stores. I admit I quite prefer the local shopping style of going to separate shops. Lucille and I scoped the place in 45 minutes. Stopping only at MacDonald's to take a picture. That was the only sightseeing we did and it was disappointing.

We got back on the bus and headed home. Yippie! We had a 30 minute rest of quiet talking and relaxing. My new friend and I exchanged addresses and she gave me another gift of a sample perfume. I had nothing to exchange with her but she was so happy to offer these items to me.

One hour before reaching Oliveri...the praying started again. Voices were strained and croaky...but the microphone delivered the volume. I called Andy to tell him we would be arriving in one hour and asked if he would come and get us off this bus! Both Lucille and I had had enough. I was a very bad girl. Naughty even. When the songstress with the microphone paused and there was over a minute silence I spontaneously sang .--"When I Fall in Love"" ---etc...."It will be Forever" or ....! Don't ask me where this came from. I'll offer frustration. Too much repeating the same stuff for the whole day. Andy told me that this would happen. It is the first *gita* that I have been on that I was prayed around and over for the entire day.

I was glad to get home... I met a new friend and they wanted me to sing more!