How to combine love of food and wine, Italy, ancient Greek ruins and travel into one adventure?   Spend a month in Sicily!  So that is what we decided to do… left for Rome on Sept. 18th and then on to Sicily, arriving in Catania.  We headed up to Taormina by bus to stay in a lovely hotel, Taodomus Hotel right in the heart of the town on the main street.  The location was excellent and the breakfast was cooked to order at their roof top terrace overlooking Catania, the Mediterranean, and Mount Etna. Every morning in additon to breakfast we were offered croissants, homemade pastries, cakes and muffins… fresh fruit and juices, cold cuts and delicious cappuccinos… one of my goals was to sample espresso and cappuccinos everywhere to see if ours at Noah’s is comparable… sometimes yes, sometimes no…. so far.

We decided to have one really upscale, “nice” read expensive dinner while in Taormina and chose La Giara restaurant.  The view from the outdoor terrace was magnificant !  I tried the squid appetizer with sea urchin sauce… the squid was steamed and then peeled in thin strips like a cucumber it was really delicious and light, the sauce was rich and creamy and a bit sweet.  We ordered a typical white wine of the region but it was very dry and mineraly and not notable… John ordered the sardine pasta dish but was disappointed for the second time…  the the food was good, the view was fantastic, the service was good but a little stuffy and we decided to stick with more “family” type trattorias.

One afternoon we stopped for a snack at Bar Capriccio on the Corso Umberto and had the BEST filled to order cannoli we have ever tasted!!!  I swooned.   Another fun stop was for an apertif on the steps (the restaurant was inside) with little tables and seats near the Piazza IX Aprille.  The “snacks” they brought out with our drinks were so plentiful and delicious, we skipped dinner that night….we were quickly learning we could NOT eat a big lunch and then have dinner as it was just too much food… and then learned later, most Sicilians share meals and order “uno per due”.

In the Madonie Mountains at Masseria Susafa, the food was delicious and so was the wine !!!  It was the end of the season, so between ourselves and a lovely German couple we met, Kerstin and Carlston… we finished up their supply of Consumano Noa, a tasty Cabernet Sauvignon; Nero D’avola; Merlot blend recommended by Parkerwine….unfortunately we only ate one dinner there because we had a huge lunch in Petrolia Soprano at a little Trattoria… the special of the day was a pasta very like Bologanse, then a platter of grilled pork, lamb and beef with boiled potatoes….a half liter of house wine, bottle of  salad, bread, a couple of espressos, a pistacho cake like dessert and a grappa…. I had a stomach ache that night from just too much food!!!  and learned a lesson…. stop eating so much!!

In Cefalu our most memorable meal came from the local market… just a little family store where one can buy bread, wine, delicious Mortadella, Salami, Proscuitto, cheeses, olives, sun-dried tomatoes and take it all back to eat on your little balcony table over looking the main street, while you people watch….. we will always remember that meal as one of our best and most fun…. if only the cafe across the street had delivered 2 espressos up our 42 steps!!

Once we arrived in Monreale we knew we could hardly ever go wrong ordering the local house wine by the half liter, which is what we usually do… though we do like the Nero d’Avola /Cabernet blends and for the white wines I do love the Insoldias sp?  .  We have found a few good pizzas with thin, crispy crusts and not too much heavy cheese, but in general we find the sauces heavy and the crust thick and bready.  Eggplant is used here 26 different ways…. and Pasta alla Norman is a heavy red tomato sauce with eggplant… once is enough for me, and I love eggplant.  John will expound here on the red sauces….

In Erice we found a room with a view to die for and a huge private terrace, so once again we had a picnic on our terrace from the local market….La Pineta Hotel was just fabulous and the cappuccinos here were great too!   In the little town we ate dinner at Monte San Guiliano and I had a pasta with shrimp, olive oil, and zucchini, it was really delicious.

Today, October 10 we are in Piazza Amerina and about 3 kilometers from the Villa is a Trattoria called La Routa… delicious lunch… one of our best!!  The local house wine… we usually order the red… large fresh mixed salads…. they ALL have raddichio in them.. tomatoes and romaine lettuce.  Then we again shared uno pour due.. the braised rabbit with olives, capers and olive oil… delicious!!!!