Chocolate Nirvana

Last Saturday, I hosted a chocolate class where we made French-style Mousse and molten, tasted ten different types of chocolate, and discussed how chocolate is retailed in Europe versus the US.  We learned how to chop chocolate,

how to properly melt it

and how to pick out the perfect bar.

We enjoyed a feast.

Last Day in Trapani

We woke to 75 degrees and warm sun on our last day in Sicily.  Knowing the next day (and months to follow) would be filled with snow and temperatures in the teens, we decided to walk to the port and playground.

For our last evening, we took Alessandro to dinner.  I suggested two restaurants recommended in rough guides and DK.  "Those are over priced and the food is rubbish."  Alessandro insisted on a place he loved in the next town over, "Just 10 minutes away."  Dave and I looked at each other.

We arrived at a beautiful old building on an overlook.  When we approached the door, we saw the cook eating with her family.  They clearly recognized Alessandro and rose to set the table for us.  Alessandro forbid us from eating the bread.  Without menus, he ordered four courses of food (some of which we ate so fast, I forgot to take pictures).

Antipasta: Fresh made ricotta cheese, four different types of greens, sun dried tomatoes

Fresh Pasta: A special Trapani pesto made with almonds, tomatoes, and basil

Dessert: Sweet ricotta in a fried pastry

Complimenti alla cuoca!!

A memorable trip.

Segesta, Sicily

When I initially researched Sicily,  the number of ancient sites it held struck me immediately.  I imagined Greece as the European place to see temples and archaeological sites from before Christ.  Yet, I learned the real estate adage "Location, location location" fits Sicily.  Located in the heart of the Mediterranean, the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, and Spanish - among others -  tried to claim the premier piece of land.   These people left Doric Temples, Greek theaters, alters and tombs throughout the island.   Near Trapani, the ancient of Segesta took root in the twelfth century BC.   A Doric temple and a theatre still stand from over 2500 years ago.

Alessandro drove us to the site.  He put Charlie on a ten yard leash, walked up the hill, and told us "No one is looking - you can climb over the gate."  So we did.

Then, a guard yelled at us in Italian.  So Emily ran.

We took pictures while Alessandro reminisced about coming here as a kid and hanging out at the temple.

The kids picked flowers and created wild bouquets.

We persuaded them to hike the 20 minutes to the theater.

We rested and ate Italian cookies and American granola bars at a 4,000 seat theatre built earlier than I can fathom.

I prayed we would not be visiting an Italian ER as the kids jumped form seat to seat.

As we picked out sandwiches at the store on site, Alessandro interjected, insisted they were garbage and explained he knew the perfect place in the next town over.  Ten minutes later, we arrived in a town with no restaurants and practically no people.  After more cookies and cappuccino, we started the twenty minute drive back to Trapani.  Dave quickly noticed that we were going the wrong way.  Unfortunately, Alessandro did not notice until 30 min later.  We drove up and down the mountain taking very sharp turns prompting Owen to turn green.  An hour and 40 minutes later we arrived back in Trapani, grateful we only had one ride left.

Palermo, Sicily

On Jan 3 - still in Sicily - , we celebrated kids day, and Emily and Owen planned our outings.  After playing on the Kindles without having to hear, "Too much time on the electronics" and eating donuts for breakfast, they decided it was playground time.   Dave coached them in hitting plastic blow-up balls with a racket.  Within minutes, other children eagerly joined the team.  I found it amazing that even without verbal communication, the kids comfortably interacted.

We walked to the port, found a little cafe, and again enjoyed pizza, two sandwiches, two zeppole, an amaretto cappuccino, and a Kit Kat for only 6 euro. (The Kit Kat, which cost the most at 1 euro 50, because Emily preferred the packaged American candy to the Italian desserts.)  We ended the day at a gelateria where a homeless man asked us for money and the owner quickly kicked him out.  This event spurned a lively debate where - my father would be proud - Emily took the Republican stance.  "He should get a job."  I tried to explain the complex issues of opportunities, economy, empathy, and the non-existence of "fairness."  I felt like Mrs. Keaton talking with Alex on Family Ties.

The next day, Alessandro took us to Palermo - the "hub" of the Island since the 9th century and  supposedly the noisiest city in Sicily.  I thought of my Uncle Matt, a self-proclaimed mobologist, as memorials to the judges and lawyers who were killed trying to fight the Mafia greeted us.  Apparently, for years, the Mafia channeled funds from Rome and the EU meant to redevelop the city.

We started our tour at Monreale, twelfth century cathedral considered a wonder of the medieval world and renowned for its amazing mosaics.

Alessandro then took us to a hole-in-the-wall outlet to try traditional street food.  He refused to tell us it was spleen until after we took several bites.

 

Dave ran up the old Opera house stairs Rocky style and we then walked through a street market.

On the drive home, we stopped at an overlook to see Castellammare del Golfo, the biggest of the local fishing ports.  One writer, who lived there in the 1950's, claimed eighty percent of the adult males had served a prison sentence and one in three had committed murder.  Hard to believe while looking at the postcard perfect view.