As Chiara ordered the pastry tray at Bar Bi, she summed it up: “Anthropologically speaking, the bar is a microcosm of the town, a reflection of town life. Every Italian town – Assisi, too – has countelss bars, but only one is “Il bar” and it’s this one.” For Assisians, BarBi is their “punto di…
Calcio (soccer) is inextricably linked to Italian life – and to Pope Francis’ Assisi visit on October 4, 2013: the Papal helicopter touches down in a soccer field at 7 45 a.m and lifts off from another at 7 15 pm. [lcaption]Assisi ready to welcome Pope Francis[/lcaption] First stop? Istituto Serafico where over one hundred…
“Pari ‘na paniella” (“it looks like a panella”) is an expression in palermitano dialect to describe an object flattened by a heavy weight. And every Palermitano – no matter age or social class – knows panelle and the incomparable goodness of one of Palermo’s oldest street foods. A stop for pane con panelle always starts off…
Rain these past few days and warm sun: mushroom time. I spotted a couple yesterday under the oak trees. What memories of past mushroom hunts – and here is a note on funghi days: In the late 70’s when we farmed our land, I often went mushrooming with my contadina (farmwoman) neighbors. When warm days…
On a summer night, skirt around the crowded outdoor tables in the piazza facing the medieval church, go through the door of the crowded Focacceria San Francesco and join the camaraderie. No places on the ground floor? Head up the stairs (the air-conditioning even better up there) to the second floor or on to the…
While visiting Pino’s family in Palermo, we finally visited the island of Lampedusa this past summer, discovering another Mediterranean treasure. Bellissimo! No time for our usual jaunt to Ustica – but hopefully, we’ll be back there next year. We are hoping that the Alessandris are still well – and will we find Pasquale (he’d be…
We celebrated my birthday in Sicily this past summer, too. What memories of a “volcanic” birthday in Sicily years ago. Here is the note I wrote then: Sicily: Volcanic Adventures September 2006 I’ve been celebrating my end-of-August birthdays on volcanoes recently – “explosive” moments! For many years, my birthday has landed me in proximity to…
At first site of the aquamarine waters of the island of Lampedusa, you’ll wonder if you’ve landed in the tropics or the Caribbean. Only eleven kilometers long, this rocky Mediterranean island – southern-most point in Europe – is now refuge point for immigrants coming from North Africa, fleeing poverty, hunger and conflicts in their own…
La passione – certainly in the Italian DNA – takes over at a young age. In early May during Assisi’s Calendimaggio, the town’s medieval history, poetry, music, theater is recreated with passione by all – from young to the elderly. Announcing the festivities, young drummers beat out their passione with a fury. Teen-agers in medieval dress…
Pino and I enjoyed another memorable visit to Siclly this summer, spending time in Palermo and reveling in the beauty of the island of Lampedusa for a week. Following a family tradition, I celebrated my late-August-birthday with all Pino’s family: we always gather all together for sfincioni, pizza and mignon di gelato from the nearby Bar Gardenia.
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