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Blogs by Steve Kerr
Il Sole Dalla Sicilia
7/5/2016 10:12:23 AM
The island of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea just off the
Italian peninsula is probably one of the best known areas
of Italy to the foreigner but its interior :one of the
least discovered areas of Italy by the tourist.I went there
for the first time in the early 1980s.I stayed with people
who were in many ways like a second family to me and
through which I gradually got to know this little gem of
Italy.
On many occasions I stayed in a flat in the attractive
Baroque town of Modica which lies to the South East of the
island.The town was destroyed by an earthquake in the 17th
century and rebuilt at a time when Baroque architecture was
the dominant style.My flat looked over onto the Piazza San
Giovanni which emerged at the bottom of the great Scala
that led down from the large church; rich in ornamental
curves .
The block of flats rose above a hairdresser`s that operated
in its foyer next to a gift shop and just round the corner
from a cafe where life passed slowly as vespas laden with
youth sped quickly by through the narrow streets.
In the coolness of early evening the elderly sat on their
balconies and recited the rosary as locals embarked on a
small passegiata through its winding streets.
Modica is built on two levels Modica Alta and Modica Bassa
One observes the roofs and spires of the lower Modica from
the terraces of Upper Modica which presents such a lovely
panorama.Many of the more modern houses are concrete flats
built to withstand the wrath of an angry earthquake.
Modicans walk up the narrow winding alleys that spiral
round and round en route for Il Pranzo,the great Italian
lunch which on a Sunday can start at 11.30 am and finish
at 4pm .The delicious smell of home made pasta and a host
of other scrumptious Italian dishes waft down to street
level which makes the passers by lick their lips.
On festive days the traditional Sicilian carriage with
multicoloured pictures and designs covering the object
accompanied by horses in colourful plumes, could be seen
drawing up outside churches or slowly transporting its
passengers along dusty country roads.
Mass was attended by ladies in black lace veils and men in
well cut suits and silk ties which have given way to
baseball caps and jeans.
Modica`s famous son was the clown Grimaldi whom the current
Monagasque royal family are descended from.
In Catania , the fish market was a hive of activity as
Octopus and other popular seafoods graced stalls that smelt
of the fresh fishy sea ,while vendors flamboyantly tried
to seduce the public into buying their wares.
Catania ,that lies mercilesly at the food of Mount Etna and
whose volcanic eruptions make dwelling in the city
often perilous.The Catanese are greatly indebted and
devoted to their patron Santa Agatha whose intercession
thwarted the lavas boiling path on many occassions .Her day
is marked by much festivity throughout the city.
The statue of Bellini near the opera house keeps an eye
on his fellow Catanese as they pass by in their best
designer finery eating the best gelateria the world can
offer.
The port of Messina on the east coast takes the traveller by
ferry to the deep southern city of Reggia Calabria right on
the toe of Italy but that is another story...
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More Blogs by Steve Kerr
• Once upon a Christmas - Friday, December 9, 2016
• A Song Of September - Friday, September 2, 2016
• Our Lives Are All But A Film of Neo- Realism - Saturday, August 20, 2016
• Poor Cow - Saturday, August 13, 2016
• Place - Tuesday, August 9, 2016
• One Hell of A Few Weeks - Friday, July 15, 2016
• Il Sole Dalla Sicilia - Tuesday, July 5, 2016
• Il Sole Dalla Sicilia - Tuesday, July 5, 2016
• June Is Bursting Out All Over - Thursday, June 30, 2016
• The Cottage By The Sea - Wednesday, June 22, 2016
• June in Halifax and Andalucia - Friday, June 17, 2016
• A walk in Kafirstan /Kalash - Friday, June 10, 2016
• We Are In Arcadia - Monday, June 6, 2016
• Travels In The Hindu Kush - Saturday, June 4, 2016
• Leafy Green Crescents and Eating Out - Thursday, June 2, 2016
• Creativity Cries Out - Thursday, May 26, 2016
• Blossom and The Crimea :products of this May - Tuesday, May 24, 2016
• Sweet Revenge And a Few Songs - Friday, May 13, 2016
• Tea In York And Satanic Mills - Wednesday, May 11, 2016
• The Blossom Outside - Sunday, May 8, 2016
• A Window On The Barges - Thursday, May 5, 2016
• A Bank Holiday At Elmwood - Monday, May 2, 2016
• A cold Day For May Day - Sunday, May 1, 2016
• An Ode To A Special Flower - Friday, April 22, 2016
• Akin to Metropolis - Friday, April 22, 2016
• The Battle Is On - Thursday, April 14, 2016
• January`s Days - Saturday, January 16, 2016
• As August Passes On Its Way - Thursday, August 27, 2015
• Buses and Baskets - Monday, August 17, 2015
• Hiroshima,Portuguese and Cilla - Wednesday, August 5, 2015
• I Never Promised You A Rose Garden - Saturday, August 1, 2015
• Home and Abroad.Now And Then. - Monday, July 13, 2015
• The Simmer Dim Of Shetland and TheThe Four Marys - Monday, June 29, 2015
• End Of Term and Days In Paris - Wednesday, June 24, 2015
• Old York In June - Sunday, June 21, 2015
• Saturdays Thoughts and A Little Pasta - Saturday, June 6, 2015
• Saturdays Thoughts and A Little Pasta - Saturday, June 6, 2015
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• The Days Of The French Ballad - Friday, May 22, 2015
• Quality Beneath The Glitz .A True Europe - Wednesday, May 20, 2015
• Dreams In a Chanson Francaise - Saturday, May 16, 2015
• Sun,Wind and The Islands - Monday, May 11, 2015
• Elections,1940s Hits and A Bit More - Sunday, May 10, 2015
• A Walk uphill - Wednesday, May 6, 2015
• The Mad Blossoms of May - Tuesday, May 5, 2015
• A View into A Celluiloid Past - Thursday, April 30, 2015
• Trees In The Wind - Wednesday, April 29, 2015
• Monday Morning in the Cyber Cafe - Monday, April 27, 2015
• A FRUSTRATING MORNING IN PUBLISHING - Friday, April 24, 2015
• Aprite La Finestra - Wednesday, April 22, 2015
• April Weekend In Bayswater - Monday, April 13, 2015
• South Kensington Easter Weekend - Saturday, April 4, 2015
• Lady Day ,plenty sunshine and freezing weather - Sunday, March 22, 2015
• Snow over Sheffield - Wednesday, January 21, 2015
• And the Epiphany passes into the mundane - Friday, January 16, 2015
• Misty mornings - Saturday, November 29, 2014
• 21ST OF NOVEMBER - Sunday, November 23, 2014
• And in November. - Thursday, November 20, 2014
• Hallow`een - Saturday, November 1, 2014
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• The early train to Doncaster - Saturday, October 25, 2014
• October17th - Friday, October 17, 2014
• Recent Events in Scotland. - Saturday, October 11, 2014
• MONOPOLY - Friday, September 12, 2014
• A Place To Lay My Head - Tuesday, August 26, 2014
• The Road to Rocacorba - Tuesday, August 12, 2014
• The Long Hot Summer Of 1914 - Tuesday, August 5, 2014
• Summer in the city and more of it - Tuesday, July 29, 2014
• Summer 2003 and some thoughts on today - Saturday, July 26, 2014
• World Cup Finals,Celluloid and Blue Suede Shoes - Sunday, July 13, 2014
• Notting Hill and Rio - Saturday, July 12, 2014
• A Carnival and Film Noir. - Sunday, July 6, 2014
• The Stars And Stripes - Friday, July 4, 2014
• Saints,Film Stars, Shoes - Monday, June 30, 2014
• Sunday 29th of June - Sunday, June 29, 2014
• Gym And The Ancients - Tuesday, June 24, 2014
• Mid summer - Sunday, June 22, 2014
• Standing Stones and other topics - Sunday, June 15, 2014
• Queens birthday and monarchy - Saturday, June 14, 2014
• The Americas - Monday, June 9, 2014
• A Mixture Of A Wednesday - Wednesday, June 4, 2014
• blogs,language and pastries - Monday, June 2, 2014
• The last day of May - Saturday, May 31, 2014
• European elections, a view... - Monday, May 26, 2014
• Whitsun lost - Monday, May 26, 2014
• Dundee - Saturday, May 24, 2014
• Visiting The Peloponnese - Wednesday, May 21, 2014
• A Pleasant lunch - Monday, May 19, 2014
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• Tuesday thoughts - Tuesday, May 13, 2014
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• marketing in the high street - Sunday, April 27, 2014
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• the week in retrospect - Monday, April 21, 2014
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• Moods , Lenten food and weather - Friday, March 28, 2014
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• The Princess Charlotte Augusta - Monday, March 10, 2014
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• Elmwood - Saturday, March 8, 2014
• The silvery Tay - Friday, March 7, 2014
• The days are getting longer - Thursday, March 6, 2014
• All things of March 3rd - Monday, March 3, 2014
• A dull day in Leeds - Sunday, March 2, 2014
• A Day of reflection - Saturday, March 1, 2014
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