Farewell to Sicily - an ode to the land of plenty

We are leaving Sicily with heavy hearts and even heavier bellies. The food here is incredible. The freshest seafood, purple shining aubergines, juicy sweet peaches and the best citrus fruits I have ever tasted. I will miss the freshly squeezed juice available on every street corner.

I bought capers on the Aeolian Island of Stromboli (which also happens to be an active volcano, see picture I took from a boat below!) to make a Sicilian classic - caponata on the BBQ (I know traditionally it's not technically made on a BBQ but that's all I have to hand and the aubergines did taste wonderfully smokey after being char grilled before being added to fresh tomatoes, charred red peppers, garlic, red wine and capers). This accompanied the freshest tuna steak - also done on the Barbie - straight from the fisherman in Lipari...

And here are some more pictures of Sicily and the beautiful Aeolian islands of Stromboli and Panerea... including an eruption...

Smoked swordfish and tuna carpaccio, Granduca terrace, Taormina

Next stop, Southern Italy. Our aim is to get across to the Adriatic coast as easily as possible. Watch this space.

Finding La Dolce Vita on the Aeolian Islands

As well as the ultimate street snacks, the Sicilians have also perfected the art of pastry. Like me, they have a very sweet tooth.

I can't believe I've never tried a cannoli until now. Pastry tubes, filled with a sweetened ricotta and often flavoured with chocolate or pistachio.

We hired a moped for a near-death ride into Lipari from our campsite in order to pick up an array of sweet treats from the best 'pastriccerie' on the Aeolian islands - Bar Pasticceria Subba on Lipari. Totally worth battling oncoming Italian drivers on the narrow winding roads for these...

Sicilian street food

I have found a new obsession - arancini. Balls of rice, stuffed with ragu or prosciutto and oozing mozzarella. Coated with breadcrumbs and deep fried. Utterly addictive and delicious. And so cheap too - the Sicilians have perfected the ultimate street food snack. I cannot handle how much I will miss these.

Arancini with ragu and a freshly squeezed orange juice. At Taormina on the Sicilian mainland with a view of Mount Etna

Arancini with prosciutto on the Aeolian island of Panerea

Catania, Pasta Norma, Mount Etna, and my first swordfish auction

Catania, at the base of Mount Etna, is a vibrant city bursting with life. The Catanian motto is apparently Carpe Diem (seize the day), very apt if you are living at the base of one of the world's most active volcanoes.

From the cafes surrounding Piazza Del Duomo (a UNESCO world heritage site), which serve incredible lemon-scented cornetti, wild strawberries and ricotta-filled canolli, to the bustling La Pescheria (the daily fish market), Catania's warmth, friendliness and spirit is intoxicating.

La Pescheria is something that cannot be missed. The catch of the morning is paraded by the local fishermen in front of the locals and restaurateurs. Whole swordfish are gutted and filleted in the square and auctioned off by weight. Clams, mussels, oysters, eels, prawns, squid and the largest selection of fish I have ever seen is on offer.

As well as the sights and sounds of the fish market, we were told not to leave Catania without tasting a traditional Pasta Norma - a dish that is meant to symbolise Mount Etna; tomatoes resemble the molten lava flowing down the sides, the dark skins of the aubergine are said to be the solid pumice, the snowy peaks are represented by crumbled, salted ricotta and the basil on top is the grassy slopes.

We ate Pasta Norma at Trattoria di De Fiore. A family run restaurant that served the most incredible homemade pasta I have ever eaten. A must if you are visiting the city. No photos of this I'm afraid. It was devoured too quickly.

Next post... discovering Taormina and my arrancini obsession

Cefalu, Finale di Polina and the christening of the BBQ

After two nights in Palermo, soaking up the city atmosphere, we headed East, along the coast by train to Cefalu.

Pronounced Che-fal-oo, this village is perched above the sea and is the antithesis of Palermo. Winding narrow streets, small fishing boats bobbing in the harbour, and a thriving cafe culture.

We only spent a couple of hours there before hopping on a bus that was headed towards Finale di Polina and our camping base of Rais Gerbi for the next few days.

The guidebooks I read before coming to Sicily, and the locals we have spoken to along the way, have seemed incredulous that anyone would want - or be able to - back pack through Sicily and Southern Italy due to the high cost of hotels, and the apparent total lack of coherent infrastructure. I have to say I totally disagree. Yes the 40 degree heat can make it a bit tricky to lug a back pack around a city, avoiding speeding mopeds, and the trains, ferries, buses and hydrofoils are somewhat sporadic. But that makes a perfect recipe for travelling... we are having to be totally flexible with our timings, which has meant we have discovered things we would not have done had we already had transport arranged (our impromptu trip round Cefalu for example).

When we checked the directions to the campsite before we arrived in Sicily, it mentioned that our base was just a few kilometres from Cefalu. We thought that would be fine to walk However, with heavy back packs, 37 degree heat in the shade, and the fact that it was midday when we arrived, meant we decided to hop on a bus instead. It was lucky we did... 35 minutes drive later, we arrived at the campsite.

Rais Gerbis is situated just outside Finale di Polina - a small village on the sea, with the main town (Polina) perched on the towering cliffs a mile or so behind the water. We had the camping terraces virtually to ourselves and our own plot right by the waters edge. Turquoise waters, an incredible vista from our tent, a short walk to the swimming pool and the sea, plus the fact that we had our own little private paradise meant we could ignore the ants eating our ankles as we set up camp.

The view from our terrace

The campsite shop was well stocked with local Prosciutto, mozzarella, freshly baked bread and Sicilian red wine made from the local Nero D'Avola grape. After a 10 minute walk into the village we returned with vine tomatoes, a bag of ripe fragrant peaches, zucchini and a bag of fresh gnocchi. The perfect meal to christen our BBQ:

Fresh gnocchi with mozzarella, zucchini and a chargrilled tomato and Nero D'Avolo sauce...

Ingredients:

• 1 pack fresh gnocchi
• half a courgette, sliced on the diagonal
• 1 ball of mozarella, diced 
• 3 x large tomatoes, cut in half
• splash of red wine 

To start, make sure you get your BBQ nice and hot! Char grill the courgette slices, then divide between two plates, with the diced mozzarella. Bring a pan of water to the boil and while it's heating up, place the tomatoes on the BBQ, skin side down, until they start to bubble. Turn over and grill for a further 5 minutes until soft and charred. 

Add the gnocchi to the pan and cook for 2 minutes until soft. Remove and divide between the two plates. Return the pan to the heat, add a splash of oil, the charred tomatoes and the red wine and reduce for 5 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the gnocchi and eat... preferably with a glass of red and a great view. 

Next post... Catania, Pasta Norma, Mount Etna and the most incredible fish market and swordfish auction!