Roccalumere - Sicily a wonderful week

I arrived at Roccalumere station and waited for my helpx host for around 15mins. I was greeted by a charming young man who spoke very good English. I knew he was kind when a stranger came along and asked where to buy a ticket for the train and he drove him around 3kms to the next station where the train was leaving from. As we travelled to his home I asked about his family according to the helpx profile. I thought he was married and enquired “how many children does he have?” He said he wasn’t married and that “his family” were his parents, aunt and grandmother. They were at work today I found out so we stopped off at his “town house” to drop off my luggage, then we drove up to the “country house” a few minutes away high above the village of Roccalunere.

His aunt Antonella and grandmother (never did find out her name) were there and greeted me with the chance of a late lunch of aubergine and potatoes. This was to be a regular lunch as it turned out.

Aunt Antonella was lovely and has lived in the US for some years. Her English is perfect and works as a tour guide, now around Mt Etna and Taormina mostly. I became good friends with her, she was around my age, we had a lot in common.

Danillo (on the left) is 26 years old, a beautiful soul, who has travelled and lived in Finland for some time. He understands travellers and is willing to give them opportunities to live and eat with his family in exchange for doing some work around the house or farm. I must say though we didn’t do that much work, he wanted to go for ice cream or granitas quite a lot. It was very hot so we started the first day at around 7.00am. So early but it got so hot around 11.00am it was a good idea. We would stop for lunch around 1.00pm and the rest of the day either ice cream or sleep. I arrived on the weekend and he didn’t want to work on the weekend so he would show me around the local villages including a trip to Pagliara with his friend Massimo. Here we went to an abandoned church from the 11th century. Luckily it was around 12midday and the village echoed out “A Va Maria” though the valley. It was enchanting, so every time I hear that I will remember being in Roccalumere with them.

On the Saturday afternoon Danillo had to go to a wedding for his cousin. He invited me to join him and his family to the ceremony at a church near Mt Etna. We dress up in wedding gear, lucky I have the LBD (little black dress and heels in my backpack!), drove for about an hour right up into the hills to a beautiful location in a village. Just like you see in the movies, a little pink church in a tiny village where the Cabiniere (local police) direct the traffic to and from the ceremony through the narrow streets. The church bells ring out across the valley, marking the marriage and everyone is greeted with a ciao and a kissy kissy each side. I am greeted by some and eyeballed by others, as to what I am doing there. It is a unique experience .

Danillo and I are dropped off as we aren’t invited to the reception so we head off for a pizza and a walk, a long walk...........into town! We are asked by a passing driver where is ???? Danillo says jump in and before long we are dropped down on the beach and the driver is directed to where he needs to go. Works for me! Its about 3kms from the house. We walk along the beach path and end up at a pizzeria for dinner. Everything is an “eria” in Sicily, Pizzeria, Drinkeria, Gelataria, Fruiteria, I could go on forever. Danillo told me its an invented word from English. Hahaha! Its kind of sweet! We walked along the beach front till around 11pm, then off to a gelataria for a late night ice cream. I had coffee! Then walked the 2kms back to the house. It was a fun night.

Danillo is also a B+ and Cancerian as I found out in the first hour I met him. We are similar in a lot of ways, except he is half my age. He is very well travelled and a great communicator. He taught me about B+ and eating right for your blood group! I was pretty shocked when he asked me in the first hour we met “what blood group are you?” I have never been asked that before and wondered at first would I be needing medical attention while I am on his helpx? But no, he has studied that blood groups should follow a certain diet of particular foods to live healthier. I was very interested in his philosophy during my stay and have since followed up on his theory. Some of it makes sense.

Often we would be eating something and he would say “It is not B+ compatible “ I would answer “and what about ice cream?” He was addicted to it! We would go for granita and brioche at 7-7.30am. We always walked about 70m down the street to Maria's cafe/bar. Here usually dressed in her apron and white cap with a beautiful smile she always welcomed me with a ciao, ciao, kissy kissy. Firt thing in the morning, a granita, it is an iced raspberry or coffee topped with cream, then dipped into with a brioche, a sort of round pastry, crossed between a bun and croissant! I just couldn’t do it that early so I would quickly have my cornflakes and fresh milk, cup of earl grey tea before he came downstairs to collect me. I would go but endure (yes endure to be nice) a cappuccino. Still way to early for me to have coffee but I managed. We would then head off to do some “work”!

I was staying downstairs on the first level of this 4 storey Sicilian house. It seems that they build a story for every generation of the family. One is for the grandparents. Mama still lives with Antonella on level two for the moment but its ready for her when she is unable to climb the stairs. (In fact they have a rear entrance straight off the street at the back which she uses on level 2.) Level 3 and 4 are occupied by Danillo and his family. A climb of 3 flights of stairs from me. A modest home with more than enough living areas, that no-one seems to use. A small and cramped kitchen that Clara can make the most amazing meals in, regardless of the lack of working appliances and minimum cooking facilities. Its ok she is happy and content to make do. A narrow back balcony serves as a respite for smoking and a few herbs in pots. Most of our meals are based on the vegetables they grow on the “country house”. Potatoes, zucchini’s and aubergines or tomatoes. I think I have had my lifetime supply of each. Some are B+ compatible I believe and some are not! Pasta and cheeses heaps of it, Do they think I can eat like a horse?? I struggle through mangiare (to eat dinner) most nights. They are very sympathetic to my garlic allergy so Clara cooks without or prepares separate dishes for me. She is so lovely.

Can you see them on the balcony? Antonella level 2 and Clara Level 3?

While I was there I managed to do some work, cleaning up around the renovation. We cleared the area enough for Daniella the handyman/plasterer to have a free run. Painting the cellar door a bright green with the paint we went to buy on one excursion shopping trip to the equivalent of Bunnings, some 30kms away! We had to go late afternoon on the Monday as its very warm (caldo) early in the day. We set off with Massimo (also his older brother’s name) driving, Danillo in the passenger seat and Antonella and I in the back of her car. A bit of too many chiefs and not enough Indians when it came to colour choice and eventually the boys won out. Another stop was the pool shop for supplies for the pool. It is set on a terrace in front of the house and they rent out the pool and part of the house for parties. They had had one the night before I arrived so we had some clearing up to do when I first arrived too. Its quite a prestigious house for the area, or will be when its eventually finished. Danillo said they have been building it for around twenty years. It is set high up on the hill with a panoramic view of the sea between Sicily and Calabria. You can see for miles, the ships and ferries crossing to Italy from Sicily. At the shortest crossing its 3kms by ferry.
Most days with Danillo were spent waking, having a granita, some work, swimming in the pool, lazing by the pool, eating ice cream, eating lunch, sleeping, eating more ice cream, talking, dinner and yet more ice cream till around 11pm. Usually in that order. Often I sit on the front step of the verandah and watch the Sicilian world go by. The village clock strikes chimes on the hour, the quarter hour, half and three quarter with bells 1,2, or thee depending on the time from 7am till midnight. At first I thought I would never sleep as its only 50metres away but in a few days I am also living by the village clock and realise how valuable it is. Many neighbours pass by with a ciao, bonjourno or stop by for a chat. One neighbour, Dino, a man about my age invites me for a drink one night. When I arrive down the street at his house, he invites me in, pours me a drink and then nervously serves up a prepared dinner of yet more potatoes. He doesn’t speak any English at all and has written on a piece of paper “you write on computer and we translate”. Is this what goes on at a Sicilian date....? Before long he receives a mobile phone call and I am asked to be quiet with a ssshh finger to his mouth. After 20 mins I am fed up with the waiting and politely decide to go. Lucky for me I think, its a way out of this, its late and I am tired and already full of potatoes. It was my second dinner for the night! He finishes his call and lets me out apologising for his rudeness, I think? Next morning he comes by the country house and apologises again and I had told Danillo about our “date”. I said don’t worry but he insisted he was rude staying so long on the call.

Ever since I arrived in Sicily I have wanted to buy an Apee. Its a 3 wheel utility. Not really a truck but a motorbike with three wheels and a tray on the back. I have eyed them off and every time I see one I say “that’s my Apee I want”. Danillo is bewildered at the thought of it, especially as I want to drive it back to France. He laughs and says it will take me 5 months to get there in one as they only go max of 50kms per hour and are not allowed on the freeways. “Its OK” I reply “I have plenty of time to get there”. He tells Dino about it and he offers to show me one that is for sale. We all go and view it! Its older than me I think and would make it to Messina, 15kms away, let alone to France. I thank him for showing it but will pass on this Apee for the moment. I am still looking!

My week went quickly, and sadly I must move onto the next helpx I had prearranged before getting to Danillo’s. Not before Antonella takes me to Bingo with 5 of her best friends. We do all right in the games with one of her friends Cossimo, taking out a jackpot in the first few games. He is quite a charmer, owner of a Hotel for Accommodation in Roccalumere and a very funny man. Fast and furious as his driving we all have a great night out.

The following day, Friday, Danillo is “not in the mood for working” so awakes late and we go for our usual breakfast, he of course granita and brioche, me a cappuccino. Later we venture into Roccalumera to get some supplies in the hope that Daniella will turn up for work on the renovation. He doesn’t again because he is sick, apparently.

Mid morning we go off down along the beach and are going for ice cream. As we drive along the beach road you can still see their house way up in the hill in the distance. I alert Danillo that I think there is a fire up there as I can see a huge cloud of smoke circling the house. Casually, as always, we drive towards the village. Danillo says maybe he should change his clothes and shoes, but as we drove closer the fire seemed a little more important! We got there and Antonella his Aunt was slightly panicked as she was lazing by the pool and noticed flames coming over the boundary fence burning the vine. She had contacted the fire brigade and Danillo’s mother and prepared the hoses that she could find that reached the area. It was getting closer to the house (15mtrs away) and the cars needed to be moved from the roadway.

Before long their were people arriving from everywhere, the Foresteires, the local municipal with its beaten up old water carrier, people on motor bikes and the police, neighbours as well as a panicked Clara, Danillo’s mother. However apart from the Forestieres no one was doing anything much, just a lot of looking, shouting, pointing and ciao ciaoing as usual.

I thanked Danillo for making my stay so exciting and said he didn’t have to go to so much trouble. He said “Its fine, fine, no trouble” and continued, looking, pointing and ciao ciaoing as usual.

Antonella

Soon the excitement was over and Antonella relieved, went on to cook up a beautiful lunch as always. I had helped her clean the pool of any debris the day before so she was disappointed at all the work we had done and now the fire has left ash and debris in it again. Cest la vie!

My last night spent there, Danillo and Antonella took me to Taormina, 15kms away. Antonella is a regular tour guide there and knows all the history and almost all of the shop owners. I am honoured to be given the tour. It is a hilltop historic town. Beautiful doesn’t describe it enough. A fortified city from 450BC it has three gates that enclose the city. A pedestrians only village with a piazza that has views to Calabria, across the water on the toe of Italy. A breathtaking view. Its Friday night, so at 9pm a line of Sicilian horses in dressage with at least 3 musicians on board parade the main street playing traditional music and the theme from the “Godfather”. We watch them for a while, then head for Pizza down the hill in a traditional pizzeria. Its a wonderful way to spend my last night in Taormina.

Sadly I awake the next morning knowing I am leaving this wonderful Sicilian family who have welcomed me into their hearts and home. I have learnt some basic Italian over the week and although I struggled to understand completely, everything they have accepted me as part of their family. I have learnt a lot from them, both Italian language and Sicilian cooking. I picked the fruit and made fig jam, ate vegetables from their garden and eggs from their chickens.

So much more happened during that week. Walking through the village late at night where all the old villas are just a crumble of rocks now, the water spring and drinking from the fountain. Staying with Danillo and his family has been an incredible experience I will never forget. I hope to return one day.

Grazie Danillo and your family.