Sicily is the largest and most populated island in the Mediterranean. It is a region of Italy and it’s capital is Palermo. I’ve heard so much about this beautiful island and wanted to experience it for myself.
Day 1:
Today was a travel day from Barcelona to Nicosia on the Italian island of Sicily. It’s amazing how a two hour flight for 3 people costs less than 1/2 the cost of a 2 hour flight for 1 person in the US.
We drove a couple hours in the dark on windy, bumpy, narrow mountainous roads to get to our Airbnb. We met the father of our Sicilian host, who drove us to our very remote rustic cottage and explained everything in a combination of Italian and English. With the help of hand gestures and smiles, we were able to communicate with each other.
We had dinner late at a restaurant close to the Airbnb (Hotel La Vigneta Ristorante). When we entered, there were a number of locals watching fútbol and one family eating dinner. We ordered pistachio and shrimp pizza, local wine and a focaccia. Absolutely the best pizza I have ever eaten. The pizza was 5€, the focaccia was 7€ and the wine 3€ in a jug. Our waiter was friendly and interesting. We had the best first dinner experience in Sicily!
We went to sleep excited about our few days here and looking forward to exploring tomorrow. 
Day 2:
Today we hopped in the car early for a drive to the seaside town, Cefalù. The town is dominated by a huge rock rising to a height of 270 metres, known to the Phoenicians as the promontory of Hercules. The Temple of Diana sits on top and is a linked to the cult of water, and beside it a cistern dating from the 9th century BC. The history of this place is mind boggling. The huge cathedral was built in the 12th century.
On our drive, we saw the massive Mt Etna, Europe’s largest active volcano 
. We realized we are only about 30 miles from it. The drive was beautiful, and the town was fun to explore. There were remnants of the carnival party from the previous night.
. We realized we are only about 30 miles from it. The drive was beautiful, and the town was fun to explore. There were remnants of the carnival party from the previous night.It was a long day of exploring and we were happy to return to our Airbnb for the night. Mom wanted to eat leftovers and snuggle on the couch while Gary and I returned to the same evening restaurant as the previous night. Our server was excited to see us.
The restaurant was full of Sicilian men. We wonder, where are the women??!
Day 3:
We woke up very early, well before sunrise so we could drive to a looking point to watch the sunrise over Mt Etna. The photos don’t capture how massive this volcano is.
After, we drove to the town of Nicosia to explore. We stopped for breakfast in a sweet little cafe. Mom ordered a latte (which we found out was hot milk here in Sicily). 
After some exploring, we hopped in the car to check out a village recommended by our host. It was named the most beautiful Sicilian village in 2018. Petralia Soprana is a medieval town with the dark stone streets and narrow roads and walkways. We enjoyed our walk through the town, stopped for lunch and were able to hear the beautiful church bells ringing at noon. When we were ready to leave, google took us the wrong way and we ended up down a very narrow walking path and ended up ‘stuck’. The Sicilians were watching us from their balconies and instructing us in Italian that we were going the wrong way. We had a dickens of a time trying to back the car out – a little stressful moment for all of us. . We finally made it with the help of one of the men. We headed back to the Airbnb, ate leftovers and just enjoyed our evening at ‘home’. It was a fun day of exploring the countryside.
. We finally made it with the help of one of the men. We headed back to the Airbnb, ate leftovers and just enjoyed our evening at ‘home’. It was a fun day of exploring the countryside. 
Day 4:
Today we woke early to make the 2 hour drive to Taormina, on the eastern coast of Sicily. It has become a popular tourist destination due to its history and beauty. The town is perched on a cliff overlooking the Ionian Sea, with Mt Etna in the background. The drive was curvy and beautiful through the mountainous center of Sicily and then it turned flat and agricultural near the coast. There is an ancient Greek theatre, many old churches, bars and restaurants and lots of shops.
Unfortunately on the way back, we ended up with a flat tire. A friendly Sicilian man stopped to provide help. We could not communicate with him, so again we used smiles and hand gestures and a little Spanish that does not translate to Sicilian very effectively, but we made it work.
All in all a great day. It was fun to see more of the island. 
Day 5:
This may go down as one of the best experiences ever! We spent 10 hours cooking, prepping, laughing, eating, drinking and developing a friendship with Dina and Nino, the parents of our Airbnb host.
The day started early, 6 am out in the separate kitchen house, preparing the dough for bread. We learned that Semolina dough is the only dough used for Sicilian bread. The time, the care and the work needed for this was mind boggling. It was so amazing to watch her work and share in the experience of preparing the dough, many loaves, to also be shared with their family. There was care in how we placed the dough onto a table fitted with wool blankets and sheets to be able to keep the dough warm so it could rise. Everything was perfectly folded and much attention given to laying the loaves in the perfect order and covering them with all the blankets. Even the process of building the fire in the bread oven was a time consuming process. We heated the oven and the inside was black with smoke and we had to keep building the fire until it was hot enough that the entire inside turned white. Once it reached optimal temperature, all the hot wood and almond bark coals were removed and placed into a bin to be used as charcoal for summer festivals. And the dough was placed into the oven to cook.
Later Nino arrived and he led the preparation of the cooking of the pasta and the lamb for our dinner later.
We enjoyed bread, with Sicilian cheese and anchovies and Sicilian wine and olives as a snack break outside around noon.
Then back to preparing the rest of the meal. Sooooo much food!!! We ate our lamb and pasta later in the afternoon and just sat at the table laughing, sharing stories, and getting to know each other. We all agreed this was the most special day and one we will never forget.
