Change of Plans: Cefalù instead of Palermo

Day before yesterday we received a letter from Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) informing us that they were changing the Sicily itinerary so that we are staying in less crowded more intimate towns, specifically moving our 3-night stay from Palermo to Cefalù and moving our 4-night stay from Catania to Zafferana.  This is a health and safety measure to avoid large cities and crowds.

And here I was all geared up to explore Palermo!   Before the change, Cefalù was an optional side-trip so I had only watched a Joolz Guide to determine whether to take it.  Now we fly into Palermo and then are transported to Cefalù about an hour's drive away.  Currently we'll be staying at the Victoria Palace Hotel, a small (30 rooms) modern (2017) 4 star hotel that looks quite nice and hopefully we'll have some sort of ocean view and not be stuck at the back.  In the photo below, the town (a 10-15 minute walk away) is way in the background where you can see the Norman cathedral that is famous for its mosaic of Christ Pantokrator.  You can also see how close we are to the beach, although in November I'm not sure how the swimming will be (the hotel also has an outdoor pool).

In the photo below, you can see how nice the side rooms are with their balconies, sort of like a cruise ship.

One review said that the breakfast buffet was on the rooftop and, from the photos, it appears that the selection of items is varied enough with bread and pastries and even bacon and eggs (for the Brits?).  But probably no full English.  

If we are still hungry, there is a pasticceria about half a mile away called L’Angolo delle Dolcezze which produces all sorts of things, including a frosted panettone for Christmas, although I suppose November is a bit early for that.  Even more interesting are the cakes for prima comunione.  They look like wedding cakes!  Laina would love them!  And there's always cassata.

There are also two supermercati a couple of blocks away from the hotel, one called Gourmet Decò and the other Giardina Despar where we can hope to pick up some novello wines in November, right?  Or we can buy some aranciata di Sicilia.  There's also a salami and cheese shop, Salumeria Incognito, a little further toward town on the main highway, Via Roma.

Our first dinner in Cefalù is on our own (as is lunch the second day) so I'm checking out the restaurants.  Le Chat Noir doesn't sound very Italian but the menu lists the name of the dishes in Sicilian dialect and it is supposed to be Sicilian.  On another side street, Via Vanni, there is Il Normanno, without a website but one review says: "Good food at fair prices, definitely recommended for a quiet meal away from the main streets."  OAT recommended Kentia with a view over the ocean and it looks lovely but rather expensive.  Al Porticciolo is similar and offers an online menu with lots of seafood.  Apparently both have a few fixed price menus ranging from 25-40 €, although I don't know if we can eat that much.  Ristorante Via Roma Vecchia is similarly located so we have our pick of seafood restaurants with a view.

Sicily Unpacked

BBC Two produces an "UnPacked" series about Italy, including 3 videos on Sicily.  They are hosted by an art historian, Andrew Graham-Dixon, and an Italian chef (cook he calls himself), Giorgio Locatelli.  You can find them on YouTube and they are well worth watching.

• Episode 1 -- Palermo -- begins at the fishing town of Sciacca on the southern coast which Giorgio visits each time he goes to Italy for the seafood.  But most of the episode is in Palermo where they view some very elaborate stucco art, attend one of the famous Sicilian puppet shows, and visit the Vucciria market.  They also discuss the Mafia.
• Episode 2 -- The Spanish Occupations -- covers Noto and the Val di Noto in southeastern Sicily, gelato, Good Friday celebration in Enna, Easter Sunday in Modica and the oldest Sicilian chocolate factory (Bonajuto) in Modica.
• Episode 3 -- Modern Sicily -- also covers ancient Sicily with a visit to Mt. Etna and one of her vineyards, Pachino and its tomatoes, red shrimp at Mazaro del Vallo, and a take on a tuna burger at a modern gastronomic restaurant.  They also visit the Archaeological Museum of Aidone where a statue of Demeter had been returned to Sicily from the Getty Museum in LA.

One thing I was struck by in this series was the dearth of women in the interviews.  I don't know if it is because the hosts are male or whether there is still a separation of sexes in Sicily.  Few women vendors in the markets.  No women fishermen or fish buyers. Andrew and Giogio do mention that at the Easter Sunday dinner in Modica, the men made the ricotta (shepherds) while the women baked the bread (a household task).  Maybe a holdover from the Arabs.

Hollywood in Sicily

Currently I have 3 cookbooks on Sicily because nowadays library books are automatically renewed and evidently nobody else has a trip planned to Italy.  They are:

• La Cucina Siciliana de Gangivecchio by Wanda and Giovanna Tornabene (they have two other cookbooks)
• Cucina Siciliana by Clarissa Hyman
• Sicily from the Silver Spoon Kitchen, published by Phaidon (which means it is heavy)

But even better than cookbooks are videos and yesterday I lucked out and ran across a series on YouTube by Paul Hollywood (of The Great British Baking Show) from Tonic called "City Bakes".  In one episode he visits Palermo and tries many of the classic Sicilian dishes, like arrancine (rice balls), sfincione (Sicilian pizza), cannoli, cassata (an elaborately decorated cake), and gelato in a brioche (he wasn't impressed).  He visits the Mercato Vucciria and his Sicilian friend tries to get him to eat the famous innards but he declines (I wonder if he eats eels, pie and mash).  He does omit a few dishes like the spleen sandwich (pane con le milza), the chickpea fritter sandwich (panino con le panelle), and pasta with sardines (pasta con le sarde) and he never goes to a sit-down restaurant but he still covers a lot in 45 minutes.  He really enjoys himself and so should you!