October 24, 2025 • 43 mins
Sicily in Spring is for the dreamers and curious. When the landscape bursts into life with wildflowers and towns pulse with new season energy, it's the perfect time to explore this island of infinite layers and context. Listen on to hear more about the Sicilian Spring experience.
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Untold Italy's Highlights of Sicily tour departing May 2026
Read the full episode show notes here > untolditaly.com/296
NEW! - the Untold Italy app - access our entire podcast history ad free and searchable - DOWNLOAD FOR iOS • DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID
The app is FREE to download and check out our Milan guide and general travel content. Upgrade to PREMIUM for a one time fee to access Rome, Florence, Venice, Sorrento, Cinque Terre, Amalfi Coast, Capri, Ischia, Tuscany, Lake Como, Lake Garda, Veneto, Lombardy, Campania, Lazio, Puglia, Abruzzo, Calabria, Umbria, Molise, Sardinia with much more to come
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The Untold Italy travel podcast is an independent production. Podcast Editing, Audio Production and Website Development by Mark Hatter. Production Assistance and Content Writing by the other Katie Clarke
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
There's a moment in Sicily, usually somewhere between the waft
of sea breezes and palermos Lungo Mare and the site
of ancient temples rising in the distance, when you realize
that this island isn't like anywhere else, and it's in
springtime that Sicily is at its most magical. And now
we're going to find out why.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Tchawatuti and Benvenuti Tuan told Italy. The travel podcast to
where you go to the towns and villages, mountains and lakes,
hills and coastlines of Bela, Italia. Each week, your host
Katie Clark takes you on a journey in a search
of magical landscapes, history, culture, wine, gelato, and of course
(00:46):
a whole lot of pasta. If you're dreaming of Italy
and planning future adventures there, you've come to the right place.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Do you dream of speaking Italian but feel stuck? I
hear you. Whether you want to connect with your Italian
heritage a partner, or you want to live in Italy,
finding the right tools to match your learning style is important.
My friend Michelle from Intrepid Italian offers a practical approach
to learning Italian with her unique eighty twenty method, teaching
you only what you need to know. As an adult
(01:25):
learner herself with Italian heritage, she really knows how to
bridge the gap between English and Italian. As Angela from
Australia said, I put my inability to learn down to
my senior stage of life, but with Intrepid Italian it
seems to just fit. To find out how Intrepid Italian
can help you learn Italian and to claim an exclusive
(01:45):
twenty dollars coupon code that you can use on any
of Michelle's online courses from beginner to intermediate, visit untold
Italy dot com, Forward slash Italian or visit the link
in the show notes. As a bonus, you'll also get
a downloadable travel frame guide absolutely free. So visit untold
Italy dot com, forward slash Italian to accelerate your Italian
(02:08):
well Johno, Amichi chiaur friends. Here. We are closing in
on the end of October and hasn't the year just
flown by. We're about to wrap up our final tour
of the year with Untold Italy Tours, and it's been
such a wonderful time for the team, meeting our guests
and reconnecting with quite a few others too that have
been on trips with us before. A big shout out
(02:29):
to everyone who has traveled with Untold Italy over the
past few weeks and before that too. I've been seeing
so many beautiful, smiling faces and such lovely feedback. I'm
only a little bit jealous, just a little bit, and
wish I could be there for every tour, but unfortunately,
as life has it, I cannot be. But as those
(02:51):
of you who know and have traveled with us before,
they do know that our incredible team of hosts A
shout out to Julia, Manuela, Hannah, Sarah, Sylvia and of
course Olivia are important and actually critical glue that makes
our tours so very special. They are all bilingual Italian
(03:11):
and English speakers. They have a passion for Italian life
and showing hospitality that knows no bounds. Our Google reviews
are simply bursting with love for our team and I
could not be prouder. So you may know me as
the voice of our company, but I hope it's clear
that this is a team effort and I am so
(03:32):
very grateful to be surrounded by such talented, kind and
clever women who make the vision of these tours come
to life and share the Italy that we love with you.
I'm going to read out the latest review from one
of our guests, Lynn, who visited Pullia with us. Wow.
What an amazing six days in Pulia. Our tour host
(03:52):
Sylvia was exceptional local experiences, food, wine, and accommodation, and
our small group of fellow travelers all first rate. We
couldn't have asked for more. Leave the planning to the
professionals and you won't be disappointed. We can't thank you
enough till next time. Oh Lynn, we hope to see
you again. Thank you so much for that lovely review.
(04:14):
It's such a pleasure to host our guests who are
all curious, friendly and open to new experiences, whether that
be meeting baby goats or making your own mozzarella. And
we cannot wait to show you how I'm told Italy
in twenty twenty six. So joining me for today is
another one of our tour hosts, the lovely Hannah, who
(04:34):
you may have heard on an earlier episode. Hannah and
I can't stop talking about Sicily, so I've asked her
back to talk about my favorite season on the island
which is spring ben Venita. Hannah, welcome back to the
Untold Italy podcast.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Thanks Katie, it's always nice to be here. Very excited
to be chatting about Sicily today.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
Oh yeah, it's always lovely to chat with you, Hannah.
And we got so many great comments from our last
podcast about Sicilian sweet and I guess there's a lot
of sweet toots out there, but Cicily always draws a
crowd for all good reasons, and so today I wanted
to chat about how the island changes with the seasons,
and in particular how it bursts into life in springtime.
(05:22):
But before we kick things off, can you remind our
listeners a bit about yourself and how you come to
have such a strong connection with Sicily.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
Oh? Absolutely, And this is such an amazing topic. So
I came to Italy in twenty fourteen to study food
culture and communication at the University of Gastronomic Sciences up
in Piermonte, which is the north of Italy, and then
I slowly made my way down south. I lived in
Bologna for a little and I actually took a solo
(05:51):
weekend trip from Bologna to Sicily in March. I think
It must have been twenty sixteen and I in love
with the island on the first day of spring, essentially
seeing everything come back to life, and on that weekend
I decided to move to Sicily. It took me about
six months to organize everything, but since twenty seventeen I
(06:15):
had been living in Sicily between first in a really
rural area called Baledomo, which is a mountain town of
about three thousand people, and then I moved to the
coast in Chuffalu. I'm actually in Sicily at the moment
on vacation right now with my dad, but I've moved
up north to Liguria as of last year. So really
(06:37):
happy to be back and happy to talk about Sicily
in the seasons.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Of course. Hannah is one of our amazing and told
Italy tour host and if you're coming on tour with us,
she can tell you all about all the different parts
of Easaly that she loves. And you speak fluent Italian
to don't you, Hannah?
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Absolutely? I mean fluence a strong word. You know. Everyone
always is like, wow, you speak to and you speak
so well, and I'm like, yeah, but you notice my accent.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
Don't you?
Speaker 3 (07:04):
And they're like yeah, you're American, so I hold on
to that part of me.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
Yeah, exactly. But I mean I think it is hard
someone who's learning it and struggling very hard with the verbs.
At the moment, it's oh, those tenses, that's the struggle. Anyway,
I'll get there one day. But I do am all
of you that fluently speak different languages. It's amazing. Now, Hannah,
(07:30):
there's something about Sicily, and I think that if you've
been there and you felt that connection, then you really
do know that it is something. But how can you
describe it? What's the spirit of Sicily?
Speaker 3 (07:43):
It's such a good question. The first word that comes
to mind is generous, like it is a generous island,
but it's also challenging and stubborn and complicated. But you know,
I always say there's a little bit of magic in Sicily.
It's a place, it's a continent, it's a whole island.
(08:04):
It's a whole continent, and it contains so much complexity,
so much diversity, and I think that's the beauty of it.
And at its core, at its very core, the people,
the field, the geography, its identity. There's the spirit of
generosity that just pervades the island.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
I didn't know what you were going to say when
I prepped you with this question, but because you know,
when we were talking about untold Italy and building out
what we wanted our brand to be about, it was
really about generosity. So when you said that, I was like, huh,
maybe that's it. Maybe that's it. That's what makes me
so connected to Sicily and how I felt that same
(08:44):
way because, like you, my first experience of Sicily was
in springtime, so I have a special connection with that.
And we had some family living in Messina and we
were able to, you know, spend Easter with them, which
kind of blew my mind, you know, because it was
such a unique and special, community driven experience that I
(09:07):
had never experienced before in my life and I don't
know that I ever will again, but yeah, it did
resonate with me very strongly. So I love it. Generosity fantastic.
So going back to that first experience in spring, what's
the first thing that comes to mind when you think
about Sicily in springtime?
Speaker 3 (09:29):
I mean, it's just a reawakening, like it's a real reawakening.
I think of the colors. I mean, I lived a
long time in the center of Sicily, so in a
very rural, agricultural driven area. We were surrounded by wheat
fields and you get these pots of color. So you
have the young wheat that's just vibrant, bright green, that's gorgeous.
(09:54):
And then all of the fields are bordered by wildflowers,
so you have like purples and and yellows, and it's
impossible to capture. You really feel this like brightness in
spring in Sicily, and I think too, whether you're in
their mountains or you're on the coast, there's a general
like coming back to life. Spring starts early. First of all,
(10:17):
you can have gorgeous days in the winter that really
feel like spring, but people withdraw a little bit. You know,
you have the holidays, you have family time, you spend
more time indoors, and so spring you start to see
everyone coming out and really embracing you know, the landscape,
the sunshine, each other. Maybe folks have you know, spent
(10:39):
more time with families, so friends are now coming back
getting out together, and it's so tied to you know,
tied to the land and the agricultural so you have
that same you know, getting out in your fields, doing
the pruning, doing all of the work that you need
to be done that's maybe been neglected over the winter,
that sort of thing.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
And it's also the time for brations, isn't it. So
for us in the Easter and the lead up to
Easter or Pascal was Yeah, like nothing that I've ever
experienced before. So in Messina, which is probably like some
other towns, they haul the floats, these wooden floats through
the town and they are very heavy. They only walk
(11:21):
maybe a few meters as like you know, maybe ten
or twenty guys, really strong guys holding these floats or
wooden structures, and they sort of stagger and say, but
I mean everyone's sort of cheering them on and wanting
them to keep moving. It's really amazing.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
Yeah, it's a beautiful sense of community. March nineteenth is
san Ju's Apfe. So typically the start of official spring
is the twentieth or twenty first, and here in Sicily
San giusappes throughout Italy is Father's Day, but here in
Sicily it's particularly celebrated, and it's beautiful because it's one
of the first processions where, like you said, Katie, the
(12:05):
folks get together and there are big processions, big parades,
celebrations of San Giuseppe, and it's a really coming together,
like it's sort of the start of that Easter season,
a big coming together, and then you of course move
into Easter, depending on where that falls for the year.
You can see a lot of things setting up, the carnival,
(12:26):
all of that, you know, all of that. So there's
a lot of celebration in spring in Sicily.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Yeah, and of course, you know, celebrating the countryside all
around you springing into life. I remember as well, those wildflowers,
and in particular I remember being in Agrigento, which is
the valley of the Temples and around that area. It
was just amazing. I think it was just like completely
(12:53):
blind blown. I had never seen this juxtaposition between nature
and history and the culture all in one easy not
easy package, because it's not easy to digest. It's quite,
you know, it's it's quite. I wouldn't say overwhelming. I
would say more just it's so grand and so beautiful
(13:14):
and so old, you know, So we had haven't got
that in our countries. We haven't got those old structures.
But have you might spent much time in at Agrigento.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
I mean I've been Yeah, I've been a handful of times.
The value of the temples, and you know you mentioned spring,
but they have a almond blossom festival every year in
the spring, and that time of year at the value
of the temples is gorgeous because you have a lot
of the almond trees that are in bloom. You have
this fragrance in the air of that scent. And then
(13:46):
if you've ever been down to Colin Bertha, it's part
of value of the temples. But it's a old citrus
garden orchard and there you have they have saved a
lot of a lot of different parieties of citrus. So
when you go and everything's still in bloom in the spring,
it's just it's it is overwhelming because you get the
(14:07):
sense you look up and you see the Greek temples
and it is ground. It's beautiful. It's a journey of
the census, I would say.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
Back in a flash right after these messages. Yeah, absolutely.
And this is a slightly bit ignorant of me. But
when I first went to Sicily, you know, I knew
there were Greek temples, but I didn't quite understand the history.
And then you go and do a little bit of
(14:36):
research you start thinking, wow, this is incredible because this
island has so many layers of history and it reaches
way back before the Romans and obviously when the Greeks
arrived and they built these temples, which they're still standing.
They're over two thousand years old and they're huge and
they're still standing in this it's not a valley even,
(14:57):
is it. It's actually a ridge on top of but
it's quite amazing to see that whole complex. Yeah, okay,
so it was a city and then we started in
this little town and talking about the citrus. I had
this amazing salad, which people know I'm a little bit
obsessed with salads in Italy, but it was a I
(15:19):
think it was orange and capers and it was delicious.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
A lot of times they do the yeah, the like
fennel and orange, raw funnel orange, sometimes some red onion
in there. It's so fresh and so good. Obviously, all
the foods in the spring are just like I think
a lot of the artichokes, because that's one of my
favorite dishes, and you start getting them in the winter
(15:46):
and then it's funny because when the first artichokes come out,
you know, you look at the prices and you're like, oh, okay, okay.
By spring they're just trying to unload any artichoke they can,
so you can buy twenty of them for like two euros.
Unbelievable and my favorite time of year because I could
eat artichokes forever.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
Oh how did they cook them in Sicily?
Speaker 3 (16:08):
Oh gosh, Katie, Well, there's like any anyway. So there's
a town that is sort of maybe an hour from
Palermo called Cherda, and it's the official town of the
art to Choke, and if you go there, they have
the Festival of the Artichoke and in the town square
there's probably like a thirty foot tall iron statue of
(16:29):
an art to choke, and all of the restaurants there
they do art to Choke menus. So it's a set
menu you go. And I remember the first time I
went with my dad he was visiting, and we just
got the set menu. They had ten different antipasti, so
ten different little dishes. There were fried artichokes, there were
(16:50):
artichokes in sweet and sour. There were like whole artichokes
that are grilled. They had artichoke sort of flyawn or
like little piche type things. Then we had artichoked pasta
for our first dish, and then of course you needed
to have some grilled meat afterwards, so that was great.
(17:11):
One of my favorite artichoke dishes that a lot of
folks don't know is that they do an artichoke caponata.
So I think I'm American and a lot of us
think of I mean, most people think of caponata as
being exclusively with eggplant or as y'all say, aubergine, But
the artichoke caponata is something hard to find but absolutely
(17:34):
delicious because you get that sweet and sour flavor and
fresh artichokes so good.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
Oh my gosh, I think that's amazing. I want to
go to the choke fest of all. But you know,
when you were to talking, I was thinking, wow, this
is so interesting because this big arti choke. I'm fascinated
with these dirty foot choke do you know what? Because
in Australia we have this tradition of big things, like
(18:04):
we have like the kind of like tourist attractions, like
we have a big banana and a big pineapple. And
there is a point to my promise. But the people
James and Amanda who came on our very first tour
in Sicily, they had an avocado farm and James's father
had built the big avocado. So I'm wondering and I'm
hoping that they have seen the big out of choke.
Speaker 3 (18:28):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
I think it would be amazing. I think I think
James and Amanda, if you're listening, you need to go
back and see the big Uta Choke for sure.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
Yea.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
So I Pascento's kind of in the center, and you know,
it's an interesting place because it's actually a little bit
tricky to get to, isn't it. So in the past
we haven't included it on our tours because you kind
of have to you have to do a little bit
of planning to get in. Yeah, but we have included
it in our Highlights tool because it is an absolute highlight.
(18:58):
It is so special and it's so unique and I've
forgotten why the Greeks built it there. It was probably
very strategic. It's quite close to the shoreline there, but yeah,
it's a very important sort of anchor point. But on
this tour, we go all over Sicily in our New
Italy Sicily Highlights Tour, and we start in Palerma and
(19:19):
work our way down to Catania. And you see lots
of different parts of Sicily, and it's hard to explain
to people because it's not a very big island, is it,
But it's so diverse everywhere that you go it is.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
I mean you look like you look at the map
and it depends. You know, it's not a tiny island.
It's not one of you know, it's not like Cufri
or something, but it's you know, it is big enough,
but it's still not connected, you know, as we know,
it's still not connected to the mainland. So it is
an island truly a part. And then the thing that
always amuses me is the geographical differences. I mean, you
(19:56):
you have a little bit of everything. You do have mountains,
there is a you get snow, you have the valleys
which are just you know, a lot of the inlands
are all a rolling hills agricultural land, and then the
coastal towns really vary. And on top of that you
have the distinct feel of every different area because going
(20:17):
from Palermo and getting to see, you know, the Arab
Norman influence in Palermo and then crossing the island and
going down to nott or Maduca or Aguza, you have
all the Baroque style. When you're in the little fishing
towns like over in Marsala, you get much more of
that Arab Byzantine feel. So it's really I lived there
(20:39):
nine years and I still am surprised by different places,
new places, different towns, new feelings. It's truly diverse.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
Yeah, it's one of those places that you could spend
a lifetime exploring. And I always find it interesting when
someone says to us sometimes when we have our treat
planting clients, so we're going to we want to go
to Sicily for three days, and I'm like, hmm, yeah,
a very minimum really is seven days. And for us,
(21:09):
you know, we started doing Eastern and western Sicily because
it's really an assault on the senses in a really
amazing way because you're getting the site, the sounds, the smells,
and it's very different to the mainland. So it's a
fantastic juxtaposition to Florence as an example, because it's really
(21:32):
Florence is so refined and elegant, and then Sicily not
saying they're not elegant because some of the people that
they have very stuffy dressing styles, but it's a different
energy there and I find it excited.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
It's amazing that you can, you know, you can have
such different feels in all in the same region, all
on the same island. And definitely Sicily has its elegance,
but there's something more honest about it, like it's it
comes from the heart. There's not a lot of facade here,
(22:10):
you know, like I think of Florence is a very
dressed up city, or at Tuscany in general is a
dressed up region. It's like manicured, it's curated, it's polished,
and Sicily just wears its heart on its sleeve, like
it shows you. It's going to show you. Also some
things that are challenging. I mean, there are parts that
(22:30):
are a lot of buildings that have been abandoned. There's
sometimes you know, you do see signs of environmental decay
and you see humanity in Sicily. You see the trash
as well as the beauty. And I think the juxtaposition
is important when as someone who's traveling and who wants
to see untold Italy, because you get that in Sicily.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
And to combine at all, it's the people that providing
honesty as well, so you know they have such big
hearts and such big stories to tell. On the first
trip that we did in Carta Girone, which is a
small town that's very famous for its ceramics, and this
(23:16):
young woman, I'll never forget her. I'll never ever forget
this young woman. She had an amazing command of English,
and she was roped in to help translate to tell
the story of her family's business, and she had us mesmerized.
She was just so articulate. She was very concerned about
(23:38):
the youth of her island, and she wanted to really
promote the fact that the young people had so many
ideas about how to protect their culture and how to
live in a modern world but still protect their island.
And I think Cicily is such a great example of
(23:59):
evolution and change because they've welcomed so many different cultures
and had so many different people come into the island
and so much change over many many centuries, but they've
still evolved and managed to keep a very strong sense
of identity. It's quite inspiring.
Speaker 3 (24:18):
Actually, absolutely yeah, it is. And what you say, Katie
about the younger generation, I mean the people that you
meet and that are invested in staying in Sicily and
creating and building new communities and new opportunities there. It's
a really wonderful generation because Sicily does have a big
(24:39):
problem with folks still leaving looking for work elsewhere. But
when you're able to find the committed generation, the younger
generation that is staying, they can open up new doors
and really help share this island from a perspective that's
hopeful and inspiring, which is important, Which is really important.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
Yeah. Absolutely, And some of those people we're lucky to
find when we're on our tours and in a hospitality
context because they do tend to gravitate to some of
these professions. So wine making producing amazing, big shout out
to the pistachio producers of Bronte, because I mean, pistachio
(25:22):
is having a moment right now in terms of a flavor.
But I've been there for a very long time and
I'm here to tell you want to get your pistachio
goods from Sicily because they're amazing. But also like restaurants
and hotels that are very environmentally focused and very family focused.
It's very inspiring actually. And the other one that I
(25:44):
really like is the artisans. So we on our time
in Ragusa, we visit some people that do some incredible
painting of the traditional carts and yeah, and I think
some of the ways that they've modernized some of the
traditional crafts. And you can go shopping in Nauto and
this is another shout out to VICKI who I know
(26:06):
who shopped up a storm Noo. But you can find
so many interesting unique gifts or presents for yourself if
you want to treat yourself.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
I have a soft spot for ceramics and Cicily is
just a gorgeous ceramic place, everything from the tiles to
the moor's heads to just the figures that they do,
and it is nice to see there is a lot
of tradition when it comes to artists in work, and
then you have folks that are willing to break the mold.
(26:43):
So there's a Ceramisis that I've visited frequently up in
the Madonie Mountains. And his family, for I think three
or four generations made tiles, you know, for building bricks
and tiles for the home, and they also moved into
making this gentleman. He does a lot of Cicily's restoration
(27:04):
work for the old palazzo that need the hand painted
tile floors, so he knows how to match the designs
and everything, and this is something that he worked on
with his father, and now he's taken the company into
more of an artistic realm. So he does a lot
of gorgeous I mean, he makes these stools that are
(27:25):
impossible to describe. They're sort of like comma shaped, or
he does these sinks that are hand painted, and so
from a tradition of really like a building tradition in
his family, he's taking it into the artistic realm. And
I love that as well. I love seeing that and
hearing those stories.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
Absolutely. I love the morro Heads, but I really want
what a modern one like. I've got my eye on
this one that's just s pear that's plain white and
it's more by like a betina on it. It's just
it's really nice. It's kind of modernized. Time for a
quick break, shorter than your morning espresso. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:08):
There's a woman in Palermo who does gorgeous modern renditions
of the moors Head. And I also she does a
lot that have that are like this, like you said,
white and then they have like the fruit or prickly
pears kind of coming out of them. They're really fun
They're like they take the tradition and they make it
almost accessible or fun or easy.
Speaker 1 (28:28):
I love it. Yeah, And there's such a great story
behind that tradition as well, which we won't spoil for
everyone because it is something that you need to hear
from a Sicilian. I would say, yeah, you do. Yeah,
It's just something that's so integral to their culture, this
particular story that you need to hear it in a
way that's you know, from the heart. Really not that
(28:50):
I wouldn't say it from the heart, but I'm going
to miss out a bit and I'm not going to
be as passionate, and I don't have the great accent.
So but another place it has like a really strong
So this is a story that has a strong resonance.
But probably the one place in Sicily that has the
most pul and the most magnetism of the island, and
it really develops its soul around these natural wonder is
(29:14):
Mount it there? Isn't it?
Speaker 3 (29:16):
Oh? Absolutely yes, I mean not just it's almost like
another planet. Again, you have like a microcosm or a
small you know, just a little picture of Sicily entirely
in Mount Etna. Because the north and the south sides
have completely different landscapes. You have a people that has endured,
(29:39):
you know, volcanic eruptions over centuries, and who have strong
faith in where they live and that mountain hovering above them.
So it's a really it's a really powerful place. And
I think the people there have learned to adapt and
their sense of yeah, I think I would say faith
(29:59):
like sense of faith and security in living in such
a untamable under an untamable geographic thing is unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (30:10):
And in springtime you have again you have these wildflowers
and everything's very fertile around there, so again it's just
beautiful to see that volcano smoldering in the distance. It
does make you you're you're in a very different place
than the mainland of Italy, and I think that what
makes it very special actually, and I find it very exciting.
(30:33):
And for anyone who's worried, I mean, Henny, you lived
in Sicily for how many years, like seven or eight years?
Speaker 3 (30:39):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (30:40):
You were you ever worried by the volcano? No?
Speaker 3 (30:44):
I know. The only worries are sometimes about like flights
getting delayed, but that's a solvable problem. I've done some
beautiful hikes on ETNA and and with geologists as well.
One of our guys, he studies at nine, He follows
the eruption and he showed us videos of being up
there at night and watching the lava flow down down
(31:06):
the craters, and it's unbelievable. There's a lot of attention
paid to Atna, what she's doing, the movements, and then
there's lovely stories around how the villages in the past
when there have been huge eruptions, you can find little sanctuaries,
like on the north side, I think it must have
been in the early nineteen hundreds, one of the big
(31:29):
lava flows. There's a marker where the lava stopped before
reaching the town, and there was a madonna that was
already there, and the people prayed to the madonna and
the lava stopped at that moment and didn't go any
further into the town. So there is a huge Yeah,
there's a huge you know, a huge faith behind Etna's
(31:49):
movements as well. It's beautiful to see. It's not a
thing for concern. It's really something of wonder. It's a
place of wonder.
Speaker 1 (31:57):
And I find it find it very movie. Actually. Now,
before we hit off, I was wondering you did share
this out of choke meal with us, which I'm still
still in the back of my mind thinking how can
I get to this Auto Cheke festival? But is there
any other meals that you especially remember. I know you've
breaken a lot of bread with people over the years
(32:18):
in Sicily, but can you think of a spring time
occasion other than the Auta Cheke festival that you really enjoyed.
Speaker 3 (32:25):
There's so much. One thing that's wonderful, like ricotta all
year in Sicily is a religion. I mean, ricotta in
Sicily is like unlike any other ricotta I've had, And
the beautiful thing is tasting the changes in the flavor
because it depends so much on what the animals, which
in Sicily are mostly sheep, what they're eating. And so
(32:46):
the spring ricotta I really feel is like it's just light,
it's fresh, it's like a cloud, and if you're able
to taste it while it's still warm, it's just lovely.
That's one thing I love. The other thing I think
you have a lot of, like barbecues. So we were
talking about Etna. There are some wonderful butchers on ETNA
(33:07):
and some wonderful reaching over into the Nebrity Mountains. It's
a place that has a huge culture of raising specific
type of breeds of pork for consumption, and they're just
they do great sausages, they do great pashooto solamis, and
these are all like springtime you think of getting out
and barbecuing, grilling with friends. So there's really really great,
(33:30):
great meat we had. And then I don't know, I'm
just searching. I'm geographically in my mind, traveling through all
the places that Untold visits, because each area has its
own signature dish and the other. You know. The other
thing that's coming to mind is, I know you visit
Chopanni and the salt thlots near there. You get really
(33:52):
good couscous over there. Fresh fish in the spring, you
can have the sea urchin. Ricci di maride is a
specialty that not everyone likes, but it's an interesting, clever
profile and it's something that there is a season for it.
So I suggest the spring is a good time for that.
(34:12):
But yeah, I could I do spend days eating, so
I could spend days talking about food and Sicily, all
I can say is you won't be disappointed and you
can always find something that you're like.
Speaker 1 (34:23):
Absolutely, and you know, when we're on tour in Hannah,
you know, maybe you can describe this, but we do
spend a lot of time making sure that you're trying
the local delicacies. So you know, maybe you wouldn't if
you're traveling on your own, maybe you wouldn't know what
to look out for or what to order. But because
you're with someone, if it's Hannah or might be one
(34:44):
of our other wonderful hosts, they are primed and ready
to get you to test out your taste buds. If
you're wanting to, you don't have to. We never force
anything on any but it's a really great opportunity to
try things that you may not It might not even
be on the menu, but we know about it. Huh yeah.
Speaker 3 (35:07):
And if we, you know, and if we as tour hosts,
forget or maybe don't make you try something, believe me,
the Sicilians will make sure you are trying what they
want you to try. Anywhere you go. They have an
opinion on what you should order. And I remember standing
on it, standing outside a butcher shop just because we
were I was sharing with a group a picture that
(35:29):
they had of the recall to making and the butcher
came out and he had a little talier, a little
cutting board of salami and he's like, no, no, come on,
you have to try this. This is our Solami telling
us everything. So you know, you can't escape. Of course,
you don't have to try anything, but the Sicilians will
make sure you're trying the best of what they have
(35:49):
to offer, and that's part of their generosity.
Speaker 1 (35:53):
Absolutely, it's that hot and generosity. So you've spent a
lot of time with people that have maybe been Sicily
for the first time or they're returning. Yeah, you can
see it firsthand how people experience the country. What sort
of emotions do they have when they are spending timing
or when they about to leave. What have you noticed?
Speaker 3 (36:14):
Everybody feels so connected to Sicily, and everyone is able
to find something that resonates with them, and I think
that's really a beautiful part of Sicily. People go home
knowing that they'll be back. People go home knowing that
they maybe have tasted seen toward a lot, but that
(36:38):
there's always something else to discover there. So there's this
mix of just genuine connection but also this curiosity, this
feeling that this place will remain with you, and that
you won't ever be able to let go of it,
that you'll have to come back for more in Sicily.
Speaker 1 (36:58):
Well, that certainly is where happened to me, absolutely, and
I would go back again and again, and my entire
family would too. We have so many beautiful, deep memories
of our time in Sicily. It's very special to us
as a family, and I think it really informed a
(37:19):
lot of what we're trying to do here and untold
Italy as well, because again, like you said, that spirit
of generosity and also just connectedness is what we're trying
to achieve with all the different regions of Italy. But
I do have a very special stuff spot for Sicily. So, Hannah,
you know you're no longer living there, so how do
(37:40):
you feel like?
Speaker 3 (37:42):
Don't pick it up, Katie, It's it's a tough transition, no,
I just I love it. I made a home here
and I feel at home here, and when I come back,
I feel the same way. And I think that's a
feeling that a lot of people get, even in a
short amount of time. And you know, you you come
back and a lot of things feel the same. You
(38:03):
have the same sensation but then you can always discover
something new, and I think that's the great part of
Sicily me too.
Speaker 1 (38:12):
I think I feel very excited and invigorated when I'm there.
And it also seems like you say, the land of
possibilities too. Yeah, it's a beautiful place. Oh, Hanna, thank
you grad to be for your unique perspective on this
beloved island. And one day maybe we'll go there together, hope.
So I'd love to see through your eyes.
Speaker 3 (38:33):
I would love that absolutely well. Thank you for having me, Katie.
I will always willingly talk about Sicily or an we're
in Italy, and I'm so grateful to be part of
the Untold team. I love showing I love showing all
of Italy to anyone who wants to discover the Untold Italy.
So thank you.
Speaker 1 (38:55):
You are welcome anytime. And as I started off this,
so there is so much love for our wonderful tour hosts,
and obviously Hannah is one of them, and that's because
they do you share this passion for Italy. So if
you're wanting to see Italy in a very special way,
(39:15):
we're very lucky to have people like Hannah on our
team to show you and It's hard to describe, but
we try and make sure you have feelings about all
the good ones about your time. Oh grad to you, Hannah,
thank you so much. Yeah tell Cecily. It's a bit
(39:39):
of an assault on all the senses, but we wouldn't
have it any other way. I love the springtime festivities, weather, food,
and everyone is in a good mood as a winter
day's fade. I can't wait to see the reactions as
people fall in love with the wildflowers at the temples
of our Gregento and around matt Etna. It's just beautiful.
(40:00):
I also wanted to mention that there's a very striking
tree known as the Judas Tree, and it's named that
way because it bursts into bloom around Easter and it
has the most vibrant purple blooms. You'll see this tree
all over, but my favorite spot is in the gardens
of Ragusa Ibla, where the Valdinotto spreads out below. Ragusa
is one of the stops on our twelve day Highlights
(40:22):
of Sicily troop that takes you across the island from
Palermo and the north to the Masala Saltpans, the valley
of the temples and then southeast to the Valadinoto or
Tisia and of course everyone's favorite Chamina along the way.
Will not only show you these incredible places, but you'll
also meet the people who are the very heart and
(40:44):
the very beating heart of this island. You'll soak up
Sicily with all your senses, and the best bit, you
don't need to worry about a thing. Our troops are
almost fully inclusive except for a handful of meals, so
that means all activities are included and there's nothing more
to pay unless you maybe want a massage or you
want to buy some souvenirs. You'll stay in hand selected
(41:07):
boutique accommodation, try the most delicious food and wine, and
experience Sicily in the most magical way. If you'd like
to know more about this trip that we've poured our
hearts and souls into, I've put some more details into
our show notes at untold Italy dot com. Forward slash
two ninety six for episode number two hundred and ninety six,
(41:29):
and those show notes also include the places that Hannah
mentioned and that Arta Choke place, which I'm really thinking
I could built a whole trip around and don't even
tempt me before I go. You know, we absolutely love
hearing your feedback and reviews. It's what keeps Untold Italy
growing and it helps more Italy loving travelers just like
(41:50):
you find us. If you enjoyed this episode, please think
about leaving us a rating or review in your favorite
podcast app. And I just wanted to say thank you
because we had a gorgeous review from Finland recently. Finland,
How exciting Grautzia Ramona. She took the time to write
about Sicily and she said, I love your podcast. It
(42:11):
is very helpful and inspiring. My best food experiences were
in Fabnana, where I ate the best araoncini with salmon,
or best pizza in Palermo, or best pastigiuria in arice
Maria Gramatico. And it's worth mentioning La deteria di Santa
Caterina in Palermo with lots of love. So thank you again, Ramona.
(42:34):
Really appreciate you taking the time to do that, and
we really love getting these messages. It's truly why we
do what we do. Next week, we're exploring more of
our wonderful Untold Italy and I can't wait to share
it with you. But until then it's chow for now.
The Untold Italy podcast is an independent production podcast editing,
(42:56):
audio production and website development by Mark Hatta, Action assistance
and content writing by the other kJ Clark. Yes there
are two of us. For more information about Untold Italy,
please visit Untold Italy dot com
There's a moment in Sicily, usually somewhere between the waft
of sea breezes and palermos Lungo Mare and the site
of ancient temples rising in the distance, when you realize
that this island isn't like anywhere else, and it's in
springtime that Sicily is at its most magical. And now
we're going to find out why.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Tchawatuti and Benvenuti Tuan told Italy. The travel podcast to
where you go to the towns and villages, mountains and lakes,
hills and coastlines of Bela, Italia. Each week, your host
Katie Clark takes you on a journey in a search
of magical landscapes, history, culture, wine, gelato, and of course
(00:46):
a whole lot of pasta. If you're dreaming of Italy
and planning future adventures there, you've come to the right place.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Do you dream of speaking Italian but feel stuck? I
hear you. Whether you want to connect with your Italian
heritage a partner, or you want to live in Italy,
finding the right tools to match your learning style is important.
My friend Michelle from Intrepid Italian offers a practical approach
to learning Italian with her unique eighty twenty method, teaching
you only what you need to know. As an adult
(01:25):
learner herself with Italian heritage, she really knows how to
bridge the gap between English and Italian. As Angela from
Australia said, I put my inability to learn down to
my senior stage of life, but with Intrepid Italian it
seems to just fit. To find out how Intrepid Italian
can help you learn Italian and to claim an exclusive
(01:45):
twenty dollars coupon code that you can use on any
of Michelle's online courses from beginner to intermediate, visit untold
Italy dot com, Forward slash Italian or visit the link
in the show notes. As a bonus, you'll also get
a downloadable travel frame guide absolutely free. So visit untold
Italy dot com, forward slash Italian to accelerate your Italian
(02:08):
well Johno, Amichi chiaur friends. Here. We are closing in
on the end of October and hasn't the year just
flown by. We're about to wrap up our final tour
of the year with Untold Italy Tours, and it's been
such a wonderful time for the team, meeting our guests
and reconnecting with quite a few others too that have
been on trips with us before. A big shout out
(02:29):
to everyone who has traveled with Untold Italy over the
past few weeks and before that too. I've been seeing
so many beautiful, smiling faces and such lovely feedback. I'm
only a little bit jealous, just a little bit, and
wish I could be there for every tour, but unfortunately,
as life has it, I cannot be. But as those
(02:51):
of you who know and have traveled with us before,
they do know that our incredible team of hosts A
shout out to Julia, Manuela, Hannah, Sarah, Sylvia and of
course Olivia are important and actually critical glue that makes
our tours so very special. They are all bilingual Italian
(03:11):
and English speakers. They have a passion for Italian life
and showing hospitality that knows no bounds. Our Google reviews
are simply bursting with love for our team and I
could not be prouder. So you may know me as
the voice of our company, but I hope it's clear
that this is a team effort and I am so
(03:32):
very grateful to be surrounded by such talented, kind and
clever women who make the vision of these tours come
to life and share the Italy that we love with you.
I'm going to read out the latest review from one
of our guests, Lynn, who visited Pullia with us. Wow.
What an amazing six days in Pulia. Our tour host
(03:52):
Sylvia was exceptional local experiences, food, wine, and accommodation, and
our small group of fellow travelers all first rate. We
couldn't have asked for more. Leave the planning to the
professionals and you won't be disappointed. We can't thank you
enough till next time. Oh Lynn, we hope to see
you again. Thank you so much for that lovely review.
(04:14):
It's such a pleasure to host our guests who are
all curious, friendly and open to new experiences, whether that
be meeting baby goats or making your own mozzarella. And
we cannot wait to show you how I'm told Italy
in twenty twenty six. So joining me for today is
another one of our tour hosts, the lovely Hannah, who
(04:34):
you may have heard on an earlier episode. Hannah and
I can't stop talking about Sicily, so I've asked her
back to talk about my favorite season on the island
which is spring ben Venita. Hannah, welcome back to the
Untold Italy podcast.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Thanks Katie, it's always nice to be here. Very excited
to be chatting about Sicily today.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
Oh yeah, it's always lovely to chat with you, Hannah.
And we got so many great comments from our last
podcast about Sicilian sweet and I guess there's a lot
of sweet toots out there, but Cicily always draws a
crowd for all good reasons, and so today I wanted
to chat about how the island changes with the seasons,
and in particular how it bursts into life in springtime.
(05:22):
But before we kick things off, can you remind our
listeners a bit about yourself and how you come to
have such a strong connection with Sicily.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
Oh? Absolutely, And this is such an amazing topic. So
I came to Italy in twenty fourteen to study food
culture and communication at the University of Gastronomic Sciences up
in Piermonte, which is the north of Italy, and then
I slowly made my way down south. I lived in
Bologna for a little and I actually took a solo
(05:51):
weekend trip from Bologna to Sicily in March. I think
It must have been twenty sixteen and I in love
with the island on the first day of spring, essentially
seeing everything come back to life, and on that weekend
I decided to move to Sicily. It took me about
six months to organize everything, but since twenty seventeen I
(06:15):
had been living in Sicily between first in a really
rural area called Baledomo, which is a mountain town of
about three thousand people, and then I moved to the
coast in Chuffalu. I'm actually in Sicily at the moment
on vacation right now with my dad, but I've moved
up north to Liguria as of last year. So really
(06:37):
happy to be back and happy to talk about Sicily
in the seasons.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Of course. Hannah is one of our amazing and told
Italy tour host and if you're coming on tour with us,
she can tell you all about all the different parts
of Easaly that she loves. And you speak fluent Italian
to don't you, Hannah?
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Absolutely? I mean fluence a strong word. You know. Everyone
always is like, wow, you speak to and you speak
so well, and I'm like, yeah, but you notice my accent.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
Don't you?
Speaker 3 (07:04):
And they're like yeah, you're American, so I hold on
to that part of me.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
Yeah, exactly. But I mean I think it is hard
someone who's learning it and struggling very hard with the verbs.
At the moment, it's oh, those tenses, that's the struggle. Anyway,
I'll get there one day. But I do am all
of you that fluently speak different languages. It's amazing. Now, Hannah,
(07:30):
there's something about Sicily, and I think that if you've
been there and you felt that connection, then you really
do know that it is something. But how can you
describe it? What's the spirit of Sicily?
Speaker 3 (07:43):
It's such a good question. The first word that comes
to mind is generous, like it is a generous island,
but it's also challenging and stubborn and complicated. But you know,
I always say there's a little bit of magic in Sicily.
It's a place, it's a continent, it's a whole island.
(08:04):
It's a whole continent, and it contains so much complexity,
so much diversity, and I think that's the beauty of it.
And at its core, at its very core, the people,
the field, the geography, its identity. There's the spirit of
generosity that just pervades the island.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
I didn't know what you were going to say when
I prepped you with this question, but because you know,
when we were talking about untold Italy and building out
what we wanted our brand to be about, it was
really about generosity. So when you said that, I was like, huh,
maybe that's it. Maybe that's it. That's what makes me
so connected to Sicily and how I felt that same
(08:44):
way because, like you, my first experience of Sicily was
in springtime, so I have a special connection with that.
And we had some family living in Messina and we
were able to, you know, spend Easter with them, which
kind of blew my mind, you know, because it was
such a unique and special, community driven experience that I
(09:07):
had never experienced before in my life and I don't
know that I ever will again, but yeah, it did
resonate with me very strongly. So I love it. Generosity fantastic.
So going back to that first experience in spring, what's
the first thing that comes to mind when you think
about Sicily in springtime?
Speaker 3 (09:29):
I mean, it's just a reawakening, like it's a real reawakening.
I think of the colors. I mean, I lived a
long time in the center of Sicily, so in a
very rural, agricultural driven area. We were surrounded by wheat
fields and you get these pots of color. So you
have the young wheat that's just vibrant, bright green, that's gorgeous.
(09:54):
And then all of the fields are bordered by wildflowers,
so you have like purples and and yellows, and it's
impossible to capture. You really feel this like brightness in
spring in Sicily, and I think too, whether you're in
their mountains or you're on the coast, there's a general
like coming back to life. Spring starts early. First of all,
(10:17):
you can have gorgeous days in the winter that really
feel like spring, but people withdraw a little bit. You know,
you have the holidays, you have family time, you spend
more time indoors, and so spring you start to see
everyone coming out and really embracing you know, the landscape,
the sunshine, each other. Maybe folks have you know, spent
(10:39):
more time with families, so friends are now coming back
getting out together, and it's so tied to you know,
tied to the land and the agricultural so you have
that same you know, getting out in your fields, doing
the pruning, doing all of the work that you need
to be done that's maybe been neglected over the winter,
that sort of thing.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
And it's also the time for brations, isn't it. So
for us in the Easter and the lead up to
Easter or Pascal was Yeah, like nothing that I've ever
experienced before. So in Messina, which is probably like some
other towns, they haul the floats, these wooden floats through
the town and they are very heavy. They only walk
(11:21):
maybe a few meters as like you know, maybe ten
or twenty guys, really strong guys holding these floats or
wooden structures, and they sort of stagger and say, but
I mean everyone's sort of cheering them on and wanting
them to keep moving. It's really amazing.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
Yeah, it's a beautiful sense of community. March nineteenth is
san Ju's Apfe. So typically the start of official spring
is the twentieth or twenty first, and here in Sicily
San giusappes throughout Italy is Father's Day, but here in
Sicily it's particularly celebrated, and it's beautiful because it's one
of the first processions where, like you said, Katie, the
(12:05):
folks get together and there are big processions, big parades,
celebrations of San Giuseppe, and it's a really coming together,
like it's sort of the start of that Easter season,
a big coming together, and then you of course move
into Easter, depending on where that falls for the year.
You can see a lot of things setting up, the carnival,
(12:26):
all of that, you know, all of that. So there's
a lot of celebration in spring in Sicily.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Yeah, and of course, you know, celebrating the countryside all
around you springing into life. I remember as well, those wildflowers,
and in particular I remember being in Agrigento, which is
the valley of the Temples and around that area. It
was just amazing. I think it was just like completely
(12:53):
blind blown. I had never seen this juxtaposition between nature
and history and the culture all in one easy not
easy package, because it's not easy to digest. It's quite,
you know, it's it's quite. I wouldn't say overwhelming. I
would say more just it's so grand and so beautiful
(13:14):
and so old, you know, So we had haven't got
that in our countries. We haven't got those old structures.
But have you might spent much time in at Agrigento.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
I mean I've been Yeah, I've been a handful of times.
The value of the temples, and you know you mentioned spring,
but they have a almond blossom festival every year in
the spring, and that time of year at the value
of the temples is gorgeous because you have a lot
of the almond trees that are in bloom. You have
this fragrance in the air of that scent. And then
(13:46):
if you've ever been down to Colin Bertha, it's part
of value of the temples. But it's a old citrus
garden orchard and there you have they have saved a
lot of a lot of different parieties of citrus. So
when you go and everything's still in bloom in the spring,
it's just it's it is overwhelming because you get the
(14:07):
sense you look up and you see the Greek temples
and it is ground. It's beautiful. It's a journey of
the census, I would say.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
Back in a flash right after these messages. Yeah, absolutely.
And this is a slightly bit ignorant of me. But
when I first went to Sicily, you know, I knew
there were Greek temples, but I didn't quite understand the history.
And then you go and do a little bit of
(14:36):
research you start thinking, wow, this is incredible because this
island has so many layers of history and it reaches
way back before the Romans and obviously when the Greeks
arrived and they built these temples, which they're still standing.
They're over two thousand years old and they're huge and
they're still standing in this it's not a valley even,
(14:57):
is it. It's actually a ridge on top of but
it's quite amazing to see that whole complex. Yeah, okay,
so it was a city and then we started in
this little town and talking about the citrus. I had
this amazing salad, which people know I'm a little bit
obsessed with salads in Italy, but it was a I
(15:19):
think it was orange and capers and it was delicious.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
A lot of times they do the yeah, the like
fennel and orange, raw funnel orange, sometimes some red onion
in there. It's so fresh and so good. Obviously, all
the foods in the spring are just like I think
a lot of the artichokes, because that's one of my
favorite dishes, and you start getting them in the winter
(15:46):
and then it's funny because when the first artichokes come out,
you know, you look at the prices and you're like, oh, okay, okay.
By spring they're just trying to unload any artichoke they can,
so you can buy twenty of them for like two euros.
Unbelievable and my favorite time of year because I could
eat artichokes forever.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
Oh how did they cook them in Sicily?
Speaker 3 (16:08):
Oh gosh, Katie, Well, there's like any anyway. So there's
a town that is sort of maybe an hour from
Palermo called Cherda, and it's the official town of the
art to Choke, and if you go there, they have
the Festival of the Artichoke and in the town square
there's probably like a thirty foot tall iron statue of
(16:29):
an art to choke, and all of the restaurants there
they do art to Choke menus. So it's a set
menu you go. And I remember the first time I
went with my dad he was visiting, and we just
got the set menu. They had ten different antipasti, so
ten different little dishes. There were fried artichokes, there were
(16:50):
artichokes in sweet and sour. There were like whole artichokes
that are grilled. They had artichoke sort of flyawn or
like little piche type things. Then we had artichoked pasta
for our first dish, and then of course you needed
to have some grilled meat afterwards, so that was great.
(17:11):
One of my favorite artichoke dishes that a lot of
folks don't know is that they do an artichoke caponata.
So I think I'm American and a lot of us
think of I mean, most people think of caponata as
being exclusively with eggplant or as y'all say, aubergine, But
the artichoke caponata is something hard to find but absolutely
(17:34):
delicious because you get that sweet and sour flavor and
fresh artichokes so good.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
Oh my gosh, I think that's amazing. I want to
go to the choke fest of all. But you know,
when you were to talking, I was thinking, wow, this
is so interesting because this big arti choke. I'm fascinated
with these dirty foot choke do you know what? Because
in Australia we have this tradition of big things, like
(18:04):
we have like the kind of like tourist attractions, like
we have a big banana and a big pineapple. And
there is a point to my promise. But the people
James and Amanda who came on our very first tour
in Sicily, they had an avocado farm and James's father
had built the big avocado. So I'm wondering and I'm
hoping that they have seen the big out of choke.
Speaker 3 (18:28):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
I think it would be amazing. I think I think
James and Amanda, if you're listening, you need to go
back and see the big Uta Choke for sure.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
Yea.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
So I Pascento's kind of in the center, and you know,
it's an interesting place because it's actually a little bit
tricky to get to, isn't it. So in the past
we haven't included it on our tours because you kind
of have to you have to do a little bit
of planning to get in. Yeah, but we have included
it in our Highlights tool because it is an absolute highlight.
(18:58):
It is so special and it's so unique and I've
forgotten why the Greeks built it there. It was probably
very strategic. It's quite close to the shoreline there, but yeah,
it's a very important sort of anchor point. But on
this tour, we go all over Sicily in our New
Italy Sicily Highlights Tour, and we start in Palerma and
(19:19):
work our way down to Catania. And you see lots
of different parts of Sicily, and it's hard to explain
to people because it's not a very big island, is it,
But it's so diverse everywhere that you go it is.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
I mean you look like you look at the map
and it depends. You know, it's not a tiny island.
It's not one of you know, it's not like Cufri
or something, but it's you know, it is big enough,
but it's still not connected, you know, as we know,
it's still not connected to the mainland. So it is
an island truly a part. And then the thing that
always amuses me is the geographical differences. I mean, you
(19:56):
you have a little bit of everything. You do have mountains,
there is a you get snow, you have the valleys
which are just you know, a lot of the inlands
are all a rolling hills agricultural land, and then the
coastal towns really vary. And on top of that you
have the distinct feel of every different area because going
(20:17):
from Palermo and getting to see, you know, the Arab
Norman influence in Palermo and then crossing the island and
going down to nott or Maduca or Aguza, you have
all the Baroque style. When you're in the little fishing
towns like over in Marsala, you get much more of
that Arab Byzantine feel. So it's really I lived there
(20:39):
nine years and I still am surprised by different places,
new places, different towns, new feelings. It's truly diverse.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
Yeah, it's one of those places that you could spend
a lifetime exploring. And I always find it interesting when
someone says to us sometimes when we have our treat
planting clients, so we're going to we want to go
to Sicily for three days, and I'm like, hmm, yeah,
a very minimum really is seven days. And for us,
(21:09):
you know, we started doing Eastern and western Sicily because
it's really an assault on the senses in a really
amazing way because you're getting the site, the sounds, the smells,
and it's very different to the mainland. So it's a
fantastic juxtaposition to Florence as an example, because it's really
(21:32):
Florence is so refined and elegant, and then Sicily not
saying they're not elegant because some of the people that
they have very stuffy dressing styles, but it's a different
energy there and I find it excited.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
It's amazing that you can, you know, you can have
such different feels in all in the same region, all
on the same island. And definitely Sicily has its elegance,
but there's something more honest about it, like it's it
comes from the heart. There's not a lot of facade here,
(22:10):
you know, like I think of Florence is a very
dressed up city, or at Tuscany in general is a
dressed up region. It's like manicured, it's curated, it's polished,
and Sicily just wears its heart on its sleeve, like
it shows you. It's going to show you. Also some
things that are challenging. I mean, there are parts that
(22:30):
are a lot of buildings that have been abandoned. There's
sometimes you know, you do see signs of environmental decay
and you see humanity in Sicily. You see the trash
as well as the beauty. And I think the juxtaposition
is important when as someone who's traveling and who wants
to see untold Italy, because you get that in Sicily.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
And to combine at all, it's the people that providing
honesty as well, so you know they have such big
hearts and such big stories to tell. On the first
trip that we did in Carta Girone, which is a
small town that's very famous for its ceramics, and this
(23:16):
young woman, I'll never forget her. I'll never ever forget
this young woman. She had an amazing command of English,
and she was roped in to help translate to tell
the story of her family's business, and she had us mesmerized.
She was just so articulate. She was very concerned about
(23:38):
the youth of her island, and she wanted to really
promote the fact that the young people had so many
ideas about how to protect their culture and how to
live in a modern world but still protect their island.
And I think Cicily is such a great example of
(23:59):
evolution and change because they've welcomed so many different cultures
and had so many different people come into the island
and so much change over many many centuries, but they've
still evolved and managed to keep a very strong sense
of identity. It's quite inspiring.
Speaker 3 (24:18):
Actually, absolutely yeah, it is. And what you say, Katie
about the younger generation, I mean the people that you
meet and that are invested in staying in Sicily and
creating and building new communities and new opportunities there. It's
a really wonderful generation because Sicily does have a big
(24:39):
problem with folks still leaving looking for work elsewhere. But
when you're able to find the committed generation, the younger
generation that is staying, they can open up new doors
and really help share this island from a perspective that's
hopeful and inspiring, which is important, Which is really important.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
Yeah. Absolutely, And some of those people we're lucky to
find when we're on our tours and in a hospitality
context because they do tend to gravitate to some of
these professions. So wine making producing amazing, big shout out
to the pistachio producers of Bronte, because I mean, pistachio
(25:22):
is having a moment right now in terms of a flavor.
But I've been there for a very long time and
I'm here to tell you want to get your pistachio
goods from Sicily because they're amazing. But also like restaurants
and hotels that are very environmentally focused and very family focused.
It's very inspiring actually. And the other one that I
(25:44):
really like is the artisans. So we on our time
in Ragusa, we visit some people that do some incredible
painting of the traditional carts and yeah, and I think
some of the ways that they've modernized some of the
traditional crafts. And you can go shopping in Nauto and
this is another shout out to VICKI who I know
(26:06):
who shopped up a storm Noo. But you can find
so many interesting unique gifts or presents for yourself if
you want to treat yourself.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
I have a soft spot for ceramics and Cicily is
just a gorgeous ceramic place, everything from the tiles to
the moor's heads to just the figures that they do,
and it is nice to see there is a lot
of tradition when it comes to artists in work, and
then you have folks that are willing to break the mold.
(26:43):
So there's a Ceramisis that I've visited frequently up in
the Madonie Mountains. And his family, for I think three
or four generations made tiles, you know, for building bricks
and tiles for the home, and they also moved into
making this gentleman. He does a lot of Cicily's restoration
(27:04):
work for the old palazzo that need the hand painted
tile floors, so he knows how to match the designs
and everything, and this is something that he worked on
with his father, and now he's taken the company into
more of an artistic realm. So he does a lot
of gorgeous I mean, he makes these stools that are
(27:25):
impossible to describe. They're sort of like comma shaped, or
he does these sinks that are hand painted, and so
from a tradition of really like a building tradition in
his family, he's taking it into the artistic realm. And
I love that as well. I love seeing that and
hearing those stories.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
Absolutely. I love the morro Heads, but I really want
what a modern one like. I've got my eye on
this one that's just s pear that's plain white and
it's more by like a betina on it. It's just
it's really nice. It's kind of modernized. Time for a
quick break, shorter than your morning espresso. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:08):
There's a woman in Palermo who does gorgeous modern renditions
of the moors Head. And I also she does a
lot that have that are like this, like you said,
white and then they have like the fruit or prickly
pears kind of coming out of them. They're really fun
They're like they take the tradition and they make it
almost accessible or fun or easy.
Speaker 1 (28:28):
I love it. Yeah, And there's such a great story
behind that tradition as well, which we won't spoil for
everyone because it is something that you need to hear
from a Sicilian. I would say, yeah, you do. Yeah,
It's just something that's so integral to their culture, this
particular story that you need to hear it in a
way that's you know, from the heart. Really not that
(28:50):
I wouldn't say it from the heart, but I'm going
to miss out a bit and I'm not going to
be as passionate, and I don't have the great accent.
So but another place it has like a really strong
So this is a story that has a strong resonance.
But probably the one place in Sicily that has the
most pul and the most magnetism of the island, and
it really develops its soul around these natural wonder is
(29:14):
Mount it there? Isn't it?
Speaker 3 (29:16):
Oh? Absolutely yes, I mean not just it's almost like
another planet. Again, you have like a microcosm or a
small you know, just a little picture of Sicily entirely
in Mount Etna. Because the north and the south sides
have completely different landscapes. You have a people that has endured,
(29:39):
you know, volcanic eruptions over centuries, and who have strong
faith in where they live and that mountain hovering above them.
So it's a really it's a really powerful place. And
I think the people there have learned to adapt and
their sense of yeah, I think I would say faith
(29:59):
like sense of faith and security in living in such
a untamable under an untamable geographic thing is unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (30:10):
And in springtime you have again you have these wildflowers
and everything's very fertile around there, so again it's just
beautiful to see that volcano smoldering in the distance. It
does make you you're you're in a very different place
than the mainland of Italy, and I think that what
makes it very special actually, and I find it very exciting.
(30:33):
And for anyone who's worried, I mean, Henny, you lived
in Sicily for how many years, like seven or eight years?
Speaker 3 (30:39):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (30:40):
You were you ever worried by the volcano? No?
Speaker 3 (30:44):
I know. The only worries are sometimes about like flights
getting delayed, but that's a solvable problem. I've done some
beautiful hikes on ETNA and and with geologists as well.
One of our guys, he studies at nine, He follows
the eruption and he showed us videos of being up
there at night and watching the lava flow down down
(31:06):
the craters, and it's unbelievable. There's a lot of attention
paid to Atna, what she's doing, the movements, and then
there's lovely stories around how the villages in the past
when there have been huge eruptions, you can find little sanctuaries,
like on the north side, I think it must have
been in the early nineteen hundreds, one of the big
(31:29):
lava flows. There's a marker where the lava stopped before
reaching the town, and there was a madonna that was
already there, and the people prayed to the madonna and
the lava stopped at that moment and didn't go any
further into the town. So there is a huge Yeah,
there's a huge you know, a huge faith behind Etna's
(31:49):
movements as well. It's beautiful to see. It's not a
thing for concern. It's really something of wonder. It's a
place of wonder.
Speaker 1 (31:57):
And I find it find it very movie. Actually. Now,
before we hit off, I was wondering you did share
this out of choke meal with us, which I'm still
still in the back of my mind thinking how can
I get to this Auto Cheke festival? But is there
any other meals that you especially remember. I know you've
breaken a lot of bread with people over the years
(32:18):
in Sicily, but can you think of a spring time
occasion other than the Auta Cheke festival that you really enjoyed.
Speaker 3 (32:25):
There's so much. One thing that's wonderful, like ricotta all
year in Sicily is a religion. I mean, ricotta in
Sicily is like unlike any other ricotta I've had, And
the beautiful thing is tasting the changes in the flavor
because it depends so much on what the animals, which
in Sicily are mostly sheep, what they're eating. And so
(32:46):
the spring ricotta I really feel is like it's just light,
it's fresh, it's like a cloud, and if you're able
to taste it while it's still warm, it's just lovely.
That's one thing I love. The other thing I think
you have a lot of, like barbecues. So we were
talking about Etna. There are some wonderful butchers on ETNA
(33:07):
and some wonderful reaching over into the Nebrity Mountains. It's
a place that has a huge culture of raising specific
type of breeds of pork for consumption, and they're just
they do great sausages, they do great pashooto solamis, and
these are all like springtime you think of getting out
and barbecuing, grilling with friends. So there's really really great,
(33:30):
great meat we had. And then I don't know, I'm
just searching. I'm geographically in my mind, traveling through all
the places that Untold visits, because each area has its
own signature dish and the other. You know. The other
thing that's coming to mind is, I know you visit
Chopanni and the salt thlots near there. You get really
(33:52):
good couscous over there. Fresh fish in the spring, you
can have the sea urchin. Ricci di maride is a
specialty that not everyone likes, but it's an interesting, clever
profile and it's something that there is a season for it.
So I suggest the spring is a good time for that.
(34:12):
But yeah, I could I do spend days eating, so
I could spend days talking about food and Sicily, all
I can say is you won't be disappointed and you
can always find something that you're like.
Speaker 1 (34:23):
Absolutely, and you know, when we're on tour in Hannah,
you know, maybe you can describe this, but we do
spend a lot of time making sure that you're trying
the local delicacies. So you know, maybe you wouldn't if
you're traveling on your own, maybe you wouldn't know what
to look out for or what to order. But because
you're with someone, if it's Hannah or might be one
(34:44):
of our other wonderful hosts, they are primed and ready
to get you to test out your taste buds. If
you're wanting to, you don't have to. We never force
anything on any but it's a really great opportunity to
try things that you may not It might not even
be on the menu, but we know about it. Huh yeah.
Speaker 3 (35:07):
And if we, you know, and if we as tour hosts,
forget or maybe don't make you try something, believe me,
the Sicilians will make sure you are trying what they
want you to try. Anywhere you go. They have an
opinion on what you should order. And I remember standing
on it, standing outside a butcher shop just because we
were I was sharing with a group a picture that
(35:29):
they had of the recall to making and the butcher
came out and he had a little talier, a little
cutting board of salami and he's like, no, no, come on,
you have to try this. This is our Solami telling
us everything. So you know, you can't escape. Of course,
you don't have to try anything, but the Sicilians will
make sure you're trying the best of what they have
(35:49):
to offer, and that's part of their generosity.
Speaker 1 (35:53):
Absolutely, it's that hot and generosity. So you've spent a
lot of time with people that have maybe been Sicily
for the first time or they're returning. Yeah, you can
see it firsthand how people experience the country. What sort
of emotions do they have when they are spending timing
or when they about to leave. What have you noticed?
Speaker 3 (36:14):
Everybody feels so connected to Sicily, and everyone is able
to find something that resonates with them, and I think
that's really a beautiful part of Sicily. People go home
knowing that they'll be back. People go home knowing that
they maybe have tasted seen toward a lot, but that
(36:38):
there's always something else to discover there. So there's this
mix of just genuine connection but also this curiosity, this
feeling that this place will remain with you, and that
you won't ever be able to let go of it,
that you'll have to come back for more in Sicily.
Speaker 1 (36:58):
Well, that certainly is where happened to me, absolutely, and
I would go back again and again, and my entire
family would too. We have so many beautiful, deep memories
of our time in Sicily. It's very special to us
as a family, and I think it really informed a
(37:19):
lot of what we're trying to do here and untold
Italy as well, because again, like you said, that spirit
of generosity and also just connectedness is what we're trying
to achieve with all the different regions of Italy. But
I do have a very special stuff spot for Sicily. So, Hannah,
you know you're no longer living there, so how do
(37:40):
you feel like?
Speaker 3 (37:42):
Don't pick it up, Katie, It's it's a tough transition, no,
I just I love it. I made a home here
and I feel at home here, and when I come back,
I feel the same way. And I think that's a
feeling that a lot of people get, even in a
short amount of time. And you know, you you come
back and a lot of things feel the same. You
(38:03):
have the same sensation but then you can always discover
something new, and I think that's the great part of
Sicily me too.
Speaker 1 (38:12):
I think I feel very excited and invigorated when I'm there.
And it also seems like you say, the land of
possibilities too. Yeah, it's a beautiful place. Oh, Hanna, thank
you grad to be for your unique perspective on this
beloved island. And one day maybe we'll go there together, hope.
So I'd love to see through your eyes.
Speaker 3 (38:33):
I would love that absolutely well. Thank you for having me, Katie.
I will always willingly talk about Sicily or an we're
in Italy, and I'm so grateful to be part of
the Untold team. I love showing I love showing all
of Italy to anyone who wants to discover the Untold Italy.
So thank you.
Speaker 1 (38:55):
You are welcome anytime. And as I started off this,
so there is so much love for our wonderful tour hosts,
and obviously Hannah is one of them, and that's because
they do you share this passion for Italy. So if
you're wanting to see Italy in a very special way,
(39:15):
we're very lucky to have people like Hannah on our
team to show you and It's hard to describe, but
we try and make sure you have feelings about all
the good ones about your time. Oh grad to you, Hannah,
thank you so much. Yeah tell Cecily. It's a bit
(39:39):
of an assault on all the senses, but we wouldn't
have it any other way. I love the springtime festivities, weather, food,
and everyone is in a good mood as a winter
day's fade. I can't wait to see the reactions as
people fall in love with the wildflowers at the temples
of our Gregento and around matt Etna. It's just beautiful.
(40:00):
I also wanted to mention that there's a very striking
tree known as the Judas Tree, and it's named that
way because it bursts into bloom around Easter and it
has the most vibrant purple blooms. You'll see this tree
all over, but my favorite spot is in the gardens
of Ragusa Ibla, where the Valdinotto spreads out below. Ragusa
is one of the stops on our twelve day Highlights
(40:22):
of Sicily troop that takes you across the island from
Palermo and the north to the Masala Saltpans, the valley
of the temples and then southeast to the Valadinoto or
Tisia and of course everyone's favorite Chamina along the way.
Will not only show you these incredible places, but you'll
also meet the people who are the very heart and
(40:44):
the very beating heart of this island. You'll soak up
Sicily with all your senses, and the best bit, you
don't need to worry about a thing. Our troops are
almost fully inclusive except for a handful of meals, so
that means all activities are included and there's nothing more
to pay unless you maybe want a massage or you
want to buy some souvenirs. You'll stay in hand selected
(41:07):
boutique accommodation, try the most delicious food and wine, and
experience Sicily in the most magical way. If you'd like
to know more about this trip that we've poured our
hearts and souls into, I've put some more details into
our show notes at untold Italy dot com. Forward slash
two ninety six for episode number two hundred and ninety six,
(41:29):
and those show notes also include the places that Hannah
mentioned and that Arta Choke place, which I'm really thinking
I could built a whole trip around and don't even
tempt me before I go. You know, we absolutely love
hearing your feedback and reviews. It's what keeps Untold Italy
growing and it helps more Italy loving travelers just like
(41:50):
you find us. If you enjoyed this episode, please think
about leaving us a rating or review in your favorite
podcast app. And I just wanted to say thank you
because we had a gorgeous review from Finland recently. Finland,
How exciting Grautzia Ramona. She took the time to write
about Sicily and she said, I love your podcast. It
(42:11):
is very helpful and inspiring. My best food experiences were
in Fabnana, where I ate the best araoncini with salmon,
or best pizza in Palermo, or best pastigiuria in arice
Maria Gramatico. And it's worth mentioning La deteria di Santa
Caterina in Palermo with lots of love. So thank you again, Ramona.
(42:34):
Really appreciate you taking the time to do that, and
we really love getting these messages. It's truly why we
do what we do. Next week, we're exploring more of
our wonderful Untold Italy and I can't wait to share
it with you. But until then it's chow for now.
The Untold Italy podcast is an independent production podcast editing,
(42:56):
audio production and website development by Mark Hatta, Action assistance
and content writing by the other kJ Clark. Yes there
are two of us. For more information about Untold Italy,
please visit Untold Italy dot com
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