Sunday, March 28, 2010

Patti and Caleca




Problem: Ran out of your Caleca pattern and need a few dishes to complete the pattern.
Solution: Head to Patti and go to the Caleca Factory. Call ahead though and make sure it is open. It closes from 1-3 (or 1-4) so go early or late. 09412421. They sell "second quality" and "first quality" items.

Problem: Kids in a pottery factory.
Solution: Book a night at Villa Rica, an amazing B&B right near the Caleca factory in Patti. While you are shopping, your hubby or grandma can watch the kids while you buy your pasta bowls and pizza dishes. And, depending on the season, there's great hiking, and lots of room to explore. Their dinner or lunch is uh-mazing. In fact, it's the perfect way to end a successful shopping day. In the summer, there's a beautiful pool and the owner Jeanette can provide other sight-seeing ideas. Plus, she speaks English. The rooms are great, so spend the night before heading back. The view will take your breath away!

villarica.it

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Taormina



Taormina. It’s the perfect day trip with a few girlfriends or a great way to spend the afternoon with the kiddies. The ice rink is closed now, but we’ve found some other family-friendly spots. Of course, we added some of our favorite stores. (We know kids and ceramic shops don’t mix, but throw in some gelato and you’ve usually bought yourself 10 minutes of shopping time). There’s also a lovely park near the Greek Theatre (down a few steps, near the Bank of Sicilia), so you can take turns watching the kids and shopping. Finally, there’s a huge piazza and kids bring small tricycles, toys, and balls and run around. In the summer, it’s very busy, so now is a good time to go and let kids run free. In Italy, people seem to love babies and toddlers, even when they are knocking down a few old women in the piazza on their bikes. (Check out our video). Take advantage of people’s love for children here because in the U.S. you’ll hear lots of “shhhing” and "watch it!"

Now, on to shopping! We LOVE Marco Monforte’s work. His store, Ceramiche Di Taormina, is on Corso Umberto, the main street. His address is: 198 Corso Umberto. He creates delicate paintings and vibrant mosaics of trees—very unique. He can also make Benvenuti plaques or “Casa di ______” plaques and awesome lava tables. We love his scenes of Etna too. He closes during riposo, so go early (10-1) or after 4 p.m. He speaks fairly good English as well.

We also like D’Agata. They sell “professional” titles, which make excellent gifts. Check out the dentist and muscian titles we included. They have several different professions all written in Italian. They have a rustic look which we like. It’s located at 120 Corso Umberto. These are a little pricy (between 50-85 euro), but we’ve never seen them anywhere else.

The restaurants in the center of the square are pricy and not that good. Gran Duca is good food, and they have high chairs. We like it for lunch on a weekday. There's a beautiful view. If you go on a weekend, be prepared to wait unless you call ahead and make a reservation. There’s another good restaurant called Piazza Taormina right near the piazza. The name is on a brown sign. You have to go down a few steps (which can be a hassle with a stroller, but totally do-able). It has a great view of the water, and they love kids. They also have A.C. in the summer so you can sit inside. If you ask, they will bring you pasta right away for the baby, and our kids have been known to finish the entire plate by themselves.

Fresh Pasta in Catania



Okay, so we usually spend 2-3 hours every single day making fresh pasta from scratch. But, on those rare days when we don't have time to make our own daily dough, we like to buy fresh pasta from Raviol D'Oro. Located across from the train station, there's a small store front where you'll find a local Sicilian woman and her son working almost every day making fresh pasta. Get it? They make it; you cook it. So simple. They may close during riposo, so go morning or late afternoon. Of course, you can head to the market when you are done to get some fresh veggies and fruit. Pour yourself a glass of vino, invite friends over, and let them think you've been preparing for days. Shhh...we won't tell....

Raviol D'Oro (sign is white and says in red writing Pasta Fresca)
Via VI Aprile 63/69
095-531-888

McItaly


The McItaly is a very controversial burger. If you go to Micky D's in Etnapolis, you will notice all the employees wearing a green shirt promoting the new burger. Italy is the country that brought us risotto, tiramisu, and pizza--and now this? Can the country that prides itself on local produce and slow cooking whip up a new McDonald's menu item?

Luca Zaia, Berlusconi's Agriculture Minister, said "this burger has great ambitions." This is not your ordinary burger - it has artichoke spread, Asiago cheese, and lettuce, Italian olive oil, onion and smoked pancetta. Over at The Guardian's Word of Mouth foodblog, Matthew Fort has called the burgers a "monstrous act of national betrayal." However, some claim it will add $3.6 million to the Italian economy because it uses all local produce.

We decided to check it out although we prefer eating a Rossopomodoro when we head to the mall. As usual, McDonald's was packed. My husband ordered the burger and felt that the meat did taste "more natural." He removed the pancetta since it was "slimy" and not "crunchy" and thought the bun "overwhlemed" the burger. Check out the video for more info.

Readers, what do you think?

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Cefalu Who-hoo



Grab your towel and beach bag (or in our case this weekend, an umbrella). We love Cefalu, a charming medieval town with a beautiful Duomo and sandy beach near the Tyrrhenian Sea. Towering above the Duomo, there’s a huge crag called the Rocca, which you can hike. In the summer, it is super crowded, so you may want to try going in spring. Cefalu has it all: great seafood, beautiful beaches, and unique shops. Of course, it’s not only a place for tourists. You can stroll the town and still see daily life: women hanging out their clothes to dry, old men talking in the park, and all the Italians taking the passeggiata, their nightly stroll.

There’s a Lavatorio, an ancient washhouse that is worth seeing. Our favorite pottery store is filadelfio, which is near the port. (They have a sore in Santo Stefano too). There’s a small park that opens after 9:30, but it’s small. The beach (especially by the Sea Palace) is the best bet with or without kids.

Where ever you stay, you will love it. Of course, it makes a great day trip. It’s near Le Madonie, a golf course, and it’s near Santo Stefano if you want fabulous ceramics, roof tiles, and lava tables.


From 9:30-13:00 and 16:30-05:00, the center is closed for traffic. You can park your car for free near the Sea Palace until April on the street. After April, you'll need to pay.

For free parking: at the beginning of Cefalù, you see on the right an AGIP gas station and on the left Bar/Hotel St. Lucia, turn directly to the right. Follow the road, direction Messina (2km). At the cross you turn right, again direction Messina. After 50m at the Pizzeria Girotondo turn right, direction Hotel Pescatore. Follow the road to the left and continue the road. When you come to Hotel Pescatore (on your right), turn left direction PORTO. Please park your car down at the PORTO (harbor).

For paid parking: enter the town and follow the national road. Pass the railway cross and follow the road (Via Roma). After 1km you come to a cross where you see an Esso gas station, here you turn completely left and drive back the Via Roma. After 100m turn right at the cross go straight ahead. At the end of the road turn left and park your car at the parking next to Hotel Riva del Sole.

We’ve stayed at the Sea Palace, Hotel Alberi Del Paradiso, and rented an apartment.

The Sea Palace has modern décor, a great pool, and is steps (literally) away from the beach. We liked staying here with kids because it was easy: near the beach, large rooms, and a great breakfast. Plus, there’s parking. It’s about a 7-10 min. walk to town, but you’ll walk over wide streets. Right next store, it the Hotel Riva Sole, which is also right near the beach.


Alberi is simply lovely with splendid views. It has a great pool, massage therapist who will come to your room, and great breakfast. It’s not in the center of town, so you’ll need to walk (15-20 min) or take a shuttle. This can be a pro or con. The staff is friendly, which can be unusual here. Make sure you use your GPS; the hotel can be a little hard to find without it.

We rented an apartment too (B&B Palazzo Villelmi). This is a great option for kids too. The pros: we all got separate rooms (which is a plus with a baby in a crib). We were able to make our own breakfast and keep milk in the frig. We had some room to play, and we were literally steps away from the Duomo. The cons—it was up 4-floor walkup. We did leave our stroller down below which made it a little easier. You walk out and wha-la you are in the center of town. During the summer, it would probably be louder, but off-season it was a good choice.