Sicily 5: Wine-tasting and Wet

Tags

Cavanera, cuddura ccu l'ova, DH Lawrence, di Lampedusa, Edoné, Etna, Etna Bianco, Etna Rosso, Favinia, Firriato, Francesca Marchese, Gaudensius, Geoff Andrews, Salvatore Romano, Sicily, The Leopard

Sicily 5: Wine-tasting and Wet. From Etna, we were taken not very far to the Firriato winery, where we met up once more with Salvatore Romano and his Swiss wife, Karin.  They had joined us for our very first evening meal at Edoné, and they will figure large in the next post.Here we had lunch. We started by just soaking bread in the most heavenly olive oil you can imagine, accompanied by a little salad, and the first of the wines.

Geoff, Natalie, Salvatore and Karin

Next came this assortment of cheeses and meats, accompanied by white, then red, versions of this wine.

I failed to get a photo of the sweet, but it was accompanied by a very nice sweet wine.We were shown around the winery, and given the opportunity to buy their products.  Reluctant to weigh my suitcase down too much, I didn’t purchase anything here, as I planned to buy some amaro before the stay was over.

On just a few more kilometres, and we made a short diversion to a Byzantine basilica, about which nothing appears to be known.

View from the basilica

The programme was light for the next day, Easter Sunday, just a morning discussion around D H Lawrence in Sicily and Di Lampedusa’s ‘The Leopard’ (which I had actually re-read before leaving home).

Isobel, Alec, Geoff, Emma and Francesca on the patio

Francesca at what I believe to be her favourite activity – taking pictures of people

Sunday lunch included these traditional Easter cakes or biscuits, cuddura ccu l’ova.  Those are indeed whole boiled eggs.

Nothing was programmed for the afternoon. Just as well, as there was a torrential thunderstorm, trapping Francesca’s parents, who had arrived in the early afternoon to take their daughter out for a couple of hours.   Living in London, Francesca had not seen them for a while, and was looking forward to catching up with them.

(Just as well for me as well. I was developing a sore throat.)

All three people eventually escaped and the day cleared up.

Tomorrow: Food – seen a lot already? You ain’t seen nuttin’ yet!