Chaos never tasted so good.

The Catania Market is a place I love to go by myself on Saturday mornings, although this crazy shopping extravaganza is held in downtown Catania daily. At the market I can buy the freshest spices and herbs, vegetables, fruit, bread....basically, you name it, and if it's in season, it'll be at the market and it'll be great. There are two sections of the Catania market, one for food and another full of clothes (really cheap) and housewares, but my favorite thing to do is to buy my produce for the next few days, then find a seller with super fresh fish. Usually he'll have the entire fish cut in half and laying on a bed of packed ice. I tell him how many filets I want--the best fish to get at the market, or in Sicily in general, is swordfish--and he butchers the fish for me right there. You can't beat it.
It's a chaotic place, with people screaming at you to buy their apples, shirts, squid...but it's an unbelievable experience that I haven't found outside of unique Catania.

A Day at Gambino

Gambino Winery is a popular Sicilian winery located very high up on Mount Etna and at the end of a treacherous drive, but the food, service, and views are worth it. Marie, Ian, Nick and I went for a leisurely (and huge) Sunday lunch and wine tasting with our friends Trent, Coleen, Currier, Rob, and Gwyn. We had called ahead (which I recommend doing) to ensure a full meal, and we got just what we asked for, plus the added bonus of being the only ones on their terrace that day. We enjoyed a massive antipasti platter with our first two wines, then moved on to a Maccharoni alla norma course, which consists of a long and straight homemade noodle, fried eggplant, and tomatoes--probably the most popular (and tasty) dish in Sicily. We finished the pasta as we moved onto red wines and then began our next course, a mixed grill of Italian sausage and the best pork chop I've ever had. Dessert was a heaping bowl of fresh cherries and a nero d'avola--Gambino Cantari--that Nick and I purchased a case of.

Gambino's wine selection has grown over the past few years, but probably won't really mature and be great for another few. However, a visit to Gambino is the perfect way to spend an lazy Sunday afternoon. ~B

Stair Masters

The nearby hilltop town of Caltagirone is most famous for two things: their boldly decorated ceramics and their "Scalazza," or gigantic stairs. I went to the lighting of the Scalazza with my friends Allison and Jennifer during Caltagirone's festival of their patron saint, the Festa di San Giacomo. It's the only time the Scalazza is illuminated other than Christmas, when a "Natale"-themed design is illuminated along the ginormous stairs.

The design is made of of multi-colored rice-paper luminaries and draws both locals and tourists from all over the island. It was very impressive!

Before the lighting we browsed around the countless ceramics shops and I bought Christmas tree ornaments painted in the signature Caltagirone style.

Etna is an angry lady

Mt. Etna erupted a few weeks ago, and it was one of the most fantastic things I've ever seen. Naturally, we had to get as close to the lava as possible, so we drove with our friend Lenny about 20 minutes up the south side of Etna from our apartment and parked the car. Then, we hiked up from there, on what we thought was going to be about a 25-minute hike, but an hour later, as we climbed over dunes of volcanic ash and the "trail" disappeared, we realized we were wrong. In any case, after about 75 minutes of straight uphill climb, we were about as close as we were going to get without getting covered in spores from Etna's prickly bushes growing in the rock. We found some Italian picnickers (because, again, naturally, the thing to do when a volcano erupts is to have a picnic on it) and sat down beside them to enjoy a bottle of one of our favorite Sicilian wines that we'd brought along for the occasion, Planeta Segreta. It's a Nero D'Avola/Syrah blend that goes down easy, especially at high altitudes.

These pics aren't great, but it's the best we could do at 1am at 12,000 ft.

Consuming Capri

Nick here, while Becca is more of the regaler of family fun and the updater of our infamous exploits, we are HUGE foodies and after hearing so many horror stories about disappointing dinners, I decided to take disappointment out of the equation. How does one do that, you must be asking. RESEARCH. Twenty minutes of your time spent on the absolutely essential Chowhound.com will assure you find a delectable meal in your price range. Chowhound is user-driven and contains none of the high falutin' drivel found in your typical NY Times or Frommers review.
With introductions out of the way, I must tell you about our best dining experience on the isle of Capri. Marie, Ian, Rebecca and I ate in a gorgeous restaurant set in an Italian lemon grove on Marina Grande called Da Paolino. Reservations are absolutely essential as we ate on a Wednesday night and it was packed. Beautiful setting and a really beautiful crowd. From what I read on Chowhound, it is not uncommon to see a celebrity or two, if that's really your bag. It certainly is Becca's. Sadly, we didn't see any celebs but the service there was something to be celebrated indeed. European service, if you haven't already discovered, is very hands off. In fact sometimes one is left wondering if restaurants in Europe even employ waiters. This couldn't be farther from the truth at Da Paolino. All of the waiters are highly knowledgable and highly attentive older gentlemen who will not hesitate to point you in the right direction concerning food and wine. Our waiter suggested we all try the antipasta buffet (we normally HATE buffets) and Marie, Ian and Rebecca all took his advice and returned to the table in minutes will all kinds of mouthwatering delights like eggplant quiche, marinated mushrooms and peppers, buffalo mozzarella, the list (unlike my memory) is endless.
I was truly vexed over my entree decision and once again our handy waiter (name of course forgotten) came to the rescue. I wasn't sure if I wanted the veal or the lamb chop. The waiter shook his head, looked me square in the eye and said, "Definitely the vitello, signore." And of course, the man was right. All of the entrees were incredible, especially Becca's pasta with zucchini flowers. The selection of vino was wide ranging, organized by region (as all lists should be) and included choices from France, Italy, South America, Africa, and the States. We started with a Sicilian wine we know and love called Planeta Segreta and later indulged in a Montepulciano from the North. They were both incredible.
Any dining experience can easily be soured by a less than savory dessert. Da Paolino did not disappoint. They have a desert buffet that is absoultely immense. Chocolates and fruits generally pervade and at this point the wine had already started to fog our collective memory of the specifics. What I will never forget is the best limoncello I have had anywhere in my life. Of course it is homemade and of course it was breathtakingly delicious. We had two more rounds. Surprised? Overall, I would say that Da Paolino is the third best restaurant I've eaten at in Italy. Intrigued to know the other two? You'll have to tune in for our next installment.

Ciao for now,

Nick

This is Becca enjoying a sampler from the dessert buffet at Da Paolino.

At the Grotto

Finally we arrived at the Blue Grotto--a place unlike anywhere I've ever seen. Our gondolier was singing and the acoustics were beautiful. Inside the Grotto Azzuro (as it's known in Capri), we saw a small landing area at the edge of what looked like a cave. This was apparently the private entrance of Tiberius, whose castle sits on the cliff about 400 yards directly above us. Fascinating, si? Aside from visiting the Grotto, the boat ride was fab because we saw all kinds of lidos and restaurants built right into the rock above the water. There are also some incredibly constructed houses along the cliffs that blend right into the rock and flowers. Our 'captain' also stopped the boat for us a few times to take a dip in the water, however, I stayed closer to the boat than Marie did (and she was chided by the captain), because we were in very deep water and Marie and Todd forced me to watch too many gruesome scenes from Jaws when I was merely a toddler.

Take us to the Grotto!

Ian & Marie came home with me to Sicily, where we re-united with Nick and headed up the boot to the breathtaking Amalfi Coast. After a short ferry ride, we were on the exotic Isle of Capri. Here we are taking an unforgettable boat ride around the island. I think our faces hurt from contant smiling.

The Condrons do Dublin

To celebrate Dad's 60th birthday, the Condrons met in Dublin for the tail end of Dad and Todd's golfing adventure through southern Ireland. We toured Trinity College, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and a few amazing shopping districts. Most importantly our hotel was right across the street from Temple Bar, a bustling restaurant and nightlife district. Tom knows his stuff when it comes to the nighttime hot spots. Thanks for being the hippest, Dad! Todd and I met a likely distant cousin from County Cork and Marie discovered her penchant for Jameson Whiskey. The only thing missing from the trip was Nick, who was still in Sicily, gearing up for our Amalfi Extravaganza. In this pic, we're at the Ian-and-Marie-recommended Roly's Restraurant celebrating the birthdays of both Dad and Marie. It was an amazing dinner. Go there when you're in Dublin. I recommend the sea bass. ~B

Bienvenuti!

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