Torretta and Pozzitello

It is hard to say when today began and yesterday ended, since it was 6:00 am by the time I went to sleep.

I shut my eyes and what seemed like ten minutes later (in reality it was 2:30 pm), Franceco was banging on the door "Come on man, let's go."

We were already late for lunch at his parents' house.  Cruising over on the Vespa, we were greeted by his parents.  His aunt and uncle and sister also joined.

The primo piatto (first course) was linguine with a Sicilian pesto, which is red and made with almonds, as opposed to the Genovese pesto which is green and with pine nuts.  The pasta is served al dente with some freshly grated ricotta salata on top.

Our second course was a trio of grilled "maiale," or pork, including pancetta, chop and sausage.  And on the side, it was a make your own bruschetta with some ripe tomatoes, garlic and basil.  Everything is prepared with simple ingredients, just a touch of rosemary from the garden to garnish the meat.

This was accompanied by a nice bottle of Montepulciano, and a simple dessert of "angurie," sliced watermelon which are grown here in Mazara.

This guy here, Oliver, was begging for bite, but it was so good I just couldn't let him have any of my lunch.  Sorry bud!

After lunch, we hopped on the Vespa and headed out to another beach in a place called Pozzitello, but not before stopping in a small beach town called Torretta for a quick coffee and photo opp.  I would say that the view doesn't suck.

Pozzitello is very windy, and evidently one of the top places in Italy for kite surfing.  We watched the kite surfers and hung out on the beach for a few hours.  Everyone was still pretty tired from the night before, Francesco's friend Pippo with a few small bruises to show from his spill during our late night impromptu basketball game (No no no!  Not in my house!!).

Around 7:00 pm, it was time to head out.  On the way back, we all stopped in Torreta again.  Many of the group had not eaten, and opted for the typical Sicilian summer "colazione," or breakfast, of lemon granita and brioche.  I went with another coffee, and got some help translating this phrase from Napoleon, extolling the beauty and benefits of strong coffee.  I'm right there with you little buddy.

Here's a shot of me, Ciccio (Francesco) and Pippo (Giussepe), who didn't seem to harbor any bad feelings about his fall :).

And now, ragazzi, while I should have been napping, I am going to take ten minutes and shower, because Franceco will be back in a few to pick me up and we will head out for the evening.  I am guessing it may be an early one...you know, back by 3:30 or 4:00 type of early.  Ciao for now!