Last Day in Mazara

The last day in Mazara was (appropriately) spent at the beach, Lido Maracaná.  We arrived around 2:00 pm, just in time for lunch.  Here I am, face to face with my final pizza for the trip, fulfilling my allotment for the entire 2014, and at least 3/4 of 2015.

With scamorza (smoked mozzarella), mozzarella, tomato, salame and mushrooms, it was a good pie for sure, but I think I had finally had my fill of pizza.  Honestly, I'm not sure how these guys do it.  Well, I suppose one way is going "halfsies," as Giorgio can be seen with his portion below.

Or, maybe it is a question of switching things up.  As I was digging in to my final pie, Claudia sent me this selfie of her lunch - gelato inside of a brioche, a typical Sicilian treat....or in this case, lunch!

After lunch, it was a bit of beach time, some volleyball, a dip or two in the sea, then away we go on the Vespa, to shower and change for the final evening of the trip.  Safety first in Mazara!

For the last supper, what better spot to go than Drikky's, the famed pizza place in one of the main squares.  But, honestly, by this point, I really couldn't look another pizza in the eye, something I never imagined could happen.  

Little did I know beforehand, but my non-pizza order would create quite the controversy.  Instead of pizza, I opted for spaghetti a la carbonara; fresh pasta with pancetta and eggs.  Something I wouldn't typically order, but I thought might be good to change things up. 

My order was met with collective sighs by my dining companions, and a look of "this is not possible, you silly American" from our server.  

The controversy lied in the notion that it was a pizza place, and they weren't prepared to make multiple pastas. My order would allegedly slow the kitchen to a screeching halt.  Wow, just for a little pasta...sheesh.

My dining companions were momentarily pacified by this plate of fried potatoes, croquettes and olives (also fried), in which they buried their disbelief, while awaiting our entrees.  I had a few bites.

After a short time, dinner was served.  But only mine!  My pasta arrived within ten minutes, and I was advised to eat.  Everyone else's orders took twenty minutes or so longer, so by the time they were served, I was already done.

Was the spaghetti a la carbonara good?  Yes?  Was the pasta fresh?  Very?  Was it as heavy as it looks?  Without a doubt.  Was it worth all of the hassle?  Maybe not.  Do I like asking myself questions and then answering them?  Like a boss.

After dinner, it was over to Cult, the main bar in the center with live music - a very good all girl band, covering American pop tunes from the 80s - 00s.

It was too early to head to Batita (the disco), so we hung around Cult and chatted until around 2:00 am, maybe a bit before.  I took this opportunity for one last photo with my gracious hosts, Fran and Claudia.

Then, it was on to Batita, but I think that all of us were pretty tired by that point, even these seemingly irrepressible Italians.  And plus, my stomach was a bit queasy from the carbonara.  I definitely learned my lesson!!

We hung around Batita until just before closing at 4:00 am.  Then, it was home for bed and a 12:30 pm ride to the airport the next day.

Fran and Claudia came to say goodbye, and just like that, another great summer vacation in Mazara was in the books.  During the trip, a group of us had been chatting and coordinating meeting up via What's App.  On my way to the airport, I thought it appropriate to send a little note to the group in my "best" Italian, which still has a long way to go.  

My text was immediately met with warm responses from all of my hosts during the trip.  It was a really nice feeling to be a part of this great group for a little over a week.  Nicola, a friend from my Bologna days, who now lives in Mazara year round, and works in the government, granted me Mazarese citizenship via text.    His plan is to be mayor within five years, so there may be some legitimacy to this :).  

All in all, a wonderful vacation with a great group of guys and girls.  I will visit again, and look forward to being a host to many of them in San Francisco.

Thanks for joining me on this trip, ragazzi, it has been a fun one!  And so, until next time, arrivederci!!

Dopo giorno (The Day After...Feragosto)

The day after Feragosto is one that is best spent recovering.  Franceco picked me up on the Vespa, and we headed to Lido la Playa, the lido we had frequented the previous year, but this time just for lunch.

So many good things on the menu, including pasta with squid ink and various other seafood pasta dishes.  Francesco opted for the Tarantina, fresh busiata pasta with mussels and "mollica" breadcrumbs.

I think he was a bit disappointed when I went for the pasta a la norma, just a plain pasta with tomato sauce, eggplant and pecorino.  Yes, just a plain pasta, but the fresh made busiata noodles, homemade tomato sauce and other fresh ingredients made it delicious.

After lunch, it was back to Lido Maracaná for some beach time, and even a game of beach volleyball.  Clearly, we didn't bring our "A" game, as we ended up getting beaten handily by a group of teenage girls.

The day started late, and before we knew it, the sun was setting, a beautiful sight to behold from the beach in Mazara.

For dinner, Fran had heard from a friend that this spot on the beach, Buxutu (actually a Greek name), had excellent pasta with sea urchin.

The dinner crew that evening included me, Fran and Claudia, Simona (Fran's sister) and Giorgio.  We were off to a good start with the antipasto plate which contained various types of marinated seafood; tuna, stuffed calamari, anchovies and...."razza" (skate).  We don't eat a lot of skate in the US, but I have to say, it was pretty good.  Light and delicate, absorbing the vinegar in which it was marinated.

All were waiting in anticipation of the pasta with sea urchin, as ricci were scarce this season, and it was a treat to be able to find a place that served them.

I actually thought that the pasta was quite good - al dente, and tasty with little bits of sea urchin and parsley.  My dining companions however were not so pleased.  Evidently, compared to other locales, Buxutu was quite frugal with the ricci, and the price to value ratio was way out of whack.  Admittedly, the portions weren't huge, but I had been doing my fair share of eating all week, so, no complaints.

Dinner finished up with a nice caffe.  Here are a few glamor shots of the ristretto (short pull) - black with a nice crema, good viscosity, notes of berry yet not overly tannic.  A winner!

Yeah, I posted three pics of an espresso shot.  Sue me ;).

Following dinner, we headed to the city center to have a drink and see if anyone was around.  For once, by 2:00 am or so, one the main squares was completely empty!  Feragosto 1, Mazareses 0.  And so, we were home by a reasonable hour, me in anticipation of my last day in Mazara.

Arriveder-mi-luggage!

8:40 am came fast, and before I knew it, Vicenzo and I, and three other passengers were making the hour drive back to the Palermo airport.

Upon arriving, I went through security, downstairs and sorted through the several hundred of pieces of luggage that had been misplaced and left for their owners out near baggage claim.  No luck.

So, I visited the lost and found, and chatted with the poor worker who had been left there with only one other person to work 18 hours a day to handle this huge mess. Since no flights were arriving in the morning, the line wasn't long, and he as able to take me to a storage room where he thought they might have my bag.  No luck.

But, there was one more room with a few bags, and wouldn't you know it, mine was right there in front!  What a journey it had been (literally, who knows where that bag had traveled!).  I was happy to have my bag, and couldn't resist this "smelfie," (photo you take after six days of the same clothes).

Okay, in business!  Now, it was back to Mazara for a change of clothes and then straight to the beach for some sun and beach volleyball.

Following an afternoon at Lido Maracaná (our spot for the summer), it was over to the local bakery for a snack of arancine and a slice of pizza

Then it was time to get ready for the Feragosto party.  If last year was any indication, it was going to be a late night, even by Italian standards.

For this year's Feragosto, we were headed to a private house near the Tonnarella; not far from where we had been spending our days at the beach.

On the menu for the evening was some bruschetta and grilled vegetables, and a mixed grill of sausages, chicken and ribs.  All American....minus the barbecue sauce (which is in fact consumed here in Sicily, only on a panino, as opposed to on grilled meats).  Francesco can be seen below, showing off his knife skills.

This year's party was fun, but definitely proved a bit more mellow than last year's bacchanal.  Which is probably good, considering I was nearly running on fumes, though not totally redlining.  Below is a shot of a few of us, not afraid to show our excitement for the feast to come and for the holiday itself.

The grilled veggies and meat turned out great, and we had just the right amount of food.  Fran had been worried that there wouldn't be enough, but there was even plenty left for a late night snack and some leftovers for the hosts.

Fortunately for this little one, Maia, shown below, the party guests were feeling generous, or maybe just a bit clumsy, as lots and lots of scraps hit the ground.  Maia was careful to make sure that the three second rule didn't even come into question, and duly fulfilled her role of chief janitor and scrap collector.  In this pic, she is seen in repose, perhaps stunned after an entire evening of human food.

To round out the evening and the Feragosto holiday, we made quick work of some delicious sorbetto di limone.  Nicola can be seen here, circa 4:00 am, enjoying this treat.  The sorbetto here is light and creamy, not to sweet, and just right after an evening of barbecue.

At about 4:45 am, it was time to head home, and that we did.  In bed by 5:15, I was fast asleep for another day of beaching and eating lay ahead.

Last Day in Ustica

For our final day in Ustica, the agenda included returning to a few of the natural salt pools not far from our hotel.  Here we  are above, walking down the hill - not shown are my completely desecrated and salt destroyed loafers...the only shoes I've had for the trip!

All along the hillside, there are wild garlic plants, and of course, I had to pick a few and open them up to try.  The raw garlic wasn't too strong; actually a bit sweet.  After I tried it, Maso, a doctor, said it was a bad idea and that the wild plant wasn't for eating.  Wish I had known before, but am happy to say that I survived.

In addition to the natural pools, we were also in search of an alleged "grotta segreta," or hidden grotto, that Antonio, our friendly van driver had told us about.  Water deprived and worn out, our crew proved resilient, and we located the grotta segreta.  If the grottos on the first day were like Pirates of the Carribean, the grotta segreta was more like from a scene out of Goonies, but minus the "boody traps."

We had a nice swim, and then it was back up the volcanic rocks to head over to the pools.  I opted to stay out of the water this time, in favor of a coffee with a few of the guys.

After hanging out for a bit, it was time for this motley crew to have some lunch, which on this day was a simple panino from a truck parked at the top of the hill.

Then, it was down to the port to catch our boat back to Palermo.  Here's a photo of the group at the dock, awaiting our ferry ride back.

The ride to Palermo was only a few hours, and I slept the whole way.  We had an hour or so to kill before our bus left for Mazara, so we went to a spot called Cibus, suggested by one of the guys in our group who lived in Palermo.  At Cibus, you choose your food from a deli case, and I definitely went crazy because everything just looked so good! Octopus, clams, shrimp and little fried fish, plus some chicken and eggplant caponatina (with tomato sauce and capers), it was a veritable feast!

Then, it was about 9:30 pm and time to catch the bus to Mazara.  About an hour and a half later, we were back in Mazara. Fran and I decided that we weren't tired, and to head to the city center for a beer.  Claudia met us, and at 1:00 am, the place was teeming with people.  This is the height of summer in Sicily, and one day before Feragosto, the August holiday.

At 3:00 am, we decided it was time to go home.  After all, I was heading back to Palermo at 8:40 am to "hopefully" pick up my luggage from the airport.  And so, Fran and I dropped Claudia off, but on the way back home, decided it would be a good idea to check out Batita, the big outdoor disco in Mazara, because, well, it was summer and you know, everyone was going to be there.

As it turns out, everyone was there.  Or at least it seemed that way.  The place was jammed, and we ran into Pippo, a good friend of Francesco, whom I had met last year in Mazara.  The photo captured a good one of the three of us, that has since been digitally immortalized on the Batita Facebook page.

By 4:00 am or so, it was time to head back for a brief snooze before heading out to the airport in the morning to check on my bag.

Una buona grigliata

For night two in Ustica, dinner plans included pesce grigliata (grilled fish) of various types.  As the sun set over the Meditteranean, the guys and gals had a few beers, while I caught up on a few more zzzzs before heading out.

Pretty much all of the dining that I have seen or been a part of this trip is out outdoors, and, when it is 75 degrees out at dinner time (11:00 pm or so), it's really quite nice to dine al fresco.

Federica, Fabrizio's girlfriend had done some research and found this place for us, and let me tell you, it was a gem.  We started with some antipasti of calamari fritti and grilled primo sale cheese.  Primo sale means first salt, and Francesco explained to me that the name is because the cheese is made by layering salt on top of it when it is raw.  If multiple layers are added, it becomes pecorino, a hard, salty cheese used to top pastas.  Anyway, it was delicious and the calamari was very lightly dusted in flour and fried - not heavy and thick like you might find at TGIFridays.

Fabrizio, one of the guys on the trip, knew I appreciated all of the food, and took me over to the grill to see what was happening with our entrees.  Really, it was pretty simple, but looked great!  Just swordfish with a little bit of salt on the grill.

Before long, dinner was ready, and out came the family style plates of grilled swordfish and calamari, and gamberi - shrimp of various sizes.

There wasn't a lot of talking during our meal (and this is rare in Italy!), as we all chowed down on the delicious feast.  After dinner, the owner came by to see if we wanted to buy some t-shirts from the restaurant for five euro.  Since I had been wearing the same two or three shirts for the whole trip, I was excited to add a new one to the wardrobe, and five euro seemed like a bargain.

Above, Fabrizio and I can be seen modeling our new tees, and below is a pic of dessert - lemon sorbetto with vodka.  Light, lemony and simply delicious!

After dinner, it was only about 12:30 am, so of course, we had to see what was going on.  Believe it or not, on the small island of Ustica, there was a huge disco. After some unsuccessful negotiating by Fabrizio for a group discount, we paid the seven euro cover only to find a large, empty dance floor.

As it turns out, we were just early.  By 2:00 am, the place filled up a bit.  But, we called it an early night and by 3:30 am, headed back to our bungalows at Spalmatore to rest up for our last day on the island.