Here We Go!

I wrote some time back that Italy is, and f’sure, one beautiful country to explore.

But also stated that we had no intention of exploring it all. I mean: How could we? There’s simply too much history; too many dishes; too much wine; and simply too many historic places to visit.

From North to South, it’s far too daunting a task. A lifetime’s worth of exploring, when we don’t have anything like a lifetime left!
So, and instead, we’d decided we simply had to concentrate on our 25,000 square kilometre (10,000 square mile) Mediterranean island. First-and-foremost anyways.
So, we decided to begin by visiting each of Sicily’s regional capitals. Sicily has nine of them, y’see, which is much less of a daunting number for the likes of us now. And, up until a few days ago, we’d visited (and stayed) in seven: Ragusa, Agrigento, Caltanissetta, Catania, Enna, Messina and Siracusa.
Which left us with just Palermo and Trapani.
And now, as I’m writing this, I’m sitting in an AirBnB right here in Palermo!
Not just another regional capital, of course, but the capital of our entire island. Let me tell you now ... it’s left quite the impression!
So much so, that I’ll be breaking it down into “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”. Now, please do remember that these impressions are ours, and ours alone. What you may find when (if) you visit, is yours may differ widely, and perhaps even wildly!
Such is life.

“The Good”

Let’s begin with “The Good”
Now here, I have to say, all these impressions will also be ‘comparisons’, of course! After all, we’ve been living in Modica for nearly six years now, and have (now) visited eight-of-nine regional capitals, so...

12th century mosaic ... what's not to love?

Anyways, we found the many monuments and historic places we visited in Palermo to be well taken care of. There is, for example, a singular lack of anything like the ‘weedy’ and/or ‘run-down’ appearance we’ve seen far too many times elsewhere on the island. The authorities here seem to realise what they’ve got, and look after them very appropriately.
A huge plus this!
And they charge a (small-ish) fee to visit most of them. At least, if you want to go inside. This I see as a ‘win’, as it ensures these sights are being actively taken care of.
The people are very friendly, as indeed we’ve found most Sicilians to be. And not just because we’re doing the ‘tourist-thing’ either.
Which f’sure is a good thing!
Then, all the main sights you’ll be wanting to visit in the “Centro Storico” (“Historic Centre”) are all within walking distance of each other, too. While some, especially in the heat of Summer, may find this a hassle, as we’re (relatively) fit, and used to walking, we had no real problems sauntering about the place.
There’s a good police presence too.
So, you should feel safe enough here. Important, given petty crime can be a problem in Palermo.
Lots of plusses!

“The Bad and The Ugly”

“The Bad” is straightforward.
Palermo, outside of its Historic Centre, is grubby! There’s rubbish strewn about and dog poop everywhere, leading to it being quite smelly in places.
Disappointing.

What stories this poor traffic cone could tell...!

In such places both the footpaths and roads are pot-holed and cracked. Not good for vehicles, worse for us on foot.
And don’t get us started on the traffic!
There’s loadsoff it. Cars beeping at anything, and scooters (petrol and electric) rushing about the place. In fact, crossing the road here is fraught with danger! Traffic wizzes by at breakneck speed, and trying to cross at a pedestrian crossing (those that haven’t faded) is when you’ll find the requirement to stop is treated more as a ‘guideline’ than any sort of ‘rule’
 We came close to a visit to A&E a few times via, especially, scooters! They’ll roar around you on a crossing, missing you by centimetres…
That’s about it for “The Bad”
“The Ugly”?
Beggars everywhere, rattling their cups at you, demanding handouts, though not with menaces, I’ll say. But damned annoying all the same! And waiters at bars and restaurants allow ‘em to hassle you directly at your table, too.
Judging by the size of most of them, they ain’t starving either!
Then there are the touters. Nearly as bad as the beggars! Them with those friggin’ three-wheel ‘Ape’ vehicles are the worst of the bunch. They f’sure don’t like taking “Nope!” for an answer!
And that’s it: Not too bad ... not really!

More Soon...

Battlin’ Bots

I’ve been fighting the good fight for months!

Not this type ... thankfully!

Battling against bad bots every single day. I’m not talking about “Skynet” here: But here, in my little corner of the ‘interwebs’, it’s been a battle of semi-epic and nearly-heroic proportions, let me tell you.
Now “Good Bots” are just that: Good. They include the likes of search engine ‘crawlers’ that index web content for results, and those customer service ‘chatbots’ we’re all familiar with.
However, “Bad Bots” are also just that: Those used for malicious purposes, and they’ve been targeting my “All Things Modica” page.
Not in any ‘buy my dubious product’ or ‘here’s a controversial political comment’ way, thank heavens! But the number of old or unused, and blatantly false, accounts either liking my posts, or worse, trying to become followers, has now reached silly amounts.
F’instance, I’ve blocked 180-plus accounts trying to follow my page in the last 60 days.
Why these ones? It’s because most were accounts that haven’t posted anything in (at least) the last two years and, in some cases not since 2019 or earlier! Or, if they have, it’s all been huge amounts of ‘re-posted’ content, from other social media accounts, with no actual comments accompanying them. Of course, some may be real, but I’m not taking the risk, not when I’ve been nurturing my page for years now, thank you very much!
The shame is, I’d reached 2,550 followers, which has now shrunk to under 2,400.
Nevertheless … the battle goes on!

Weep

You gotta laugh! Because, if you don’t, you’ll likely end up sitting in a puddle of tears of frustration.

F'sure, a handyman's fever dream

I’m talkin’ about real estate agents. And here in Modica we have some ‘prime’ examples (get it?).
Okay, the vast majority of houses for sale here are in that state that used to be called ‘a handyman’s dream’, ‘a doer-upper’ or maybe ‘just needs some TLC...’ And, of course, that’s down to them having been abandoned. Sometimes for decades.
It’s f’sure a ‘given’ here in Modica, in Sicily and, in fact, right across Italy.
Don’t get me started on ‘lazy as’ either! "Here’s our listings ... if any appeal, give us a call. Now go away..." About sums up our experience with most of ‘em, I’m afraid.
Then they’ll post images that’d make any respectable estate agent weep! I’m talking: Roofs caved in, mould on the walls, pigeon poo everywhere, weeds all over the place ... else pics of the exterior of homes only ... no internal shots at all! How are you supposed to make a decision based on that?
I only bring this up because, for shits and giggles, I still follow listings. They amuse me. Now. They surely didn’t back in the day!
Y’see, the other day. I came across a hilarious 75m² one for €80,000. For that (over)price you’ll get mouldy, peeling walls; a renovated (albeit windowless) bathroom; loadsa old furniture; and this general looks-like-a-bomb-went-off interior! Laugh? You so gotta!
Thankfully, we bought our ‘kiwi4everhome’ privately…

Drinking Culture

Living in Sicily, one of the ‘givens’ is that there’ll always be wine!
There pretty much always has been: It was being made here 6,000 years ago!

A glass of Nero d'Avola ... in Avola

Did I mention ‘cheap’? The other day I picked up a couple of very decent 2025-vintage “Nero d’Avola” examples for €3.49 each! It can be even cheaper than that too ... or way more expensive, of course, depending on your purse and requirements.
Anyways, I’m bringing this up because this is a problem.
Y’see, I’m something of a ‘binge drinker’. I know this because my grandfather was certainly an alcoholic. My father was f’sure a binge drinker.
Many years ago, a friend of mine (and recovering alcoholic) told me that admitting this was half the battle.
Now, I’m not an ‘extreme’ case. I don’t need to get piddled quickly by downing several glasses in only a few hours. However, I will (and happily!) polish off a whole bottle of rosso by myself over the course of an evening. And, I’ll admit, more, if the vino is flowing freely!
So: I do have a problem, because it’s so cheap and uber-plentiful here.
What to do then? Well, use some will power, and learn to pace yourself. That took some doing, but given my heart condition, and the fact I have a wife who’s always looking out for me, I (we) did it! So, for 10 years now, I’ve restricted myself to two bottles of red wine a week.
Which I thoroughly enjoy!

More Soon...

Where’s My Spring?

Okay, last month I whinged and whined about the weather.

But then I got all optimistic because, around the third week of February, things improved. Dramatically, too. The sun came out, and stayed out. And we basked in its Spring glory, along with the flowers popping up all about the place like the weeds many of them are.
Oh, what a fool I was!

“There’s no fool like an old fool”, and it f’sure fooled me. I mean: By this time last year my “babies” (cactuses) were all out on our terrace, fully enjoying the rebirth that is Spring here. The majority had even been given their first ‘drink’ of the year, after being denied one since October the year before.
Not this year!
I’m still hoping they can move from their Winter to Summer ‘quarters’ by the end of the first week of April! So, in a repeat of last month’s line: “It’s been quite wet, very windy, and frankly depressing here in Modica.” We’ve had rain and even hail; near-40 kph, and freezing, winds; and the overnight (and sometimes daytime) “feels like” temperatures are hovering around the 2 to 8 degrees celcius mark.
Even the locals are complaining!
In short: It’s been uber-unpleasant. The only ‘upside’ is that Daylight Savings Time kicked in on Sunday 29th March here. So, you gotta try and be somewhat optimistic.
The quote: "Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get" about sums it up at the minute...

Dread 2

Also last month, I wrote about the post-Brexit “Carta di Soggiorno Permanente” (“Permanent Residence Card”).
Which proves our right to reside here, and guarantees our rights under 2020’s “Withdrawal Agreement”.

The Questura in Ragusa

Well, we went for it this month! Gathering all the evidence required, we made an appointment with the Questura (Police HQ). And honestly, that evidence-gathering process went relatively smoothly.
We had to front up to the city council and secure a “Certificato Storico di Residenza” (“Historical Certificate of Residence”). Documents (one each) proving we’d been resident here before the 31st December 2020 cut-off date. These cost €16.00 each, with a €1.00 admin fee, but within 10 minutes of walking in, out we came with said ‘proof’ in our hands!
Next, off to the Post Office to pay a €30.46 fee (yes ... each!) for the ‘privilege’ of applying for the Carta.
Here things got somewhat ‘surreal’. First off, the PO claimed there wasn’t any such form. However, after some moments of panic, and questioning by Alice, what they meant was they didn’t have the forms because they’d run out! We got ‘em at another PO.
Passport photos were easy.
All ready now, off to the Questura. After a two-and-a-half-hour wait (despite that appointment) we were in.
Seems we owed another €16.00 each, but our application was accepted! We were given another date for our fingerprints to be taken. We turned up, but two hours later, were told the fingerprinting guy wasn’t there today! So, another appointment then.
Sigh…

“Burocrazia”

So, once again, that terror-inspiring word rears its ugly head: Burocrazia (bureaucracy)...
Now, Italy equals bureaucracy, and there’s no gettin’ round it. You’ve just been given a prime example: All those forms, tax and admin fees, that queuing and, most of all, the amount of time it takes to get just about anything done around here could break anyone.
Please don’t get me started on the “It’s not what you know...” thing that permeates the entire system here. I know of at least one Brit who managed to sail through the whole process by “Knowing someone at the Questura”.

Every cloud has one, apparently...

But then, just sometimes, the stars align and it’s us on the receiving end of some good fortune.
This happened the other day, when we needed to renew our prescriptions with our pharmacy. A mundane bureaucratic task we’ve come to expect, and accept, here.
It was most unfortunate then that our doctor’s receptionist informed us the local health board had cancelled our health cards, so we could no longer get prescriptions and, worse still, couldn’t see our doctor anymore!
So off we trotted, in some haste, down to the health board. Now, we’ve actively ‘cultivated’ a friendship with the two ladies responsible for our health cards over the last five years, and this f’sure paid off! Because, within minutes, we were reinstalled on the system. Apparently, all a misunderstanding due to some newly-introduced process.
Talk about relieved! Okay, I’ll so admit it, sometimes it is “Who you know…”
Happy now?

More Soon...

Sad Not SAD

Post-Cyclone Harry, the weather’s been terrible!

I mean: It’s been quite wet, very windy, and frankly depressing here in Modica.
Don’t get me wrong though: It’s not like we’ve been suffering from anything like “Seasonal Affective Disorder” (SAD), that type of seasonal depression people do suffer through. Y’know, typically beginning in the colder months and due to reduced sunlight and stuff?
It’s just that we didn’t expect it to be this bad. Even though we absolutely did, and of course! It is Winter here in the Northern Hemisphere, after all.
Y’see, you remain optimistic, and come to ‘expect’ endless sunshine and those clear azure skies, especially when you live on an island in the Mediterranean. You’ve seen the postcards, and know what I mean.

But then, a ‘miracle’ happened!
Albeit an entirely expected one. Around the third week of this month, things improved. I’m talking dramatically improved. The sun came out, and stayed out. All day, too!
Okay, it’s certainly still very crisp in the mornings and overnight, with the “feels like” temperatures hovering around the 6 to 8 degrees celcius mark, but still…
And no one f’sure told those uber-early Spring flowers not to come out. So, they have! Which is the icing on the (Sicilian) cake here. How can you be sad (not SAD) when that happens?
The long and short of it is: You can’t!
Still have to ask: “Mr. Blue Sky, please tell us why, you had to hide away for so long?”

Dread

Back in 2019, the “Withdrawal Agreement” was signed between the UK and the EU.

Well, that didn't happen, now did it?

This agreement legally established the terms of the UK’s ‘divorce’ from the EU. Especially, most importantly for us, it finalised the rules around guaranteeing British passport holder’s rights if they were resident in the EU prior to the end of the transition period, which was on the 31st December 2020.
Anyways, this agreement allowed us to receive the new post-Brexit “Carta di Soggiorno” (“Residence Card” or “CdS”), which could be obtained from your nearest Questura (Police HQ) and, while not obligatory then, it was very useful. Especially for easily establishing your right to reside here, and for international travel.
Back in the day, we didn’t feel the urge to get one immediately, as any new process here was bound to result in … difficulties. That’s because, of course, Italy is a byword for burocrazia (bureaucracy) come confusion, and the CdS absolutely proved no exception.
I mean: Some Questure hadn’t heard of it; others made up a process; and some simply chose to ignore it altogether! Very few got it right, and not just here, but from one end of Italy to the other.
I won’t bore you with the details, but it took us months to get ours! And, when we did, they’d been backdated to March 2021.
Why bring this up? We need 10-year cards now, as our current ones expire in March 2026.
So: “Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more...”

Saturation

We’ve reached the same point we did back in the UK.
That is: We’ve been everywhere worth a visit within an hour’s drive of where we’re living. As said, this happened when we were living in Hornchurch in London, and it’s happened here in Modica, too!
This was inevitable, of course, given we have a car and do like to get out and explore the surrounding area, and that’s been wherever we’ve been living.
So, what to do now then, you may well ask? Well, the short answer would be to revisit those places we thoroughly enjoyed visiting the first time around. Y’know: Pretty and interesting villages and towns; historic monuments; the countryside, parks, and seashore; and about everything in between.
And we’ve been doing just that!

However, we’ve now reached ‘saturation’, I’m afraid. We’ve been there, done that, and worn out the tee-shirt!
Okay, there is so much more to explore on this island of over 25,000 square kilometres (near 10,000 square miles). Sicily is, after all, the largest island in the Mediterranean.
Really, it’s because I’m not a big fan of long(er) drives. Something that does frustrate Alice. It’s not that we’ve not driven for way longer, we have, but I don’t really like it, y’see. I entirely acknowledge this is a throwback to my childhood, as I suffered (badly) from car-sickness, and I guess I’ve never gotten over that.
Deep-seated psychological problems aside, I’ll just have to take my own advice … and grow a pair!

More Soon...

Harry

The big news here at the minute, and for the foreseeable future, is “Cyclone Harry.”

It hit (especially) the east side of Sicily with terrible ferocity on the 20th and especially 21st January.
And I do mean “terrible ferocity”: I’m talking massive waves of up to 10 metres slamming the coast; howling gales; heavy and persistent rain; and even up to two metres of snow in places on Mount Etna!

We escaped lightly...

F’sure Cyclone Harry’s passage across the Mediterranean has left a massive toll. Damaging already-strained infrastructure, disrupting agricultural and other production, isolating entire areas, and leaving many seaside communities struggling.
Described as an ‘outsized’ and ‘once-in-a-hundred-year’ event, due to its intensity and duration, it particularly affected the islands of Sicily and Sardinia, and Calabria on the mainland.
According to preliminary estimates and analysis, the economic damage is uber-significant: Estimated to be around one billion euros in Sicily; half a billion in Sardinia; and somewhere between €300 to €500 million in Calabria. These figures represent essential infrastructure repairs (roads, rail, ports, and electrical and water networks), as well as the restarting of economic activities, which will likely remain closed for weeks or perhaps months.
I fear many will never reopen.
We here in inland Modica escaped ‘lightly’: High-ish winds and somewhat heavy rain. Some flooding and low-level disruptions only. However, we still can’t drink the tap water to this day!
Anyways, Ragusa province’s damage has been estimated at ‘only’ around €30 million.
So, we’ve escaped lightly … many others haven’t, unfortunately…

What’s the Fuss All About?

“Cioccolato di Modica” (“Chocolate of Modica”), is an Italian ‘Protected Geographical Indication’ (‘PGI’) speciality chocolate.

To obtain that prestigious PGI certification, the product must be traditionally, and uniquely, associated with a specific geographical region. Also, at least one of the stages of production, processing or preparation must take place in this specified area.
Hence: “Cioccolato di Modica”!
Modican chocolate meets these stringent requirements by being manufactured locally using an ancient and original recipe. One that utilises cold processing, no added cocoa butter and, as it’s only heated to around 40° Celsius, it’s not hot enough to allow the added sugar to dissolve.
Which is why it has this way-different texture than your average block of ‘Dairy Milk’! Y’see, the finished local chocolate has this grainy, rough consistency when eaten.
But it does come in different flavours: Most bars you buy about the place have added ingredients, such as spices (i.e. cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, even chili!); ground almonds or other nuts; or grated citrus peel.
So, bitter cocoa paste (or cocoa mass); granulated or cane sugar; and (optional) flavourings.
And: That’s it! It contains no other ingredients, in particular no milk, no butter, no vegetable fat, and no emulsifiers.
All that said: Do I like it?
Well … it’s f’sure an ‘acquired taste’! Not one that I’m that in love with, I’m afraid. Some of the bars I do like: The sweeter citrus-flavoured ones are alright.
The others? Not so much, I have to say.
Sorry…

Slackers!

The Modica Bassa-based “Mercato Ortofrutticolo” (“Fruit and Vegetable Market”) was closed back in early 2024.
The number of stall-holders had decreased, which was used as a pretext to close them down.
Y’see, the comune had secured around €800,000, in non-repayable funding, from the EU’s “Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza” (“National Recovery and Resilience Plan”) fund, to convert the 75-year-old market into an “Urban Park”.
Said park would see gardens, shade trees, a children’s play area, even a basketball court.

Current state...

The comune crowing that the project would be beginning “almost immediately” (April 2024).
Why am I bringing this up? Well, I thought it’d be ‘enlightening’ to follow the work’s progress during the then-projected 18-month project.
I wrote on my “All Things Modica” page that if the “almost immediately” they claimed meant what I thought it did: Then it hadn’t! In fact, nothing much of note occurred in the almost seven weeks since that claim: Bar a fence being erected about the place and a few tiles being uplifted.
Work finally began ‘in earnest’ in Summer 2024.
However, except for concrete-laying and a roof installation, I’ve only ever seen a maximum of two men working onsite. More often only one. And days would go by with no one there at all!
Then the 18-month project was extended to 22 months (3rd February). Before the comune announcing recently it’d be completed by the 31st March!
I believe I’ve made myself (somewhat) unpopular pointing this out on social media down the months…

More Soon...

Christmas

What’s Christmas like in Modica?

For one, there’s a singular lack of over-the-top ‘bling’. Okay, there are Christmas decorations in shop windows: A few baubles, some tinsel and coloured lights, perhaps a Babbo Natale (Father Christmas) doll, and likely a ‘twee’ Christmas message or two.
The latter often written in English!
Anyways, it’s f’sure not like those OTT displays elsewhere (I’m looking at you UK and NZ!): With the run-up to Christmas most often starting months before and, of course, purely for commercial reasons.

A napping Baby Jesus

Here, it’s more about what Christmas once was and, perhaps, should still be all about? That is: A Christian celebration of the birth of Christ, and all that that entails. Now, ask anyone, I’m not religious in about any way, but I do have to say they do it very well here!
During the lead up to the festive season, there are more Eucharistic celebrations and Holy Masses than you could poke a stick at. About every single church here (and there are many!) will hold a Christmas-themed concert or two. And let’s not forget the “Presepi di Natale” (“Christmas Nativity Scenes”) they’ll also have proudly on display in each of those churches.
Incidentally, something Alice really enjoys!
Then there’s the ‘ultimate’ tradition: The “Presepe Vivente” (“Living Nativity Scene”). This is where locals will dress up and proudly display crafts from a bygone era, and you’ll find a ‘Joseph’, ‘Mary’ and a (often ‘real’) ‘Baby Jesus’!
They absolutely do know how to celebrate Christmas here!

‘Tis the Season

It’s that time of year again.

The Ancient Greeks f'sure knew how to navel gaze!

The one where an (older) person’s thoughts turn somewhat maudlin. Here I’m more meaning that at the turn of a new year, one begins to think about what’s been; what’s happening now; and what’ll be in the future.
Especially important as I know I have way more history than future...
But please don’t think this is the onset of an episode of depression or anything like that. Far from it!
It’s more about, as you get older, you ‘worry’ about what you’re leaving behind. Your future ‘footprint’, if you will. It’s something I’ve been working on over the past few years. More especially as I’m retired, and have more time to devote to such things.
So, let’s talk about that most wonderful (and fraught) of words: “Legacy”.
Now Alice and I may count ourselves uber-lucky here, as we do have that greatest of all legacies: Our children.
But there are other things I can do to ‘ensure’ our particular legacy lives on.
Such as this blog for one! One of the reasons I started it in the first place being for just this reason. It’ll be here long after I won’t be.
Then there’s the family tree, which I’ve been working on extensively. How can you know where your family’s going, if’n you don’t know where they’ve been?
Then there's my ongoing project to scan all those older family pics. Something that’s both time-consuming and rewarding.
As is much in life!

Time Flies

2026 is (nearly) upon us!

So, it’s a hearty “Felice Anno Nuovo” (“Happy New Year”) from me and mine ... to you and yours.
Hasn’t 2025 flown by? Albeit to an (officially) ‘Old Fart’ like me it has anyways!
As I like to put it: “The days may drag, but the years fly by...” Which is, okay, perhaps more a reflection of those days when I was still working for a living, but I do have to say that the years have f’sure sped by.
Anyways, what did we achieve in 2025 then?
I returned to the UK for the first time since we’d left, which was f’sure an eye-opener and, while I loved it, it only served to reinforce we’d made the correct decision.
Then, my “All Things Modica” Facebook page celebrated 2.000 followers. Something I’d never thought (but did hope) would happen.
Not forgetting we celebrated the fourth anniversary of moving into our ‘kiwi4everhome’ this year. I still can’t get over that we managed this. Go us!
We spent much of the Summer painting the interior of said ‘kiwi4everhome’. Something we did to prove to ourselves that we still could.
September was full on with anniversaries. But this was special as it marked 10 years since my heart attack (bad). But then, it also marked the fifth anniversary of our arrival here in Sicily (good).
And this year, I made Focaccia bread for the first time! Sometimes, it’s the little things.
All-in-all, a pretty good year…

More Soon...

Shut that Door

Along with closing my front door every time I come home, I also try to shut out the outside world.

While a simple and physical action on my part, that doesn’t make it any less an ‘emotional’ one. To me anyways.
In fact, I actually enjoy the sensation, as it helps you cope with the ongoing stress-and-strains of so-called modern living. Not just here in Modica, of course, but anywhere on our planet.
Alongside this more physical act, I’ve sought to ‘not get involved’ in the continuing troubles in NZ, the UK, and about everywhere else at the minute. I mean: Why should I? After all, I don’t live in my home country or in the UK anymore.

This doesn’t mean I’m indifferent to what’s going on outside of my front door.

How can I be? We have a fibre-link, and I’m nothing if not a news-and-entertainment ‘junkie’. This is the 21st century, after all!
But I choose (where I can) to not let it affect me all that much. Y’see, this ain’t my world anymore ... it’s the younger generations.
I earned my stripes (in my own small way) back in the day, protesting and marching against the Vietnam War; French nuclear testing in the Pacific; nuclear war in general; apartheid in South Africa; and much more.
But that was then: And this is now. Does this ‘Boomer’ live in a bubble? Most likely. But, here-and-now, it’s a ‘coping mechanism’.
And one that works for me…

Stuff of Life

The history of bread in Sicily is deeply rooted in its agricultural heritage, of course.

My homemade (and delicious) Focaccia!

Bread is, was, and always will be, a staple of the local culture, economy, and daily life. And its history is long here: Dating back to at least the 4th century BC Greeks and, after them, the Romans, who would describe Sicily as “The granary of the Empire”.
As Italians put it: “Per noi, il pane è sacro” (“For us, bread is sacred”).
Who am I to argue? Especially as we seem to have an almost endless variety here. I mean: I’ve read there are 250-plus different commercial bread types in Italy.
Now, while you may not find all of those when you walk into your local panetteria (bakery) here, you may well find yourself confronted by somewhere between 10 and 30 different ones.
These’ll be local (to the province), Sicilian, and more ‘national’ types. All with distinct names. and all of which, traditionally at least, ‘must’ be used in different ways.
It can f’sure get quite confusing! Even Alice, who did a lot of her growing up in Italy (albeit the North), initially got somewhat baffled by some of the local types and names.
Nevertheless, it’s all good. Except maybe for that twice-baked “Pane Duro” (“Hard Bread”) which’ll crack your teeth if you’re not careful!
And don’t forget seasonal offerings like “Panettone”, which we always argue about: Is it cake or bread?
As this is my blog: It’s a bread, okay?

Support the Local Product

If bread is indeed the “Stuff of Life”, then it’s best accompaniment (besides olive oil) must surely be vino (wine)?

Don’t ask me to wash that panini (sandwich) down with a healthy glass of cold milk! Why would/should I, when the wine here is just so ... quaffable? Okay, I’m not advocating too much lunchtime drinking, but still!
And, of course, Italians have another perfect quote here: “Un pasto senza vino è come un giorno senza sole” (“A meal without wine is like a day without sunshine”).
Who am I to argue with such wisdom?
With this firmly in mind, I made a ‘semi-sacred’ vow when we first arrived here in September 2020. That was to drink, only and always, Sicilian vini rossi (red wines). That’s not to say that any vino bianco (white wine) or vino rosato (rosé wine) has never been enjoyed but, for the most part, I’ve pretty much stuck with it.
Now, I’m f’sure not about to claim this was one of the (major) reasons I moved to Sicily, but it certainly played a part.
It’s just that the vino is so plentiful here; it’s cheap as; and can be both lovely and lively. I mean: When you can pick up a decent bottle of DOC wine for less than €3.00; a good one for less than €5.00; and a great one for €5.00 to €15.00? What’s not to love?
It’s a real challenge though: So many wines ... so little time!

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Compromise

So, how’s our ‘kiwi4everhome’ working out for us then?

Well, the answer would be: “Peachy as!” Meaning “Very well”, as my Kiwi friends would translate it, of course.

I mean: Looking back at our original five-year-old plus requirements, I have to reckon we’ve (now) managed to meet most of ‘em.
What we wanted back in the day was a single-level and secure dwelling, with all of our daily needs within easy walking distance (that ‘easy’ translating to ‘no stairs’, y’see). One with a good kitchen and lounge space, and one that was both warm in Winter and cool in Summer, too.
It should also be double-glazed to prevent any drafts and keep out noise.
It should have a terrace, or at least large-ish balconies, because why move to Sicily if’n you couldn’t enjoy the sunshine? With that sunshine in mind, we’d also like one that was South-facing, and naturally.
As for specific areas, once we’d (very early on) set our hearts firmly on Modica: It just had to be Modica Bassa, didn’t it?
Despite quickly falling in love with Modica Alta … I couldn’t see how we could make that work. Not without buying a car right away, which sort of wasn’t the point of settling here in the first place. Unfortunately!
Now, we’ve managed to ‘check-box’ most of the above. Except for that ‘single-level’ requirement. But that’s the nature of non-apartment dwellings around here.
As for the rest, we’ve renovated.
But that’s the nature of compromise, ain’t it?

No Point

Now one of the foremost reasons we moved from NZ to the UK, and then on to Sicily, was my September 2015 heart attack.
Sorry for mentioning it again, but it was certainly the main reason for our wanting to leave ... but not the only one. Of course!
Here we share the feelings of many parents with more adventurous children: As another reason was both of our sons had fled the nest. We were ‘empty nesters!’
Now, our eldest, Adam, starting high school had been one of the main drivers for our shift back to NZ in 2002, by 2017 he’d graduated from university and gone off to France. And our youngest, Anton, had also graduated and moved to the UK by then, so there seemed little point in us remaining.
Given we were in-all-but-name ‘gypsies’ who always wanted to keep moving. Okay, maybe that was more me than Alice, but still!

Anyways, there was this and another reason too: We wanted to get away from the ‘rat race’ that we’d both found living in Auckland had become. We were so over the whole “Keeping up with the Joneses” thing, which was getting, quite frankly, toxic.

While neither of us had ever given into that pressure to ‘have to’ compete with neighbours and peers by acquiring material possessions and status symbols, we f’sure still felt it and absolutely saw it play out in many (not all!) around us.
Leading us both to exclaim: “What’s the damn point!”

Never Boring

A recent incident here serves to highlight the ‘chaos’ that can be life here in Sicily.
It began, as so much can do around here, with little prior notice. Basically, the problem was ANAS, the ‘Azienda Nazionale Autonoma delle Strade’ (‘National Autonomous Roads Company’), reduced two important local road viaducts down to traffic-lighted one-way.
Now ANAS was only doing what it was created and meant to do: Deal with road infrastructure, and manage and maintain the network of state roads and motorways throughout Italy.

So ... what was the problem then? Well, the problem was that the comune (local council) received an email from Anas at 11.34am on Tuesday 28th October. This informed them that several days of road works would be commencing at 7.30am the next morning.
Unfortunately (and I don’t blame the comune), the email wasn’t opened until the next morning. By which time the works had already begun, of course.
And the result was everything you’d expect: Total and utter chaos! Traffic was backed up for kilometres; tempers were frayed; and hours of the work day were lost.
Because these two viaducts, the Ponte Guerrieri and Ponte Irminio, serve as key parts of our local road network. Connecting as they do various parts of our city, and beyond. Consequently, they’re used by hundreds, if not thousands, of commuters and transport vehicles every day.
Not a word from Anas, and the works will continue well into next week too.
Who said life would be boring here?

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Foot-In-Mouth

Ah, local politics ... what’s not to dislike?

Well, for starters, our Sindica (Mayor) has only gone and changed her political allegiance! She was elected when a part of the ‘Democrazia Cristiana Sicilia’ (‘Christian Democracy Sicily’) party, but now Mayor Monisteri has been welcomed, with open arms, into the ‘Forza Italia’ fold.
Who are these political parties then?
Democrazia Cristiana Sicilia (‘DCS’) are a centre-right party, which grew out of the now-defunct national ‘Democrazia Cristiana’, which crashed and burned in the 1990’s due to various and numerous political scandals.
Who knew?

An appropriate headline from "Business Insider" in 2011?

Meanwhile, Forza Italia (‘FI’), whose name can mean anything from “Forward Italy”, “Come on Italy” or even “Let’s Go Italy”, is also a centre-right political party. One founded by none other than the infamous three-time Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. A man who once described himself as: “The best political leader in Europe and in the world.”
Okay then.
However, this change of allegiances hasn’t resulted in any change in the running of our city. It’s still the same old same old. The same old glad-handing, ribbon-cutting and outright denial of any and all problems it’s always been.
Of course it is: Isn’t this what local politics is all about?
A prime (and embarrassing) example here: The Sindica attended a pro-Palestine peace demonstration, giving a rousing speech calling for peace. Fair enough. Until you realise that Forza Italia, part of the Giorgia Meloni-led centre- to far-right coalition government, recently rejected recognising the State of Palestine.
Careful who you back…

Warming Up

Global warming is real, and we have proof of that right here.
Now, I’m at heart very much an analyst. Career and otherwise, always have been. So, for Summer 2025, I decided to record those days in Modica when the temperature reached 30 Celcius.
I found it did so for 71 days between the 6th June and the 17th September: A 103-day period. As a percentage, that’s nearly 70 percent of the time. This included two periods where this happened for 16 consecutive days.

The downside to all this sunshine is extreme drought (as in 2024), effecting our drinking water supplies and causing farmers to lose significant portions of their harvests.
Not forgetting the real risk of ‘desertification’, as lakes dried and soil lost whatever water there was. Not helped by our aging and under-funded water infrastructure. Moreover, it’s f’sure impacted Sicily’s uber-vital tourism industry.
Not good then.
But human nature being what it is and Sicilians being what they are, there is some light in all this darkness. Because some have sought to use it to their advantage by either growing new crops, or reintroducing old ones, using modern agronomic techniques.
As a ‘for instance’ here, did you know you can now enjoy a 100 percent Sicilian-grown coffee? From beans grown in Italy’s first real coffee plantation: The northernmost in the world!
This is in addition to the likes of avocados, mangoes, papayas, sugarcane and even bananas.
Not the whole answer certainly … but a good start!

September

Well, that was September!
Now writer Dominic Riccitello summed it up best: “I used to love September, but now it just rhymes with remember”.
And September is a month of memories. It’s so filled with them, it’s f’sure starting to look ridiculous!

✔ On Thursday the 10th of September 2015, I experienced the first of what I didn’t realise then were heart attacks. By Monday, I was in hospital and the recipient of a couple of stents. Some good did come out of this, of course: It directly led to my early retirement, and us being here;
✔ Then there’s our 37th wedding anniversary. We were married on the 24th September 1988. Why that day? Because it was the day before my birthday, so I’ve never forgotten our anniversary yet! Smart move that;
✔ As mentioned, the 25th was my birthday. My 67th this year, as it happens. Which makes me formally-and-officially an “Old Fart” as well as “A Grumpy Old Man”. Titles I now carry with pride, I’ll have you know ... as I f’sure reckon I’ve earned them;
✔ Never forgetting that on Saturday the 26th of September 2020 we boarded an 11:45 flight from Gatwick to Catania. A one-way flight, and I’m proud to say we’ve never looked back in the five years since; and
✔ Our eldest son, Adam, turned 34 on the 29th. Boy-to-man, he’s one of our greatest triumphs in this life, and we’re so very proud of him.
Maybe slightly OTT but…

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Targets

Italy is a beautiful country to visit!

Far North to deep South, and all those wonderful islands in between, there’s so much of this lovely country to explore.
However, we realise that to see everything would take a lifetime. Maybe more. And, as we are now ‘of a certain age’, this won’t be happening!

A local visiting one of our splendid sites

As just one ‘for instance’ here, Italy has the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world: A total of 60 as of 2024. China, which dwarfs this country in size, ‘only’ has 59, while Germany comes third with 54.
An interesting aside here: Sicily has the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites of any Italian region, with a total of seven. So is the number one region, in the number one country!
Now we actually live in one of those sites. As the ‘Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto’ includes Modica in its number.
Go us!
Anyways, it would be easy to get overwhelmed by such statistics. I mean: Where do you start? What do you see first? Just how are you supposed to rank one above the other then?
All good questions. Which I’ve chosen to entirely ignore. For nowt!
Instead, we’ve decided we simply must concentrate on our 25,000 square kilometre (10,000 square mile) island. So, we’ve been visiting our island’s capitals. So far, we’ve visited (and stayed) in Ragusa, Agrigento, Caltanissetta, Catania, Enna, Messina and Siracusa. Leaving us Palermo and Trapani.
Which (hopefully) we’ll visit this year or the next.

Crash Bang!

What is it with local drivers?

The amount of traffic accidents across Ragusa (our) province has skyrocketed!
A quick search on only one news website shows:
•  A man died in a ‘single-vehicle’ accident after being ejected from his van. Which likely meant no safety belt;
•  A truck collided head-on with a car and, subsequently, two other vehicles became involved. A total of eight people were taken to A&E, none seriously injured. Which likely meant someone crossed lanes, and those other two cars were following too close;
•  A near-head-on collision between two cars saw six people taken to A&E. Only one suffered serious injury, but his condition wasn’t life-threatening. Which likely meant someone crossed lanes;
•  An accident involving two cars and a motorcycle, resulting in only minor injuries. Which likely meant someone crossed lanes, and was following too close;
•  A 19-year-old man was airlifted to Catania after he lost control of his scooter. Which likely meant he was going too fast;
•  Two youths on a scooter were hospitalised for minor injuries following an accident involving them and two cars. Which likely meant someone crossed lanes, and was following too close; and
•  A scooter broke into three after a 15-year-old on his way to school lost control, crashing into a car and then the ground. Reports claim poor road conditions. Which likely meant he wasn’t driving to those conditions.
Many preventable or avoidable surely? And locals are considered better than others on the island!
This is why we drive cautiously…!

Name That Tree

Writing of our province, one of the things you’ll notice here are stone-walled fields of cultivated trees.
Now about everybody can recognise an olive tree when they see one.

Ripe carob 'beans'

But what about a carob? Because, much like the olive, the almond, and not forgetting the ‘prickly pear’ cactus (Opuntia), they’re about everywhere here. And by ‘here’, I mean just that!
In Italy, it’s centre of cultivation is Sicily, and more especially Ragusa province, which is responsible for about 70 percent of national production. Production that sees Italy coming second only to Spain in tonnage produced.
The “Carruba”, or the “Carrua” in Modican dialect, has an elongated, dark brown skin when fully ripe, and harvesting begins in mid- to late-August. About now then!
The carob ‘beans’ … fleshy, sugary, and quite hard … have a flavour very reminiscent of cocoa. I’ll say here that Alice f’sure likes to munch ‘em raw ... as do many other locals.
But their main use is culinary, of course.
Of which, the most well-known use is when they’re ground to a powder, or ‘chipped’, and used as a chocolate substitute. The seeds can be used to produce ‘carob gum’, a common thickening agent. High-end gelato producers will use carob ‘flour’ instead of wheat starch, as a thickener and emulsifier. Carob syrup is used as a liquid sweetener: An alternative to maple syrup, agave, or honey.
Even Modican chocolate is often enhanced with carob to produce more complex flavours.
So now you know!

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