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!

More Soon...

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?

More Soon...

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…

More Soon...

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!

More Soon...

DIY Painting and Decorating

We assigned ourselves the ... enviable... task of painting the interior of our ‘kiwi4everhome’ this Summer.

As one does!

Doing so when the “feels like” temperatures reached nearly 40 degrees Celcius may seem like madness, but someone has to do it. And we chose ourselves!
You may well ask yourselves why?

I do believe we did ... several times during the ‘fun’ that is slapping on not-one-but-two coats of undercoat-come-sealer on our rough-plastered interior walls, with all the associated hassles that that involves.
We had to do so, of course, as our interior walls were looking a little sad. All neglected, flaking and dust-causing. No surprise, given they hadn’t been seen to for nearly nine years.
The good news is that, thus far, we’ve managed to complete seven of our nine rooms. So only have our bedroom and the laundry to complete. “Easy then!", I can hear you saying? Not so much really: Our bedroom ceiling is over three metres high, as well as being barrel vaulted to boot!

Oh joy!

But back to the question of why do it ourselves? Now it’s not a question of cost, as labour is both cheap and the workmanship is good here. So, it’s not that.
It’s essentially because we still can!
We may be getting on a bit, something I certainly feel at the end of every day of painting, but we can still do it, y’see? Therefore, we will.
Ten years from now though?
Not so much…

Happy Days!

Tuesday the 29th of July 2025 marked a special anniversary.
And it’s one I’ve blogged about three times ... and am more than happy to blog about again! Y’see, on Thursday the 29th of July 2021 we picked up the keys to our ‘kiwi4everhome’ from our notaio (notary).

We’d only gone and bought our first, last, and only home in Modica!
The icing on the cake being this is one date we’ll never ever forget, as it also marks one of our other happiest days: The birth of our youngest son, Anton.
Naturally, we went out for dinner to celebrate both events. That “Fritto misto” (“Mixed fried (sea)food”) I ordered was to die for, too!
Anyways, this place of ours has become our ‘safe haven’ against the outside world: Our little corner of this beautiful island no one can, and will ever, take away from us. In short, our forever home, of course.
It’s a place that’s proven, time and again, to be more than adequate for a couple of old(er) Kiwis. Especially now we’ve got it into a state we’re happy with. I mean, except for the interior painting mentioned, we have double-glazing, a fitted kitchen, and most of our furniture was bought new too.
The location couldn’t be more perfect either, as it’s within a short (no stairs) walk from about every retail establishment we’d ever require. And we can park our car for free only a few minutes away.
Our 87 square metres of happiness…

“Expats”

I’ve mentioned before I dislike the term ‘expat’.
A reminder: Wikipedia defines an ‘expatriate’ as: “A person who resides outside their native country.” Fair enough, we fall into this category.

One group I left 'cause of its toxicity...!

Unfortunately, and regardless of any definition, the term’s bandied about freely within the foreign-but-resident communities, both here in Sicily and right across Europe.
But are we actually expatriates? I don’t believe so: In my opinion, we should more correctly be labelled as ‘immigrants’.
Why? Because that definition better fits our small communities here, don’t you reckon? Wikipedia again: “Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents, or where they do not possess nationality, in order to settle as permanent residents.”
There we are: In black and white!
So, for me at least, the term ‘expat’ can be (and often is) seen as implying wealth and/or privilege. It implies an ‘otherness’ that I don’t choose to be labelled with. Not when my future’s here.
Why my ‘re-rant’ then?
Well, it’s because I’m finding my fellow ‘expats’ to be increasingly … vexing. To the point where we’ve actively disassociated ourselves from many here! To be honest: I’ve found the majority to be petty, unrealistic, and downright toxic at times.
All those ‘niggles’, whinges and whines can get you down. The little ‘cliques’: Who’s in? Who’s out? And don’t get me started on the “He said…” and “She said…” shite!
We don’t need such toxicity in our lives … so why bother?

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Estate!

Or, if you prefer it in English: Summer!

It’s surely here now? Or, at least, it f’sure feels like it to me!

"Gonna be hot! Gonna be damn hot...!"

I mean: This month, it’s been over 30 celcius between the 6th and 10th; the 12th and 17th; and from 24th June onwards. Which is up to 5 degrees warmer than what should be the ‘average’ for any given June in Sicily.
The best (worst?) day being early last week, when the ‘overnight low’ was 23 and that day’s high being 33 celcius! And this is just the recorded temperature, the “feels like” could easily be 1 to 3 degrees warmer than that.
Great (early) beach weather, of course, and many locals have, in fact, been flocking to the nearby beaches, especially as we can now boast a half-way decent local bus service.
I have to say though, it’s not so great when you’re trying to paint the interior of your house ... with all that that entails!
My own fault really: “Be careful what you wish for...” and all that. Especially as I was lamenting the ‘cold’ weather here back in my March post, openly admitting to the world that I’m a complete big girl’s blouse when it comes to the Winter chill.
So now, I guess I just have to get on with getting on! It is nice to be able to walk about the sweltering streets in only shorts and a tee though.
Even if it is in between slapping on layers of undercoat…

One Up … All Up!

As I’m writing this entry, around 8:00am on Sunday 29th June, the bells on the local churches are going batsh*t crazy.

Bell, Duomo (Cathedral) di San Giorgio

They’re being rung for all they’re worth, and with real enthusiasm. And that’s only half of the ‘equation’. They were preceded by fireworks!
Around a half-dozen hideously-loud bangs, about 30 seconds apart, that revibrated all about the valley we’re living in here in the old city.
I have to suspect that both those who set off those pyrotechnics and the bell-ringers are in collusion. That is: “If I have to be up way-early on a Sunday morning ... then you have to be too!” My poor wife, who does like a sleep in, f’sure didn’t get one this sunny Sunday!
Why this ‘double cacophony’ of thunderous bangs and ear-splitting rings?
That’d be because today marks the “Festa di San Pietro Apostolo” (“Feast of Saint Peter the Apostle”). An important religious feast day here in Modica, and throughout Italy and further afield, of course. Very important here though, as he’s one (of the three) religious ‘patrons’ of our city.
Oh, and please don’t feel in any way upset for us here: This ain’t a ‘one-off’.
Nope! It’s a fairly regular occurrence, here in the deeply-religious South. The “Festa di San Giorgio” and the “Madonna Vasa-Vasa”, to name but two, are also very happy to bang-and-bong at 8:00am when it’s their turn to be celebrated.
Still … mustn’t grumble!
It was our choice to move here…

End With A Bang!

One other thing about the many religious festivals here?

All sorts of pyrotechnics here!

Fireworks!
Sicilians, and Modicans in particular it would seem, love ‘em! They’re a fixture in many, if not most, of those celebrated here. And I’m not just talking about the larger, more well-attended ones, like the aforementioned “Festa di San Giorgio” and the “Madonna Vasa-Vasa”.
No, even those smaller, more ‘intimate’, religious days celebrated out in the countryside around Modica will end that day’s festivities with an (albeit smaller) pyrotechnic display. I know, ‘cause we’ve attended several over the years.
Now, and apparently, fireworks have a rich history here in Italy, dating right back to the Middle Ages.
While likely legend rather than fact, it’s explorer Marco Polo who is said to have brought firecrackers to Venice in around 1292. Which, I feel sure, would’ve pleased the locals no end!
What is fact though, is that while gunpowder and early forms of pyrotechnics originated in China, Italians are considered pioneers in the field in Europe. It being during the Renaissance that they began modifying until-then military rockets, experimenting with different compounds to create a wider range of colours and increasingly sophisticated aerial displays.
And it’s Italians who’re credited with developing the first true ‘airborne’ fireworks, alongside other types like the widely-known ‘Roman Candle’. No surprise, given that name, of course!
Anyways, they surely do put on wonderful shows today. They may last only five-or-so minutes, but they end festivities with a real bang here!
Sorry ‘bout that…

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What Now?

Back in February, our Sindica (Mayor) had declared Modica bankrupt.

Since then, except for the almost-constant (political) sniping; ongoing ‘tit-for-tat’, kiddie-like ‘he said, she said’ carry on; and the locals getting frustrated and venting on social media … nothing’s really changed!
Okay, that’s a bit facetious. Nevertheless, it’s mostly true.
You’d think that declaring a city of 53,000 bankrupt would’ve seen something ... anything ... happening to reflect that status. But that’s not the case.
The Sindica and her current (split) council are carrying on as if nothing’s changed. I mean: The weeding about the place was late (as ever); the water and council rates issues have carried on as they did last year; and the Sindica and her favoured councillors are still cutting ribbons and pushing free concerts and events to keep the citizens ‘happy’!
At least, this was the case, up until a few days ago, when the local press started reporting that five ‘Notices of Investigation’ have been issued to unnamed officials and administrators of the previous administration.
That is, the one run by our mayor’s predecessor, Ignazio Abbate. He being seen as ‘most responsible’ for our city’s current financial state.
Apparently, investigations have been carried out by the Carabinieri and the Guardia di Finanza. The former, while military, are also responsible for law and order; while the latter are financial police, targeting fraud and tax evasion.
Whether true or not, I recall the so-called ‘Chinese’ curse: “May you live in interesting times…”
Yes indeed!

Growing

I created my “All Things Modica” Facebook page nearly two years ago now.

That’s ‘page’ not ‘group’ as it gave me the ability to have full control of it.
The first post was on the 15th September 2023. Funnily enough, it covered an exhibition by “La Coperta delle Mamme di Modica” (“The Blanket of the Mothers of Modica”), a charity group who crochet blankets for poorer families.
That’s ‘funnily enough’ because Alice consequently joined them! Who knew?
Anyways, since then the page has grown somewhat. Albeit slowly to begin with!
I’m writing this now because this month I thanked my page followers. Pointing out that on the 13th May 2024, the page had 246 followers. A number that had grown to 1,580 by the 13th May 2025, an over six-fold annual increase! Surely worthy of the big “Thank You!” post I made to celebrate this milestone.
Why was I ‘crowing’ about reaching (only) 246 followers last year? Well, because I’d posted a reel about a previous “Festa di San Giorgio” ... to point out the then-upcoming one the following week. Subsequently the page went from tens of followers to hundreds in mere days!
By the way, as all my reels end up on the wider Internet, that one posted in May 2024 ended up with 434,000 views! I reposted it again this year to (again) point out the upcoming 2025 Festa. ‘Unfortunately’, this time it only reached 119,000 views…
As of today, my page followers’ number 1,865.
Mustn’t grumble…!

“Murder, He Watched”

I have this secret addiction...
It’s a guilty pleasure I’ve found myself drawn to more and more, because I (apparently) have more time on my hands since retiring.
Sort of! But I can always seem to find the time between updating my “All Things Modica” page, researching our family trees, scanning old photos, writing, and my ‘babies’ (cactuses). Amongst other, more ‘trivial’ things: Like maintaining our home!

Alrighty, what’s this (non-destructive) addiction then? I love ...  “Cozy TV Mysteries”! That’s right! The “Cozies”, as they’re often called, f’sure do it for me.
It’s out in the open now: “Hi. My name’s Andrew, and I’m a cozies addict...”
So, what am I talking about?
Well, ‘cozies’ are a sub-genre of crime fiction in which any violence and sex most often occur ‘offstage’. The detective’s likely (but not always) an amateur, and the crime and detection take place in a village or small town. Cozies stand in contrast to more hardboiled fiction, in which certainly more violence, and often explicit sex, are central to the plot.
My favourites being the likes of “Father Brown”, “Shakespeare & Hathaway”, “Agatha Raisin” and so on. Oh, and I’m happy to re-visit finished series like “Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries”, “Queens of Mystery” and “Jonathan Creek”.
Some don’t really fit into the genre as they involve the police, but I still love ‘em anyways! I’m talkin’ “The Chelsea Detective”, “Death in Paradise”, and the wonderful NZ “The Brokenwood Mysteries”.
There! So now you know…

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Anniversary

The five-year anniversary of my blog came and went last month!

I started this journey way back on Thursday the 26th March 2020, when we were still living in London, and my dream was to move to Italy.

My first ever blog post...

That’s what it was too: A dream. If’n you’d asked me back in March 2020 why I started up my blog, I couldn’t really tell you. Okay, I knew I wanted a change. A drastic one at that.
I’d had enough of the to-me pointless roundabout of work: Of keeping corporates happy; of massaging egos; and the endless repetition of doing the same old same old … year in and year out!
So, change was needed, and I found it entirely therapeutic then (and still now) to put my thoughts down on (figurative) paper. Therefore, what you’re reading now is the result of five years of (semi-)therapy!
Ha!
Looking back to that five year younger me, I recall (and re-read) that back in the day my ‘mission’ was trying to persuade the then-sceptical Alice that moving to Italy (specifically Sicily) would be a grand idea. And an entirely ‘doable’ one at that!
One of the key lessons learned was that hard facts were needed: Not appeals to the romance and adventure of the thing; nor alluding to the fact that we weren’t like those who may’ve lamented about the rapidly-approaching Brexit ... but weren’t prepared to do anything about it.
F’sure that 61-year-old me must’ve been persuasive: ‘Cause here we are!

Cold Feet?

I don’t like using the term ‘expat’ (much preferring ‘immigrant’), but I’ll use it for simplicity’s sake.
Anyways, an expat couple we’re acquainted with have recently been seen about the city again. I type ‘again’ because they’re spending more and more time back in the UK now. I don’t have any problem with that, of course, it’s their life and they’ve made their intentions very clear to us: They’re selling up and leaving Modica to return ‘home’.

Couple of things here: Good luck trying to sell in this market; and are you entirely sure that’s what you want to do?
I say this because, when we’ve bumped into them recently (three times now), he’s rather pointedly asked me at least five times questions along the lines of: “So you still like it here?” and “Are you staying in Modica then?”
Now I ask myself a question in response: “Why’s he asking such loaded questions?” And, I’ve decided, rightly or wrongly maybe, that the answer has to be he’s unsure of himself. Of this rather momentous decision.
Otherwise, why ask me such questions?
I’ve been making decisions for both myself and on my family’s behalf for decades now. Naturally! And I’ve always tried to base them firmly around facts … rather than (only) emotion. To me, the facts are here that while Modica is f’sure more chaotic and bureaucratic than the UK, the living’s still way better and easier here.
I ain’t movin’ … and that’s a fact!

Busy As...

I’ve said it before and, because this is my blog, I’m sayin’ it again: You gotta keep busy!

Not for me!

That’s one life lesson I’ve learned repeatedly since I’ve retired. I mean: Do something. Hobby, interest, whatever. Just do … something!
It’s uber-important to me, and should be to you who’re now in the Autumn of your working years.
Actually, scratch that. It’s important to everyone really, no matter your age or circumstances.
One of my ‘truisms’ has always been: “Work to live, not live to work...”. And f’sure it’s one I’ve tried to live my life by over the years.
So, I made a conscious decision when I retired to do those things that needed doing, given I would now have the time to properly dedicate to them. Regardless, and of course, many I was already trying to keep up with, even when working full time.
Things like researching the family tree, reading those books I’d always put off reading, doing more writing (this blog being a part of that decision), working on all those old (physical) photos we had lying about the place and (finally) trying to grow something that wouldn’t die on me...
Amongst much else. All the important stuff, as you can see! Now the question here is: “Is any of this of any actual use?”
Like, will it matter to my children? Or even to theirs? Perhaps yes or maybe not.
What’s important is it matters to you … so just get on with it!

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