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...