Postcard from Sicily

Greetings friends, from Cefalù, Sicily.

In honor of the idea that life is short but wide, my husband Rod and I are spending a couple months going to Italian school and exploring.

At first glance, it may not seem that Sisters and a town in Sicily have much in common. But there are some striking similarities.

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The old harbor, old town Cefalù and La Rocca, the mountain that is its backdrop.

Cefalù on the north coast of the island, is a tourist town just like Sisters. It has only 14,000 permanent residents, but millions come each year to enjoy the white sandy beaches, clear Mediterranean water, and charming architecture. Just as Sisters once had an economy based on logging and ranching and now is dependent on tourism, Cefalu was historically a fishing village but is now vibrant with visitors, spending money in shops and restaurants featuring delicious seafood, pasta, and pizza. Remember the streets of Sisters during Quilt Show? It looks like that many days on the streets of Cefalù.

Sicily is a very mountainous island and Cefalù has a mountain backdrop just as Sisters has the Cascades. The geology here is a bit more complicated, involving both uplift of limestone and an active volcano. Mount Etna is over 11,000 feet tall and 57 miles from our town as the birds fly. It last erupted in June.

Affordable housing is an issue in both towns. The economic benefit of renting an apartment in the charming old town outweighs providing long-term rentals to residents. Many people make a living from managing multiple rentals and B&Bs. Teachers, tour guides, and waiters we have met live outside the city center in locations not favored by tourists.

Drought is a big problem in both Central Oregon and Sicily. Low rainfall and unusually high temperatures here have dried rivers and lakes used for livestock as well as for domestic use. Wildfires often scorch the hills. The olive, citrus, and wheat crops are suffering. During Roman times Sicily was called "the Granary of Rome" and wheat cultivation is still an important part of the economy. Hotels and our school counsel us on water conservation. 

The water in many parts of Sicily, including Cefalù, is considered unpotable because of high calcium levels and some contaminants. It's a good workout to carry a 6-pack of 2-liter drinking water bottles up three flights of stairs every week.

But life in Cefalù is also very different than in Sisters where many of us lucky ones have a house on a bit of land. In Cefalù we live in the dense old town which was laid out by Arab architects to take advantage of cooling winds from mountains and sea. The intimacy of living in a small apartment on a narrow street facing others brings a symphony of voices, sounds, and the smells of what's cooking next door.

Tall windows have shutters letting cooling air inside. Tiny balconies provide a place to check out the weather and hang your laundry to dry. No one has a dryer. I am surprised when I go out to greet the morning and find a little white-haired lady on the next balcony, we wave and say good morning to each other. Garbage trucks and motorcycles roar down the narrow street every morning bringing diesel fumes. The restaurant courtyard below our apartment echoes with voices of diners and music, often an accordionist who plays moody variations on "The Godfather" theme.

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Bakery treats including cannoli on the right.

Dinner doesn't even start till seven and goes late into the night. At non-tourist restaurants, pizza is only served for dinner, often wood-fired, with a million kinds. We were appalled to see "Pizza Americana" on the menu, topped with hotdog slices and french fries, then we learned from our teacher Simona that it is the favorite of many Italian children. When the restaurants close, we hear the clatter of bottles and garbage cans being dragged down the cobblestone street.

There is little parking and much walking up the hilly streets and stairs. Traffic is chaotic, ruled by what they laughingly call "jungle law". Walkers dodge cars and motorcycles (a little like crossing Hwy 20 on a weekend but without the safety flags). Many workmen use scooters or electric bikes. It's easy to walk 4 miles a day just to get to school and the grocery store. That helps a bit to counteract the seductive pasta dishes with pistachio cream and shrimp, crispy calamari rings with lime mayo, cannoli stuffed with sweet sheep ricotta, gelato on every corner, and cold Sicilian beer, which comes with a trace of salt.

Almost every business in town closes between 1 and 4 to allow people to go home for lunch and a siesta. We leave Italian school at noon, shop for a panini sandwich or a Sicilian street food favorite - a fried ball of rice with a filling of cheese, meat ragu, or spinach called "arancini." Then go home to sleep it off with a nap, it's nice!

Sicily has been conquered by just about everybody - Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, and now millions of tourists. To deal with the lack of common language people learned to talk with their hands. Loudly. It may look like an argument, but they are probably talking about the weather.

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Visiting a nearby hill town called Pollina, we climbed to the top.

The mixing of cultures and conquerors has created physical diversity in the beautiful people of Cefalù.There are blondes with green eyes, redheads, and many with cascades of dark curly hair. There is a level of acceptance of differences. However immigration by desperate people looking for a better life is a huge issue here as well, especially on the southern coast near Africa.

We live two blocks from a magnificent Norman Cathedral with Arab design elements called the Duomo. It's the living room of Cefalù. The square in front is lined with palm trees, full of outdoor seating, and lined with shops for gelato, beautiful pastries, hot food, and drinks. From 5 to 7 there is a custom called "passeggiata." You fix your hair, dress up a little, and stroll, greeting your friends and neighbors, and maybe sit down for a light drink, which always comes with free snacks like potato chips, peanuts, and olives to tide you over until dinner. 

Learning Italian is hard, but they say it's good for aging brains to create new neural pathways. And travel isn't always a picnic, but I like the quote "Traveling, it leaves you speechless and turns you into a storyteller." That's my story for today, friends. See you in December.