February 2, 2013
We drove up from the south on a bright blue day.
“Let’s stick to the little back roads!” I said, and Kim raised his eyebrows.
We saw gorgeous villas abandoned to pigeons.
We saw Giovanni, pastore, who has kept goats for half a century.
We saw abandoned houses the color of persimmons, with trees shaped like corn dogs on a stick.
And that is where we got into trouble.
We had to turn around. (Only lost a few hours.)
We zipped through the cold Madonie Mountains…
…and came out the other side to warm sea breezes. Palermo! Straight on!
Gentile signora mi sono imbattuto qualche tempo fa nel suo blog e soprattutto dentro la SUA prospettiva della mia isola: lei ha una grande sensibilità fotografica e anche, credo, una forte curiosità verso la mia terra.
Molti stranieri sono rimasti colpiti per sempre dalla Sicilia, per certi versi è una situazione uguale e opposta a quella descritta da Tomasi di Lampedusa nel suo “Gattopardo” quando afferma che della Sicilia non ci si libera facilmente e che solo un allontanamento in giovane età può lasciarti libero da una seduzione sottile e onnipresente ( spero che lei comprenda chiaramente il mio italiano).
Ho sfogliato attentamente il suo portfolio e l’ho trovato molto valido e realistico, lei è attenta a certi particolari di questa terra che in genere solo un isolano riesce a percepire. Io ho scritto alcuni testi sulla Sicilia, mi piacerebbe poter usare le sue foto a tal proposito; se avrà la compiacenza di venire sul mio blog e prenderne visione con tutta calma potrà poi darmi una risposta. Grazie in ogni caso
Enzo Rasi
Gentile Enzo, mille grazie per la sua commenta e benvenuto al blog. Se ci sono delle foto particolare che vuole usare, lasciami sapere. A piu tarde, e grazie ancora per questa bel commento. Ora vado su il suo blog! Ciao.
Okay, I’m confused. Am I looking at photos of postcards? Jann! These shots are AMAZING! You have truly outdone yourself, my friend! I felt like I too, was stuck with you on the muddy road! And Giovanni and the “corn dog” trees! Oh my! I’m still smiling–from ear to ear! 🙂
Thank you, amica mia. 🙂
Wow! Palermo looks like a very beautiful and relaxing place to stay. Lovely pictures you have here. Is there any villas or bed and breakfast that people can rent? I wanna put this on my wishlist 😀
Hello Adele–thank you for your comment. I’m not sure I would call Palermo “relaxing”—quite the opposite, especially if you’re driving in it, but there is a great B&B I can recommend in Palermo: Butera 28.
I want to make a cleverly punny remark to do with “not getting stuck in a rut” but my head is still swimming with the concept and imagery of villas left to pigeons and abandonned houses the colour of persimmon. To say nothing of the sea breezes that are wafting in…
🙂 Amazingly, we did not get stuck in a rut, and very lucky we were, too, because there was not a living soul anywhere near that muddy stretch, and the place seemed out of cell phone reach. I guess we could have camped out in the abandoned house and eaten the corn-dog tree.
Ah, beautiful! Looking forward to the rest of your trip!
Thank you Debbie. It’s good to have you along on the trip.
Yay! Where my family is from! I hope to revisit it again, I was there for 3 months when I was 18!
Lucy Lucy–I hope you get over here soon!
È pensare che tempo fa ho faticato tanto per trovare un gregge di pecore da far fotografare ad un fotografo olandese..Web drove so far all back roads between Noto and Palazzolo Rosolini that day nothing to do! beautiful Photoes Jann,as always
Sicily Look more beautiful through your eyes . grazie!
That’s very funny, Lucia, that you spent a whole day looking for a shepherd. When you don’t look, you find… xxxxxxbacixxxxx
Jann, I was there, every step of the way. Wonderful!
🙂 Susan, so glad to have you along!
Back roads are always best…Thanks for sharing these snippets of your drive!
Ha ha, Anita–let’s say they’re “usually” best. Didn’t quite work out as we had planned…
Your photos are always superb, Jann. Stunned by the crispness of the country.
Thank you, SG!
Every post you write makes me miss Sicily! I am always in favour of the back roads…Who needs the autostrada? Efficient, yes; interesting, no. If you’d taken the autostrada the whole way, look what you’d have missed!
I was so glad not to have sunk the rental car into mud! No “off-road” allowed with rental cars!!
–Ahhh, the road less traveled.
thank you for bringing me to Sicily, dear Jann. xxx ooo
Happy to have you along, Kim, and so glad you don’t have a lot of luggage!
OH,I have just fallen in lOVE…………TANTI GRAZIE for the beautiful photos and do we get to see the VILLA in another post I hope!
Ah, Contessa–that villa would be perfect for you…
I am waiting for the sequel “what we saw in Palermo”
OK, Dennis…
Anywhere else this would have been a story of lost time, Jann. But in your eyes and in your hands it turns into a wonderful mini adventure and a postcard of beloved Sicily. Thank you for loving the place so much and for sharing the love! xox
🙂 Thanks Janine.
Nice photos and love your commentaries. I’ve always pestered my wife about visiting Sicily in winter. By the way, that abandonned house with the persimmon walls…was it for sale, lol? It looks like a little corner of heaven.
Angelo, I really like winter in Sicily–pochi turisti–but you’ve got to be prepared for some chilly interiors, especially, and bring the long undies.
Your husband looks so lost and embarrassed on the dirt road!
🙂 Poor guy, though I take full responsibility!
Jann, I love how you make your posts into stories! The pictures are wonderful. I can’t wait till we are back and instead of writing about things in Sicily in my blog, I can write about what I am doing there! @Diane Johnston, I am so with you there. We are about 150 days 2 hours and, oh, 35 minutes until we return, but then, whose counting, right? Just can’t wait!
Obviously, you’re not counting the hours, Diane :)!
I remember how cold those mountains are! Had a little shiver when I read that!!
Yes, JoAnne–that penetrating wet-cold is not easy to forget. Brrrr!
I am a new follower so wanted to leave a comment. Your photo’s are divine-Giovanni & his animals just grand + you are blessed! xxpeggybraswelldesign.com
Hi Peggy–welcome to the blog. I’m so glad to meet you and thanks for leaving a comment.
Fabulous! Can’t wait to come see for myself. My trip to Sicily is coming up soon:)
Ciao Lisa–buon viaggio!
Grazie! I look forward to receiving all your stories and pictures! I am moving to Sicily in the near future and it is unbearable that it is taking so long. Your blog makes me feel like I am there….even if its only for a few minutes.
Diane–what side of the island have you decided on??
Jann
Love following your work. An inspiration. We are moving to Linguaglossa in June! In pic…I think Giovanni has pecore not goats. a piu tardi, Riccardo
Ciao Riccardo…Fantastico about your upcoming Etna adventure!
Yes, you’re so right–those are pecore in the photo, though he had some big brown goats, too. A piu tarde…
I really must visit Sicily one day soon! your photos are so inviting!
Ciao Sue–grazie mille!