One Evening in December, Sicily
December 19, 2013
Stars burn. Leaves whisper. The village is waiting for Natale, waiting for 2013 to run out.
You can sometimes catch a glimpse of a Christmas tree behind shutters. Boxes of panettone crowd out everything else in mini-markets. Poinsettias shimmer red on the piazza. But otherwise, no hoopla in the village. Just a quiet wait.
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And yet even in solitude, the beauty of Sicilia shines through! Oh, to have a slice of panettone and coffee at this precise moment when silence reigns through my home and only Roxy sleeps by my side on the couch! 🙂
I love the idea of “a quiet wait” without all the noisy hoopla, Jann. Thanks for sharing, and here’s to a very Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Waiting for the year to run out … wow! You’ve really captured something here, Jann. So mysterious and still. Thank you for all your wonderful art this year. Buon Natale to you and yours, sweet lady xx
Jann,
when I look at those hanging lights, bikes, and side streets, it’s almost as if you are in another world.
I love your world, dear.
Xxxxx LUV Always.
Beautiful! I can’t wait to come back next year. Buon Natale!
Buon Natale, Debra!
Ciao Jann,
Not fair, is it possible to send us those wonderful aroma’s coming out of those homes in preperation for Christmas, you are enjoying while walking to the Villa. Once again, I hope you know your killing us with envy. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Ciao John–we were walking around Palazzolo Acreide today and the aromas in the streets were driving us wild! Though the internet can do lots of stuff, it really cannot do what’s really important: deliver smells and tastes! xxxx Buon Natale to you and yours. xxxx
Thank you Jann, you brought calm back to me in the mist of the Hoopla. I hate all the fuss. You all have it right. Love that Blue star.
Vicki, for many years my house in the US was Hoopla Central for Christmas. You cannot believe how I appreciate the calmer Sicilian holiday. xxxx
Advent–waiting. You’ve captured it perfectly! Christmas and the New Year come quietly in the French countryside as well. I don’t miss hoopla at all!
Me neither, Evelyn. Love the anti-hoopla atmosphere.
Many, many years ago when I was 18 I spent 5 months in Ragusa Ibla. There were no Christmas lights hung then anywhere in Ibla, but I have a wonderful memory of the carolers. Everyday they roamed the streets of Ibla playing their instruments and raising their voices in Christmas carols. On Christmas eve we shared the traditional cena of fish and the delicious vegetables of which my favorite was the caponata. As if that were not enough, at midnight we broke fast and sausage and more food appeared. I forget to say……we had the panettone between the two meals!
Ciao Josephine, what wonderful memories. The only carolers now in Ibla are on those nights when they have a Presepe Vivente on the church steps… no roaming ones, though–at least that I’ve heard. Panettone between meals–that’s so funny! xxxx
How peaceful! Buon Natale, Jann!
Altretante, Anitre! Baci xxx
Lovely photos as usual. My next dream is to spend Christmas in Italy.
I hope it comes true for you, Nancy. Buon Natale!
Your wonderful photos made me smile today. Happy Holidays!!!
So glad, Tony. Thank you for your visit and hope you too have a wonderful holiday season.
I love the way you have captured the simplicity of the decorations and the stillness of those narrow lanes. Beautiful. Hoopla is something I am trying to avoid- but failing miserably.
Thank you Francesca!
really beautifully captures the way Christmas is celebrated, it’s like this in our village as well and Santa arrived in the square today to hear the children sing Christmas carols on a horse and cart….loving this Italian Christmas so much and haven’t even thought about shopping yet lol xx
Sending big hugs for Christmas
love all the Chiodo’s
Lisa, it sounds like you’re loving your first Christmas in the village. How sweet. Shopping? Who needs it. I’m handing out oranges and candy canes and that’s about it. 🙂
love the stillness in the photos. Merry Christmas. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com
Ciao Peggy, thank you so much for all your visits this year, and your sweet and cheery comments. You’re a doll. Merry Christmas to you, too. Baci xxx
Lovely, Jann … and somehow, so much more in keeping with the spirit of the season than mad dashes through shopping malls!
Ah, Pat, how lovely to hear from you. Yes, it’s nice not to be dashing through de Vargas Mall, as I have done so many years! xxxx Sending you warm thoughts this holiday season.
Wow… beautiful shots.
Thanks Ria. Sending looooooove to you all. xxxxx
Such serene photographs. Love them, Jann. Your site always has me running to the web to check airline prices. Just waiting for them to fall enough to get me back. LOL
🙂 Rosann, I know that you’ll be back soon. Someone told me that Ryan Air is going to start flying from NY to Dublin for $99 maybe next year? And then there are flights from Dublin to Sicily…. let’s see if that materializes…
Even the pictures show a quiet hush – well except for the guy running! I LOVE panettone. Had some shipped from Italy and we’d never had it before. It is now a family favorite. YUM.
🙂 You had it shipped from Italy???? Really??? That’s so funny, Nan.
Love the quiet anticipation and understated celebration of these quiet-toned shots. (not usually characteristics one associates with Sicily!)
Sicilians are known for their raucous celebrations–especially of their saints, but Christmas tends to be super low-key, at least compared to the madness in the US.