Living La Dolce Vita in Sicily

As I ease my way into the second country on my trip, I am trying hard not to do too much. Especially in Sicily, filled with so much natural beauty, impressive architecture and delicious food, there is a tendency to see and do everything. I have opted for a simpler approach so as to avoid being overwhelmed. Thus far I have been amply rewarded.

In particular, my time with my host Giuseppe (“Peppe”) illustrates the advantages of sharing Sicily through a local perspective as I was able to enjoy certain food and sites that would have been hard on my own. Peppe is a graphic designer and aspiring tour guide living in the city of Trapani who was kind enough to let me spend the weekend with him.

Food

Right off the bat I was blown away by the food. For dinner my first night, Peppe and I drove to his girflriend’s summer beach cottage in San Vito Lo Capo, close to the sea. On our drive there, we stopped at a roadside produce stand where Peppe carefully chose just the right tomatoes and fruits for dinner.

I then watched in amazement as Peppe and his girlfriend set about preparing the meal, busiata pasta with seafood and tomatoes. I did my small part by helping slice the tomatoes and of course eating. The pasta, which is dry to begin with, was prepared al dente, and mixed wonderfully with the moist fish while the tomatoes gave it a ripe sweetness. We then finished things off with espresso, which Peppe correctly assured me would not prevent me from falling asleep that night.