Cai Lan's Journey to Sicily (Part 1)

Ever since I saw the movie "The Godfather", I have been fascinated and have always hoped to go to Sicily one day. I know I can't see the scene at that time, but at least there are some traces. Now that journey has finally been realized.

I thought that Sicily was a small island, which turned out to be the largest island outside mainland Italy, with more than 25,000 square kilometers, and it was necessary to fly from one end to the other. With a population of five million, it is located at the southernmost tip of the country and is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea.

Departing from Cape Cabernet in the middle of the night, arriving in Rome at about 7 a.m. on the same day by time difference, then switching to a domestic aircraft, less than an hour more, to Sicily.

The capital is Palermo, but we landed at Catania Airport, another big city to the east, and then all the way north, which is one of the best tourist routes.

It was already noon on arrival and we had lunch at a local five-star hotel designed to be a desert inn style in the Middle East, eating some seafood, good level, but did not leave a special impression, may be a little tired.

Get on the bus, take a nap, after two hours, to taormina, the big bus can't climb to the top of the mountain, change the seven-seater, winding paths, and see the hotel san domenico where we stayed on our first day.

Open the window and see the sunset, the huts under the mountain and the ocean, described in a picturesque way, which is not excessive, comparable to the most beautiful capri island.

Converted from a monastery in the fifteenth century, the Sicily was once occupied by Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and nomads, and the style was influenced by a little to form a unique building.

Covering hundreds of acres, but there are not many rooms, probably because Germany's most famous writer Goethe stayed here, before world war II, the Germans had to buy it when they died, and the residents were also mixed with many British spies, which became a good story.

In addition to Goethe, other famous artists are not counted, and the singular authors, including Dumas, Lawrence, Maubersan, Russell, And Stambeck, can not forget Wilde.

There are four restaurants in total, we chose the balcony, Sicily is not cloudy for a few days a year, do not have to worry about rain. This night is the Mid-Autumn Festival, the moon did not feel particularly big because of foreign countries, everyone's mood is joyful, the food is one after another, the champagne opened bottle after bottle, the most popular thing is to find d' ast partridge brand sweet wine moscato, drunk and go back to the room.

The next day's breakfast was plentiful, not as large as the Scottish portions, but the choice was dizzying, starting with dozens of self-baked hot toasted breads, served with countless jams, colourful, including yellow mustard and white cream sauce. Cheese, nuts, fruit, cakes, ice cream, cheese, mushrooms, meatballs, sausages, ham, eggs, greens, juices are certainly not lacking. Rare is freshly squeezed almond juice, which ends with a rejuvenating peach juice for the cure of hangovers and champagne.

Address: piazza san domenico, 5, taormina

Phone: [phone]

When we were full, we turned back to catania, where there was a fish market, and fishing boats came ashore to do business, and today it is filled out of the open land, but the seafood is still there, and it is very lively.

Greeted by Il sale art cafe owner and rea Graziano and his African girlfriend, acting as an English translator. The owner was about forty years old, dressed as an artist, and very enthusiastic. His father was a painter, and he originally wanted his son to be like him, but he didn't know that he liked to cook, so he had to follow him, but on the condition that the name and design of the restaurant should be handled by Lao Tzu.

Andre led us all the way to the seafood stalls he was familiar with, and when he saw fresh fish and shrimp, he jumped up with excitement.

Sold in the stalls, swordfish are very many, this huge tuna fish, the meat is not fat, most of the local people cut off the head of the fish, take it to the soup, so what you see are a pointed fish.

Many types of fish, such as tooth bands and groupers, have been seen, including stone fish,  open belly, exposing the liver, which was also regarded as a treasure. When we see the fish offal, it is better to ask him to do it, and the purpose of his bringing us here is also what we pick and what he does.

I saw a big piece of fish eggs again, I wanted him to fry it to eat, but he said it was better to be sashimi, ha, it turned out that the people on the Sicily were good at this, right on the appetite, and bought a lot of fish sperm that had not been tried, he said that he could eat it raw.

Come to another stall, immediately take the shrimp so peeled to give us a try, of course, brave to taste it, Mediterranean shrimp is originally sweet, when sashimi, not worse than Hokkaido's peony shrimp.

I went to specialize in shells again, and the novelties were opened to try, and they tasted like cherry stone and little neck, and the shape was different. Andre picked up another kind, said this is the most precious, you must not have eaten, his girlfriend translated as abalone, I laughed and said, abalone is large, this small is called nine holes, you do not believe in the calculation to see if there are nine holes in the shell, the result made Andre impressed.

After visiting the fish market, he took us to the dry goods store, selling most of the nuts. Almonds are the most abundant, locally produced, and the price is incredibly cheap. Seeing the freshly peeled walnuts again, a man as big as an adult's fist, no one who had never seen it would not believe it.

I saw a bunch of black and a bunch of purple stuff that looked like g-cakes. Everyone knows that I haven't eaten it, so I'll try it. Cut one slice each, the former is a cactus dried fruit, while the latter, the taste is like a wine soaked in honey, the raw material is the juiced grape skin, add a lot of sugar, compressed to make a cake, for the poor family's gift. As soon as I ate it, the taste was mellow and fresh, that is, I fell in love, bought a large bag back to the hotel, and when I was hungry, I took it to fill my hunger, and I liked it very much.

After buying the dishes, you can go to the restaurant and cook them.