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Home Stories

Sicily – A Photographic Recap

by Elana
October 2, 2014
in Stories
479 20
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Sicilian Heart Shaped Pizza
Building in Sicily

And so I have returned. I’m happy to report that I stayed “in the upright” on my bike the whole dang time.

Likewise, I, Elana, have some fun photos for you: food, travel, interesting grafitti. You name it. How was my trip? It was all at once magical, disturbing, exciting, terrifying, delicious, icky, sweaty, dry, humid, smelly, grueling, fast, slow, incomprehensible (language-wise), wacky and beautiful.

So, in other words, fan-freakin’-tastic. Here are some highlights:

Ten Speed Hero Bike Kit

I went renegade a few days and used this new bike kit (inspired by Bianchi bikes) from Ten Speed Hero. It made me feel like one. Especially when I was charging through terrain like this:

Sicilian Countryside

Dry enough for you? Don’t light a match. Although the Sicilians frequently did. Everything was burning. On purpose! Mostly, I mean farmland, but the smell of smoke sure emphasized the 104°F heat.

There were lots of good things to eat:

Sicilian Sweet Bread

And a Sicilian bakery on every corner. I had the above sugary loaf one morning pre-ride while I chugged multiple espressos in a café that claimed to have WiFi. Not so much… but the coffee and pastry were excellent. Who needs WiFi? But I do need pizza.

Pizza Sign

This was my favorite roadside pizza sign. I really have no idea where the pizza was that it was advertising. I didn’t find it. But I did sample some other roadside pizza, made fresh just for us hungry cyclists at a beachside food stand:

Roadside Pizza

This little beauty was stuffed with fresh olives and cherry tomatoes with a little herbed parm topping. A nice refresher before having to deal with scenery like this:

Sicilian Countryside

And this:

Roads in Sicily

And odd little roadside shrines like this:

Roadside Shrine

Sicily is a uniquely beautiful and terrifying place.

But the Sicilians are a very warm and caring people. And helpful! I got lost on my bike about 37 times (each day). Sicilians offered directions, drafting options (off their cars), and an occasional lift (thanks to Julio from the grape factory). Other members of our group were invited in to a wedding and served cake! I’m sorry I missed that….they’re now friends on Facebook (clearly SOMEONE has WiFi).

Another thing that was not scarce was gelato. My favorite flavor was a combination of pistachio, lemon and almond. Sicilians love their pistachios, and I must agree with them on this point.

Gelato

One day, in Cefaú, I ate this capicola, arugula, primosale (young cheese) and parmesan pizza:

Arugula, capicola and parmigiano pizza

The whole thing…

Empty pizza plate

And then hiked up to the top of a crazy mountain to explore some castle ruins. Keep in mind I was carrying a wedge of local Pecorino, some olive oil, ceramic bracelets and some black licorice candy at the time. And an umbrella that I clearly didn’t need:

Elana on a hill in Sicily

And speaking again of pizza, here are some other slices I found and enjoyed:

Zucchini pizza

Sicilians love zucchini and eggplant!

The pizzaiolo at Frida Pizzeria in Palermo made my pie heart-shaped. No one else’s was…

Heart Shaped Pizza

This little thick-crust doozy was topped with potato, caramelized onion and breadcrumbs. Ciao, carbs!

Pizza with breadcrumbs

And this fluffy, oblong number was topped lightly with roasted tomatoes and breadcrumbs and cooked by a young ragazzo in this wheeled contraption:

Oblong pizza

Sometimes I grabbed a slice and had a picnic, much to the delight and amazement of Italian passersby (thanks to Giovanni, a local tour guide near the Palazzo Reale, for snapping the evidence):

Elana's Sicilian Picnic

But when I looked up from various slices of pizza, I couldn’t help but marvel at the sights:

Cefalu

Cefalú

Spiky cucumbers

Crazy, spiky cucumbers in the Palermo food market.

A “special” car.

Special Car

Miniature crockery heads in Siracusa.

Mini heads

I don’t know about you, but all this had made me hungry. Dessert, anyone?

Italian Cookies

Italian cookies from Capo d’Orlando.

In the meantime, please remember these handy Italian phrases:

Sempre diritto: Keep going straight!

Tornato subito: BRB

Mangia bene!: Eat well!

Pizza, ti amo: Pizza, I love you.

Tags: bikingItalySicily
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My name is Elana Iaciofano (last name is pronounced YACH-O-FANO…it’s fun to say!). I live in New Jersey with my husband Eric and our nine bicycles. I am a creative director for the food industry, food photographer, illustrator, author, and pizzaiola.
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