Monreale - Palermo - The Pearls of Sicily

The Pearls of Sicily are locations that are known worldwide as places that offer a unique vacation experience. Monreale, just outside of Palermo, is one of the top vacation spots in Sicily and to hear some, in the world. Monreale is located on the slopes of Monte Caputo and dominates the valley home of the citrus groves of Palermo in the “Conca d’oro”. Since the time of Arab domain, Monreale has been an important strategic location. It controls the only passage from the Port of Palermo into the center lands of Sicily. It gained further importance during the Norman rule when Gugliemo II was in a fierce political battle with the Archbishop of Palermo Gualtiero Offamillio. The Norman built a cathedral and monastery, today known worldwide as one of the most important examples of Norman architecture, and fortified them with “fighting Monks.”

The trip from Palermo is brief. The view is extraordinary winding through the valley and up Monte Caputo. This is one occasion where renting a car can be a good idea. Personally I would ask the hotel to arrange a driver but the drive is marvelous.

The history and culture of Monreale is rich in deep. Every corner of this beautiful city provides an opportunity to immerse yourself in another time. The Cathedral of Santa Maria la Nuova is an interesting stop. The cathedral is home to the international competition of church choirs. A visit during this competition will give you goose bumps no matter what your religious tendency may be. Monreale is a tourist destination, so stay away from the cheap souvenirs.

Monreale is known for its ceramics and Mosaics. Pieces of ceramic tiles and stones are positioned together creating beautiful, elaborate works of art exploding with color. The masters of Monreale were employed in the villas of the wealthy from Morocco to Rome. Today some of youth of Monreale have taken up the antique art, learning from their fathers in long apprenticeships. It is fascinating to watch these artists work. If you are “simpatico”, that is the artist likes you, he may sell you something he is working on. Do not be offended if the artist does not sell his workmanship. It is all about passion and very personal.

The local foods and wines are the true protagonists of Monreale. Sicilian wines from the inner valleys and hills of Sicily make their way onto the tables of the restaurants indicated simply as Vino della Casa, often served in glass pitchers. Be sure to try the Panelle, Pane di Monreale, Reginelle con Sesamo, Quaresimali with Almonds and the Algerini with powdered sugar. Numerous stands and kiosk are located on the street corners selling these traditional Sicilian treats. I usually stay in Palermo but try to eat at one of my favorite places, the Taverna del Pavone close by the Cathedral. The owner/chef is Marcello. He prepares traditional Sicilian dishes where the Arab influences are easily identified. It is an experience in culinary vacationing.

Tags: Palermo Food and Wine Monreale Mosaics Ceramics Italian Vacations sicily Travel Italy

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Nadir Tenuta Rapitala’ 2004 – Sicilian Sun in a glass

Tenuta Rapitala, producer of Rapitala’, is located just outside of Palermo. When I think about areas of Italy I invariably think about the local foods and the wines. Somehow the food represents the people, the culture and the air of the region itself. Sicily is no different. While Sicily is not well known for its wines there are numerous great, unsophisticated table wines that compliment the local cuisine. I admit that I do not go out looking for Sicilian wines but if one comes my way I am more than happy to try it. Recently I have been presently surprised by several varieties that ended up on my table. A good friend dropped by the house around lunch and brought a few bottles of wine. While I heated something to eat we opened a bottle of Nadir Syrah by Tenuta Rapitala’ 2004.

We are not big drinkers of Syrah, preferring the autochthon Italian wines. We were expecting a spicy wine with the defining characteristics of the California Syrah. Instead Nadir Syrah by Tenuta Rapitala’ 2004 was a flavorful and mellow wine. It is a simple wine. As glasses were filled and emptied, the refreshing, fruity flavor continued giving. Nadir Syrah by Tenuta Rapitala’ is a perfect wine for every day meals, drinking alone or with appetizers. The tannins while present were merely a supporting characteristic. The aging process most likely explains this characteristic. Only 20% of the wine is aged in medium toasted oak barrels for a few months. The wine is then transferred back to the remaining wine to continue aging for 12 months. The result is a wine that accentuates the flavor of the fruit on not the tannins.

The winery suggests that this wine is served with red meats, fowl and aged cheeses. This is not a complex wine so I would serve this for every day dinners, most first plates of pasta, risotto and minestrone. For those who do not drink whites Nadir Syrah by Tenuta Rapitala’ can be a great before dinner wine with appetizers and even alone.

Grape: Syrah

Color: Intense Ruby Red.

Bouquet: Mature fruit with a hint of violets.

Taste: Encompassing, a hint of tannins, not sweet, not dry, and a slight hint of vanilla.

Alcohol Content: 13.5 %

Serving Temperature: 16-18 c, cooler if consumed before dinner.

Decanting: None.

Pouring: Pour slowly with a 15-20 degree inclination.

Glass: Red wine glass.

Aging: Although I have not attempted to store this wine its general characteristics lead me to believe that this will be a good table wine for a couple of years but may not age well.

Notes: The winery will allow visits. When in Palermo, call the company a day or two before to see the process, the cellar and try the variety of reds, whites and rose’ they produce.
Tenuta Rapitalà
90043 Camporeale (PA)
Phone: 0924 37233
Fax: 0924 36115
Email: rapitala@giv.it

Tags: Syrah Red Wine Italian Wine Sicily Palermo Sommelier Food and Wine Travel Italy

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La Scuderia – Exquisite Dining in Palermo

Traditional Sicilian cuisine is an oxymoron. Not that Sicily does not have marvelous antique recipes or culture simply that traditional Sicilian cuisine would mean that the recipes developed over time in a rather uniform way across the Island. This is not Sicily’s history. Sicily has been conquered and dominated by every major power over the annals of time. Sicily sits out in the Mediterranean, right in the middle of shipping lanes, it is difficult to protect because it is separated from the Italian peninsula and it close to Africa, Greece, Italy and Portugal.

Although a desired prize among conquerors it also has proved extremely difficult to dominate. Those who arrived in Messina, Catania, Ragusa, Enna or Siracusa most often never made it across the mountains, plains or treacherous inland areas to be able to control the island. As the conquerors came and left a bit of their culture and their food remained being integrated over time into local customs. You could say that Sicilian cooking is the only true International Novel Cuisine.

Palermo is home to one of our favorite restaurants, la Scuderia, and they specialize in Sicilian, International Cuisine. The basics of Italian cooking with fresh vegetables, fish, meats and cheeses, combined with a flair of cumin, curry or some other international spice. This is not contemporary cuisine, the recipes are several hundred years old. The menu’ will change over the year and even during the week. The chefs choose the menu’ based on what is good and fresh at the local market, the ingredients are always top shelf.

The menu will usually include grilled vegetables, eggplant wraps, risotto with fish, veal, and swordfish. They also serve a local version of the cheese caciocavalo di Palermo, known as cascacavallu di Godrano. The desserts of Palermo are heavenly and La Scuderia presents a formidable selection worthy of a meal in their own right. The staff is neatly dressed and polite with true Sicilian manners. They are knowledgeable about their foods and their wines. This is a more expensive restaurant but worth the extra expense. Call ahead for reservations, you will need them.

La Scuderia
Viale del Fante, 9
Palermo
Tel. 091/520323


Tags: Gourmet Foods
Italian Restaurants Palermo Sicily Food and Wine Travel Italy

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Charleston – Unique Traditional Restaurant in Palermo

“Io ballo il Rock!” Restaurant Charleston in Palermo, similar to the dance it is named after, is a fascinating sensorial experience. As its name implies Restaurant Charleston exemplifies the Liberty period with marvelously attentive and knowledgeable service, incredibly simple but flavorful Sicilian recipes, all set in an atmosphere difficult to reproduce anywhere else in the world. Located in the recently renovated Stabilimento Balneario in Mondello, a short drive from Palermo, dining at the Restaurant Charleston is an exotic dinner experience floating on the calm turquoise waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

A day in the Sicilian sun, an evening chatting with new friends sipping Prosecco and watching the Mediterranean Sea slowly consume the setting sun are the perfect prelude to a magical evening in an enchanting atmosphere. It is a short taxi ride, from our hotel outside of Palermo, to one of Palermo’s antique traditions, the Charleston in Mondello. The 19th century building in reinforced cement stands alone just off the shore in shallow waters of the bay. The Liberty style architecture conjures images of Belle di Epoca parading in velvet dresses and Cavalieri escorting their dames to fashionable balls an important part of the worldly Palermo night-life.

The taxi leaves us in the disengagement square, surrounded by marble columns, in front of the building and we move across the bridge from dry land over the water to the restaurant well into the bay. The staff greets us cordially. They accompany us on a quick tour of the historic building before we are accommodated on the open terrace. Our table is filled with antipasti, Fior di Zucca, Alici, and numerous other Sicilian specialties, as we sip our bubbly Prosecco.

Bright and shiny reflections beam up at us from the water. The lights of the dining room attract the numerous aquatic life forms toward the surface close to our table. The seafloor is clearly visible and strewn with large rocks smoothed by the moving tides. Occasionally, sounds of laughter or the pop of a wine bottle will interrupt our trance otherwise we are immersed in the undersea world. The waiter politely suggests a regional pasta dish followed by a swordfish steak, baked with butter and sage. Pasta and fish the appropriate choice of a white wine. While Charleston has a well-rounded wine cellar, complete with exquisite Super Tuscany and Piedmont wines, we chose a local white wine.

The food was as delicate as the environment. Subtle flavors balanced in both texture and intensity. Fresh grilled or marinated vegetables as side dish and a choice of Sicilian cheeses to complete our meal. An exquisite experience, worthy of a long awaited romantic evening or an important occasion with friends and family, our evening was the culmination of a beautiful and relaxing weekend in paradise.

Tags: Palermo Italian Resorts Italian Restaurants Food and Wine Italian Vacations Sicily Travel Italy

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Grand Hotel Villa Igiea – A palace in Palermo

The Grand Hotel Villa Igiea is portal to far away lands in a distant time. Designed in 1908 by the grand master of Liberty architecture Ernesto Basile, the structure emulates the cultural prowess of the European Palermo. Built around an existing edifice of the 1400s owned by the Englishman Downviller, Villa Igiea is a magical combination of Renaissance balance and Libertarian luxury. True to its origins, Villa Igiea is furbished with 1898 Liberty pieces designed and built by the same Basile.

The mind has preconceptions of how things should be. Exotic destinations with Palm trees slowly swaying to and fro, a hint of spices carried on a warm breeze, deep and profound colors accentuated by sun beaming through the clear deep blue sky, deafening silence penetrated by the cries of the gulls as they feed in the early morning, and drone of waves secretly lapping on the rocks of the shore. As we gaze over the sea from the patio outside our room it is difficult to believe that we are just minutes away from Palermo instead of some Polynesian island.

A knock on the door brings us back to reality as our waiter rolls the breakfast cart onto the balcony and discreetly disappears. We had arrived late last night and our first meeting was not until lunch so we settled back into our fantasy. Café and hot milk, freshly squeezed orange juice, several Mafalda and other breads still warm from the baker and fresh jams were spread over the service table. The sun, rising in the morning sky, warming our bodies, is just bright enough to merit sunglasses.

Another knock at the door broke our concentration. Giuseppe and Vito arrived to brief us on the day’s activities. As we shared coffee and Mafalda, they reviewed in minute detail today’s schedule. Although this was an all business trip we wanted to visit the city’s cultural treasures and hopefully identify the location for a new store. Today is a busy day, lunch with the Mayor and business cronies, the afternoon speaking at a conference on the development of wireless telecommunications and dinner with our local employees, but this is Friday. Saturday and Sunday could be open. A quick check of our schedule and Raffaella was on the phone with the hotel staff, “Yes, check out Monday morning at 5.”

A weekend in this paradise gives a whole new meaning to a business trip. Lunch with Luca Orlando at Villa Niscemi, a 17th century palace purchased by the city of Palermo, the afternoon at the historical Universita’ degli Studi di Palermo, and a marvelous fish dinner at the contemporary restaurant La Scuderia with our fantastic employees. That evening we slept with the air conditioning off and the double French doors wide open. The soothing melody of the waves and the salty sea breeze quickly put us into a deep and refreshing sleep.

Again we find ourselves daydreaming, imagining being lost on a far away island and the knock at the door. Breakfast, little changed from yesterday, the warm bread, fresh squeezed orange and grapefruit juice, homemade jams and a lovely pot of Espresso with warm frothed milk. As the most gentile waiter slid out of the room we knew that this was our weekend. The important people had returned to Rome last night before dinner, I advised the hotel staff that unless Rome was burning to the ground, no calls were to be passed through and I had disconnected the cell phones. Not just turned off, I had taken the batteries out just in case they magically turned themselves on. We decided to stroll through this beautiful and historic building. The corridors of polished granite were wide enough to drive a truck through. Separated from other common areas by granite pillars supporting the upper level verandas overlooking the main floor. Incredible works of art adorn every wall and Epic furniture strategically placed unclear if they were the focal point or a compliment to the impressive architecture and workmanship.

Our morning passed quickly and lunch in the sumptuous dining room known as Sala Specchi. We enjoyed delicately roasted fish with just a splash of lemon and a surprisingly fresh local white wine. We returned to our room after this light but exquisite lunch and decided to take coffee under the palm trees on the patio of our room. Our coffee moment became an early afternoon nap as we were overcome by the tranquility. The sounds from the pool slowly brought us back to the land of the conscious. The deep blue and bright turquoise colors of the sea beckoned.

Bathing suits donned in record time we moved to the low cliffs next to the sandy beach. A small ladder appeared through a natural passageway in the rocks. Raffaella climbed down the four or five steps to the water and dipped her toes. Perhaps the sun had raised our body temperature or the depth of the small pool next to the cliff was particularly deep but the water was cold. Sissy that I am, not wanting the slow and agonizing inching into the water I jumped, drenching Raffaella as I entered the water. A shrill scream penetrated the air as she dove in after me sure to make me pay for the cold shower.

The water was cool but tremendously refreshing. This was the perfect way to wake up on a joyously sleepy afternoon. We swam awhile in this secluded portion of the beach. The water clear and deep, we could see the fish swimming beneath us just over the rocky bottom. Within a few hours our strength had been consumed and it was time to move on. A quick shower and a change into slacks, shirt and dinner jacket and we were ready for the evening.

Villa Igiea has a strategically placed bar-lounge next to the pool. The sun is slowly setting in the evening sky and a red-orange trail leads across the surface of the water to the horizon. A light, cool breeze blows in from the northwest across the water bringing with it scents of the ocean. The taller Palm trees sway ever so gently and slowly as the days heat subsides to the cooler air of the early evening.

Prosecco is our poison as we chat with new friends from London and Sydney. We exchange thoughts of this beautiful place and others we have seen during our travels but we all agree that Villa Igiea is one of the most pleasant places we have ever visited.

Salita Belmonte 43
90142 Palermo - Italy
Tel. +39 091 63 12 111
Fax +39 091 54 76 54

Tags: Palermo Italian Resorts Hotels Food and Wine Italian Vacations
Sicily Travel Italy

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