Primo posto.
So pretty much all the stereotypes about Italians are true. I’ve seen a cyclist riding one handed, gesticulating wildly with the other hand, talking to his fellow. A heavily moustached middle aged man, wearing gold chains and a singlet, washing his car on the street. Roughhousin’ Italian youths each spitting in almost perfect sequence at the train station. And despite all this, or more likely because of it, I find Italy pretty magical.
So after 50 hours on various planes, trains and one ferry, I’m here in Capo D’Orlando, Sicily. It’s a costal town, near to Messina, the main port to the mainland of Italy, in a house up in the foothills. (Well pretty much all of Sicily is foothills, the whole land mass is basically a steep as fuck mountainside that ends abruptly in the ocean.)
Anyway, I truly don’t have that much exciting to talk about, so here are some photos with wacky and informative captionsssssssss.
A few shots of the view from the balcony of the house, looking out over the sea. Capo D’Orlando is sort of around the corner of the hill.
You see this sort of thing all over Italy: When families build, they’ll sometimes do the concrete slab-work for one or more extra houses, and leave them till they need more room, e.g Kids moving out, etc. Then when they have the money/need, they’ll fill the frame with bricks and presto-new-house-o. This massive degree of separation between parents and children probably explains in Italian dudes being huge momma’s boys.
The house behind ours, built around the same era as the one my dad was born in. (The house I’m in is a modern building on the site of my dad’s original house.) At the time of habitation, the houses roof was probably not furiously collapsed.
Mmmm, sweet quaint semi-abandoned buildings. These are Italy’s main export.
Another shot of the views. If you squint at the background, you can see one of Sicily’s older towns, which were usually built at the top of the island hills for defence. Another house being built in stages in the foreground.
From the country that brought you the aqueduct and the Colosseum, comes the ‘puttin’ some bricks inna hole tilla hole aint there no more.’ You see dodgy brick work like this all over, Italians trust the fact that they will eventually cover every surface of everything with plaster to cover their secret crappy-at-bricks shame.
The typical Italian street. Not pictured: Two tiny Italian vehicles hurtling into what looks like a gristly collision, but is merely a terrifying near-miss.
A tray of Sicilian Dolce (sweets). I can assure you everything on this tray is delicious.
Internationally stupid looking, thanks to self-shot photography. It’s now!
Well that’s about all I got to show you, hope it wasn’t cripplingly borrrringggggggg. Maybe I’ll post more later, or maybe not. The suspense will literally murder you.
END TRANSMISSION
I am excited to read and see all these things! I particularly like the bricks haphazardly shoved into a building. This is Italy!
A ++++ WOULD READ FROM AGAIN
Sounds great! I second Tim for best photo. Tell us more cultural things as well
I appreciate your comments-as-ebay-sale-feedback stylings. I will try and discuss more cultural stuff. Though most of it is sorta heresay. Stay tuned, for Italy’s inexplicably fortified doors!