Baking our way to Erice: the Road to Trapani - PART TWO
Tuesday, March 20, 2025 (continued)
As Alessandro expertly maneuvered our bus up the winding mountain road towards Erice, we looked back at an impressive view.
But first, a lunch stop.
We were going to experience true Sicilian hospitality at Maria's place.
A simple country lunch.
I tasted the almond (mandorla) wine. Definitely for dessert.
After everyone ate their fill, it was time to learn the secrets of Maria's Pasticceria Grammatico.
Michael was our British interpreter...
Maria's voice was incredibly quiet so we really couldn't understand her, Even if we could understand Italian, but Michael helped us out.
This book is the story of Maria's life and includes recipes. She was a nun who left the convent and started her own business making and selling cookies using the nuns' secret recipes. Scandalous!
The cookies were baked in an oven over 600° F, so they were ready in about 3 minutes. I can't imagine even trying to bake cookies at that temperature at home, but apparently the nuns used big old bread ovens.
Of course, we tasted all the cookies! The rest we took in bags for the bus ride later.
Time to move on to the ancient village of Erice just up the road.
Erice
(pronounced ERR-ee-cheh)
Andrea give us the lay of the land at the city gate.
At some point the Phoenicians arrived, destroyed some of Erice, then built more.
First we visited Chiesa Madre - or Church of Our Mother. The exterior was built in late Medieval times.
The interior was renovated in the 1800s in an eclectic mixture of styles. This particular icon of Mary and Jesus has been used in Erice many times in traditional processions around the city to pray for the mother's help.
One the wall near the icon is a list of some of the miracles that are attributed to Mary, or to other saints, based on such petitions.
Notice the entry for Giugno (June) 1624. That's when Saint Rosalia saved Palermo from the plague ("peste" for pestilence).
The narrow, cobblestoned streets of Erice reminded us of other medieval cities.
Heading towards the castle, we stopped to examine this coat of arms from the Kingdom of Sicily in 1282. Notice the 2 black eagles. This became the coat of arms of Palermo and the first flag of modern Sicily, which was part of Spanish empire when Columbus sailed to America in 1492. Spain taxed the Sicilians heavily, pushing the country into poverty.
Although we had visited Maria's restaurant and kitchen, her actual pastry shop was in the middle of the city of Eriche.
Eventually we reached the old castle and ramparts.
We were impressed by this solid door.
The view from the ramparts was impressive.
Our day wasn't even over. Next up: Trapani.
Trapani comes from Greek word that means scythe, because of the shape of coastline there.
Mary will pick up our travels from here.
- Christine
That lunch is proving Kelly’s point about Sicilian food. My goodness.
ReplyDeleteYou don’t even really feel full (unless you eat a lot of the breads)!
ReplyDelete