What To Eat In Sicily

I'm so excited! It looks like I will be leading another private tour of Italy and Sicily at the end of summer. ( Glam Italia II). 

I was just thinking the other day that if I were to find out I was never going to set foot on the magnificent isle of Sicily again, I would probably just curl up and die right there on the spot.

Sicily is one of the most magnificent places I have ever traveled to. And I can never wait to get back.

I think about Sicily every day.

There are so many things to love about Sicily. One of them is the food.

American Sicilian food is nothing like the food in Sicily. Sicilian food is spectacular. Everything has been grown locally in nutrient rich volcanic soil, the seafood is caught in the pristine waters of the three seas that frame the island, and the exotic blend of flavors reflect the multicultural history of this place.

If you are heading to Sicily make sure don't leave before you try each of these:

Arancini

These are rice balls filled with ragu and deep fried. They are soooo good! And very filling. Your eyes might be bigger than your stomach!

Seafood Antipasti

seafood antipasti at my favorite restaurant in Giardini Naxos. Alici bottom left.

Especially Alici. (anchovies)
There is something about the way Sicilians prepare their anchovies. You couldn't pay me to eat them at home where they are horrible, salty and pungent. But there they are sensational. The first time I ate them I didn't know what they were, and probably wouldn't have even tasted them had I known they were anchovies, now I eat them every day in Sicily! And every day I eat the local seafood. The restaurant menus change all the time as they are based on today's catch, not on what is in the freezer.

Pasta Alla Norma

Pasta alla Norma

At some point during a trip to Sicily you have to try this dish of pasta made with fresh tomatoes, fried eggplant, basil and fresh firm ricotta. 

Fresh Peasant Salads

Eolie salad, Blu Caffe, Canneto Beach, Lipari

We ate this salad at a little cafe on the beach in Lipari on the 2014 Corinna B's World Glam Italia tour. It looks simple enough, but was so amazing we went back three times! Simple "peasant food" in Sicily is so good 

Cannoli

This is another food that I really don't care for stateside, but in Sicily (where they are from) fresh cannoli are just amazing. Crispy shells filled with fresh sweet sheep's milk ricotta flavored with chocolate chips or local pistachio. There's just nothing quite like them! 

Granita

Breakfast granita al cafe con panna, Canneto beach, Lipari

You can't beat an icy cool granita on a hot, sunny Sicilian day. They come in a variety of flavors are super refreshing and are nothing like Italian ices in America. The texture, consistency and taste are completely different.

In Sicily, when the days are long and hot and start early, granita and gelato are also breakfast food. A coffee flavored granita with cream ( beware - they add a very generous serving of cream) or a limon granita make a divine way to start the day. 

Brioche With Gelato

Brioche con gelato, Sicily

The first time I went to Sicily my friend Silvana made me a list of foods I HAD to try. One of them was brioche with gelato, a combo I would otherwise have passed on. Believe it or not this is another breakfast food! Warm sweet brioche filled with the creamiest gelato on earth. It is super sweet, gets a little melty, and is the food of the gods.

Pistachio Anything.

Pistachios were introduced to Sicily during the Arab rule, and now find their way into all kinds of foods. There are so many pistachio flavored foods to try - don't miss out on them!

Lipari ~ The Glam Italia Tour

 Lipari, Aeolian Islands, Sicily.

Midnight in Sicily, on the beautiful island of Lipari

Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere.
And sometimes in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself.

Lipari at night.

This year I lead a private tour of Italy.
We called it the Corinna B's World Glam Italia Tour.
It really was quite glamorous.
We spent a few days in the Aeolian Islands, with home base being the beautiful island of Lipari.

Lipari town, Lipari

Lipari town, Lipari

Lipari town, Lipari

From Lipari we took boat trips to other islands in this breathtakingly beautiful volcanic chain.

boating in the Aeolian Islands

Boat trip in the Aeolian Islands

Aquacalda, Lipari

One of the most magnificent things about the Aeolians is the lack of Hiltons. And Marriots. And any other major chain of hotels.
There were no condo complexes blighting the horizon.
It was perfect.

Lido on the beach in Porticello

scooters at Canneto Beach, Lipari

If you venture to Lipari, stay in Canneto Beach. It is only 5 minutes from the main harbor and Lipari town, but is quiet, lovely, and has a perfect view of the active volcano Stromboli across the water.

Blue waters off Canneto beach in Lipari, with a view of Stromboli smoking in the distance

From Aquacalda in Lipari you can see Salina, the island from Il Postino

There are fantastic places to eat in Canneto Beach, and you can walk to them all.
(Just make sure you avoid La Papisca. They charge tourists a ridiculously inflated prices and are surly and mean. Everywhere else is fantastic). 

Canneto Beach at night

Canneto Beach at night

Canneto Beach at night

We stayed at the beautiful Hotel La Zagara. The service was amazing and very personable, and we loved everything about this hotel. I most definitely plan on staying there again next year.

10 Things I Have Learned From Traveling

Venturing out into the big wide world this summer?

Maybe you are traveling to another country, or maybe you are just exploring your own. In my travels around the world I have discovered many interesting truths, and today I am sharing with you

10 Things I Have Learned From Traveling.

All in white, boat day in Portofino last year

1.) Don't Rely On The Internet.

We all have smartphones and iPads, laptops and other media devices, and most of us store travel information on them. Always, always have a hard copy of your itinerary and flight and rental car details, as well as your hotel information.

Devices freeze, lose power, can't make internet connections, or maybe there is no internet available where you are. You never know what's going to happen, so travel smart and have a papercopy of everything you may need.

2. Arrive With Local Currency

Wherever you are going, make sure you have cash in pocket.

Plenty of places don't accept credit cards, and sometimes ATM machines don't work or aren't available.

I like to have at least the equivalent of $100 in local currency, in small denominations.

(When I leave a country, if I think I may come back I will keep my change and some paper money)

Balat, Turkey

3. Learn The Lingo

Simply learning how to say "hello", "goodbye", "please" and "thank you" in the language of the country you are in goes a really long way. 

4. Always Have A Plan B

Things go wrong. Museums/roads/tourist sites etc get closed. The weather doesn't play ball. Life happens.

If you always have a backup plan, the day is not lost.

More often than not Plan A not working, or you getting horribly lost, leads to something far more fun and exciting anyway. Some of my most fantastic travel discoveries and experiences have happened because Plan A failed. And it doesn't hurt in life to stay mentally flexible.

5. The Road Less Traveled Can Make All The Difference

I love getting away from the tourist traps. There are treasures to be found along the road less traveled.

Lipari, Aeolian Islands, Sicily

6. Some Of The Best Things You Will See Won't Be In The Guide Books.

This works with #4 and #5. Simply wandering around a little and keeping your eyes open can lead to amazing experiences. 

7. Ask The Locals

Ask the locals where they go out to eat. The food will be more authentic, the price will be much better, and the experience will be amazing.

Unless I am maniacally starving or thirsty I don't go to restaurants near the main tourist sites. The food is never as good, and the prices tend to be ridiculously inflated.

8. Don't Try To See Too Much.

Slow the pace down, take time to relax and enjoy the place you have come to. You don't really get to experience a town or its people if you are running around madly photographing everything and then racing on to the next place. 

You just can't beat taking your morning coffee or an early evening prosecco and antipasti in the piazza, chatting with the locals or just watching the world go by.

9. Talk To The Locals

Ask them about local things to see. Some of my best travel experiences have been when locals have plotted out my day and told me wonderful places to go. 

10. Always Take a bottle of eater, a light snack and a light sweater or jacket. Weather changes, sometimes it's hard to find water, or there's nowhere around to eat anything. It doesn't hurt to be prepared.. :)