Madonna of the Letter

Like most - if not all - Italian towns and villages, the port city of Messina, the entranceway to Sicilian civilization, is blessed with a patron saint.

For Messina, Madonna della Lettera, is that saint.

Standing boldly and shining like a beacon (in all of her gold-toned glory) Madonna of the Letter is the first sight many visitors see as they approach Messina, via ferry, from Calabria.

It was the first thing we saw, for sure! And, how could we not? She reaches six meters - nearly 20 feet - into the air.

What we did not see, due to the view-destructing scaffolding surrounding the statue, was the inscription "Vos et ipsam civitatem benedicimus," or "We bless you and your city."

According to popular legend, the Virgin Mary presented a letter to Messina residents who visited her in Palestine in 42 AD, congratulating the city on their Christian conversion. The letter is said to be in safe keeping inside one of Messina's churches, but a translation of the letter can be found here.

Madonna della Lettura was unveiled in 1934 when Pope Pius XI who, using a remote control device created by Gugliemo Marconi, illuminated the statue from the Vatican City.

Stay tuned for more fun facts and interesting tidbits from our northern Sicilian tour...coming soon!

Ti Amo, Too

For all of those "babies" and "Peppes" out there who are

1) too shy to emblazon their love on a public walkway
2) afraid of breaking the law (and getting caught)

-or-

3) who don't have a steady enough hand...

Directly from the street facing the Duomo in Palermo...

These are for you!

Can anyone guess why I liked them so much?

Happy Love Thursday everyone!

Testa Dura Strikes Again!

Remember last week when my suocero lamented over, what he sees as, my poor eating habits? Well, that testa dura won't take "non" for an answer!

The next day, he showed up with this, and offered an excuse that the "bricklayer down the street" brought it by for me.

The following morning, I found this sitting on my desk.

And, the third day, he knocked on my office door, and handed me this.

Italians are funny!

Scaredy Cat on Vaca

Oh, yes, friends. It is true. I am a BIG 'OLE fifone. Or, for those of you who prefer English - A BIG 'OLE WEENIE! It's true.

I am scared to death of the Mafia. Seriously.

So, why oh why am I leaving today on a jet train and heading towards the land of the mafiosi?

Cause, I'm also a risk-taker.

And, a traveler.

And, I can't say no to a good deal.

Today, fellow Americana in Calabria, Michelle, of Bleeding Espresso and I are setting out for our first girls' weekend. And, boy are we excited!

She bid her farewells to the blogworld, and uh, P yesterday and headed to Catanzaro, where she was met at the stazione with a fabulous blood-orange margarita. Well, technically, she had to wait the 3 km to get here, but then she had one. Lucky her.

You want in on the Siciliano fun?

Here are some of the places we plan to visit.

You can also check out some of the movies I've seen lately, in preparation for my trip, no doubt...all set in Sicily.

Johnny Stecchino

Il 7 e l'8

Il Postino

Come on, join in!

You'll feel like you are there with us. And, just to make it more autentico...I'll have a few extra cannoli - just for you!

Buon Weekend!

Please note: I will not have Internet access during this trip, but will respond to all comments when I return! Ciao!!

Sausage and Sweets - Sharing the Love

Quick! What do homemade sausage and bakery-bought sweets have in common?

- They both begin with the letter "S"

- They are both, um...food

- They are both found in Italy

And, they both 'show the love!'

Heh?

Well, it's true.

It's common knowledge Pep spoils our construction crew. And, that wasn't the only time. Every morning he prepares their choice of Il Cedro espresso or cappuccino, along with whatever we offered our B&B guests for breakfast.

Then, after lunch...it's espresso round II!

Today, they shared the love with Peppe. Agostino, the uomo in charge, is from Gimigliano, a quaint village town about 20 minutes from Catanzaro. He and his family make homemade sausage, and today, he shared that sausage.

And, for Peppe, that means he shared the love.

Happy Love Thursday ya'll!

It's No Secret

I miss Texas. Heck, I talk about it all the time.

But, I must say, I am usually the one in the family with bragging rights. It's normal for me to call home and tell my family about things I saw in Paris, Corfu, or even Calabria. Well, there's a first time for everything. And, that time was last week when I made my daily call home.

"Bill Clinton is in Lufkin tonight," Mom told me. "We're going to go!"

Being the yellow dog democrat I am, I couldn't control my excitement. I didn't sleep a wink, and even considered calling home in the wee hours of the next morning to get a full recap.

I not so patiently waited until mid-morning their time to talk to my sister, Charlee.

"You are going to die," were her first words to me.

"What?!? Tell me. Tell me!"

So, she begins her "Bill Clinton's in Lufkin, Texas review" with all of the drama and anticipation one would expect from a former One Act Play "Best Actress" nominee.

"We waited in line for two hours to get in, and we stood the whole time!"

"It was amazing!"

"He looks just like he does on TV..."

She then tells me about the post-speech mingle, where the president meets and greets with, who he hopes will be, his wife's supporters.

"I pushed my way to the other side, because I knew he'd walk over there, too. I made Cole come with me!"

"People were pushing, and stomping. It was actually very scary. There was a big steel bar, and people kept pushing Cole into the bar. They even rolled a man in a wheel chair out the way...poor guy! He'd roll himself up. Someone would roll him out of the way!"

Well, apparently Cole was in near-hysteric tears because of the force of the crowd.

"Can you put him on the other side of the gate?" Charlee asked a security guard.

Uhm, no.

"Can you please ask people to stop pushing. He is scared!" She asked a civic center employee, who glanced away and averted her question.

When, suddenly...

Two arms, clad in an expensive black suit, reach over the gate and pull him to safety...just as my sister's camera batteries die.

"Hey there...are you ok?" The soothing political voice we've heard so much over the years asks.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO," bellows Cole.

"Are you scared?"

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS," he roars, again.

"Ok," Bill continues (you see, we are on a first name basis now that he saved my nephew). "Everyone step back. This little boy is scared!"

In the midst of this chaos, Charlee hears my mother in the background...

"That's my grandson!"

(Charlee assumed Mom thought Cole was lost, and was trying to rescue him. Pep and I are convinced she was bragging to onlookers, which she later admitted was, indeed, the case.)

A few seconds later, Bill looks at Charlee.

"Is this your little boy?"

"Yes," Charlee smiles.

"Well, why don't we get a picture?"

My sister's reply was no less mortifying than Baby's "I carried a watermelon," or Forest Gump's response upon meeting President Kennedy... "I gotta pee...."

"My batteries are dead."

"You can't miss this opportunity," a good Samaritan exclaims as he hands over his own batteries.

"Here, Steve. Can you take this for us?" Bill asks his guard.

All in all...a good day. Cole recovered from the trauma of his first political rally, and my sister has her picture for next year's Christmas cards.

And, then, to add insult to injury...

I'm missing it, again!

Move Over, Martha...

There's a new chef in town!

Yep. That's me! Those of you who have been around awhile know I'm not an overly confident cook (see #91).

However, I sense a change in the air.

I don't know how, given my seemingly busy schedule, but I have much more time to cook in Italy. And, little by little, it's paying off.

Continuing my share the love theme from last week, I made our B&B'full of hungry working Napoletani muffins for Valentine's Day.

Oh, but silly me, I never CAN just follow a recipe. (Which my mother claims to be the source of my epicurean difficulties. Ahhh, but I digress...) So, I, uhm, borrowed a Blood Orange Buttercream Glaze from my friend to drizzle on top (and I added nuts)!

My muffin recipe made so much batter, I had enough left over for a whole cake!

Seriously, I don't think Betty and Sara have anything to worry about just yet. But, competition might be on the horizon.

I'm just saying...

Come On Over

and visit me today at bleedingespresso.com.

I need your help...and, that's all I'm gonna say!

See ya there!

It's Baaaack... (and, I Love It!)

Yep, folks. Love Thursdays has returned (and don't think the irony of it's timely comeback is lost on me!)

I've heard a great deal lately from people who don't agree with the sentiments of the Valentine's Day message. And, I don't blame them. Yes, I am a hopeless romantic, but for years, even when I had a love interest, I was sans man on Valentine's Day. Not the "Poor, Poor, Pitiful Me" type, but more the "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" type. For years, my roommates and I in Orlando celebrated together. I even once postponed a date, to hang with the girls. Shhhhh.....

It is ok. I think he was gay.

Other years, I didn't have a crush, or a true love, or a sweetcheeks. (Don't you just love those candy heart sayings...ok, ok, I made up the last one...) And, yes, Valentine's Day pioneers tried hard to get me down. Sometimes, they succeed. Sometimes, I shopped, literally, until I dropped. But, the day did direct focus to my (lack-of-a) lovelife, and, in some of my "older" years, (and, I can admit this only now) it was depressing.

But, looking back, with all of my 30something-year-old wisdom, I can see it was silly. Valentine's Day is a day to honor those you love. Not simply your husband, your wife, or your partner. But, a day to celebrate relationships. All of them. A day to be thankful for the love in your life. The love you share with your friends, your parents, your nieces and nephews...your blog buddies...your English teacher.

To help us all remember to show our feelings, as openly and honestly as a child, here is the Valentine's Day card I received from my favorite little English student. Ohhh, you've heard of her. Here. And, here.

A little hard to read? Here are some close-up shots of my favorite areas!

(I love you! Flavia!)

(Pictorial representation of "cherry" and, no...I did not correct her "bey bey")

(T.V.B., abbreviation for ti voglio bene; one could also say T.V.T.B., or ti voglio tanto bene, or rather, I love you very, very much!)

Happy San Valentino Everyone, and Happy Love Thursday!

Adios, Messico!

Cause I don't need you NO more!

You know how ordinary people, in times of great duress, discover extraordinary inner strength and overcome life's obstacles?

Well, I had obstacles.

And, now...I am extraordinary.

On this, the twelfth day of February, two thousand and eight, I present to you


Ta daaaaa

Cherrye's Totally Inventive and To-Die-For Blood Orange Margarita!

Yes, friends, it is true. When faced with the harsh realities of this bitter life, I did what any other red-blooded southeast Texana would do.

I made a margarita.

And, it was goooood.

Here's the scoop!
- Equal parts Tequilla and Contreau
- Juice from one small blood orange
- A spoonful of sugar (feel free to sing along)
- A spash of cold water (or, if you live in any part of the world that actually produces ICE, this would work, too!)

Then, shake it up, baby, and enjoy!!!

So, tell me. What is your favorite Rita? How do you like her, shaken or frozen? Have any special recipes to share today? Tell me. Tell me. I can't wait to hear!

Warning: You must be of legal age to consume alcoholic beverages. You must not consume afore-mentioned beverage alone. You must invite Cherrye, of My Bella Vita, to all gatherings where afore-mentioned beverage is served. Cherrye, of My Bella Vita is not responsible if you drink too much and embarrass your drunk ass in front of people. This has been a public service announcement brought to you by your good friends at "Drink More Ritas with Cherrye dot Com."

Two Things

you already know...

1) I hate being cold;
and
2) Italians have some pretty extreme ideas of what constitutes health.

Therefore, the following coversation between my suocero and myself should come as no surprise.

Me: (shiver) "I'm soooo cold!"

Lui: "Do you know why you are cold?"

Me: "Uh, si! Because it is cold outside."

Lui: "No! You are cold because you don't eat!"

After a not-so-convincing attempt at covering my outburst of laughter, he adds...

"No eating causes poor blood...Your blood is poor! THIS is why you are always cold!"

I politely nodded my head, and grabbed a jacket.

Some things will never change!

Buona Domenica!

A Piccolo Confession

Yes, friends, I have a confession to make. It's not as lovely as some, or as jarring as others, but a confession all the same.

I lied.

I lied to you.

I did not - and can not - give up politics for Lent.

In fact, I didn't even try!

I did, however, manage to get my honey to - for the first time in his Catholic life - give up something. And, boy was that fun!

He pondered, put off, and pondered some more.

"I could give up bread," he proudly exclaimed.

"Would that include pizza? Sandwiches? Snacks??"

"Oh, yea - that would never work!"

"I could give up cheese!"

(insert incredulous look here)

"You're right. I'd die!"

"Then, sweets. It has to be sweets!"

And, so it is.

In an incredible twist of irony, the following morning there were FIVE leftover cornetti from Il Cedro's breakfast rush.

"God has a cruel sense of humor..." was all he could say, as he shared the wealth of chocolaty goodness with the construction workers...twice!

I, on the other hand, am giving something this year, rather than giving something up. Each day, I will do at least one nice thing for someone else. I have also decided, and this is not to reduce inspection by those around me, that, when possible, I will not tell the person I have done something nice for them. This is a self-monitored Lenten sacrifice. No check-ups, please!

So...what about you? We know Louise is hanging in, despite her Nutella-withdrawals...any other takers?

Once Again...

Carnevale has come and gone, and much too soon, I might add. It was somewhat overshadowed for me this year by other pressing international events.

I mean, why, oh why did Super Tuesday and Fat Tuesday coincide? I meant to vote for Hillary Clinton, but ended up writing in Audrey Tautou. Damn, those hurricanes! Damn them! She's not even American.

To top it all off, I was in a self-induced diabetic stupor from an over-indulgence of homemade chocolatey delights. Ah, yes. Yesterday was International World Nutella Day. And, I celebrated. Well.

I also had the honor of being rescued a few days ago by a high-flying, web-tossing super hero. The American in me was taken aback when Superman showed up on my steps, and I immediately pondered the idea of offering him candy.

Lucky for me, he accepted a glass of water.

And, now, the never-ending, guilt-induced Catholic question of the year.

What will I give up?

What will I give up?

Well, that's easy.

Nutella and Politics...

Were there ever two things more at odds?

Auguri, Friends...

Or, almost anyhow.

Tomorrow is World Nutella Day!

Woo hoo...

In honor of this annual munch-fest, I tested my nutella-mixing skills and created

Nutella Chocolate-Chunk Mousse

Yum. This dessert is rich and chocolately, and promises not to dissapoint nutella-lovers everywhere.

Health nuts - be sure to check below for the low-fat option!

Here's what you need:

- 1 cup heavy cream

- 1/2 cup nutella

- 1/4 tablespoon instant coffee granules

- However much chocolate bar candy you can handle!

- Whipped cream (optional)

In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the heavy cream and instant coffee.

Mix with a spoon until the coffee is dissolved (about 5 minutes).

Add nutella and beat on medium speed for one minute.

Crumble hard chocolate and beat for an additional 30 seconds.

Spoon into individual cups, cover, and refrigerate at least four hours.

If you are so unclined, add whipped cream just before serving. We didn't. Instead, we added extra chocolate and a dash of ground instant coffee!

Delizioso!

Now - for that afore-mentioned low-fat option. After you eat your chocolate-chunk mousse, put on your favorite pair of tennis shoes, go outside, and jog along your route of choice for at least 5 hours~that should do it!

Special thanks to our friends and co-hosts of this year's World Nutella Day, Michelle of Bleeding Espresso and Sara of Ms. Adventures in Italy. On February 6, be sure to visit the World Nutella Day site for more Nutella-inspired recipes.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T...B&B'ing Part III

Find out what it means to me!
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
(sock it to me...sock it to me...sock it to me...)

Ahhh. Aretha can belt it, can't she?

That's ok, feel free to sing along...
(sock it to me...sock it to me...sock it to me...)
You know you are dancing...
(sock it to me...sock it to me...sock it to me...)

She also makes a convincing argument on the virtues of respect, something we all appreciate in life. Including, us hard working B&Bers. As I've said, we love the guests we've had...99.9% of 'em, anyhow. And, that other 0.1%? Well, all you can do is laugh.

Want in on the fun?

Here are just a few of the things that 0.1% has done to lighten our day.

They don't understand that No Smoking Signs, and all related signage including, but not limited to Non Fumare, Ne pas Fumer, No Fumar, Kein Rauchen, or even, 煙ること apply to everyone.
- Bonus Tip #1 for the 0.1% - Hanging your head outside the window does not qualify as "outside."
- Bonus Tip #2 for the 0.1% - Unless you are in junior high, don't hide in the bathroom. That's sooo not cool.

Hairdryers are placed in the rooms for their convenience, not their mamma's convenience who isn't staying here. Please don't take it home to Mamma. We will notice.

We have a full kitchen available for our guests, complete with a refrigerator, where guests can keep food and beverages, a stove, microwave, dishes, and flatware. Again, most guests are appreciative of this service and are fully respectful of our things. However...

- We have arrived to prepare morning breakfast...ok, yes, it was Pep who arrived, and found dirty dishes, napkins, and cups. He, of course, cleaned their mess prior to serving breakfast to other guests.
- We have arrived to prepare morning breakfast, (again, it was Pep) only to discover that someone finished off the orange juice and severely depleted our supply of apricot jam. Luckily, we had an extra box of juice...warm. Yum.
- We have arrived to prepare morning breakfast (don't you just hate redundancy) to be told that our 400 Euro coffee maker was malfunctioning.

"It isn't malfunctioning," Peppe spit through clinched teeth.

"You just have to know how to operate it. That's why we make the coffee."

Think they caught on to his clue?

They didn't.

We've had "no-show" arrivals checking in after midnight, and had folks leave waaaay past the appropriate check-out time. Although breakfast hours are clearly stated, we've had groups show up at 1:00 PM - wanting breakfast.

Ahhh, but what can you do?

We are new at this. We are learning as we go. Peppe views each new experience as a chance to learn something new about the business.

And, I get blogging material.

We both win.

That's the Way...B&B'ing Part II

uh hu, uh hu...
I like it
Uh hu, uh hu...

Oh, yes, friends. Contrary to what some people would have you believe, managing a B&B is NOT all about folding towels and ironing sheets, checking emails and baking cakes.

It is not!

Here, try this.

Close your eyes and think about the number one thing you love about your job.

Keep thinking...

Keep thinking...

Oh, you can think of something!!!

(You can open your eyes, now.)

Chances are one of the first things that popped in your mind was "people." The people you work with; the people you work for; the people you meet at work.

Am I right?

Well, let's consider what this is like for someone who runs a bed and breakfast.

Who do I work with?
- My husband

Who do I work for?
- Myself

Who do I meet at work?
- Some of the best folks around!

Over the last few months, we have encountered some wonderful people. We've met fellow Americans who love to travel. We've been invited to see the Tango by a group of theater technicians. We've entertained friends. Twice. We've been invited to visit guests in both Venice and Rome, and as of this morning - Reggio Calabria.

What can I say? The people make this job worthwhile.

Plus, I have the flexibility to leave the country for three months and plan a wedding. My husband took off a month to join me (wasn't that lucky). I have a friend visiting in March and I am not worried about vacation time or sick leave. I'm planning another trip with a friend and I don't have to ask permission to miss work.

The vacation time can't be beat!

And, the money ain't too bad. When we are busy - like we were this month - we can make as much in a week as the average Calabrian makes in a month. Not great by American standards, I know. But, we live in Calabria.

It takes me 30 seconds to get to work.

I can wear what I want.

But, going back to the beginning...back to what really counts. I get to spend every day working with my friend. We have enough going on that we get our space; we get our "me" time. But, we get to see each other throughout the day. We get to have lunch together. We meet for coffee breaks. There are unlimited moments throughout the day when we have "us."

And, that is the way

uh hu, uh hu
I like it
Uh hu Uh hu!