Always paradise in Sicily with our friend Marion…
If you have time and desire for some magic in Sicily, we recommend a house located off the beaten track, in the middle of the mountains, 5 km from the town of Castelbuono.
B&B Sicily – always paradise
In Castelbuono, you can buy fresh, unprocessed products in small, local shops while soaking up the local atmosphere: fish directly from the fisherman, fragrant bread from the baker or his wife, meat from the butcher, for example, the Cusimano family (don’t be vegetarians for a while, try real organic meat, it tastes delicious!!!), ripe fruit and vegetables at the market (in various forms); sweets and ice cream at the Fiasconari pastry shop – a real treat, be sure to try the cannoli siciliani (cannoli filled with cream), yum 🙂
The hostess is Marion, a warm, cheerful person, excellent storyteller, and superb cook, from Wuppertal, who has lived in Italy for 30 years!
This magical place is located in the Parco delle Madonie region and is known for its excellent olive oil, wines, wild boar, porcini mushrooms, manna (the kind we know from biblical stories, crispy, with the taste of honey cake, which flows from the ash trees directly into specially designed boxes – used to produce sweets and luxury cosmetics)… anyone who likes slow food simply has to go!
The streets are very narrow and no garbage truck can get through; the local donkeys help out. Everyone loves them… The Italians call them asini.
People drink water from local mountain springs; there are certain places where you can refill your own bottles for 10 euro cents.
For delicious local food, order from Marion, and if you’d like to eat in the city, there’s a wide selection. We recommend:
1. Giardino di Venere, or Garden of Venus, with its warm and welcoming owner Salvatore… (he makes excellent liqueurs and is happy to offer samples…)
2. ..and if you want something special…, then go to Nangalaruni (harmonica in the Sicilian dialect), in the pedestrian zone, called a ristorante in the Michelin guide!
https://guide.michelin.com/en/sicilia/castelbuono/restaurant/nangalarruni
indoors or outdoors
The Sicilians are mostly Catholic and crazy about the patron saints of their cities:
The patron saint of Castelbuono is, as the name suggests, Saint Anne, and the processions, flea markets, and concerts last all week! I’ve never celebrated the Feast of Saint Anne for so long!
In mid-August, Ypsigrock – a rock festival with one stage (you only get one performance per band) – takes place in Castelbuono. That’s where I first heard the French band “Her”. If you don’t know them, I highly recommend them!
We’re so in love with Sicily that we could write for ages about its beaches, mountains, and little towns perched at 1000 meters above sea level, and include tons of photos… but these two pages are limiting us! Just fly there and see for yourselves! You’ll love it! Marion always finds a couch for you – my kids – Couchsurfers (or so she once told me!).
Just 15 km from Castelbuono is the nearest beach, San Abrogio, with such a view…!
And I remember a sporting event… the Giro di Castelbuono – the oldest race in Italy. It’s been held continuously since 1912, always at the end of July, and only a limited number of invited athletes participate because of the narrow streets and the fact that Castelbuono is a small town!
Grazie Anna Gabryel (PL) für den Text!