Sicily Archives

Corinna B October 3, 2014

Casa Cuseni, Taormina

Ever since I took my first step onto Sicilian soil I have been obsessed with the place.

It is magnificent, mysterious and beautiful. Overwhelmingly beautiful.

But with a secret darkness to it.

I just can’t get enough.

As such, I read books about Sicily, books set in Sicily, fiction, non fiction – anything I can get my hands on.

One of the absolute treasures I found was a book called “A House In Sicily” by Daphne Phelps.

This is an autobiography that takes place in lovely Taormina, overlooking the Ionian Sea. A picturesque little town that holds a piece of my heart, or that maybe I’m holding in my heart. Not sure which.

Daphne lived in dreary old England, damp and grey, then inherited a magnificent home built by her uncle in sun drenched Taormina.

She moves to Sicily, and this is her story of life at Casa Cuseni.

view from the terrace of Casa Cuseni at night

Writers and artists drop by and stay for weeks and months.

She tackles the trials and tribulations of life in this little mountain town, at the same time basking in the glory of living in a place more beautiful than words can describe.

Casa Cuseni,Taormina Sicily

Great reading for lovers of Under The Tuscan Sun and
A Year In Provence.

Her home, Casa Cuseni, remains the star of the story, it’s beauty the perpetual subtext.

Casa Cuseni, Taormina Sicily

Returning to Taormina this year I was determined to find
Casa Cuseni.

Which was actually really easy.

Daphne died in 2005 and willed the house to her nieces who preferred the rain in Britain to the sun in Sicily, and opted to sell it instead of relocating.

I would give almost anything to move there and own that home! I still cannot believe they let it go.

The new owners have made it into a bed and breakfast, and were more than happy to let me come visit, and look around.

Outside the blue door at Casa Cuseni

Casa Cuseni is truly magnificent.

Much of it has been kept as it was in the book.

Daphne’s treasures are still there, along with her passports and personal papers.

Salvatore at Casa Cuseni

My host for the day, Salvatore Spadro, showed me many of the belongings she talks about in her book.

We strolled through the art filled rooms and the gardens, Salvatore filling me in on the history behind every room, every piece of art, every corner of the beautiful gardens.

We sat on the terrace taking in the view, while he told me more stories.

Time for a glass of wine on the terrace at Casa Cuseni

It was just magical.

When we were about to leave he asked if I would like to see the Picassos.

Picasso had stayed at Casa Cuseni, and left the works he painted while he was there.

I still can’t quite believe I was able to spend quality time with Picassos that don’t live in any museum, that aren’t featured in any coffee table books. That pretty much no one else sees.

If you are planning to travel Sicily, look into staying at Casa Cuseni in Taormina for a few days.

There are only 6 bedrooms, so they do book out a long time in advance, but you can email them directly ( casacuseni@gmail.com) and see what openings they do have.
Check out the Casa Cuseni website here

If you enjoy reading books about people relocating to glorious homes in Italy and building a life there (my favorite subject!), pick up a copy of A House In Italy by Daphne Phelps here.

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Corinna B September 26, 2014

Sicilitudine

… and I am happy to think that I now
carry in my soul a picture of Sicily, that unique and beautiful island, which
is clear, authentic and complete…

Goethe

Giardini Naxos, Sicily

From the first step I took on this hauntingly beautiful
island, from my very first breath, I was completely enamored of her. And there
has not been one day in my life since then that she hasn’t crept into my
thoughts.

Taormina, Sicily

The screensaver on the inside of my eyelids runs a slideshow of
spectacular Sicilian vistas when I go to sleep, and sometimes the all
encompassing need to get back there
defies reason and dominates all thought.

Castelmola, Sicily

This largest island in the Mediterranean is truly unique. It
is like a giant mosaic made up of thousands of vibrant and exceptionally hued
tiles, impossible to put together, yet alone each is magnificent, complex, and
exceptional.

Taormina, Sicily

View from Forza D’Agro, Sicily

Visually astounding, her shores are lapped by the bluest of
seas – the Mediterranean, the Ionian and the Tyrrhenian.

Lida copacabana, Letojanni, Sicily

Sicily

The architecture and the cuisine have been
layered by a history of being conquered. The Greeks, the Carthaginians, Roman,
Arabs, Norman and Spaniards all ruled Sicily over the millennia and left their
mark, their flavor, their influence, weaving a rich and brilliant tapestry that
is equally beautiful and brutal.

Ortygia. Sicily

Sicilians have a hard history. The rich were magnificently
rich while the poor toiled in abject poverty. They were repeatedly heavily
taxed to pay for someone else’s wars, throughout time their men drafted to
fight the ruling country’s battles. Although since the unification they are
Italian, they are first and foremost and to their collective core, Sicilian. As
a people they have pride and resilience, are at times stoic, in some ways isolated
from the mainland, theirs is a Sicilitudine

Castelmola, Sicily

Yet invariably Sicilians smile the deepest of smiles.

At times more North Africa than Southern Italy, Sicily is
maddeningly beautiful, a culinary dream, it is mysterious and moody, incredibly
sexy, and feels vaguely dangerous with it’s rumbling volcano and it’s air of
mystery.

Sicily is everything.

To take on this magical island all you need is a good map
and a sense of adventure…

Corinna B September 7, 2014

Sunday Morning In Ortygia, The Glam Italia Tour

“To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is not to have seen Italy at all, for Sicily is the clue to everything”
~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, The Italian Journey (1786-1788)

I’m not quite sure what Goethe was up to here.
Sicily and Italy were not unified until 1861.
And each stands alone, completely magnificent.
But I love the quote.

Sicily is my obsession. Since the very first time I ever set foot on this magical island I have not gone one day without thinking about it. It is always on my mind.
Despite the incredibly long travel day to get here from Phoenix, it was the logical place to start the Glam Italia Tour. (as in start our beach time before our waistlines have a chance to register that we are eating pasta…)

Sunday morning in Ortygia

Ortygia is a little island connected to the city of Siracusa.

The history here is astounding.

The remains of Apollo’s temple, built in 732 BC are surrounded by apartments built over the centuries. Some incredibly old, some rebuilt after WWII. Can you imagine looking out your bedroom window at this??

Waiting outside church on Ortygia, Sicily. I just loved her pants. I want a pair!

Walking through the streets of Ortygia

Locals catching some sunshine on the breakwater outside the walls of Ortygia

This little boy sat on the steps of the Duomo in the spectacular Piazza Del Duomo, in the searingly bright sunshine, playing the sounds of the soul of Sicily.
The Duomo is a must see. The original Siculi built a temple to the deities here, the in the 5th century BC The Greeks built a temple around it, and since then in has been added to over the centuries. The current facade is Baroque, but as you walk through you see thousands of years of history

These columns were built in the 5th century BC. Running your fingers over their crenellations you feel 2500 years of history beneath your skin.

Casa Cuseni, Taormina

Sicilitudine

Sunday Morning In Ortygia, The Glam Italia Tour

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