*** Originally published 9 September 2016
Our epic adventure to Europe could never be complete without us visiting our roots. Both Cenz and I are 1st generation Australians and finally seeing where our parents were born had been a goal for a very long time. In case you haven’t worked out by now my husband is from Italian parents (how could he be anything but with a name like Vincenzo?) and although my mum is as Aussie as they come my dad was born in the tiny island of Malta.
After our time on the Amalfi coast we all flew south to Sicily making Catania our base. Both of Cenzo’s parents were born in Sicily his mum in a little village called Vizzini and his dad in a bigger town about 15km away called Francofonte.
Believe it or not I had actually been to Sicily and to both of these villages once before. It was April of 96, a year before we were engaged let alone married and Vince’s mum needed to go over as her now late Aunt, the woman who raised her for the first 10 years of her life before coming to Australia was unwell. She really didn’t want to go alone and as I was only working in a café at the time, we got along exceptionally well and I was desperate to travel I jumped at the opportunity. Within 48 hours of agreeing to go I’d renewed my passport and we were in the air! You’d expect that a lot would change in 20 years but not so much in Sicily! Sure the city of Catania itself has slightly evolved with a few more McDonald’s and a Zara or 2 but with its prickly pears still lining the freeway and its stand up cafeterias here and there it’s still mostly an old-fashioned, traditional Italian city.
On our first full day here we hit the road south in another mini van towards Vince’s heritage. Our first stop was Vizzini. As the streets are so narrow here it’s almost impossible to drive into the village with a normal car let alone a van so we parked near the main piazza (town square) and headed in on foot. Vince will tell you my navigational skills are not my strong point and being 20 years since I was here I really wasn’t all that confident but I wanted to test my memory to see if I could find his great Zia’s house. We set out, up wide steps, into the tiny lane ways, up hills, down narrow paths, past churches and stray cats lazing in the sun and lo and behold, without one wrong turn there it was, just as I remembered. As soon as we arrived Vince Face Timed his mum so she could experience this moment with him. Predictably she was in tears within seconds of answering which in turn made me tear up! She pointed out which window was once her bedroom & we got to imagine her as a young girl running through these streets with friends, It was an emotional time for them both made all the more special that our children, her grandchildren were here to share the moment. After looking around a little further we made our way back toward the piazza. I told Vince, the kids and my parents about a little Pasticceria that I remembered going to 20 years earlier that sold the most delicious ricotta cheese cakes & surprisingly it was still there so we decided to poke our heads inside. After enquiring we were told that it was too hot for these cakes right now but they did make a ricotta ice cream. The kids took one for the team and ordered them and surprisingly it was delicious! It was sad to see how this once thriving village is now so quiet, so many of the homes run down or boarded up and all but a few of the shops in the square are vacant, I suppose it’s no different to so many outback Aussie towns that can no longer survive as there’s no work so the kids leave for bigger and better things, a fact of life but a real shame.
From Vizzini we headed toward his dad’s home town. Francofonte is much bigger than Vizzini, much more a town than a village. We had arranged to meet with 2nd & 3rd cousins here but as we arrived earlier than planned we decided on a bite to eat. We found a little cafe and ordered a selection of favourites to share. Now, I know I’m biased but I have to say my gorgeous Father in law Ken happens to make the best arancini ever and you can rest assured that we have him make them often so we can be sure it’s not just a fluke! We’ve had our fair share of them while in Italy and none have even come close to Kenny’s but these ones at Paola’s bar were as close as they come, 700m from where he once lived and it was wonderful to realise that some traditions will continue to be passed down & still remain where they began and it reinforced that my tradition of eating far more than I should shall forever be safe as long as there continue to be arancini in the world!
We rolled out of Paola’s bar with an hour still to kill until we met the family so decided to head down the road to see where Ken spent the first 16 years of his life. Although the town is not what it once was, again due to the newest generation packing up and moving out it’s still a long way from extinction.
Again we Face Timed my in-laws so they could be with us when we found the house. While out the front talking and taking photos a lady looked out the window and asked what we were doing. Vince explained this was the home his father grew up in and that we had him on the iPad with us. We then discovered that she has been the only owner of that house since and that she remembered them. I watched in awe (and thought to video the whole thing!) as the lovely Signora, Cenz and his parents continued to have a conversation for more than 5 minutes about old neighbours, who’s moved on, alive or dead. If ever there was a time to be grateful for technology it was now.
After a further wander around we were met by Vince’s 2nd cousin Lina and taken to her parents house, where other relo’s popped in to see us too for an afternoon tea of coffee, panettone & of course more limoncello. It was wonderful listening to them all talk and for Vince to hear stories about the area, while I smiled & nodded a lot as though I understood everything that was being said. They then escorted us out for the afternoon to visit beautiful Siracusa, a seaside town that reminds me of Williamstown in Melbourne’s west where locals and tourists alike flock to on summer nights to browse the shops, eat alfresco & finish it off with a gelato. After another delicious meal of more wood fired pizza, just for a change, at a rustic restaurant with the sun setting over Mount Etna as our backdrop we sadly said goodbye to the family we’d only just met, offering invitations to come and visit us in Australia and promising we’d be back one day. It was then that I realised no matter the distance, family have a connection that is very real. Today was a special & certainly unforgettable day.
Our next few days were spent exploring the west coast, stopping at more rocky beaches, some just pebbles and stones others so big I’d have not been surprised to have seen seals perched on them. We spent a whole day at a beach in a little seaside town where we bought a beach umbrella and baked and swam with locals only to pack up late and stay on for a relaxing dinner of fresh & local seafood. We spent another morning driving out to the historical town of Taormina where we explored the beautiful old town & ancient amphitheatre built back in the 3rd century and imagined the comedies & tragedies that must have played out on the stage over so many years.
We loved our time in Sicily and would certainly visit again but take more time to include Palermo and all that the west coast has to offer too.
From Catania we flew directly to Malta. You can also get a ferry from Sicily to Malta but when a 45 minute flight costs only about $80 one way instead of hours on the ferry I’ll take the flight any day.
Malta – wow! I’ve always been told this little island was stunning but 9 out of 10 times its been by a Maltese person so I thought they might be biased. They’re not. Although I’m half Maltese I have to say I’ve never really identified as being so. I know that’s probably a strange thing to say but I’ll explain why. One, my maiden name was not a traditional Maltese name, nuh uh, no Gatt or Gauci or Agius or Abela for me, I was a Montebello so most everyone assumed I was Italian. Two, my dad immigrated to Australia at the age of 8 and forgot the language pretty quickly so we never spoke it at home, apart from the occasional swear words of course and Three, as my mum is 5th generation Australian our dinners as kids were roast lamb or ham steaks and pineapple, I reckon I could count the times we had a traditional Maltese dish like stufart (rabbit stew) on one hand. Even at my Maltese Nan’s house we didn’t really go for traditional, Easter Sunday lunch at Nan’s was Kentucky fried chicken although we did sometimes have pudina for desert!
With all of that said, visiting Malta was always a destination that I’d hoped to get to eventually so when we planned this trip it was one of the first destinations on the list. Then when mum and dad decided to join us for part of it, it was a no brainier that we’d go together. Dads first visit back was in 2010, more than 50 years since he’d left. He loved it then and was super keen and a little proud to show us around. We based our self on the waterfront in Sliema which is a lovely area, lot’s of restaurants and shops and a great view across to Valetta from the promenade.
My first priority once checked in and settled was to find Pastizzi. Food is not the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Malta, in fact, if I’m being honest I’m just not that much of a fan if Maltese food but Pastizzi, especially good Pastizzi are always an exception. I’m not fussy, plain ricotta, pea or meat, I just love them and I think the reason they are so good in Malta is that they are fresh, there’s no Frozen or packaged offerings here and they are delicious! I ate my fair share over our time here including insisting on shoving my last one in at the airport café on departure and here’s a tip, don’t do that – it was dry and disgusting and not the way I’d hoped to end my Maltese pastizzi memories but you live and learn!
On our first full day we used the hop on hop off bus to get around. Our first stop was Valletta, Malta’s capital. Like many places we’ve seen the main drag is blue stone and lined with the new and old. The original city hall next to a modern shop, The architecture in Malta is not unlike other parts of Europe, beautiful sandstone colored buildings side by side but these buildings in Malta have the very unique window boxes all painted a different shade of green, they’re just so pretty. We wandered the streets and shops and looked through an another gorgeous church, Our Lady of Mount Carmel with its very impressive dome that can be seen from miles away. As it was our main focal point of our view from across the bay in Sliema we couldn’t resist seeing it up close. We continued on toward Marsa, the town where my dad was born. It took a little navigating into and out of side streets in the heat to find the house but it was worth it. Dads original home, the house he was born in, was the bottom story of a 2 story building where another family lived above them. Unfortunately over the years his home was purchased by the family who lived upstairs and they’ve since turned his family home into a garage but although the front door no longer exists it’s still the place his life began and so it was very special for my children and I to share it with him. It’s unlikely we will ever come back to Malta together so it’s a time I’ll treasure for the rest of my days.
From Marsa we headed past Mosta to Mdina (so many M names in Malta!) to look around the ancient walled town and the beautiful St Paul’s Cathedral, would have loved more time here – well worth spending a day here from what I hear.
We used public transport to get around and considering Malta is so small it actually took a lot longer to drive around the island than I expected . I suppose if you were self driving you could do a more direct route than the one the bus has to take but still the distances between each place sure did surprise me. I think the other main surprise for me was that I really had no idea how ancient Malta was, we’re talking as far back as 4500 BC – that’s not even fathomable, it’s one of the longest inhabited European countries, who knew? and although the government has spent a lot of money on infrastructure in the bigger towns recently to try to lure more tourists to their sunny island it is still a very primitive place. Rural areas literary start a few minutes out of town and are just dry paddocks for as far as the eye can see, separated by dry stone walls or prickly pear trees with old sand stone buildings crumbling in the distance.
Our next days were all about the beach, firstly a full day relaxing at Golden Bay, a beach much more like the ones we know and love from home with real sand and then a full day tour out to Gozo and the Blue Lagoon. In hindsight I wish we’d bitten the bullet and booked a private tour to these 2 places or even better allowed time to stay on Gozo for a couple of days. The Azure window, a massive natural archway over the ocean deserved at least a few hours of our time instead of the 30 minutes we got to spend there on the tour. This area has been used in dozens of movies and TV shows over the years including “By the sea” with Brad & Angelina, “Clash of the titans” and most recently a regular feature in the Game of Thrones.
Gozo was such a nice surprise, as they say good things come in small packages. Gozo is only 5 x 7 miles and has a population of 35,000. It has 15 very distinctly separated villages , not connected to each other so it’s unusual for residents from each to leave and go to the others regularly. Each has its own church, school, supermarket and pharmacy, they are self-sufficient and obviously very proud of their areas. The homes are small but immaculate, each has a name plaque on the front door, everything from Santa Maria to Sunshine lollipop… I’m not sure who chooses the name of the home but I reckon I could make up a few rippers!
After a few hours looking around Gozo including some time for lunch in the main square we boarded our huge touristy ferry once more and headed to the Blue Lagoon. The means of transport was not ideal but nothing can take the shine off the natural beauty of this place. To spend a few hours swimming in the crystal blue water here or if you’re my dad, having your afternoon siesta like a seal on a rock here is pretty special.
The kids gave the Go Pro a good work out under water and filming each other jumping off and finally mastering the somersault of the high rocks. I’m pleased we got to see this place but know for sure if and when I make my way back to Malta I will do this part of the country a little differently.
Overall I’m just so pleased to see that more & more tourists are considering adding Sicily & Malta to their European holiday itineraries. Both offer stunning coast lines, beautiful beaches and more history than you can poke a stick at. In my mind Italy will always trump Malta when it comes to food but Malta’s beaches win hands down. They’ve both been overlooked for too long but that’s very much about to change so don’t delay, get yourself there as soon as you can, it doesn’t matter if you’re a pizza or pastizzi muncher you’re sure to find something to appeal on these 2 beautiful islands.
wanderlust mum 