Marzamemi and Portopalo

Today we want to go to Marzamemi. We could walk along the beach, but we decide for a little bike ride. Quickly the Bromptons are unfolded and off we go. The road is good, there is little traffic and the nature is beautiful. Here cycling is fun.

Marzamemi, the enchanted village, is a picturesque coastal town. It is located south of Syracuse. It used to be considered an insider tip, an authentic fishing village, but unfortunately it is not anymore. Although it is quite touristy in the summer, I find it beautiful right now.

The bike tour

I cycle blithely ahead of me, Marc is on the phone behind me. Fits me well, then we also have the same pace. Suddenly I hear him call behind me. He has a flat tire. The rear wheel has not survived the last pothole. Crap. Pumping doesn't help, a new tube has to go in. What now? Marc drives back with both wheels and I go along the beach to the Bulli to San Lorenzo. That is thank God only 6 km. The route is beautiful and actually it's not that bad. Back at the Bulli Marc scolds like a pipe sparrow. Juggling the two bikes home was not so easy. The small wheels do what they want. Removing the rear wheel is stupid here in the sand. We postpone this to a better surface and pack the wheels first.

Marzamemi

The next morning we drive on. And stop again briefly in Marzamemi. This small place is really beautiful. Even if it seems quite touristy, that doesn't change the fact that it is really picturesque. A clear recommendation. Small squares with restaurants and bars, framed by colorful little houses, where it is wonderful to linger. Now, unfortunately, everything is just closed, no wonder on a Monday morning.

I want to buy bread at the nearest bakery, and I am thrilled by the selection of dolci. There I can not resist. Quickly a selection is put together. € 11, - is no bargain, but they are also irresistibly delicious. In short, they do not survive the day.

Portopalo

Continue along the coastal road south to Portopalo. Who makes a small detour to Pachino: On the piazza in Pachino is the Gelateria Ciclope. Here you can get the best granita di caffè con brioche, best arancine and best peach cremolata! 

Kevin, one of our Instagram followers (I find the word actually stupid, but I can not think of a more appropriate term) told us that his father-in-law Sebastiano restores a great old boat there. In the harbor you should be able to buy at noon, when the fishermen come in, also very good fish. Sure, it can't get any fresher. We do not want to miss that.

In Portopalo di Capo Passero, as it is fully called, half a cow runs in front of our car. These are the moments that I love so much when traveling. I have never seen anything like this in Germany.

We would like to bunker drinking water. But the water pressure at the well is very low. The water does not taste good. A few meters away there is an Eco Fonte. So we try it out. 1l costs 6 cents. The great thing is, this machine also takes 5Ct pieces. So I get rid of my copper money. We fill up all bottles and continue to the port.

Arrived in Portopalo harbor Sebastiano is quickly found. And his boat is great, you can see how much work he has put into it. He has even mounted a new cabin, the boat had no cabin before. 

Home is where the anchor drops...

...is that really so? The question of home is easier for us to answer.
"Home is where you park it" - But home and home are two pairs of shoes. I realized this when I lived on the outskirts of Berlin for fifteen years. I loved Berlin, but home was always the Bergisches Land.

But what does it look like when you have lived not only fifteen, but 35 years away from home. This is the question I ask myself and him when I meet Sebastiano, the father-in-law of one of our German followers, in Portopalo today.

It is not difficult to see how difficult the answer seems. Sebastiano has spent most of his life so far near Munich. If you close your eyes, you might think you are looking at an original Bavarian. But as soon as you open your eyes it is clear that this man is and remains a Sicilian.

The temperament of his answer could never come from the mouth of a German. Here speaks a southerner. Someone who wants to go back to his roots. Sebastiano is restoring an old fishing barge. Is this the story of the old man and the sea? Certainly not. Because although over sixty, his mischievous smile shows that here is a young man speaking. His cap says it all: "Revoluzz forever". Torgit and I are thrilled, cool guy.

The boat is still this season to taste sea and sea air. Sebastiano doesn't just want to fish, he wants to go on the Mattanza, in Italian slaughter. This is the name of the traditional tuna hunt here.

When it starts to rain we drive on. We could have chatted with Sebastiano for hours. We love this way of the Sicilians to talk with heart, hands and feet. I hope we will see him again when the boat is ready. We miss the contact to the locals in the last months, but Corona determines our time right now.

We continue to the southernmost point of Sicily.