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Road to Corleone
Road to Corleone
According to Google Maps, which we later realized was not our best friend in Sicily, Corleone was just over an hour's drive from our location in Palermo. After we set out, we quickly realized that "Sicilian time" applied to all time estimates - extend them by at least half in order to be more accurate.
So what if it was raining that day when we woke up in Palermo. So what if several cousins pinged Jen to confirm we were going to make the trip in the bad weather. How hard could it be, right?
Turns out, it was hard.
Switchbacks on mountainous routes are hard enough without adding rain, slippery roads, fog, and Sicilian mountain "infrastructure", in some stretches made up more of potholes than road surface. At one point visibility was down to zero because were were driving in the clouds! Not to mention the pedestrians...
And other drivers seems unphazed by these conditions. Cars would pass going fast even in the face of oncoming traffic, or worse, on a blind corner! Large trucks, buses, all types of vehicles trekked these roads regularly, but to us, suddenly the crumbling infrastructure of the US seemed high tech and new.
Piana degli Albanesi
Piana degli Albanesi
Jen decided the group needed to stop in Piana degli Albanesi (literally Plain of the Albanians) at a pasticceria she saw on TV that made sheep's milk based cannoli. Never visit relatives empty-handed! Pasticceria Giorgio Clesceri seemed to be relatively on the way to Corleone, and we wanted to arrive with sweet treats to share.
The streets of the town were narrow and steep - giving the group a tiny glimpse of what was to come!
Corleone
Corleone
Cutrone Viaggi
Cutrone Viaggi
The harrowing drive didn't lessen the group's excitement when they finally got to Corleone. They stopped first to meet Gina at Cutrone Viaggi. It was around 1pm when they arrived, and the ladies who work at the travel agency were just going to lunch. One kindly let them in to finally meet Gina!
It wasn't long before the special cannoli were unwrapped. Gina kindly made caffè, and all settled in chatting, snacking, and marveling at how great it was to be there together! Marialicia came by, and everyone had a wonderful time figuring out who was related to whom, who had been to New York, and how they would spend the afternoon in Corleone.
Marialicia had to go, and promised to meet up with the group later. Everyone else piled into the van, with Gina directing Jack towards the main part of town.
Exploration
Exploration
They found a great parking spot right across from the center piazza, and set out to explore. We were fortunate to be guided by Gina, who speaks beautiful English, and has a deep love and understanding for her city. She pointed out fascinating tidbits, many of which Jen didn't hear because she was too busy taking pictures.
Chiesa di San Martino - First Glimpse
Chiesa di San Martino - First Glimpse
One of the important places the group wanted to see was the Mother Church, Chiesa di San Martino. It was closed, but the exterior was impressive.
City of Corleone
City of Corleone
Outside of the church they met up with Maria Fontana. Maria Fontana is descended from Vasis, and married into Cutrones. So even in Sicily, Vasi and Cutrone families are joined, as they are in the US! She had worked at the Comune di Corleone, or the Town Offices, located right next to the church, and she showed us the entry way of the older town building. The symbol of Corleone was featured in the entry floor as well as on the wall. She offered to take Jen in to look at the town records, but time was of the essence, so Jen thanked her and declined.
Mima's
Mima's
The group was on their way to see Mima. Jen is still unclear who this was in relation to Gina and Marialicia. Mima was very welcoming! I'm not sure if she expected such a large group. We talked about Corleone as we admired the view from her balcony, explaining to those who didn't know about the Due Rocche waterfall, up the river from our vantage point. In the spring, when the mountain snow melts, an enormous waterfall attracts hikers to admire it, but by summer and fall, it is almost dried up. Later we sat comfortably in a circle, chatting about Sicily, Corleone, and family. Even though we didn't all speak each other's language, we manged to communicate. Bill was very handy at Google Translate, which helped, too!
We had really wanted to see inside the Mother Church. Unbeknownst to us, while at Mima's, Maria Fontana made a few phone calls and managed to arrange someone to let us in! She recently retired from working at the Comune (town offices), so apparently had connections. We had 15 minutes to get there! So everyone said their goodbyes and expressed gratitude for being able to gather as family.
Chiesa di San Bernardo
Chiesa di San Bernardo
On the way to the Mother Church, we happened upon Chiesa di San Bernardo. He is the patron saint of Corleone. The door to the church is incredible. The story of San Bernardo is told in detailed bronze reliefs. The story includes an epic sword fight, also depicted. As the group marveled at the door, Maria Fontana explained that it was unfair San Bernardo died in 1667, but was not made a Saint until 2001! Why did he have to wait so long?
Chiesa di San Martino - Inside
Chiesa di San Martino - Inside
Finally it was time to go to the Mother Church. While we waited outside for it to be opened, we admired the bronze door there. It was as impressive as San Bernardo's, but we did have trouble deciding what some of the panels meant.
The inside of the church was much more intricate and colorful than certainly Jen had thought it would be, as well as being enormous and impressive. It was being cleaned for an upcoming visit from the Bishop, so we had to be careful where we walked so as not to dirty the newly clean floors.
Baptismal font of our ancestors
Especially impressive and meaningful was the baptismal font. An enormous marble structure, this would have been the very place Cutrones and Vasis were baptized. As we put our feet on the well-worn steps leading up to it, it was easy to imagine our ancestors gathering there to baptize a new baby.
It's worth noting we had no idea how they take off the top. The top looks to be made of wood, and must be incredibly heavy. There's also a big crack in the pedestal, as if the entire basin fell off at some point. Understandable, considering the frequency of earthquakes and the history of war in the region.
As we left the church, first we said goodbye to Maria Fontana. Then it was time for Gina to return to the travel agency. This was our first introduction to "Sicilian time". Closed from 1-4pm for "lunch", Gina was going back to complete business for the day, estimating she would close around 8pm. We gave her a ride back, and bid a fond farewell, hoping to meet up in the US in the near future, grateful for her time and attention and introduction to Corleone.
Evening in Corleone
Evening in Corleone
As we left Gina we realized we had not had lunch, except for the enormous cannoli. Jack had a list of restaurants we could try for dinner, but they would not be open until 8pm or so. So we set out to find caffè and a snack to tide us over. We wandered back to town, and saw our first glimpse of another Sicilian tradition: older men gathered in the town square on benches. What had been a very quiet area was suddenly bustling with life. We tried to look like we belonged.
We found a small cafe, and discovered where the young men gather before they're old enough to sit on park benches. We had a panini and decided where to have dinner.
The small problem with the list of restaurants was that some were not open on Monday, the day we were in Corleone, and the list might have been outdated. But luck prevailed, and we had a lovely dinner at the restaurant at the hotel Leon D'Oro, where, once again, we forgot that Italian meals have many courses, each bigger than the last, and we should have stopped at 2. How we stuffed ourselves and left room for dessert was a feat of perseverance!
Driving back to Palermo at night was not easy, but at least it was not raining or foggy. We returned to the hotel and went to our rooms to rest and pack for the next day's adventure.
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