Hello from Sicily.
I’m in Palermo trying to work on the last round of edits before I submit the fifth NYPD Detective Chiara Corelli mystery to my publisher October 1. But having lugged my MacBook Air across the sea, I’ve discovered writing while on vacation in a fascinating country is not easy.
I planned to write this blog on the flight(s) from New York. But that didn’t work out. And, so here I am looking out at the perfect blue sky visible from my balcony trying to put my experience in the last few days into words.
On my first visit to Italy in 1966 most Italians didn’t speak English and we communicated with hand gestures and extensive use of phrase books and dictionaries. For subsequent trips, Sherry and I studied Italian but because most Italians were trying to learn English, we didn’t get much practice. However, in the six years since our last time in Italy we’ve found that most people speak English. A whole generation of young people has graduated from schools that required they study a foreign language and for most of them, that was English.
I’ve also been most struck by how Sherry and I, two older women, both on canes for different reason, have been treated with deference, respect, and caring. Many tourists brush by without a glance but the Italians are quick to offer assistance.
No surprise, the food has been great. The traditional restaurants emphasize Sicilian specialties, but there are other touristy places that focus on street food, a lot of it deep fried. One notable change from previous trips is the lack of two and three course price fixed menus. In fact, the portion sizes of the ala carte menus seem to be Americanized and are much too large for us.
Simple green vegetables and fruits are not easily found on menus or in the small grocery stores nearby.
Our ability to walk limits us to a two-mile radius, but we’ve taken a hop on, hop off bus tour, and today we had a lovely time seeing the sights from a horse drawn carriage.
Sunday, we stumbled on a flea market which apparently is the best one in Palermo. And today we stopped by the outdoor fish market in our neighborhood. The various stalls displayed beautiful fresh fish which they would grill or fry to order for eating at one of the tables in the square.
Though it’s late September, there are tons of tourists and lots of tour groups. Today we walked from our Air B&B to the Quattro Canti, a baroque square considered the center of the historic quarters of the city. It was so crowded and noisy that we turned back immediately.
I’m loving being here but finding it hard to sit down and write. But write, or rewrite, I must. And who knows, if I can conjure a plot, the sixth Corelli might take place in Sicily.
Do you usually work on vacation?
Catherine Maiorisi
In addition to publishing multiple mystery and romance short stories in various anthologies, Catherine has authored four romances novels. Her latest book, The Disappearance of Lindy James, was awarded a GOLDIE for Best General Fiction.
I am so jealous! That sounds like an amazing vacation. Please write more about it!
It has been amazing so far, Emilya.
What a great vacation, Catherine! Interesting differences, too.
I am like you – I find when I’m traveling that I’m observing the sites and sounds of that place, perhaps to use in a future novel, and setting research becomes my “job “so that I’m not able to concentrate on writing anything substantive. But I do take lots of pictures and collect materials so that I can try to transport myself back there again.
Have a wonderful time on your trip and give a nod to Sicily when you’re there for me and my grandparents!