La Sila is my favorite attraction in southern Italy, so instead of dedicating a singular post, I’m dedicating a series. Every Friday - until I run out of topics - will be dedicated to Sila … where to go … where to stay … where to eat.
 
So, come back tomorrow for the first installment of Sila Fridays!
 
I can’t wait to share it with you.
 

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In fact, I’m trying to think of a recipe that doesn’t include at least one red - or green - bumba. This one and this one do, for sure.
 
We had a semi-crisis at casa mia last year when we ran out of fresh peppers but luckily the stores stock ‘em, too. This year we planted four plants and man are these suckers spicy. In fact, I learned a new expression after we added them to our homemade pizza earlier this year.
 

 
Focu meu!!!
 
Focu meu is Calabrese dialect and it literally means “my fire” but actually translates more as “This F*!!#@ bomb is exploding inside my mouth - somebody save meeeee!!!” … or something like that.
 
Do you like hot peppers? Where did you find the hottest pepper you’ve ever had? What are you favorite spicy dishes?
 

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We’ve all seen them. Three Nights and Rental Car in Hawaii from $435 … Fly with American Airlines, Get a 5th Night Free … All-Inclusive Cozumel from $425!
 
Particularly in today’s market, travel companies are offering promotion and package deals guaranteed to save you - the consumer - big money.
 
Or are they?
 
The untrained traveling eye might see a “package” deal for a hotel that includes free breakfast, free entrance to the hotel gym and a rental car and assume they are getting a price break. That isn’t necessarily the case.
 
A package deal doesn’t promise a discount, it is simply a collection of more than one component of your trip.
 

photo credit: blipsman

 
Let’s use the Hawaii example above. The actual cost for two people to enjoy this three-day vacay is $870 (The rate of $435 is per person!) I went to the hotel website and found a room for three nights for $160 per room - not per person - for a total of $507. I found a three-day rental car for $200 on Avis.com.
 
The total package price is $870 (plus tax)
 
The total “my” price is $707 (plus tax)
 
Do you think you could provide your own breakfast for three days for less than $180? I sure could.
 
According to an article published on the Columbus Dispatch, here are some other things to look for when booking travel packages:
 
>> Phone VS Internet booking - Some deals are web-exclusive while others must be made via telephone. Sometimes there are additional charges for booking a deal on the phone. Be sure you know you are getting the best bargain before you book.
 

photo credit: karin-r.

 
>> Per room VS Per Person - Not knowing this little detail could more than double your expected vacation price tag. Be sure to read the fine print before you move forward.
 
>> Freebies - Most package deals list everything that is included, such as breakfast, underage children and roll-a-way beds. Sometimes these things are added to increase the value of the package and other times they are already included for every guest. Check the hotel website for verification before you assume you are getting something, for nothing.
 
Have you ever booked a travel package? What was your experience with it? If you did the math, how much did you save by going with the package?
 
Be sure to continue the Travel Tip Tuesday theme over at Robin’s place.
 
Until next time … Buon Viaggio!
 

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As I boarded the bus I saw an elderly man - knocking on 75, I’d say - shuffling his way towards the bus stop. I had seen him earlier on the train from Calabria and we acknowledged each other and went on our way.
 
He joined me on the bus and asked if he could sit with me. “Sure,” I said, thinking this man, with his wealth of knowledge of Italy’s most beautiful coastline would help me pass the time with stories of the area.
 
A whopping two minutes after the bus departs, I feel a hand on my knee.
 
Hmmm …
 
I brush it off and think it must have been an accident.
 
Plop.
 
There it is again.
 
I rearrange my bags and lean a little closer to the window. At least it was a nice view.
 

photo credit: Darren Donahue

 
He leans in, “I just want to spend a little time with you,” he whispers. “Where are you going?”
 
I tell him my travel plans and end with a remorseful, “So, no. I can’t spend the day with you.”
 
“I have a house here,” he insists. “You can stay with me and I’ll drive you back to Calabria tomorrow.”
 
Wondering if this man is joking, if he has lost his mind, or if I seriously have “I’m a tramp” stamped on my forehead, I politely, yet somewhat more forcefully than last time tell him “No, thanks.”
 
The entire time this conversation is going on, his wiggly fingers are trying to pry themselves beneath the bags I had firmly stationed between us.
 
Wiggle … wiggle … I felt a fingertip.
 
Just then his phone rang and I seized the opportunity to build a wall between us with my book and bags of Calabrian products I was taking to my cousin. I was careful to keep my purse on the other side - lest all this feeling-up was just a ruse to get my wallet.
 
He hung up with his wife - Porco! - and started right back in on the finger crawl.
 
“I’m never gonna win,” I thought to myself. “He’s had 70 years of practice working on women … I’ve only had two!”
 
Finally. After 50 minutes of pushing him off of me, we arrived at his stop. He tried once more, “We are getting off at the next stop,” he said.
 
“We?” I ask suspiciously.
 
“Well, I am. I hope you will get off with me.”
 
“No,” I tell him, without smiling.
 
“Do you need anything?” He insists. “Do you need money?”
 
Gah!
 
Without even trying to convince this old goat that I am not an American prostitute working the costiera, I tell him no and send him on his way.
 
So, can someone please tell me what I am doing wrong? What is it about me that screams - take advantage of me? - to aging Italian men? Has this ever happened to you? How did you or would you handle a situation like this?
 

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Today marks one year since my husband and I tied the knot and in celebration of 12 months of marital bliss I want to share an article I read this weekend.
 
According to Mark Goulston, M.D., happy couples know the real relationship begins when the honeymoon ends. They have to maintain their love, he says so they will enjoy a long-lasting, fulfilling relationship. He lists 10 things happy couples do, such as go to bed at the same time, hug often and look for the positive traits in each other.
 
The article is chock-full of seemingly common sense traits of happy couples and I’m proud we seem to be on the right track. I encourage you to read the article. It can validate your current behaviors or offer tips and suggestions for fine-tuning.
 
If nothing else … it’s a feel-good read. Enjoy.
 
Buona Domenica!
 

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I knew once my husband and I decided to open a bed and breakfast, I would never again travel with the objectivity non-innkeepers enjoy. I’d notice intimate things like precisely matching towels or if they offer extra rolls of toilet paper. I’d judge the quality of their breakfast offerings or the sincerity of their customer service. In other words … I thought I’d become hard to please.
 
But I didn’t.
 
Oh yes, I notice things like extra toilet paper rolls and precisely matching towels. I judge cappuccino quality and cheerful demeanor. But I am usually happily surprised.
 
Such was the case last February when we ventured out of Calabria and into neighboring Sicily.
 
Choosing the right hotel or bed and breakfast can be as important as choosing the right destination. Depending on the trip, you might need to be within steps of a bustling downtown or you might prefer a leisurely stroll into the heart of the city.
 
Harmony Bed and Breakfast in Palermo was the perfect place for our girls’ weekend getaway. It was an easy walk from the train station and just minutes from all of the major Palermo city highlights. It was off of the main drag, so loud night traffic wasn’t a problem and it was close to interesting sites and great restaurants.
 
Our room was spotless and they cleaned and changed the towels daily. (As do we at Il Cedro, but apparently all B&Bs aren’t so kind …)
 

 
Breakfast was a modest cornetto, purchased from one of the best bakeries in Palermo, with crackers and jelly, coffee, tea or cappuccini.
 

 
The staff was friendly and went out of their way to help us when we were turned around en route and offered us late breakfast and check-out options.
 
It is important to note that not only do they not have a non-smoking policy, but many of the staffers and their friends fill the front lobby with cigarette smoke, a fact that worried me as we were greeted and shown to our room.
 
However, our room - smokeless and removed from the front lobby - was fresh and clean.
 
If you find yourself heading to Palermo and looking for an effecient, clean bed and breakfast I highly recommend Harmony Bed and Breakfast. I wouldn’t hesitate to stay there again and I hope I get the chance to visit really soon.
 
Have you ever been to Palermo? What hotels or B&Bs can you recommend? What do you look for in a hotel or bed and breakfast?
 

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Long before I moved to southern Italy and started honing my culinary skills on helpless Italians, my mother bought me a book. Not just any book. A cookbook. And I love it. It was one of the few books that made it over on my first trip. It had a simple recipe for tortilla soup that I’ve slightly adapted and still use today.
 
Ingredients:
>> 2 cups of water
>> 1 cup chicken broth
>> 1/2 pound of skinless, boneless chicken cut into bite-size pieces
>> 1 11-ounce can of whole kernel corn, drained
>> 1 cup of salsa (you can use store-bought or homemade)
>> 3 cups broken tortilla chips
>> 1/2 cup shredded spicy cheese (either Monterrey Jack or Spicy Pecorino)
 
Directions:
 
1. In a large saucepan, combine water, chicken broth and chicken.
 
2. Boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10-12 minutes.
 
3. Add corn and simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes.
 
4. Stir in the salsa and heat through.
 
5. Serve topped with broken chips and grated cheese.
 

 
In Italiano
 
Ingredienti:
>> 350 millilitri di acqua
>> 235 millilitri di brodo di pollo
>> 500 gr di pollo tagliato a strisce
>> 300 gr scatoletta di mais
>> un bicchiere di salsa, comprata o fatta in casa.
>> 650 gr di tortilla chips
>> 100 gr di formaggio piccante grattugiato
 
Direzione:
 
1. In una casseruola larga, mettere l’acqua, il brodo di pollo, ed il pollo.
 
2. Portare ad ebollizione poi ridurre la fiamma e far cuocere a fuoco lento, con il coperchio, per 10/12 minuti.
 
3. Aggiungere il mais e, togliendo il coperchio, far cuocere a fuoco lento per 5 minuti.
 
4. Aggiungere la salsa riscaldarla.
 
5. Serviere ricoperto di tortilla chips e formaggio grattugiato.
 
Buon appetito!
 

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Living in a foreign language takes work. It is never boring, sometimes amusing and often downright appalling. Verb tenses, grammatical errors, unclear phrases … It can overwhelm.
 
But at some point the Italianisms creep into your mind and attach to the dull gray matter in your brain, rendering you … no, not bilingual … but actually questioning your inherent mother-language skills.
 
Does that even make sense? See. I’ve lost English already.
 
Here are three Italian phrases I’ve learned, unconsciously translated into English and sounded simply silly when I said them.
 
1. Per me è lo stesso. Normal English speakers, aka, those of you who speaka the English good, would say, “It doesn’t matter to me” or “Whatever you want” when asked your preferences. Others of us - I know I’m not alone here - translate literally. I made this gaffe last summer when I was visiting my parents in Texas.
 
Mom: “Where do you want to eat lunch?”
 
Me and my pitiful Italian/English translation: “For me it’s the same!”
 
She looked at me strangely and said, “You don’t care?” I grinned, “Nope, Mom. I don’t care.”
 
2. Chiudi il televisione. A few weeks ago I unwittingly told my husband to “close the TV.” I credited his amused grin to the fact he wanted to continue watching the news. When I called him on it, he said, “You don’t know what you told me?” He shrugged, reached for the remote and said, “I’ll just close the TV, then.” He consoled me with a “Don’t worry. I can teach you English, too.” Note:The proper verb in Italian is spegnere, or switch off, but many Italians interchangeably use the verb “chiudere.”
 

photo credit: isabel bloedwater

 
3. Along those same lines, I have also been known to say “the gas is open,” when I really want to say “the gas is on (on the stove, for example.) Once again the verb accendere, or turn on, should be used, but most Italians use the verb aprire just as often.
 
All jokes aside, there is a part of me that is proud of these blunders. Apparently there is some part of the Italian language that is taking control and - aside from the indecent butchering of my own mother tongue - it shows my hard work is paying off.
 
Have you ever made bloopers like these when learning a foreign language? What did you say? How did your English-speaking comrades react?
 

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What comes to mind when you think of Italians?
 
Tall, dark, muscular men drinking coffee calling you “bella?” Maybe you think of beautiful women, with long lean figures, thin legs and a big booty? How did they get that way? Grrr!
 
Or maybe you think of jovial personalities, smiling, generously offering you a morning espresso or post-dinner grappa?
 
Sound stereotypical? Maybe it is. But Italians are some of the most beautiful, generous, fun-loving people I know. And they are funny, too.
 
Over the years I’ve observed, been party to or noticed some pretty funny things going on around here, but they are never enough for a whole post. So I’m going to save them up and give them to you in threes.
 
1. Last week was All Saint’s Day where all people who aren’t named after a Saint’s get to celebrate. Hence … It was “my” day. Since I’m trying to lose those residual Mexican-food-and-margarita pounds, I asked my husband and father-in-law not to buy the traditional celebratory pastries. They happily obliged.
 
Instead, they came home with a kilo of vanilla bean ice cream and two dozen Ferrero chocolates …
 

photo credit: zoha_n

 
2. Last month I was trying to sneak in a mid-afternoon nap when the sound of the door bell thrust me from my slumber. Upon opening the door, I saw my husband’s uncle, standing with his fruit-stained hands open in front of him.
 
“Ciao, Zio Joe. What’s up?”
 
“Hey, Cherrye. I am dirty. I’ve been picking persimmons.”
 
“Do you want to wash your hands?”
 
“No, no, I was just wondering if you like persimmons?”
 
“Oh yes,” I tell him. “I love persimmons.”
 
“Well, I have too many.” He said. “I’ll bring some over.”
 
“No, no. We don’t need them. We have plenty on our tree.”
 
I later retold the story to my husband who thought for a minute, started laughing and clarified my story. “He came over to ask you if we wanted persimmons?”
 
“Yes.”
 
“That’s hilarious,” he said. “He doesn’t have a persimmon tree. He was picking them off of ours!”
 

 
3. I was driving home from the supermarket on Monday (there are seven of them within a two kilometer drive) when I turned the curve and noticed two cars headed directly toward me. One was in his appropriate lane. The other in mine. The guy in my lane, in a frenzied fuss, started honking his horn and yelling at me … for not moving out of his way. Ahhh, when will I learn?
 

photo credit: miqul

 
What are some things the people in your life do to keep you laughing? Do you think these things are more amusing in a foreign country or would they be funny in your home country?
 

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There is no shortage of effective packing list articles on the Internet. Need a packing list tailor-made to your trip? Look here. Want a list emailed to you before you go? Check here. Want to make one list you can use for almost every occasion? We’ve been over that!
 
Today’s travel tip takes this list-making obsession one step further.
 

Here are three reasons a return packing list is vital for your travel arsenal.

 
1. In a recent comment on the post “The List that Keeps on Giving” TJ recommends making a duplicate copy of your list to use when you repack for your return. Why would you do that?  “So as not to lose ANOTHER phone charger,” he rants. It is easy to do. Just make a photocopy of your list before you start crossing it off and tuck it inside your suitcase. When you get ready to repack, you’ll see it … even if your favorite fuzzy slippers have vanished under the bed.
 

photo credit: kalleboo

 
2. Have you ever gone on vacation and returned home with only half of your things? I have. If you didn’t read about my clash with Lufthansa and AirOne over the $800 worth of belongings that went missing during my last flight - you can read that here. Don’t I wish I’d have made a return trip packing list?
 
I could have spent an extra half hour writing down what I was packing and saved myself hours on the other end of brain-racking, soul-searching agony trying to recall it all. For weeks after I’d made my claim I remembered other items I’d left off of the list. That was an expensive lesson.
 

photo credit: MR.HaMaD ((?? ?????));

 
3. If remembering your things or having a list for those Bonnie and Clyde-airlines aren’t reason enough to copy your list - think of the peace of mind you’ll have knowing if your items were lost or stolen. How many times have you misplaced something and then thought, “The last time I saw this was when were were in … ?” Do you keep looking? Do you call the hotels? Do you assume it is gone forever only to find it a week later tucked inside a box?
 
If you keep an up-to-date copy of your list, you’ll never have to question yourself. You will know if you took your camera battery charger to Texas, if you repacked it and if it made it home with you. It might take a little more organization time upfront, but in the end, it is worth it.
 
Have you ever used a return trip packing list? How did it work for you? What do you think are other benefits to keeping your list?
 
Head over to Robin’s place for tips on shipping your luggage when you travel.
 
Until next time … Buon Viaggio!
 

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