Guide Reflections: Sicilian Colors

I recently had the special opportunity to chat with Peppe Esposto, Ciclismo Classico guide and native of Sicily. The focus of our chat was Sicily in the Springtime with her glorious, bright palette on display!

Read on to learn more about Peppe’s passion and love for Sicily through his colorful tales.

Tales of Color with Giuseppe “”Peppe”” Esposto

What does Spring mean to you in your homeland of Sicily? What does it represent and what memories do you recall as a child?

For me Spring represents the rebirth of nature. Even if Sicily doesn’t have very cold winters, during the Spring you can feel nature reawakening, spreading its aromas through the countryside and lifting the spirits of everyone who breathes in its sweet fragrances. In Spring the sun climbs higher in the sky and the colors of the mountains seem to explode; everything is infused with a thousand shades as the wild flowers which grow on the island’s green pastures begin to blossom and animals emerge from hibernation to celebrate the eternal cycles of rebirth set in motion by Mother Earth;  the Greek myth about the Rape of Persephone and her annual return from the underworld in Springtime is associated with Sicily.  Sicilians believe that Hades found and abducted the goddess in the meadows near Enna and that a well arose on the spot where he descended with her into the lower world.  Here she brooded in a deep depression and Winter came to the earth before she reemerged to banish the stagnant season and bring back the warmth of Spring.

photo: Peppe Esposto    

Spring also brings to my mind the colors and aromas of the running races and games we played as children in the countryside. For us the mountains were infinite, we ran over their slopes looking for adventures, playing with sticks and stones, eating fruit from trees, inventing characters and stories.  I remember that when I was little my sense of smell was incredibly sensitive and when I smelt something it often seemed to me that I was tasting it, that the aroma was in my mouth. Running through the fields, absorbing the sun’s energy, we found delight in very simple things, children live in a world of boundless imagination and the countryside was a magical land for us, full of fantastical people and creatures. It was wonderful to be able to lose yourself in those hills and come home when it was getting dark, shockingly dirty, to your mother who was worried that you’d been away all day and who welcomed you with warm smiles and open arms.  

Peppe’s grandparents, mamma, aunt and uncle in Sicily

What colors permeate Sicily in April, May & June?

In Sicily every season has its own colors but perhaps the colors of spring are the most exciting. The dominant colors in spring are green – but not a common green because Sicilian green is not a single shade; every blade of grass, every tiny wild plant, every new leaf has its own particular green – then there are the flowers which are red, yellow, deep pink and white, and the blue of the sky and the sea which frame this giant canvas that has been touched by the brushstrokes of a joyful painter.  And this beautiful sky is illuminated by the true god of Sicily, the sun. Remember that in ancient times, the god of the sun dwelt in Sicily with his children, the Sicilian people.  

What foods do you eat the most in Springtime?

In Sicily Spring is a time for gathering herbs and wild plants. The local markets are visited by wild herb vendors called “”fogliamari””. Spring is also the best time to taste ricotta; the pastures and mountains are full of flavoursome herbs and the sheep who graze on them produce a milk that is aromatic and perfect for making this delicate cheese.  There is a country tradition that is still observed of visiting shepherds early in the morning to taste the warm ricotta they have just prepared.  Spring is also the season of broccoli which is cooked ‘ndaganati’ (or tossed in a pan with oil) and eaten with pasta, one of many delicious dishes of the Sicilian peasant tradition.  Artichokes are another delicacy of spring, which we usually eat roasted, as are aubergines which are often made into caponate, one of Sicily’s most famous dishes. We make frittate with wild asparagus and we use wild fennel to flavour pasta with sardines.

Any special festivals or events besides Easter, which is a big celebration in Sicily?

The arrival of Spring is heralded by the flowering of the almond trees which is celebrated by a festival held in Agrigento in February.  The delicate pink or white of the almond blossom spreads over the countryside like a delicate blanket of soft snow.  There are also traditional food festivals like the “”Sagra del Carciofo”” (Artichoke Festival) in Cerda and local saints’ days are celebrated in many towns and villages.

                                                                                                Flowering Almond Festival

                                                                                                                                                photos: courtesy of sagradelmandarlo.net

What is your favorite Spring Sicilan dish or food?

My favourite dish, which is a symbol of Spring in Sicily is “” Pasta cu i Mazzareddri Favuzze e Puseddgri “” (pasta with wild cabbage , fava beans and peas), which you can only eat in Spring because you can’t find mazzareddri at other times of the year. Mazzareddri are a wild vegetable of the cabbage family with a uniquely bitter flavor.  They are gathered in spring and cooked with peas and fava beans whose sweet and more delicate flavour tempers their bitterness.  We generally eat vegetables with ditalino pasta which must be cooked al dente, and add a little grated salted ricotta or fresh ricotta.  The result is indescribably good! When you eat Sicilian pasta soups and other peasant dishes you are tasting centuries of tradition. Every dish is like diving into the past.

 Mezzareddi

What kind of flowers bloom in the Spring?

We have the sulla flower which is deep pink, the yellow wood sorrel, wild gladioli which are pink or purplish, yellow broom, daisies which are white and yellow, red poppies, wild fennel, yellow and purple thistles, the beautiful wild iris which is a blueish purple…. to name a few.

                                                                                              sulla flower                                                                                             wild daisies

                                                                                                                                           photos: Peppe Lazzara

What do you love about Spring in Sicily?

What I love about Sicily is the rebirth of nature which brings a whole palette of colors and an array of smells. Perhaps spring is the best time to visit Sicily. The air sharpens your mind and invigorates your body and reminds you that life is beautiful. The smells of newly awakened plants are carried by the wind and I think of my childhood. I also love Easter which is one of the most important times of year in Sicily.  

A ride on our La Bella Sicilia tour that is particularly gorgeous in Spring?

Perhaps the best day of our tour is DAY 4, from Ragusa to Siracusa, because we pass through fields that are blanketed with flowers. 

                                             photo: Peppe Esposto                                                       Day 4 La Bella Sicilia

Why should a Ciclismo Classico guest chose a trip in Sicily in Springtime?

Because of everything I’ve said here! Let’s also not forget what Goethe said:

To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is not to have seen Italy at all, for Sicily is the clue to everything……such a splendid springtime view as today’s at sunrise we’ve never had in our whole lives.

(J.W.Goethe, “Italian Journey”, 1817)

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