Sicily is more than turquoise water, baroque towns and scenes from The White Lotus. Travel creator Danielle Nemesio joins Daniel to reveal the island beneath the postcard, from Palermo’s exuberant markets and Mount Etna’s volcanic vineyards to family rituals, fierce hospitality and the realities of making a life in Sicily.

In this episode of Destination Unlocked, Danielle takes us beneath Sicily’s polished surface. She explains why Palermo is the best place to begin, why trying to conquer the Mediterranean’s largest island in five days is a terrible idea, and why June, September and October are usually kinder than the blistering peak of summer.

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We travel from the street-food markets of Ballarò and Vucciria to the pistachio town of Bronte, the black volcanic landscape of Mount Etna and the dazzling white cliffs of the Scala dei Turchi. Danielle also makes a persuasive case for Sicily having the finest food in Italy, with caponata, pasta alla Norma, freshly filled cannoli, sarde a beccafico and the considerably more adventurous stigghiola all entering the conversation.

There is plenty of practical advice too. Danielle explains the importance of learning a little Italian, the local approach to tipping, what Sicily’s famous one-euro houses really involve and why an agriturismo or vineyard stay can offer a richer experience of the island. She also shares the romantic story of meeting her Sicilian husband while they were both working at Walt Disney World’s EPCOT, a meeting that eventually led to what she calls her ‘reverse American dream’.

Most importantly, this is a conversation about what Sicily feels like from the inside: a place where life moves piano piano, community comes first and saying goodbye can take an hour because there is always another kiss, hug or conversation before you finally reach the car.

In this episode

• Why Palermo makes a compelling starting point for a first visit
• How much of Sicily you can realistically see in one trip
• The best months to visit and why August can be difficult
• Mount Etna, Bronte pistachios and the Scala dei Turchi
• What to eat in Palermo’s markets and how to spot a properly filled cannolo
• The truth behind Sicily’s one-euro house schemes
• Italian phrases, tipping habits and the long Sicilian goodbye
• How moving abroad changed Danielle’s relationship with work, identity and community

This is destination unlocked with me, Daniel Edward.

2

Hello, welcome back to Destination

Unlocked, where this week we are

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going to the largest island in

the Mediterranean destination.

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Unlocked is a conversational travel

podcast where each week I'm joined

5

by a local or an expert traveller

who explains and enriches us with all

6

of the information about a place to

set you up for the best trip there.

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And this week we are joined by

Danielle Nio, who is a travel

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and lifestyle creator, known

as Danielle in Sicily Online.

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And she moved to Sicily three years

ago, having visited for a decade.

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And she married a

Sicilian man who she met.

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Well, you know what?

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I'll let her tell you that story.

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Enjoy.

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So Danielle, where are you

on looking for us today?

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Danielle Nemesio: today we're gonna

travel to Sicily, Italy, but not the

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version that you see on Instagram, not

the version that you see on Pinterest,

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not the version that you even see on

famous TV shows such as White Lotus.

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We are peeling back the layers, and

looking at what it's actually like here.

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as an outsider, but also as someone

who has spent a decade trying to

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integrate themselves into the island

and the people and the culture.

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Daniel Edward: I am so excited

about this because you've gotta live

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there to get under the skin of it.

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Danielle Nemesio: Absolutely.

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Daniel Edward: and it's interesting

that you mention about Instagram and

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Pinterest because Sicily is one of

those places that comes up the most in

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those apps because it's so gorgeous.

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it's made for that, but there's

more under the skin of it.

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Danielle Nemesio: Absolutely.

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So us being an island in the

Mediterranean, we are famous for

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turquoise waters and palm trees and

architecture that will take your

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breath away because we have such a

diverse rich and deep history here.

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so it speaks for itself that you

would want to have beautiful drone

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footage and these beautiful pictures,

and it's easy to put on a cute little

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outfit and pose next to the sea.

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And yes, that is a part of Sicily as well,

but it goes so much deeper than that.

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The people here are unbelievable, some of

the most welcoming, warm, accommodating

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people you would ever meet, some of

the best cuisine in the entire world.

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the duality of Sicily is, yes,

it's both of those things, but I

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think it's easy to just categorise

it as that picture perfect place.

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And it for sure is not, it still is life.

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People still exist here and

daily life still occurs here,

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regardless of those perfect moments.

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Daniel Edward: One of the first things

that I saw of Sicily before I ever

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visited was the one Euro houses.

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And this is what sparked my

interest in, oh, what is this place?

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People were selling, well, actually

not people, towns, communes

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were selling their houses because

younger people had left Sicily and

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they'd just abandoned their houses.

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Danielle Nemesio: This

is a very real issue.

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It's a real problem here, and it's a

sad one at that because I mentioned

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all the beauty that's on this island.

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and I don't wanna speak negatively

too much here, but the flip side of

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the coin is the economy and the job

opportunities are not great here.

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And Sicily, as famous as it is for,

let's say the beaches and the food

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is equally as famous for the lack of

job opportunities, incoming wealth.

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So they started this programme to try

to get younger people, foreigners to

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come to the island to buy this property.

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it's a very tempting offer.

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It's very eye catching, to say,

come spend one euro on a house.

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the caveat of that is you have to agree

to, spend around, I believe it's a

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minimum of 25,000 euro within that first

year start construction pretty early on.

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But what a great incentive

to get people to come here.

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I have a social media page and

I connect with a lot of people

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in that way, fellow expats.

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And I personally know people who

have signed on to take on these

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projects of the one Euro homes.

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like Sicily itself, there

are beautiful parts of that.

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And then not so glamorous and more

difficult aspects of that as well.

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Daniel Edward: some of these houses,

you've got the shell of a property,

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but you haven't got internal plumbing,

you've not got any electricity.

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I mean, you've got a lot of work

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on your

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Danielle Nemesio: the shell,

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but you get to customise

it that way as well.

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Daniel Edward: It could be your, dream

palace by the sea, but what you say about

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the economy also shows why tourism is so

valued and important in Sicily as well.

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Danielle Nemesio: Bravo.

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Exactly.

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I think with it being so popularised

currently with TV shows that have come

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out with Instagram, sort of highlighting

this beautiful area, I have a conversation

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with my husband about it, he grew up

here right in Palermo his entire life.

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And we like to joke, did you

ever see tourists growing up?

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And we're talking now the

eighties and the nineties, and he

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responds the same way every time.

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Danielle, I would've never even seen a

blonde on this island back in the eighties

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and nineties, some foreign person.

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And now, we live here, our daily life

is here, and you can't escape it.

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that has brought, so much

wealth back to the island.

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The locals are so happy and accommodating

They want people to come and

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experience the beauty of the island.

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They wanna share that with the world.

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That's very much the culture and the

custom of Sicilians to want people

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to come and say, look at the beauty.

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Look at how we live our lives.

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Look at the delicious foods that we eat.

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Daniel Edward: So if somebody's

making their way to Sicily,

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is Palermo the place to start?

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Danielle Nemesio: I personally think so.

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I'm a bit biassed in this regard because

I am in the province of Palermo, and as

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I mentioned, my husband is from here.

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He's paler, Miano, It is such a

vibrant, beautiful, chaotic, diverse,

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complicated, breathtaking city.

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There is no place on planet

earth equivalent of it.

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so I would say start here.

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This is where our

international airport is.

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So I think it's a great hub to fly into.

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However, it shouldn't just be Palermo.

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see as much of the island as possible.

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with a disclaimer attached to this,

which is I think people underestimate

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the vastness of this island.

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For example, one of my favourite

towns in all of Sicily is Cusa.

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specifically Oria.

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Now Palermo to Cusa is about

three, four hours by car.

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The island is massive.

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What a lot of people do is they'll see

the destination on their for you page.

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Or a friend went and had the best

time and they'll think, great.

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I'm gonna land there and I'm gonna tackle

the entire island in five days, I would

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not recommend this Sicily lends itself.

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Just the way that the island flows,

the way people are, the culture,

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piano, piano, slowly, slowly.

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It really is difficult to see

in one go, unless you're giving

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yourself, two full weeks here.

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Obviously, you cannot forget the

other major hub of Katanya, which

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is the other smaller airport.

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then you've got the famous Torina.

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Now this might be a little overhyped

as of right now, because of the

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TV shows, because of Instagram.

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However, it's hyped for a reason.

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It really is that

beautiful in that category.

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I would go ahead and throw Chalou as well.

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Daniel Edward: This is the thing with

tourist places, they're hyped for a

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reason, and it's a blessing and a curse

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Danielle Nemesio: There you go.

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Daniel Edward: I, was chatting

with somebody fairly recently and

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they said, well, would you go to

Rome and miss out the Coliseum

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because the tourists go there?

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You'd be a

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Danielle Nemesio: Beautiful example.

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Exactly.

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Daniel Edward: So the last time I was

in Palermo, I was in the height of

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summer, but it was 47 degrees Celsius.

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Danielle Nemesio: Oh, can I

ask you exactly which month?

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Daniel Edward: It must

have been July or August.

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Danielle Nemesio: Oh, bless.

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Okay, here's another little disclaimer.

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June, optimal ideal.

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It is my favourite month here.

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I got married here in the month of June.

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we're right on the cusp of it almost

being too warm, but warm enough that you

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can still enjoy the beaches, be outside.

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There's gonna be that

famous Sicilian Sunshine.

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July and August, specifically August.

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August has the biggest red flag in my

book and for a few different reasons.

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it is our hottest month by far.

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if you love the heat, if you love being

toasted, keep in mind we don't really

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believe in air conditioning here.

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it's not really a thing,

centralised air conditioning.

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so even when you're having lunch at a

restaurant, you're going to be sweating.

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So keep all of that in mind.

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The biggest, takeaway for August

that I have is we have a holiday here

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called Feso, the entire country, Sicily

specifically, but Italy as a whole,

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shuts down in August for this holiday.

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It's when all the Italians go on vacation.

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So most businesses will close their door

for a minimum of two to three weeks.

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Some take the entire month of August.

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So imagine planning your trip.

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You've done all this research.

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Feta also somehow slipped your radar.

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You get here, you've spent all

the money to get here, you're

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so looking forward to it.

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And restaurants are closed.

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The pharmacy is closed.

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you can't do X, Y, and

Z that you had planned.

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so I really, really recommend

June, even into September.

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But I gotta say, like you mentioned

with Rome, the blessing and the

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curse is popular for a reason.

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Tourism is here and well and alive

and I believe we'll continue to

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grow for the foreseeable future.

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So even September is a little

touristic, a little chaotic.

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A lot of people are still coming here.

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We still have even beautiful

weather in even October.

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something to consider if

you're planning the trip here.

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Daniel Edward: Yeah, you can extend your

summer by making it an autumnal trip.

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assuming that you're going, when things

are open and the heat isn't as hot as

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your oven, what, are the things that you

must put on your itinerary, to go and see?

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Danielle Nemesio: if you're going in

the autumnal phase, like you said, it's

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actually perfect timing and coincides

with our famous Bronte Pistachio Festival.

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Now, something to know about me is

pistachio, is near and dear to my heart.

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I would say before even the

internet made a craze of it.

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I don't know if you are well

aware that pistachio is like

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the newest trendy flavour.

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Sicily was ahead of this trend for

centuries before the internet caught on.

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so the town of Bronte is famous for

probably the world's best pistachios,

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and we've been lucky enough to go one

year and it takes place in autumn and

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everything is pistachio flavoured.

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We had pistachio donuts, pistachio

lasagna, pistachio flavoured beer,

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pistachio flavoured sausages.

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I would highly, highly recommend this.

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Now, this is near to the area

of Mount Aetna, which is also

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a must visit, must experience.

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Aetna is famous for wine

because of the volcanic soil.

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So go do some wine tasting

while you're over there.

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After you've done with the festival,

go and see the volcano yourself.

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It is like walking on another planet.

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It feels very otherworldly because

it's like black volcanic ash.

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Sometimes you'll get lucky enough to

see the volcano actually spewing lava,

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which is just majestic and breathtaking.

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Another must-see is Scala de Toki.

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This again, I would put in

the other worldly category.

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This is near the area of Grogen,

which is a must-see in and of

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itself because this is sort of our

take on ancient Greek temples that

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you can see here on the island.

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And so while you're there, Scala de

Toki is, how can I describe this?

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It's pretty indescribable.

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It is almost like a blindingly white

mountain that is layered and goes down

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and meets the sea you can walk on it and

it feels like you are on another planet.

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The only advice I can give you is

just to give it a Google, because like

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I said, it's pretty indescribable.

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but those would be, my hidden gems.

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Must see, must do.

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Daniel Edward: Wow.

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the way, the way you describe it, I

can sense the excitement about it.

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Everybody's heard of

Aetna, but, these others,

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Danielle Nemesio: Yep.

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that's what, living here

for three years will do.

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Visiting here for a whole decade,

I have some tips and tricks up my

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sleeve from that amount of time.

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Daniel Edward: you mentioned that

your husband is, Sicilian, and

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so that makes sense as to why

you have ended up moving there.

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but the story of how you met and

came to interact with Cecily, at all.

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I just absolutely love it because

for me it's, it's like it's a

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complete American dream, but in

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Danielle Nemesio: Yes.

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I got goosebumps just now.

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Daniel, you've completely described it

because my, the whole joke that I tell

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people is I'm living the reverse American

dream, I was the type of little girl who

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instead of dreaming about marriage and

having babies, someday I kept a little

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journal and every time I would see a

commercial come on TV or I would see a

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magazine at a doctor's office that was

advertising for this place in the world,

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whether it be Japan or Norway or anything,

I would lock eyes with that and I would

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remember it and I would go home and I

had a little diary under my pillow and I

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would write the name of that place because

I just knew I wanted to live outside

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of America . so the first opportunity

to escape I took it, and it was just

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serendipitous that I met my husband.

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We both were working for

Disney World at the time.

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He was on the international college

programme in Epcot in the country

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of Italy and I was working at

Epcot as a pastry chef and we met

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at a international Disney party.

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So this is a little sort of hidden

lore of Disney, when you go to Epcot

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and you see all of the workers and

they're there and you're having a great

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time and maybe you're drinking around

the world and you're being a Disney

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tourist We also have a good time behind

the scenes because after we clock

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out, we all meet up internationally

and have a huge party together.

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And so at one of these international

parties I ended up meeting, my husband

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I just got lucky that he was from

one of my favourite regions of Italy.

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And so I just always say

it was very serendipitous.

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Daniel Edward: Certainly

helps, doesn't it?

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Danielle Nemesio: Absolutely.

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Daniel Edward: I so love that

story because I fell in love

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with Epcot It's the best park.

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Danielle Nemesio: When I was offered

a job to work at Disney World after

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I had graduated, culinary school

with my baking and pastry degree, it

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was just one of those sort of domino

effects where it just happened to align

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perfectly with, who I am, what I love.

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I'm a big believer in everything

happens for a reason and with my travel

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bug and the love for the world and

wanting to explore, it was a great

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stepping stone for me to go from that.

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And now here I am in Sicily.

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Daniel Edward: it was your pastry skills

that got you around the lake of Epcot.

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and I imagine that having now landed in

Sicily, you must be in your element there.

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Danielle Nemesio: I might be biassed,

but I would wager that Sicily itself

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has the best food in all of Italy.

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And here's my argument for this,

we are so diverse here in Sicily.

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If you look at the history as

a whole, they were conquered

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by the Normans, by the Arabs.

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being an island, and being a major hub

in a major port, you look back centuries

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of how many people have landed here.

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And that has woven its way to create this

beautiful, diverse, cuisine that is so

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atypical to your standard plate of pasta.

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And not to hate on the standard plate of

pasta because I will devour, a carbonara

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or an a matana as much as the next person.

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However, the cuisine here is

on an entirely different level.

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The use of spices, the use of, I

would say, more strange ingredients

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compared to the rest of Italy.

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We focus on fennel and pine nuts

and combining sweet and savoury

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and using every portion of

the animal in the street food.

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And so this was what really tantalised me.

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I came with my husband to, meet my

Sicilian in-laws for the first time.

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I was the first girl he had

ever brought home to Sicily.

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And the second that he took me to

the local market, called Ballero.

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put this on your list

as well of places to go.

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We've got Ballo and we've got

Cher as the local markets.

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you go there and you've got meats

that are being grilled in front of you

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and you've got the freshest seafood

ever and you've just got all of these

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local produce and maybe fruits and

vegetables you've never seen before.

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Because we're a very warm

Mediterranean climate.

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we're close to Africa as well.

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Don't forget that.

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So that plays a role in the things

that are grown here the food itself

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the preparation and the spices used.

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Oh my goodness, I am in

foodie paradise living here.

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Daniel Edward: So what

are your favourite dishes?

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if you had your perfect

Sicilian meal, what would

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be on the menu?

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Danielle Nemesio: First and

foremost, I will die on this hill.

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The number one thing is capta, which

is a sweet and sour eggplant dish.

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There's olives there's capers

there's caramelised onions in

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it, there's fried eggplant.

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My Sicilian mother-in-law

makes the best I ever had.

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So last meal is my Sicilian mother-in-law

makes me some cap, You cannot miss Ola.

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this one is going to be a little

mind-bending for some people.

312

However, if you can get over kind of

your own mental block about it, it

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is some of the most delicious grilled

meat you will ever have in your life.

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So it is brace yourself lamb

intestines that have been stuffed

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with spring onion and grilled.

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And after the grill you hit it with

sea salt and a fresh squeeze of lemon.

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And it is sublime.

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It is slightly fatty.

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It's not chewy in the least.

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It does have the ever so slightly gaminess

of flavour, but to me it's just some of

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the best grilled meat you would ever try.

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my food and beverage background is showing

because I'm a very adventurous eater.

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and so another one I would throw

in the ring is S Becca Fico.

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you take the entire sardine fish

and you make a roll of it and

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you stuff it with pine nuts,

raisins, breadcrumb, and orange.

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And those also get grilled and hit with

beautiful Sicilian olive oil at the end.

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now I could talk about different

dishes, until I'm blue in the face.

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What I would really recommend is take

a day, get really hungry, maybe skip

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breakfast, show up to or Ria market,

and just see where your nose takes you.

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and that's just the savoury side of

things Like I said, pastry chef here.

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you cannot miss our cassata.

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You cannot miss the canola.

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if you want the best canola you've

ever had in the world, take yourself

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to Central Palermo and you are going

to find A nunnery, where nuns live,

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and they've been making canola for

centuries with the same exact recipe.

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They haven't changed a thing.

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It's the size of your face and it's the

most delicious thing you've ever had.

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Daniel Edward: Now I understand

why people become nuns.

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I thought they were pray

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Danielle Nemesio: the cheese

ricotta in Sicily will convert

341

anybody it's that good.

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Daniel Edward: something that I was

told, and I wonder if you would vouch

343

for this as well when it comes to

buying a canola you see these gorgeous

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displays of all of the cannoli rolled

up and through and they're not the

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ones to go for because they've been

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pre piped.

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Danielle Nemesio: I appreciate

you saying this so much because it

348

really needs to be talked about.

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There is a huge difference.

350

So you want canola, ES express, I'm pretty

sure is the verbiage This basically means

351

they are going to fill it fresh for you.

352

This is imperative.

353

You have to think that Shell

is a very delicate fried shell.

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I don't know if you know, but the little

bubbles that you see on the outside of

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that shell that's caused by marsala wine.

356

you use some sort of alcohol in the dough

and when it goes in the fryer, it puffs

357

up and kind of creates those bubbles.

358

That means it's very delicate.

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Now ricotta is not that wet, but

you have to figure, the longer it

360

sits there, the more it's gonna

kind of penetrate that shell.

361

You want it filled right

in front of your eyes.

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And if I can recommend a spot, besides

the nuns who make it because they are

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just in another category of their own.

364

But let's say you're in that touristic

street, on the main street there's that

365

one street that connects the tro Massimo.

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the cathedral, CUI.

367

You're gonna find a place called Canon Co.

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There you can actually

get flavoured fillings.

369

And again, this ties back to me being

such a pistachio fan, they take their reta

370

and they add fresh pistachio paste to it.

371

So it's a lovely slightly

pistachio scented ricotta cream.

372

There's also an almond variation.

373

There's an orange variation.

374

So get your classic one from the nuns and

just go visit there because it's just a

375

beautiful, iconic place in its own right.

376

But if you're gonna do the touristy thing

and be on that road, which you're gonna be

377

anyway, go there for your second canola.

378

Daniel Edward: I love a zesty

one the, oranges and the lemons

379

and that sort of citrus fruit.

380

For

381

me,

382

Danielle Nemesio: the Ag gmy.

383

Our gmy here is an

entirely different world.

384

when we first moved here, we were in,

Vita, and I had my own lemon tree.

385

And when I tell you that was a dream

come true for me, I am not exaggerating.

386

I went ahead and made my own lemon cell.

387

I was making lemon everything.

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And lemon is such a vital

part of our cuisine here.

389

I would venture We use it in,

more than 50% of our recipes.

390

it really is something not to be missed.

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Daniel Edward: When you moved to Sicily,

did you move knowing that you were

392

going to spend so much time sharing it?

393

Danielle Nemesio: The first

gut response is absolutely not.

394

if you can believe it, I

am a pretty shy person.

395

I never was the type of person

who would've been comfortable

396

putting themselves, openly online,

as I have for the past year.

397

And you have to figure, I've lived

here three years and I've taken

398

content creation seriously for

one year, and I'm beyond grateful.

399

The feedback I've gotten, the community

I've built, it has just been life

400

changing in the absolute best way.

401

I obviously left behind all of

my very good friends in America,

402

which was very bittersweet.

403

And one of my very good friends said to

me, Danielle, I want you to promise me

404

that when you go, you will consider either

starting a blog or some sort of social

405

media account where I can check in on you,

where I can see your new life in a new

406

country, And she goes, just consider it.

407

It could even be therapeutic for you.

408

And I thought, oh, sure.

409

I am such a private person

that will never be me.

410

And lo and behold, about a year ago,

I just could not let go of the fact

411

that I had this unique perspective,

this story to tell And I think what

412

pushed me to do it was I was sick of

the narrative online of, you go to

413

Sicily and it's Lata and you spend

your days having a TiVo looking at the

414

most beautiful sunset you've ever seen.

415

you know, very romanticised version.

416

And all of those things exist.

417

I'm a big advocate for the

slow lifestyle, I let go a lot.

418

of my negative American habits

of rushing everywhere and my

419

worth is tied to productivity.

420

all of that has sort of fallen

by the wayside, thankfully.

421

But this journey with social

media has been such a gift.

422

I have been able to connect to other

people, other expats in particular who

423

understand fully the sort of double-edged

sword that is moving to a place like this.

424

is it gorgeous?

425

Yes.

426

But is it maybe some of the most

slow and horrible bureaucracy you

427

would ever face in terms of, let's

say documentation and getting your

428

Es to be able to live here legally?

429

Oh yes, very much so as well.

430

that's really what I wanted

to share with people online.

431

Daniel Edward: Every time I say to

somebody, I want to live in Italy.

432

They say, yeah, you think you do,

433

Danielle Nemesio: italy is one of the most

romanticised countries in the world, but

434

moving here, living here, life doesn't

stop being life just because the buildings

435

are gorgeous and because the seaview

take your breath away, you still have

436

to function and figure out daily life.

437

When you see these beautiful pictures of

Sicily, you're looking more often than

438

not, places like Torina and Palermo and

Chalou, and these are our bigger hubs.

439

These one year homes are in these sort

of desolate places where you would have

440

to completely change your lifestyle.

441

There isn't modern amenities.

442

There isn't, a one stop shop

like targeted in America.

443

Stores are closed here every single day

from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM You have to get

444

used to working your schedule around that.

445

we are constantly celebrating holidays.

446

I believe it's an excuse for people

to just eat the delicious food here.

447

I'm on to Sicily, I'm on to Italy in

general, it's always a Saint Holli.

448

Today's a holiday, by the way.

449

Daniel Edward: Has moving to

Sicily changed your connection

450

or , sense of your own identity as an

451

American?

452

Danielle Nemesio: Absolutely.

453

My self worth was completely attached

to my productivity in America.

454

And I was very much, a people pleaser.

455

I cared very much what people thought.

456

I had lived there my entire

life, so more than 30 years I was

457

operating in this certain way.

458

And you show up in Sicily and it's

a completely different mindset.

459

Community comes first.

460

I would venture to say that America

is not really shaped in that way.

461

yes, people care about each other, but we

have a dialect saying here in Sicily, it's

462

called San, which means blood of my blood.

463

And you say this to somebody

to say, you are a part of me.

464

You will always be a part of me.

465

We are connected so deeply in that way.

466

So I'm able to feel more deeply.

467

I'm able to love more deeply.

468

Nothing here is superficial.

469

I feel like in America it's very kind

of like glitz and glamour and don't

470

get me wrong, there are times I miss

those aspects something as superficial

471

as getting in my car and driving five

minutes to go get an iced coffee,

472

something like that would be unheard

of here, However, here you have Pajata,

473

which is your daily walk, you go and

you digest the food of the big delicious

474

meal you had most likely shared with

family, you say hello to your neighbour

475

because you know everybody personally.

476

I really had to grapple with myself of

slowing down, being okay in the quiet

477

moments and I'm really grateful for it.

478

Daniel Edward: It does

sound like life has gained a

479

dimension.

480

Danielle Nemesio: Absolutely.

481

Daniel Edward: And if people want to

follow along, they'll find you, Danielle,

482

in Sicily and underscores between

483

the

484

three words.

485

Danielle Nemesio: Yep.

486

Underscores between each of the words.

487

Danielle in Sicily, across all platforms.

488

Daniel Edward: How useful is it to

have any words of Italian and if

489

it's a dialect, what should we know?

490

Danielle Nemesio: Now this isn't Rome.

491

This isn't Florence.

492

We're talking Sicily.

493

Right?

494

I would say is maybe one of those

regions of Italy that is lesser

495

accommodating to English speakers.

496

not everybody operates in dialect,

but a huge portion of them do.

497

I'd like to tell just a quick little

story in relation to how imperative

498

it is to know the Italian language.

499

when we first moved here three years

ago, I'm talking within maybe two to

500

three months of landing here I had

to go to what's called the Questa,

501

which anybody who has dealt with the

Questa knows exactly the heartache

502

and hardship that I am talking about.

503

It is not for the weak, it is for

everybody who lands here who has to

504

deal with paperwork or bureaucracy.

505

And so we show up the ra.

506

I'm trying to get my prosono, which

allows me to live here legally.

507

you show up to this place and it's

you and probably 200 other immigrants.

508

There is no line anywhere for get a queue.

509

A Q doesn't exist.

510

They don't even know

what the word Q means.

511

There are no numbers.

512

Everybody is waving their papers.

513

It feels more like concert

energy than it does you trying

514

to get legal documentation done.

515

It is just anarchy is the

only way I can describe it.

516

And so my husband has to throw

elbows to get us to the front of the

517

line to see who we have to talk to.

518

whether it's Giuseppe or Giovanni

And I have to say, when you're

519

moving to Italy it is imperative

that you have, an insider connection.

520

I am lucky in that regard that my husband

knows people, whether his cousin knows

521

a guy or the family friend knows a guy

that has helped us tremendously So we

522

get to the front of the Quest door line,

he ends up shoving me inside without

523

even them giving the approval to do so.

524

And I'm grabbing at him to follow me, and

they're telling me, no, no, no, no, no.

525

You have to come in here alone.

526

He cannot come.

527

This is just on you.

528

I proceed to spend the next four

hours trying to do all of my legal

529

documentation fully in Italian, not

feeling confident at all in the language.

530

I always joke, I'm gonna one day

like write a book of just how

531

crazy and chaotic my life has been.

532

And this questa situation will be one

or several chapters it was the most

533

anxiety inducing experience of my life.

534

So to answer your question in a

long-winded format, it is imperative that

535

you at least know some basic Italian,

and I'll say this as a side note.

536

Sicilians in general will

meet you where you are.

537

They are so appreciative to any Effort

on your end to try to communicate

538

with them they know you might not be

fluent and they know zero English, but

539

they appreciate so much the effort.

540

I'm always the type of person that in

my travels, I like to make sure I at

541

least know the bare minimum of please.

542

Thank you.

543

where's the bathroom?

544

Where's the train?

545

How to order wine or the local bathroom.

546

And so I'm just the type of traveller who

has those ready but in terms of dialect,

547

I wouldn't wouldn worry yourself with it.

548

But it is a very fun language.

549

The dialect of Sicilian, I will say.

550

Daniel Edward: the other language of a

place is its customs and I suppose one

551

of the things coming from the states

is a tipping culture where anybody does

552

anything for you, you tend to give them

a tip, especially restaurants and bars.

553

And some people are now tipping,

as much as 25% in certain areas

554

of the states, which is huge, but

that's not quite the same in Europe.

555

So what's the local custom in

556

Sicily?

557

Danielle Nemesio: first of all, it's

gotten a little out of control in America.

558

I was there about a year ago and

was absolutely shocked to my core

559

at how out of hand it had gotten.

560

But I digress Here in Sicily,

it is not the norm at all.

561

It is not a part of the culture.

562

I would venture to say that in some

places, it might even be a little

563

offensive to somebody, depending

on how you catch them on the day.

564

in my Sicilian husband's family.

565

I'll use his aunt as an example.

566

She will show up at our house with

some beautiful fresh produce from the

567

market because she had just been there

and she's so sweet that she thought

568

of us and thought, oh, they would

love these, you know, fresh peaches.

569

Let me get a few and drop them,

we will thank her up and down.

570

I'm American.

571

It's very much a part of my culture

to be thankful and appreciative,

572

especially if someone goes out of

their way to do something for you.

573

And she will almost be offended by the

level of gratitude that I have, especially

574

in terms of familial connections.

575

It's just expected thank yous

are not part of the norms here.

576

And so I would say when you

are out and about, let's say a

577

service absolutely blows you away.

578

You've had a wonderful time,

you can tip them one, two euros.

579

I wouldn't go any further beyond that.

580

It's not really common in restaurants.

581

However , Sicilians in general

are very easygoing, very flowy.

582

We live on an island after all, right?

583

And so if you really

feel inclined, go for it.

584

But it is not the

typical thing to do here.

585

Daniel Edward: Is there a Sicilian

custom that you might not even

586

think to look for you are coming

from elsewhere, but it's something

587

that all the locals, do naturally.

588

Danielle Nemesio: I don't know if

it's specifically Sicilian, I think

589

it's more because we're in the

south, and I think because people,

590

they're more passionate here.

591

They are an outwardly loving people.

592

You are not expected to say

thank you, but you are expected

593

to be, let's say, doted upon.

594

So physical touch is a big one.

595

kissing culture, hugging culture.

596

I always make the joke that if you

are at a Sicilian function, it will

597

take you probably 10 tries to say

goodbye to somebody and maybe an hour

598

later than when you actually wanted

to leave, because people will just

599

keep pulling you back in for more

kisses, more hugs, more conversation.

600

You say the initial goodbye, then

you say the goodbye from the doorway,

601

then you say goodbye from the balcony.

602

Then you say goodbye from the car, and

then they watch you pull away to make

603

sure that you make it onto the road.

604

But it all boils down to it's out of

love, which is a beautiful thing here.

605

I think this is something we're

missing in America, that sense of

606

community, that sense of just intense

love and devotion for another person.

607

I think it can be a little superficial.

608

In America, it's very surface level.

609

That is so not the case here.

610

People really love with their entire being

with their heart and with their soul.

611

Daniel Edward: What would you say is

your top thing to see or do in Sicily?

612

Speaker: Being

613

Danielle Nemesio: A foodie, I will

always advocate for going to the

614

markets, trying the food there.

615

But beyond that, go and

stay at an agri tomo.

616

These are farm stays where they

make everything on property from

617

the meats to the cheeses, to growing

their own fruits and vegetables.

618

They will more likely than not

produce honey or olive oil.

619

Somos are huge in my book.

620

And then what coincides with that is

wineries go and do a wine tasting.

621

Donna Futa is a huge one here.

622

They have multiple locations over

the island it is a lovely experience.

623

They do food pairings and the wine in

general on this island is another level,

624

specifically any white wines or any white

sparkling wines are absolutely exquisite.

625

Daniel Edward: What would you say is a

tourist trap or a common mistake to avoid?

626

Danielle Nemesio: I would typically

say that any restaurant that you see

627

that has your menu, both in English

and Italian, would be a tourist trap.

628

If you were in Rome,

that would be the case.

629

Florence Capri, it is really

difficult to find bad food here in

630

Sicily, even with those places, so

I would say even that isn't really

631

a tourist trap in and of itself.

632

They're not really out to get tourist.

633

Sicilians really put their best foot

forward wanting people to love this island

634

as deeply and passionately as they do.

635

So I would just use your

common sense, right?

636

If something seems too cheap or if

something seems a bit off, it most

637

likely is, but for the most part,

I haven't really come across that.

638

Daniel Edward: What's your favourite

time of year to visit Sicily?

639

Danielle Nemesio: June is an

absolutely beautiful month.

640

We're just starting to approach

the temperatures of maybe getting

641

too hot, but still doable.

642

And then September and

October are lovely as well.

643

skip summer unless you just love

being boiled from the inside out.

644

If you are great with heat, then I would

advocate for that because that's the

645

time to go to the beaches so I guess it

depends on do you want the island for

646

yourself or do you wanna prioritise that

Sicilian sunshine and the nicer weather.

647

Daniel Edward: Do you have a book

or a film recommendation if people

648

wanna get into the Sicilian spirit?

649

Danielle Nemesio: the only one

that comes to my mind is The

650

Godfather, and that's in Corleone.

651

And this is a very small mountain town.

652

And this was the perfect epitome

of what Sicily was like in

653

the eighties, in the nineties.

654

And I would say doesn't really

reflect what Sicily is now.

655

We now have an anti mafia museum in the

heart of Palermo that is beautiful to see.

656

We've got beautiful murals all

over the city that commemorate the

657

politicians' lives that we've lost.

658

We've got these beautiful memorials,

we've got stickers that are big and

659

bold on all of the shops and locally

owned places that are anti mafia.

660

So I referenced that film to kind

of show you what Sicily was, and

661

then the beautiful place that it

has now become and I think that's

662

why tourism has now exploded.

663

it's lovely to see that the island

itself can shine and the people itself

664

can shine without that negative aspect.

665

There was not a tourism industry at all.

666

And unfortunately, I think the mafia

took that away from this island and it's

667

inhabitants for, upwards of four decades.

668

So the fact that you can say Sicily

to somebody and they think about the

669

food, they think about Chle and Torina,

they think about our beautiful beaches.

670

What a beautiful story arc

for the island as a whole.

671

Daniel Edward: And talking of food, what

would you say is the top food or drink

672

that you just have to try when you get to

673

Sicily?

674

Danielle Nemesio: anything on this

island that has eggplant in it.

675

This goes back to the KA dish

that I mentioned earlier,

676

but this is also parmesana.

677

And now if you've ever think you've

had an eggplant Parmesan in your

678

life, take whatever notions you have

of that dish and throw them away.

679

And when you come here,

experience eggplant Parmesan in

680

that category is pasta a norma?

681

This is our regional pasta dish.

682

This is fried eggplant.

683

This has a ricotta sata on the top

of it, so ricotta that's been dried.

684

And so it's now in a hard kind

of salty brick, and that gets

685

graded over the top of the pasta.

686

It is exquisite.

687

Daniel Edward: And if you want to

take home a little piece of Sicily

688

with you, you want something authentic

to remind you of your trip there,

689

what could you keep an eye out

690

for?

691

Danielle Nemesio: I will always

advocate that some of the best

692

souvenirs that you can take home

are souvenirs that are edible.

693

So when you are here, keep your eyes

peeled for anything pistachio flavoured.

694

bonus points if it comes from the region

of Bronte, but get yourself a little

695

bottle of pistachio Lare, which is

the pistachio cousin of lemon cello.

696

anything pistachio flavoured.

697

We've got local pistachio candies,

candied nuts, , FECO d India is also

698

a very local and unique flavour.

699

That's our local prickly pear, which is a

little bit herbal, a little floral sweet.

700

So look out for anything

that's Feco d India flavoured.

701

We also make a LaCorte of that.

702

And then if you want something a

bit more physical, you cannot go

703

wrong with ceramics on this island.

704

And if I could recommend a specific

one, it's called the Pinoli,

705

which is basically a pine cone.

706

And this represents the

rich history of Sicily.

707

the pine cone is hard and Sicily itself

can kind of be hard on the outside,

708

but it is just so beautiful underneath.

709

So it's a pine cone shaped ceramic.

710

We are also famous, for PE Morro,

which are two heads, a man and a woman.

711

It's typically almost like a planter,

so they're kind of hollow on the inside.

712

You could put a plant in it or you

could use it just as a keepsake

713

to keep little knickknacks in.

714

But go ahead and look up the story of it.

715

It's a little gruesome and a

little bleak, but very fascinating.

716

we're also famous for our TRIA

symbol, which is Medusa's head

717

with three legs coming out of it.

718

And this is our national symbol of Sicily.

719

Each of those really represents

the island beautifully.

720

Daniel Edward: Danielle Nacio,

travel and Lifestyle Creator,

721

also known as Danielle in Sicily.

722

Thank you so much for unlocking the

723

island for us.

724

Danielle Nemesio: Thank

you so much for having me.

725

It's my absolute pleasure

to highlight this island.

726

Daniel Edward: Thank you so much once

again to Daniel Nio for unlocking

727

her adopted home of Sicily, and I

think you can really tell why she

728

has fallen in love with that island.

729

And I think you might too.

730

If you had there, tell me all about it.

731

Always get in touch.

732

Your contact details are on

the website and it'll be lovely

733

to hear what you think of it.

734

if you have only just found this podcast,

then I highly recommend click a follow now

735

wherever it is you're currently listening

and that way whenever you want to travel

736

somewhere else in the future, you can

very easily find us again and see if

737

we've got an episode on that destination

New episodes come out every Wednesday,

738

so I'll have another one for you soon.

739

And until then, Thanks for listening.

740

Bye-bye bye.