Exploring Sicily With Sicilian Encounters

It’s All About Wine partnered with Jen DeJong, owner of Sicilian Encounters, to do this weeklong immersive trip into Sicilian culture. We would be experiencing Sicily from the perspective of a local. I couldn’t wait!

It had been a while since I had been on an organized tour, and I was excited! Plus I was traveling with people I had met through my favorite place, doing my favorite thing (clink clink)!

After spending a couple of days in Palermo, we met the rest of our travel group at the Palermo airport and headed to our destination for the week, Montevago. Montevago is a small village approximately 40 miles southwest of Palermo, and it took us about an hour and a half to make it to our destination. Our trek to Montevago took us through farmland and vineyards, and through a hilly region with windy roads. It was beautiful! As I was reminiscing about this trip with Susan, she remarked that it reminded her of Ireland, without the stone walls. I agree!

Montevago has a deep connection with Springfield, Illinois. Jen, our tour guide and owner of Sicilian Encounters, has family in Montevago. Her mother was born there, and Jen has visited this community many, many times. When designing this trip, she said she wanted her guests to feel like she felt every time she would come to visit relatives. And we did! By the time we left we were all family ☺️

After we booked our trip I was telling one of my friends, Kathy, about going to Sicily, and weirdly enough she had also been to Sicily, specifically Montevago. She was on a trip with her friend Judy (who I also know), and they had been to Montevago to visit some of Judy’s relatives. It turns out that if you are a Saladino or a Bavetta in Springfield, or related to them, you have family in Montevago. Susan had been married to a Saladino, and they divorced and unfortunately he has passed away. This will be important later on in the story! And in another weird turn, it turns out that I was named after one of the Saladino’s descendants, Len Bartolomucci’s, ex-wife Dora (she was my mom’s best friend in high school).

We arrive in Montevago, and right away Susan notices that the “Welcome to Montevago” sign is in English! Ha, they were expecting us!

Our lodging consists of two houses – 13 of our group will be staying in Jen’s house, and eight will be staying at another house close by owned by her friend Ciro.

Jen’s house is a typical Sicilian house – it’s three stories, with the first floor and the second floor both having multiple bedrooms, bathrooms, and a kitchen set-up. Multiple generations of a family could live here.

There were three bedrooms on the first level – Mr. T and I had one, Sharon and Randy had one, and Sue Woo had the other. We shared one bathroom, which ended up working out. I understand that this setup is not for everyone, but think of it like staying at your grandma’s house, or summer camp 😜.

We were shown our rooms, then headed down to Bar Italia, which was only two houses down from where we were staying. This place ended up being our place to convene for everything – breakfast and coffee in the morning, and wine in the evening. We met Pasquale that first night, and even though he did not speak a lot of English, we were able to communicate with him. (I highly recommend that if you do go to Sicily, especially the smaller towns, that you try to learn a few Italian phrases.) He and his family are wonderful, and he did everything he could to make sure we all had a great time. We were greeted with a wonderful spread of food and delicious wine.

And this is where we all met Paolo, who is related to the Saladino’s and was there to meet Susan! It didn’t matter at all that she was not a blood relative, and an ex-relative at that … once you’re family, you’re family! Several of the family came in that night to meet Susan, and even though they did not speak English, Susan speaks Italian pretty well. So they were able to communicate.

Jen had arranged for dinner that first night at La Bandiera in Santa Margherita, a town that is about five minutes from Montevago. The restaurant was owned by one of Jen’s cousins. We started off with an octopus salad that was just delicious! After that came a platter of small fried fish that Mr. T devoured and can’t quit talking about. And then came our third course – risotto with artichokes. I was naive enough to think that was it – I was stuffed to the gills. But Jen pointed out how many forks were on the table – and we still had three courses left! The next course was pasta with swordfish, and then we got to the main course – swordfish and prawns. Oh my gosh! It was all so good, but I literally could not eat another bite.They brought a basket of oranges, and then after that some gelato. Ok, well I had room for gelato!

This was a precursor for us inexperienced Americans of what we could expect our meals to be like for the rest of our trip. You should be able to count the number of courses by the number of forks you had, but that was not always the case. I also learned later that if you ate everything on your plate that was a sign that you wanted more – so I had to figure out how to eat enough so I wouldn’t offend the cook, but also signal that I did not want any more food. Quite the conundrum!

We rolled back to Montevago. Bar Italia was open for those who still wanted to have a drink, and several did. All of that food (and wine!) at dinner had put me in a coma. Plus I was excited for our first full day.

The next morning we had breakfast and coffee at Bar Italia. Typically Italians eat a croissant or pastry for breakfast, and Pasquale’s wife makes all of the pastries. I couldn’t resist! This will also be known as the day I ate so much I made myself sick (wafer thin mint anyone?)

Paolo met Susan earlier, and ended up taking her on a drive through Montevago to show her his house. He was so sweet!

We got on our bus and headed to Sambuca, the original home of the 1 Euro houses. Our first stop was Peccati di Gola, a local bar that is famous for their minni di virgini (Virgin’s Breasts), a delicious pastry that looks like … well … breasts. The recipe dates back to 1725 when a nun created these to celebrate a local wedding. Now they are a part of the Sicilian culture, and something not to miss while you are there.

After our pastry break, we had time to explore Sambuca. It’s a very beautiful and quaint town, one that makes you want to slow down and appreciate all the life gives you.

After about an hour of exploring, it was time for lunch. You’re probably thinking, “Didn’t you just eat?” We went to Bar Palma, where we could order whatever we wanted. Mr. T and I decided to split a sandwich, which was smart thinking. It was so delicious I kind of wished I had ordered one just for myself.

After lunch it was wine time! We headed out of Sambuca to Di Giovanna Winery. This vineyards, which are organically cultivated, are planted with Grillo, Catarratto, Chardonnay, Nero d’Avola, Nerello Mascalese, Syrah and Merlot. I was not familiar with some of these grapes and was excited to try their wines. After a short tour of the vineyards, we had a wine tasting with some “snacks”. The “snacks” could have been an entire meal for most people, and this is where I learned that if you eat everything that is put in front of you, it is a signal that you are still hungry! But I didn’t really figure it out until the next day when Jen told us … so I went ahead and ate everything 😂.

I really enjoyed the wines here, especially the Grillo and the Nero d’Avola. One thing we all noticed while we were in Sicily was that we were not feeling the effects of the wine the next day – no headaches or other type of hangover symptoms. I don’t know if it is because a lot of the wine is produced organically or not, but I like it!

After our wine tasting we headed back to Montevago, where you could either rest before dinner or go have a drink at Bar Italia. I opted for resting. Good thing, because dinners in Sicily last at least three hours!

We went to Il Giardino degli Ulivi (otherwise known as The Olive Garden, but not like we know it!) for some appetizers and homemade pizzas. What we didn’t know was that we were going to be treated to traditional Sicilian songs and dances performed by some of the staff at the restaurant! It was a fantastic evening of food, wine, and merriment!

Unfortunately, while we were all having fun eating and drinking, Jen was dealing with a potential catastrophe at her house in Montevago. It’s a long story, but the electricity was shut off to the house. We found out because poor Laura had food poisoning that day and had to stay back, and when the lights went out she was basically in the dark not knowing what to do. Her husband DLP went to rescue his damsel in distress – and here is his story 😂:

“So l race back to the house to realize and face the fact that the gate is in fact electric and I must now vault the fence with all the grace of a 260 lb gazelle. As I land on the other side light footed like an overweight jungle cat. I text my damsel in distress to open the door. She comes out on the balcony like a food poisoned Juliet and as she does the lights flicker and come on behind her backlighting my wife like an angel. The End.”

This had us all in stitches and I have to give it to Jen – she had been dealing with this issue pretty much all day and you wouldn’t know it by her demeanor. She was still calm and in charge of this motley crew. But Jen is a beloved member of the Montevago community – which became very apparent when several people pitched in to make sure the house had some electricity. The “temporary fix” was to take a long utility chord between the electrical box at the house and Bar Italia two doors down. So, no hot water for a couple of days, but at least we had some electricity!

Unfortunately the next day I had some kind of stomach bug – or it was the result of eating way too much food in a short amount of time – I’m not sure. Either way I took the day off and stayed back at Jen’s house to rest and ease my stomach ache. Tim stayed back with me. Pasquale made us some delicious pasta for lunch.

This was “spa day”, where everyone went to Terme Acqua Pia to relax. They also took a small tour of old town Montevago that was destroyed by an earthquake in 1968. This earthquake killed at least 231 people, injured approximately 1,000 people, and left 100,000 homeless. Jen’s grandmother was killed in the earthquake, so this place is very special to her.

I felt good enough to go to dinner with everyone, so we headed to Opuntia for another delicious Sicilian meal. This time I was careful not to over eat, knowing that there would be multiple courses. So good!

I was feeling so much better the next day! We are off to see some Greek ruins, but before we leave we have a discussion about bidets. Bidets, you say?? Well, let me tell you … when the Italians say do not flush any paper products down the toilet, they mean NO PAPER PRODUCTS. In the other house where the rest of our group was staying, owned by Jen’s friend Ciro, two of the three bathrooms were clogged up and unusable. Italians don’t understand Americans obsession with toilet paper, and we don’t understand how a bidet (with water running out like a faucet, not a pressure washer) can get you clean back there. I mean, during the COVID pandemic, there were two things I was afraid of – ending up in the hospital and running out of toilet paper. And a fun fact – I do have a bidet at home! So, if you want to know how to use a bidet, watch this video 😉

The next day we headed to Parco Archeologico di Selinunte, a site that contains the ruins of an ancient Greek city, with temples dating back to 550 BC. It was a very impressive site, and good to stretch our legs for a while.

We left Selinunte and arrived in Sciacca for lunch. Our bus driver pointed out several restaurants that he recommended, and we all spit up. Some of us went to Trattoria Al Faro, a place close to the pier and known for their fresh fish. The food was delicious and one of the highlights of our trip!

After lunch there were two options – get a tattoo, or visit a local ceramics shop. Guess which one I chose 😁? I went to the local ceramics store. Sciacca is known for its ceramics and there are many shops to peruse through. We visited Ceramiche Artigianali dei F.lli Dimino, and I could have walked away with a suitcase full of plates and espresso cups.

After the visit we walked around the town of Sciacca for a bit – they are also known for their coral jewelry. You could definitely spend an afternoon shopping and browsing in Sciacca.

We joined back up with our friends who got tattoos (and they all looked marvelous!) and headed to Cantine De Gregorio for a wine tasting and dinner. This place was awesome! We met the owner and tasted wine directly from the barrel (or in this case stainless steel vat). We had the most delicious meal served with their wines. Truly a memorable experience!

The next day our group headed to Palermo. Some of us had already been to Palermo before the tour started (see Exploring Palermo: Food, Culture, and Fun), so after eating lunch at the Mercato del Capo, we separated from the guided walking tour and did our own exploring. I was looking for a Saint Rosalia pendant to help ward off sickness. There were cheap ones for sale in the Cathedral, but I was looking for something a little nicer. Of course I couldn’t find one.

We spent most of the day in Palermo, and then headed back to Montevago for the Feast of Susan! Ok, there is no such thing that I know of, but remember the story of how Susan’s ex-husband’s family was from Montevago? Paolo Infranco, one of the nicest men I have ever met, and who lives in Montevago, arranged a dinner at Opuntia in Susan’s honor! And lucky for the rest of us on the tour, we got to be spectators at this joyous celebration! Even the mayor of Montevago was there!

The next morning we headed to the next town over from Montevago, Santa Margherita, to meet Jen’s friend Ciro at his business Affettu. He wanted to meet everyone and feed us, of course. Just a small tray of meat, cheese, and bread, mind you. It was delicious! Everything in his store looked amazing, and I brought some pasta to bring home. Of course he added two additional packages of pasta for free when I checked out. As we have found out this week, this is typical Sicilian hospitality!

Our next stop was Caseificio La Sala, to see the cheese-making process and taste some warm ricotta cheese. We were also treated to a spontaneous concert by our cheese maker, Giovanni, who also got everyone involved by making us sing our national anthem 😆! Which then was followed by a dance party to Tutta L’Italia! Giovanni makes the ricotta fresh every day, and always sells out. People leave their tins at the shop to be filled, or just come by about the time it was finished. The cheese was still warm, a little soupy, and served with Italian bread. Yum!

Next we headed to Amodeo’s Farm for lunch and to learn about farming olives and making olive oil. This was such a fun afternoon! I loved the taste of the olive oil, and ended up placing an order for some to be delivered when we got home. The food was delicious and the hospitality was awesome – exactly what we had come to expect from our travels in Sicily.

This was the last night of our tour, and Ciro provided food for our group at his house that part of the group was staying at. We all went over there to watch some soccer and eat some more food (like we needed more food 😜, but it was delicious).

The next morning we headed back to Palermo and parted ways with our group – some were staying in Palermo for a couple of days, others stayed in Sicily, and some were headed back to the U.S. We were headed to the Amalfi Coast for a week.

This was the trip of a lifetime, and I loved every bit of it – even the hiccups! Travel, like life, is not perfect, and you have to learn to roll with it, or you will be miserable. I was able to experience things on this trip that I would have never been able to experience, all due to Jen’s relationships with the people from the Montevago area. It was clear that they loved and respected her, and we, as her guests, were also recipients of those feelings.

So off to the Amalfi Coast! Ciao from Sicily, and Salve to Sorrento!