Syracuse Market, Sicily

The market is the life blood of many towns around the world. Something Warsaw had missed out on in a reality for years as the bazarek is handy but not always consistent in regards to volume, freshness, variety, protection from the elements, and the push for local goods. This is changing now, and you are really seeing people talk with pride about their own produce. A great move. In Warsaw you can find small market stalls that spring up on roadsides in summer, but they vanish again come winter, this is why I have a love of the Adelaide Central Market. A place where things have a history behind them, local is promoted and you can visit in all seasons. It set me on a path for the rest of my life. That is to seek out markets in every town I visit. Italy, is a magical place for this. The market life here is full of vigour, love, passion and quite often humour. On a "fresh" morning in Syracuse we got up a little earlier than normal to visit the market before it closed and was too flooded by people. It is certainly worth the visit, purely for the fresh fish. I think the volume and variety here is great, Trapani to me was better in one way, because it was a lot of small boat owners selling their wares. That said, the vendors here in Syracuse were great with us and our pigeon Italian but desire for good food.

Parking can be hard to find, but I don't recommend parking your hire car in the harbour.....

The local and DOC registered tomato here is sundries. I do like that it is called the Pomodoro di Pachino, makes me think "Hollywood diet" but of course that is the name of the region it is from and the one we just visited from Noto to Ispica to Syracuse

One of the tastiest things around, a blood orange. I strongly recommend them, we brought back 2kg of them!

The cutest little artichokes, I still haven't mastered the eating and cooking of these yet. Very fiddly.

One of my loves, Octopus.

We bought some of this for lunch. It was really lovely.

It is not just about the display, but that helps. These are also locally grown.

bucket of fish.

One of my favourite photos.

Cadiz town

The pretty town of Cadiz in South Western Andalucia is the destination today, alas, it is only in a photographic sense. Going through some old photos from much, much earlier this year I found I still hadn't posted everything from Spain! Wow, that was 7 months ago... lazy. So, here is Cadiz the open minded and open streeted town the oldest continually inhabited city in Spain. Christopher Columbus sailed from here on his second and fourth voyages to explore the world, and has been a maritime favourite of the Spanish navy, merchants and invaders since. Enjoy.

I love catching people who look like they are posing, but actually aren't.

The market in Cadiz is great for fresh food, especially seafood.

I guess they are the same family as mussels and oysters.....

Not edible, but pretty

wild asparagus

Boquerones some of my favourite things.

most people come for a paper cone of these little shrimps cooked fresh and really lovely, although a little salty by the time you get to the end of the cone. 

the end of the road here... or is it?

Trapani, Sicily, Italy.

I'll get back to talking about Warsaw at some stage, but we went to Sicily, to Trapani on the Western end to be specific. I liked it, a lot. You would too. Check it out, give the poorest region of Italy some of your hard earned, it needs it, and it is lovely.

Salted Sards

She's got wings

Rusty and Crusty

Looks stormy, but it wasn't

A trolley of herbs.

Local tuna, delicious and salty.

The garlic truck

The fresh mornings catch

Tutti Tutti.

 

Cous cous and fish fish

grill me that squid!

A grumpy local

bottle beach

House of the maimed

A neta, she broke my heart in a letter

beach treasure

One of my new favourites

One of my old favourites

A neta again.

The bay of Trapani

Allegedly the best Pizza in Trapani, it was pretty darned good too! Since 1946.

Granita, yum.

Tonno, a great reason to get to this end of Sicily.

It just tastes awesome when this fresh.