Located on the southern coast of Sicily, Scala dei Turchi is a rocky cliff on the coast of Realmonte. It is a unique natural formation of marl with a characteristic white colour. It is located between two sandy beaches and is easily accessible through a limestone rock formation in the shape of a staircase. From August 2007, Scala dei Turchi is included in the UNESCO Heritage List.
The sealife is so rich, the surroundings so impressive and the rock something extraordinary. It looks like an iceberg that lost its way to the shore! Here you have some photos I took on February 2015 from that amazing place.
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE FILLING:
- 2 and 3/4 cups fresh ricotta cheese
- 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
- 3 tablespoons mini semisweet chocolate chips
- 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
FOR THE SHELLS:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
-1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 3/4 cup sweet Marsala wine
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate (preferably 61% cacao)
- 1/2 cup shelled unsalted pistachios, finely chopped
- confectioners' sugar, for dusting
DIRECTIONS
1. Make the filling: Line a sieve with a layer of cheesecloth, and set over a bowl. Spoon ricotta into sieve. Cover, and let drain in the refrigerator overnight.
2. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat ricotta and confectioners' sugar until fluffy. Beat in chocolate chips, vanilla, zest, and lemon juice. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.
3. Make the shells: Combine flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add Marsala and oil, and beat on medium speed until dough comes together. Using your hands, knead dough on a lightly floured work surface until smooth and elastic, about 15 minutes. Wrap in plastic, and let rest 30 minutes.
4. Divide dough into 4 pieces. Pass 1 piece of dough through the widest setting of a pasta machine (keep remaining pieces covered). Continue passing through narrower settings until it is the thickness of a dime. Lay on a floured work surface. Cut out rounds with a 31/4-inch cutter. Gather scraps and reroll.
5. Pour enough oil into a large, heavy saucepan to come about 4 inches up sides. Heat over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 380 degrees.
6. Wrap each round of dough around a 3 3/4-inch-long cannoli form, sealing with a dab of egg white. Working in batches of 3 or 4, fry until golden, about 1 minute. Using a wire skimmer or tongs, transfer to paper towels, and let cool 5 minutes. Carefully slide out forms, and let shells cool. Continue rolling, cutting, and frying the remaining dough.
7. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Dip one end of each cannoli shell into chocolate and then into pistachios. Let set 15 minutes on parchment paper.
8. Transfer filling to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip. Pipe filling into one end of a shell to the center, then into other end. Repeat with remaining shells and filling.
9. Dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve immediately.
(source)
Tip: the cannolis must be consumed quickly. If they are left
to sit, the shell will absorb some of the liquid from the filling
and quickly turn soggy and lose its crispness.
Without touching the "sensitive" topic of mafia, we will just enjoy our cannoli. A cannoli is a Sicilian pastry dessert that is an essential part of the cuisine of Sicily. They are fried, tube-shaped pastry shells filled with ricotta cheese. These treats have a long history and many variations.
Cannoli originated in Palermo and the surrounding areas. They date to the time when Sicily was controlled by the Arabs. Historically, the pastries were made for the Carnaval. It is thought that the cannoli might have been a fertility symbol during the season. Now the cannoli are found all year round across Italy.
It's about guns and cannolis
"Night falls in Palermo" is a very famous greek card game. It is a deduction game in which each player takes a secret role: two become the murderers, one is the spy, one the policeman and all the rest are the victims. It is very funny as you try to speculate who is who by reading the eyes and the mind of the co players, making funny questions. It is actually an elaboration over "The Art of Lying". So by the time I stepped on Palermo all my friends were making jokes about that game.
On the other hand, people know Palermo for the mafia, also known as Cosa Nostra, which is a criminal syndicate in Sicily, Italy. The mafia history is big and quite interesting. Even today there is mafia around the city "protecting" the restaurants and shops.
In other news, Palermo is the capital of Sicily, a buzzing Mediterranean centre with 1 million inhabitants.
I visited Palermo on a very rainy day in the mid-February this year. The best way to really see Palermo is on foot, so despite the rain, holding an umbrella and wearing boots, we walked through the old town, as all the gems are concentrated there. Wandering around the pebbled streets and corners you discover palaces, churches and great street art that you may otherwise miss. I only had a day there but we actually made it to see quite a few things despite the rain and the cold.
I visited Palermo on a very rainy day in the mid-February this year. The best way to really see Palermo is on foot, so despite the rain, holding an umbrella and wearing boots, we walked through the old town, as all the gems are concentrated there. Wandering around the pebbled streets and corners you discover palaces, churches and great street art that you may otherwise miss. I only had a day there but we actually made it to see quite a few things despite the rain and the cold.
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| The "Quattro Canti" |
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| The “Quattro Canti” is the center point of the old town center. |
Your route will inevitably get you there as you walk around. You have to look up at the buildings surrounding it: the sculptures on every corner show a variety of themes, like the four seasons, four Spanish Kings and the four patron Saints of the old town areas. It is really impressive and makes you feel so small. They were commissioned by the Spanish Viceroy in 1611.
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| Piazza Pretoria |
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| Walking down to via Maqueda we suddenly came across to an amazing place, Piazza Pretoria. |
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| Church of San Cataldo |
The Church of Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio (La Martorana)A little bit further down Piazza Pretoria and behind the City Hall, there is Piazza Bellini where you see two very interesting buildings that you cannot imagine they are churches. Those two anticonformist Churches are the Church of Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio (more commonly known as La Martorana) and the Church of San Cataldo, instantly recognizeable thanks to its trio of red domes.
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| Palermo Cathedral |
Talking about Churches, here we are at the Cathedral, just down Corso Vittorio Emanuele on your left. Its exterior is a masterpiece, however the interior is rather plain in comparison. Emperor Frederick II, "Stupor Mundi" is buried here.
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| Vucciria Market |
There are three open markets in Palermo. We visited the most famous one, Vucciria that had from clothes to fresh food and spices. It runs from via Roma to via Vittorio Emanuele, an arabic section of the city.
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| Rather old houses in the old center |
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| Street art is everywhere! |
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| Beautiful picturesque Sicilian streets |
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| Mercato di Ballaro offering fresh food |
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| The remains after 2 o'clock and rain |
What to do:
- Do not leave Palermo without trying a gelato at gelateria Brioscia. It is the best ice cream in town and very cheap! http://www.brioscia.it
- Try the famous cannoli, a pastry stuffed with ricotta cheese and pistachio.
- Go for an aperitif, an early-evening drink. Go at Antico Caffè Spinnato (Via Principe di Belmonte) and have a chilled Corvo white (€4.20) or granita di gelsi (€4.50), an ice drink flavoured with black mulberries.
A festival fan?
Palermo celebrates its patron Saints: San Giuseppe on March 19, Madonna della Catena on mid-August and San Nicola on December 6-9. But the main Saint festival is for Santa Rosalia (Festa di Santa Rosalia), celebrated every year on July 10-15 with music, parades and food all around the city.
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| (Taken on 23.05.2015) |
Impressive as a spaceship that landed on Earth, Guggenheim museum is one of the most important museums designed by internationally renowned architect Frank Gehry and opened on 1997. It is now the landmark of Bilbao and attracts many tourists every year.
Reminds you of something? If you have already visited Los Angeles, you can see the similarities with Walt Disney Concert Ηall and that's because it was designed also by Frank Gehry and opened six years later, on October 24, 2003.
There are more than one Guggenheim museums designed by Gehry: the most known in New York city and an upcoming in Abu Dhabi that will open its doors in 2016 and will be the biggest one.
There are more than one Guggenheim museums designed by Gehry: the most known in New York city and an upcoming in Abu Dhabi that will open its doors in 2016 and will be the biggest one.
