PARCO DELLE MADONIE ON BIVIO MADONNUZZA ICE. WAS NO CHRISTMAS PANTOMIME!

CLICK on the above image to ENLARGE it

and evaluate its message more easily.

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"AT-CHRISTMAS-EVERY-DAY-OF-THE-YEAR"

The genuinely amazing ancient geological story of the beautiful Parco delle Madonie countryside goes that many millions of years ago the Madonie was deep under the sea. No end of resonances may spring to mind. Nowadays away from the northern Sicilian coastal beaches - one or two locations of which have been alluded to in postings to this SICILY ABLAZE blog - there isn't any actual sea lapping around in the inland Madonie. However for the most part Madonie folk just like folk elsewhere enjoy eating fish and a curiously unpleasant passing 2003 Madonie holiday experience provided a stark reminder of that.

At Bivio Madonnuzza a locality southwards immediately beneath the hillsides upon which the township of Petralia Soprana is built there had been in the above period a smallish supermarket that had then recently moved to newer larger premises. Bivio Madonnuzza is a smallish peaceful locality and the vacated premises to my surprise had been re-opened to sell solely deep frozen fish from freezer units and ice boxes. I was shocked and unhappy by this development and still had it very much in mind when I wrote and reproduced the above poem and image as an end of year 2003 greeting.
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Of course such fish stacked deep freezer ice box outlets exist in many other places too including London and they are both hideous and haunting. I shun them big time 24/7 x 365.

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MAMMA MIA! REGINA ELISABETTA IN VIA LUPO REALE. PETRALIA SOTTANA.

VIA LUPO REALE. PETRALIA SOTTANA.

SEPTEMBER 2009.

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MIO PRIMO NOTTE DORMIRE SOTTO SICILIANO MADONIE STELLE - S GANDOLFO SOTTO POLIZZI GENEROSA. LUGLIO 1987.

Click on above image to ENLARGE details.

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On 3rd July 1987 at the end of my first ever foot-slogging

Madonie Mountains day between Caltavuturo and

Polizzi Generosa I slept like a log beside the main chapel

door (foto 2 above). I'd walked the quiet beautiful track

passing below the original elevated autostrada -

the autostrada I'd passed along by coach in the previous year

which revealed what an amazingly peaceful beautiful

countryside region the Madonie was - hence my vow

that year to somehow come back on foot - and so I sure did.

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I must have been very tired when I arrived at S Gandolfo

(I was in 2009 when I made the walk again). It was the

beginning of a real adventure as I'd no clear idea of what

lay ahead and the next night I slept above Petralia Sottana

in a very different setting.

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GERACI SICULO - FOOTBALL, TENNIS, SLAUGHTER, CEMETARY and RELIGION.

In a nut-shell and memorable.

My preferences? Thank goodness for all those in-betweens.

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For a Madonie Region fully indexed A - Z locations map click here.

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"LASCARI LASCARI MOLTO POPULARI" - a poem.

ETNA.
POMPEII.
LASCARI - SALINELLE BEACH.
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I visited Lascari Salinelle beach on various occasions during my ON THE ROAD Sicilian travels. I stayed close by the sea for 3 days in early July 1998 having crossed the Nebrodi mountains on foot via Capizzi to Caronia and then caught a coastal train to Lascari. I'd previously visited Lascari Salinelle in both 1995 and 1997 so I had a good idea what to expect in terms of beach-side life, it was a very popular place though fortunately not as sardine-packed as nearby CEFALU.
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Lascari Salinelle was to change in the years ahead for the worse with parts of the beach area being privatised and in the longer term that's had a negative affect on beachside area facilities, so that nowadays it is nothing like as easy going, accessible and pleasant a place to visit.
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This poem which is infected with my own brand of dry humour seeks to attest to the great popularity of Lascari Salinelle and was written during my 3 day stop-over there in 1998.

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"LASCARI LASCARI MOLTO POPULARI"

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Domenica.

How many Sicilians

came down to their beaches

here today?

Start counting backwards

bindfolded

from the top of Etna

facing towards Pompeii.

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Notebook 1998 (p79).

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For a Madonie Region fully indexed A to Z locations map click here.
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HOLIDAY FOR A KING - SHORT NEBRODI POEM - SUMMER 2001.

I'm scrunching thro' the cucumber

I'm munching thro' the cheese

I'm listening to the Sicilian Sirrocco

rustling thro' the leaves

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Cow bells are making music

tiny birds do quietly sing

I'm here in the NEBRODI

A HOLIDAY FOR A KING!

Notebook 2001

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SUMMER 2009 IN PETRALIA SOTTANA - IAN CAMERON and COLONEL GADAFFI.

-----------------------------SAXUM PUB SHOT.

---------------- "COLONEL GADAFFI" -- CHILLIN' OUT

----------CLICK CLICK on the above IMAGES to ENLARGE and view in detail especially Gadaffi's foot.

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Its not every day you find COLONEL GADAFFI in profile taking a bevy in the Sicilian sunshine.

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For an indexed Nebrodi Region locations map click <here>.

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For a full up to date chronological list of all SICILY ABLAZE blog page titles click <here>.