PEACEFUL SOLITUDE AND POETRY 'NEATH SUN AND STARS. "MY SICILIAN BEDROOM".

Unobtrusive the SP52 quietly snakes along seawards in the distance.





You can see the "bedroom" fencing noted in the poem.

LEFT CLICK on one of the above images to greatly improve visibility and detail.

These varied photographs together with the poem MY SICILIAN BEDROOM relate to an extremely peaceful spot along the Strada Provinciale 52 (SP52) a quiet country road that I walked on numerous occasions. It takes one from Bivio Comunello (see here) northwards all the way for about 30 miles (50 kms) to the northern Sicilian coast at peaceful Polina Marina. Usually, beyond the SICILIAN BEDROOM location, I would fork right at 6kms after reposing briefly at BIVIO CALABRO and climb the 9 kilometres up up and up to ST MAURO CASTELVERDE. I enjoyed legging it along these incredible peaceful summertime roads immensely. Strictly speaking this countryside area is to the east a little outside the MADONIE GEOPARK REGION itself.

With sufficient food, water, groundsheets and a sleeeping bag I'd stay put for the occasional single night at this location, and on one occasion (in June 1997) I stayed put for two nights just relaxing and very very greatly enjoyed the beauty of the location hence the poem MY SICILIAN BEDROOM. The days here progressed through amazing sunshine into clear starry peaceful nights - of course sometimes the skies would cloud over dramatically as per one or two of the above photos.

It was along this road in 1995 heading on further north (beyond ST MAURO CASTEVERDE) that I was utterly GOBSMACKED when - SEE HERE - a large winged beautiful blue butterfly flew straight into my momentarily opened mouth. And on yet another occasion high up on the climb to ST MAURO feeling tired in the baking heat I took shelter for a while naked to the waist and lo and behold a similar butterfly came and settled on my bare right shoulder - which caused me to go pretty boss-eyed to see him without making any movement that might scare him. It wasn't always enormous sunshine up to ST MAURO - in late September 1992 I was pursued closely by a very very violent tempest and had to sleep the night below ST MAURO in an old fortunately accessible family tomb.

For a full chronological list of all SICILY ABLAZE page titles click HERE.

For a full A to Z indexed MADONIE REGION locations map click HERE.

For a full A to Z indexed NEBRODIE REGION locations map click HERE.

Still to come - eventually - "FROM GANGI TO MISTRETTA" - branching off along the SP52 from BIVIO COMUNELLO well before reaching ("MY SICILIAN BEDROOM") and legging it onwards by way of GIOVANNI NAPOLI's WOOD to MISTRETTA.

MISTRETTA IN THE RAW. TAKE YOUR PIC!

Three women early on Sunday 3rd July sweeping the main streets. There is a prison dead central in Mistretta - one wonders if this was an assignment. Anyway a surprise.
Mistretta rooftops.
Via Anna Salamone - skin flic 1.

Via Salamone - skin flic 2.
Heading eastward beyond the Madonie Mountains, before reaching those of the Nebrodi, we have the township of MISTRETTA just inside Messina Province. It has two highly regarded and very well cared for lovely Public Gardens. I have no idea how USA proselytizing Mormons fare in Italia but two such females in their early twenties button-holed me in one of the Mistretta public gardens - they weren't heavy going so we spoke for a while and they were under no illusion at the end of it that Mormonism for this South London Freethinker was not on the menu. It's remotely possible that in that hot sunshine in my shorts with brown legs they mistook me for Warren Jeffs - be very brave and click HERE to discover why. Shortly before the July 3rd 2011 chance Mormon interlude I'd wandered along a picturesque narrow Mistretta backstreet and lo and behold homesteads almost opposite one another in the same Street had the above displays of contrasting nudity on show. It was Click click take a pic! And then 'twas a hey and a ho and on we go. The Mistretta rooftops shot was taken through the peripheral public garden trees. Mistretta is a nice looking slightly curious town and well worth a visit. It has been featured in this blog before click HERE for details. .------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For a full chronological list of all SICILY ABLAZE page titles click HERE

For a full A to Z indexed MADONIE REGION locations map click HERE.

For a full A to Z indexed NEBRODI REGION loctions map click HERE.

"ICE CREAM DEATH WISH" - A POEM!

CLICK once then again on POEM TEXT to enlarge text size.

For a full chronological list of ALL blog pages click - HERE.

For a full A to Z indexed MADONIE REGION locations map click - HERE.

For a full A to Z indexed NEBRODI REGION locations map click - HERE.

GEOLOGICAL. PETRALIA SOTTANA 230 MILLION ANNI FA!

Click on above image to ENLARGE the detail.

According to London based World Renowned STOCKWELL GEOPARK's Research Department the Sicilian Madonie Geopark Mountains were under the sea 230 million years ago. Not basking in summer sunshine or winter snows like in modern times. The above image of Ultra Ancient PETRALIA SOTTANA shows it in all its deeply ancient historical CRABINIERI diversity.

For a full chronological list of all SICILY ABLAZE page titles click HERE.

For a full A to Z indexed MADONIE REGION locations map click HERE.

For a full A to Z indexed NEBRODI REGION locations map click HERE.

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NOW WHICH WAY???? - CROSSING THE NEBRODI IN 1990.

CROSSING THE NEBRODI "A" to "N" -

(1993 NOTEBOOK insert!)

CROSSING THE NEBRODI "NOTEBOOK" 1990 (plus translation).

CROSSING THE NEBRODI "NOTEBOOK" 1990 - (plus translation).
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DOUBLE CLICK on the above IMAGES to ENLARGE.
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Back in 1990 there were no good maps to find your way across the lovely NEBRODI MOUNTAINS. I'd tried in the late 1980's to cross eastwards from the west - from PORTELLA FEMMINA MORTA to FLORESTA by way of BIVIERE di CESARO and BOSCO MANGALAVITI but the map I had was not detailed enough, and so the detail that did exist led me astray.
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So I tried crossing in the opposite direction. From FLORESTA heading westwards. In the end I made it but I still got lost a few times - beyond a certain point after heading west from FLORESTA. All I'd had to rely on - because the road just ended - was a compass. Trouble with a compass is that it can tell you a direction but sometimes heading in the correct direction proves very very difficult because of the way the land is in the direction you need to travel - sometimes it proved difficult t0 find a route because of obstacles etcetera etcetera so there were diversions and improvisations.
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My NOTEBOOKS came in very handy - and above are just a few page examples from my 1990 Notebooks - beneath each page of scrawl and scribble I have recently translated my words etc., and have re-used this information to make an illustrated postcard or two for friends just for amusement.
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Some of the above terrain I re-visited again this summer (July 2010) but some of it because of my increasing age now I will sadly not be able to pass along again. Also, there have been a few landslides that make certain very very solitary spots too dangerous to visit again.
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In a subsequent blogspot I will shortly feature one very lovely location in the vicinity of MONTE MALLARO - the latter is very much at the centre of the scribbled notes from the above 1990 Notebook pages.

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For a full chronological list of all SICILY ABLAZE page titles click HERE.

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For a fully indexed MADONIE REGION locations map click HERE.

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For a fully indexed NEBRODI REGION locations map clickc HERE.

PETRALIA SOTTANA - LIFE AFTER DEATH OLYMPICS!

DOUBLE CLICK on the above IMAGE to ENLARGE text.

Of course among religious communities both in Sicily and the UK one encounters notions suggesting that after we die our spirits ascend to heaven etcetera etcetera - in Petralia Sottana such notions are widely disseminated especially during the summer season when religious festivals abound.

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Being an unbeliever other musings quietly predominate and during the early hours of 17th September 2009 I suddenly awoke and penned the above - it pleased and amused me greatly so much so that once I'd jotted it down I got up and made a cup of tea to celebrate its creation.
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When I die there will certainly be over time a MAGGOT OLYMPICS - the worms and maggots will perform their natural life-after-death chores. We may not much admire their activities but its part of raw nature just like innocent flies had quickly descended on newly laid human faeces at the beautiful Nebrodi BIVIERE DI CESARO parkland in 1994 as described in my earlier blogged poem SICILY ISN'T THE MOON.

(Up-date - HERE - is something extremely relevant - just published on 16 May 2011).
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For a full chronological list of all SICILY ABLAZE page titles click HERE.

For a fully indexed MADONIE REGION locations map click HERE.

For a fully indexed NEBRODI REGION locations map click HERE.

CAMERON SURPRISE - FLORESTA 5th JULY 2010.

I arrived in FLORESTA - Sicily's highest altitude commune (1275m) - late in the afternoon of Monday 5 July - after not having visited this location for five years or so. I stayed only an hour or two then set out to make a 2 day walk to re-visit the Nebrodi mountains (via Portella Mitti) from where I continued onwards towards Bosco Mangalavitti.

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My primary intention was to re-visit a very quiet pasture I'd not visited for several years where in the immediate vicinity of a deserted delapidated cottage (where I'd holed-up occasionally in previous years) there had always been peacefully grazing beautiful animals.

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A blogspot about this latter Monte Mallaro location will follow later.( HERE now).

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I reached the said location and then returned to Portella Mitti. Then I walked down to the sea passing Rocca San Marco, Ucria, Sinagra, Ficarra and onwards to Brolo - again a walk that I'd very enjoyably made in previous years.

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However the "surprise" at FLORESTA when I'd arrived on 5th July was seeing the above item hung out in the peaceful Nebrodi sun at a local bar where I'd taken light refreshment. The item photographed above is actually in the Scottish CAMERON tartan and so it was an especially heart warming and welcoming sight for me.

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For a full chronological list of all SICILY ABLAZE page titles click HERE.

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For a full A to Z indexed MADONIE REGION locations map click HERE.

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For a full A to Z indexed NEBRODI REGION locations map click HERE.