Sicilian Sunshine and 'Scampagnate'!

Ciao amici - I hope that you all had a wonderful Easter! In Italy, no sooner are residents back to work and school after the Easter holidays then other celebrations make their appearance.

The 25th April is the 'Festa della Liberazione' in Italy, or, Liberation Day. This 'festa' commemorates the day in 1945 that signalled the end of the the Fascist regime in Italy and is now a national public holiday. Throughout the country ceremonies take place in commemorance of the peninsula's fallen soldiers and exuberant marching bands play in hundreds of beautiful piazzas.

The 1st May is also a national public holiday known as the 'Festa dei Lavoratori' or, the celebration of the workers. This is to celebrate the achievements of Italian workers in the struggle for their rights and Italian Labour Unions organise an annual concert in Rome's Piazza San Giovanni which is attended by internationally famous music groups. In Sicily, families and groups of friends head into the country for a 'scampagnata', or picnic, which usually entails an abundance of barbecue-cooked meat and litres of homemade wine being consumed! Many people also head to the coast where beaches open for the summer and the sun is finally hot enough for the first swim of the season.

At the 'Lago di Pozzillo', in Regalbuto (Enna), boat races are held on this day every year attracting numerous visitors to the shores of this beautiful artificial lake - one of the largest man-made lakes in Europe. I would recommend a trip to this area at any time of the year just to experience the beauty of rural Sicily and to see for yourself the expanse of the hills and valleys with the legendary backdrop of Mount Etna. Regalbuto itself is an ancient town set high up on the Sicilian hills and is the location of many stunning Baroque churches and aristocratic buildings.

Many Italian residents, especially office workers, will take advantage of these two public holidays by taking off all of the days inbetween to enjoy a leisurely extra-long weekend. The expression for this is a 'ponte', which literally means bridge.
So amici, enjoy this 'ponte'  - and I hope that those of you who are not in Italy will be able to enjoy a delicious 'gelato' somewhere scenic ....... or why not even organise a full-blown Sicilian 'scampagnata'!!

A presto :-)

Debra
www.sicilianconnections.com

P.S. If you enjoy reading my blog please become a follower by registering at the Google 'Join this site' icon at the top right of the page. Grazie mille for your support!!