MARIANGELA & ALBA

we cannot thank our wwooof hosts and friends enough. Mariangela (mother) and Alba (daughter) opened up their world to us... allowing us complete freedom, yet totally involving us in their rich and compelling lives.

Over the course of our 3 week stay, Mariangela bounced between her roles of single mum, farm owner, local body political candidate, environmental activist (organising resistance to oil research plans in a natural reserve), artist (she is an accomplished portrait painter), mentor (she is at the centre of a creative community revival with young artists in Noto), friend (you cannot walk down the street without her stopping for a good chat), tourism consultant and guide (she was the local expert for a group of american gastro-tourists), cook and entertainer (dab hand on the piano accordian too). This is documentary evidence that both mariangela and alba move too fast to be captured by normal photographic technology.



Alba handled the invasion of our mono-linguistic selves with patience and decorum beyond her meager 11 years. Forever will her inquisitive phrasing of 'che cosa?' ('what?') be in my ears (mariangela would dutifully translate to alba our current conversation - of which there were many)... though Alba feigned not understanding english, she betrayed herself many times (even emerging from behind the closed bathroom door, a favourite reading haunt, at the first hint of the name 'alba' being mentioned). Alba's italian language lessons around the dinner table were our most valuable, as were the cultural exchanges (although she was horrorfied to discover that in nz we only eat pasta once or twice a week; noooo! this is impossible!). and i became her personal hero (for a couple of minutes at least) when she found out i was an 'assistant director' on lionel richie's wardrobe... i might not have tried hard enough to explain that i was only the 13th assistant director...

Mariangela invited (took) us to all of her social engagements - extended sunday lunches seemed to be a habit - introducing us to a myriad of generous and welcoming friends. The community that we experienced in Noto was as full and rich as any in New Zealand. People living their lives in pretty wholesome harmony with themselves, each other and nature. Not bad really. Unfortunately they are not typical of Sicily, where we are told corruption, nepoptism, bigotry and greed are still commonplace - they have to try pretty hard to persist with a wholesome life.



Mariangela and Alba's family is one to be envied. The fear of growing old is completely allayed after meeting Mariangela, one of the most youthful spirits i have known. At 52, she lives with such vigor and gusto that we were tired simply at the thought of her daily schedule. More significantly, her open mindedness and generosity, combined with self assuredness and satisfaction seemed to me to be a major key to maintain a youthful existence (whatever that means).

27_05_06
best pizza in the world @ moby dick's. thanks moby. thanks mariangela (again). kinda like finding the best fish'n'chips in the world @ the rongotea tavern.


28_05_06
so after visiting the beach with mariangela and alba (our exceptional hosts in noto) we lunched under the olive trees @ a friends farm - where we were introduced to the delights of the wine production shed and undie swimming (see syracuse) in fresh water pool (up the hill and round a few corners).



30_05_6 FIRE? NO!

yeah so today the wind changed. well, actually there was wind. cos today we were gonna do a guy fawkes on the back yard. had the saussies ready and the potatti foil wrapped. nuts. wasn't to be. so we wait. for calm. but i am not. thank goodness for alana's cocktail mixing skills (chamomile + lemon + honey + sambuka = alana's sweety goodness)