{"id":2763,"date":"2014-02-19T10:55:02","date_gmt":"2014-02-19T09:55:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.katebailward.com\/drivinglikeamaniac\/?p=2763"},"modified":"2014-02-19T11:30:16","modified_gmt":"2014-02-19T10:30:16","slug":"castelbuono-the-town-of-the-good-castle-and-excellent-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.katebailward.com\/drivinglikeamaniac\/2014\/02\/castelbuono-the-town-of-the-good-castle-and-excellent-food\/","title":{"rendered":"Castelbuono – the town of the good castle and excellent food"},"content":{"rendered":"

Castelbuono is a small town in the mountains near Palermo. Now – full disclosure time – the only reason we went there was to go to a restaurant<\/a> of which I’d read great reviews. (Yes, I am totally becoming Sicilian: it was a three hour drive there, and more than four back once we’d been diverted multiple times off the road we wanted; these are the things you do for good food<\/a>.) We stayed, though, because the town itself was as delicious to the eyes as was the meal we’d just eaten to our stomachs.<\/p>\n

\"tower,<\/a><\/p>\n

The unexpected things you see when you look up – like Arabic-inspired towers with shimmering blue fish-scale tiling …<\/p>\n

\"moped,<\/a>… or the problems of first floor apartment living: where to keep your moped? On your balcony, of course.<\/p>\n

\"latin,<\/a><\/p>\n

Latin inscription over the gate to the 14th century Sicilian castle which gives the town its name. (The castle was originally called Castello del buon aere – the good air castle – owing to its breezy position at the top of a hill.)<\/p>\n

\"belltower,<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0Belltower and blue sky<\/p>\n

\"roof<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0The beauty of simplicity: terracotta roof tiles held in place with rocks<\/p>\n

\"roof,<\/a><\/p>\n

… which turn to burnished gold in the late afternoon sunlight.<\/p>\n

\"roof,<\/a><\/p>\n

The view from the castle over the town, to the hills beyond<\/p>\n

\"old<\/a><\/p>\n

While the rest of the town punctuated their Sunday afternoon passeggiata with cake and ice cream in the piazza, he sat on the church steps, and watched, and waited ..<\/p>\n

\"manna,<\/a><\/p>\n

Manna! It might not be the stuff from heaven<\/a>, but apparently it’s good for all manner (ha!) of ailments, and is a speciality of the Castelbuono region<\/p>\n

\"shopfront,<\/a><\/p>\n

Manna Conoscenti: they know a thing or two about manna, they do …<\/p>\n

\"fountain,<\/a><\/p>\n

A wellspring; a fountain; most importantly a meeting point<\/p>\n

\"statues,<\/a><\/p>\n

Two and a half wise men above a grand but battered doorway<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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