Page 221 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SUMMER 2024 LIMA

By John Muncie

VILLA ROMANA DEL CASALE

he cities of Sicily boil with energy.
People and careless drivers cram
the streets. Watch out! Jump to
T the curb!
The sounds of city life sweep over you
like a sonic surf. The market mornings are
Fellini-esque. Stubbled old men with cine‐
matic faces shout “calamari freschi! mer‐
luzzo freschi!” Squat women wearing
flowered aprons wave their hands over
boxes of fresh-picked peppers, then laugh
like the word “pepperoni” is a stand-up
punchline. Every narrow passageway
smells like pasta and fish and garbage and
laundry. Sicilian cities make your brain
tap-dance.
And yet, when Jody asked me recently,
“What do you remember most from our
trip to Sicily?” I pictured something that

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