Changes all around babies, we’re transforming!
After two days with the friends of Teatro Aperto Garbaldi in Palermo (a theater unused by the community hall that 60 brave guys “opened” to create labs and performances) and drinking nights, i finally arrived to little town of Patti. Federico comes and pick me up, it’s a wonderful warm sunny day, the view going up hill is mesmerizing: great green undulated landscapes, the Etna volcano hidden in the smoke behind the Nebrodi mountains, in line with the Eolie islands emerging from the blue distant fog and the Stromboli volcano with its typical smoky head. Everything seems magical here, geometries designed by ancient gods to connect volcanoes, mountains, and holy spots.

We reach the village of Montalbano, of which the old town is really a middle-age pearl surrounded by mountains. The whether here can be harsh at night so you better bring some warm clothes.
But during the day it’s summer already. We settle in the small houses prepared for us. They’re pretty comfortable even if they lack cutlery and dishes, but the rest is all there including fridge, kitchen, bed sheets and shower.
We met Carmelo, the fac-totum of the village, who came very hospitably in perfect Sicilian tradition with a bottle of his wine and nice stories about the declining hazelnut production of the region.
The first night was truly a positive spell on the whole project, we went to Argimusco, a mystical place in which menhirs/dolmens are erected in a lunar landscape.
We had full moon which transformed everything into a Syd Barret’s dream, we sang and dance to celebrate our stay and thank for the hospitality of this generous land, we felt really united and inspired by all surroundings. We’re thinking of using this powerful space for some performative action.
The day after we started organizing: the Sicilian confusion starts, we decided to start taking care of our own cooking/kitchen during our stay here, which will imply a bit of help from everybody, but also much more community-oriented approach better for sharing.
Every step we take around the small climbing streets, we meet the nice people of the village, everybody here is eager to genaric cialis meet us, they’re extremely friendly, often offering wine or coffee and a good talk.
Another conquest is internet, which of course was supposed to be working immediately but was a mess after a thunderstorm. Yesterday we finally fixed it, that’s why we were off-line for few days.

So as you can see we’re working for you, slowly but inexorably setting up the facilities for us all.
At night we had our first guitar session, brought by Daniele (the solar-panel master) and Manuela (painter from Sicily), we had a beautiful singing night, eating tasty pasta cooked by Federico.
By the way, the food here is great of course! You MUST try the cannoli: we found a special place in the center where the ricotta is freshly made and the cannoli are filled on the spot, 1 euro each for a supreme pleasure of your taste buds!!!
At the sunset on the Holy Friday (before Easter) the local community celebrates the holy saints, bringing them down the roads with a marching band accompanying the celebration.
The saints walk down the hill of three crosses and parade around the center, this time we were offered to carry some of them together with the rest of the community. It was quite an experience, they’re
very heavy and takes a long time to parade around. For a lapse of time, we felt close to religion again, after all these last years of subversive ideas.

Some basic information:
if you come from Messina, take the train that goes towards Palermo, roughly one every hour, for the little 6 euros, you reach Patti in 1,5 hours we come an pick you up.
from Catania take the bus from outside the airport, it will take you to Messina with 7 euros from there you get the train as explained above
if you come from Palermo/Trapani, take the train that goes towards Messina, roughly one every hour, 10 euros, 3 hours to Patti.
Call us for any question/inconvenience: 392 6692017 Federico

Bring glasses, dish, cutlery, things for your work, a light torch for the night trips, some good shoes for trekking or sport are a good idea. And Federico adds: “pen and paper”!!!!