19th and 20th of August, 2019.
OK, so Sicily! The quick plan I did it was go to Corleone, just because of The Godfather, and from there up to Naples, just because of the pizza. I had not much time to spend in Sicily and Calabria because of my Schengen Visa. And even though I care so much about their country, more than any other foreigner (tourist), plus I will travel almost the whole Italy, people are never satisfied when I skip one region. Pff.
Out of the port in Catania, I got help from the attendant of a Rental Bicycles and vehicles, and she was very kind letting me use her hot spot to get the right directions. Go rent your bike there! Etna Rent is the name.
As soon I stopped in the service station, a car stopped and the people call me there. I was – Wow! Yay! That was fast! – To soon for celebration.
It was a very nice couple and they were going to work in a festival soon! Cool! But they were not going to Palermo (neither do I but I need to go in that direction to then, in the middle of the way, take a secondary road to Corleone) but offered to drop me in a better road, smaller, where my chances of cars stopping would be better. They were so sweet and both gave me a hug when they left.
When I was walking to the point where I would hitchhike, a police car pass. Uia! I turned the direction, discretely, and waited. After a few minutes, I was going into the tunnel, to cross to the other side and check for a good spot. And guess what: The police car it was in there! Shit! I do not know if they were checking on something / someone or just waiting for me but I came back to the small restaurant / gas station where the couple had dropped me and sat in there, waiting.
Now you see, we never know about destiny and what supposed to be or not. A car came and a lady who looked nice, in her quite hipster style, walked out. I asked her if they where going to Palermo (she was with her companion and another friend with her kid) but they were not. The thing is, at the same time they looked nice, they had this rough way of talking, bordering on the rude, and I could just not understand how that was even possible.
So they were waiting some friends. When the friends arrived, two girls, they called me again and mentioned that the two girls would go to Palermo after a quick meeting at their farm, nearby, and I could come if I wanted. I said yeah!
Carmela and her friend were almost in the same boat of the other people, with an extra care for Carmela, who for me it was kind. But her friend had a weird look on me, as she did not approved something or even maybe everything, I do not know.
Anyway, they first told me the visit would be quickly, just 30 minutes or one hour maximum! (We left the farm after 6 in the evening). Coming back to the place, a big area full of different types of fruits and vegetables, an eco farm, which they were somehow maintaining in partnership with another couple. Actually everybody in there had just met a few days ago, all recent friends. And again, everybody had this weird behavior, between being cordial and gentle, friendly and rude. I do not know why I was feeling like that. We had like a late lunch, we had a tour on the farm, and then, finally, we left.
Since I would not hitchhike again because of the time, the girls simply asked if I rather stay in the road for the night and go to Corleone next day or come to Palermo and from there, tomorrow, try to hitchhike to Corleone. But it was a mere choice of roads, they were not inviting me to come and stay with them in Palermo for the night and next day… no! As much as the people from the farm, no one of them, even knowing a bit about my way of travels, no one of them offered me a fruit or a piece of bread or even asked if I had food for that night, or where I was going, nothing. Absolute nothing. It seems like I was not even there. Do not understand me wrong, I am not saying that everybody who picks me up it must offer or give me any kind of extra help, no. But I must to say how surprised I was with the lack of care from this people, mainly when compared with all the other people who always try to help me in some how or just really care about my situation. So I was wondering if that was a “Sicilian” style / way of being? Because if it was, I am glad that I decided not to stay longer there.
But the girls helped me a lot in finding a place to camping. We stop nearby some tress and I search for a whole in the fence. There is no one. So I just cross the bags and jump my self. It is when I make the first big whole in my shorts. I say goodbye to the girls and start to make my camp.
The night it is peaceful as just as a night in the middle of a plantation can be. Next morning, trying to jump the fence again, another big whole on my butts! I mean, in the shorts but, you got it…
When the first car which stops and the guy tells me that this is not the way to Corleone, I doubted it. People say that all the times and I always get to go where I am supposed to. But then another car stops and this time, the guy explains to me that it would be very difficult someone going to Corleone from there. Most of people go to Palermo and then from Palermo to there. Great! So I wasted my night here when I should have gone with the girls to Palermo? Yeah! So now what? Trying to go to Palermo and from there to Corleone would cost me another day, which would reduce my days in Rome. So I think to myself and decide I could not spoiled my days in Rome, a real city with a lot of real things to see, because of a city which has its importance based in a fictional character and stuff. It is a great movie, maybe the best one ever made it, but now I am in real life and cannot spoiled because of it. I am sorry, Don Corleone, but I need to keep moving.
So I write down in the back of my sign “Palermo” and again this time, I will just take a detour before there to the opposite direction, to take another ferryboat, just a short one, 2.5€ for 20 minutes of crossing, and enter in Italy. Yeah, by the way, apparently any country in the world it has its own border problems and some parts do not consider themselves a part of the whole. Sicily does not like to be called Italy and vice-versa. Be aware of that one you are in both sides.
Aquiles stops for me. He is very friendly and communicative. I tell him where I am going and so he makes a plan of where is the best place to drop me. We decide for the gas station.
It does not take too long until an old man offer to drive me to a town nearby, Cefalu. We speak little because he does not speak English, but still, we have a good communication. He drives me a bit in Cefalu, a very tourist city, apparently, but also very beautiful with a blue sea and a famous hill. I was thinking he would kind of drop me out of town, but no. He just drop me in the middle of town! At least nearby a sign saying “Messina” and some space for the cars to stop.
Soon a car with two men stops and they are also going just to another town. People are stupid! How can you not understand that I am going here! Where it is written in my sign! If you are not going there and do not speak English, please at least say it the name of the town you are going! In the opposite of you, I am quite smart, I will understand!
Anyway, in this other town, I buy bananas and breads for lunch. One Euro. It is again in the middle of the town but this time no sign. They guys just showed me that I should carry on straight. It is another coast town and the road continues through the coast. So I realize that will take some time to find a good spot (or any spot) where the cars can stop. And it is full of curves! Coast roads usually are. But I got lucky! I am holding my sign and hoping that one of the cars which pass for me decide to stop. And one did! It is a car with two doctors and two lawyers, going for one week vacation in South Italy. One of the lawyers, the guy, had a good English so we talked for a while. They were going to take the Ferryboat too but they just dropped me there first because they had something to do first. Maybe they just want to eat alone. I am sorry but I actually heard them talking about that, to eat or to have ice cream, something like that. Four very well succeed people, in a brand new Land Rover (which by the way, when we took a photo in the end, they asked to the person who was taking the photo, make sure the car was entirely on it), with whom I spend around one hour, could not pay me an ice cream. A simple guy in a simple car who spend just 5 minutes with me, gives me 20 Euros. Interesting. You will read about this last story further ahead.
Walking, walking, walking to get into the ticket office. Two point five Euros after wait somewhere near the queue. But they do not even checked my ticket! Nobody’s ticket. As somebody told me later, sometimes they do, sometimes the do not. Hmmm…
In the other side, now “officially” in Italy (Yay!), I do not know why but I decide that is better get some wi-fi, to find a place to make camping, get some food and try to go to Naples next morning. Walking through the streets I actually find two abandoned hotels. Big buildings completely empty. What could have happened? In my opinion, when things start to work out too fast to this little village (San Giovanni), like the Ferryboat became bigger and more and more people started to come and cross to Italy, local people went crazy and thought that to invest in tourism would be great! They maybe did not studied the market or finances and stuff, bought the hotels, invest loads of money but the income never came. They broke.
But I finally find a place. And Loki, it is incredible how the receptionists of every hotel just can think about check-in. It is the only thing they can talk about with someone who crosses the doors. If you start to talk about something else is like they could not understand you. So after a few minutes trying to explain to the receptionist what I needed, he let me use the wi-fi. But after a while I think he decided to turn off because he wanted me to leave. That is what I felt. Luckly to him (otherwise I would remain there just sat), it was getting late, so I need to keep moving. I bought some food, got water and lead to the road where I would camp nearby and hitchhike to Naples.
But in the end I got lost. Stupid maps. Luckily, I decide to ask for directions in the house of this lovely people. A young woman and her parents had some trouble to understand where I wanted to go at first but they finally got it. Very friendly, the father and the daughter join me, actually giving me a lift in their car. A little girl also came with us. So they drop me in front of this restaurant. Down the road it was the gas station where in front, in the middle of the bushes, I would make my camp. Good spot for a good night of sleep. And Loki, such a kind family to help me out like that! A great way to end the day with some hope in people…
