Favorite Fountain Revisited

The fountain in it's new light.

How did the fish fit into the story?  Neptune of course!

For those of you who expressed shock at Catania having a fountain dedicated to rape, let me clear the air with the information below that I found on a Google search.  In the ancient Roman context rape meant the abduction of the women, not the physically violent act against women the term has come to mean today.  Sorry for the mix-up.

"The Rape of the Sabine Women is a mythological event from just after the founding of Rome. The young city of Rome had granted citizenship to criminals and lawless persons to grow quickly, and was therefore winning the wars againgst its neighbours, but a lack of women made it clear that the greatness of the city would vane in a generation or two due to lack of male offspring.

The neighbouring town scorned at Roman requests to marry their women, but accepted an invitation to a huge religious celebration in honour of Neptune. In the middle of the party, the Romans rushed in and abducted the Sabine women, who were the forced to marry their rapists.

The Sabines were horrified at this open breach of the rules of hospitality, and went home to prepare for war. When they later returned in arms to take back their women by force, the Sabine women had reconciled with their now husbonds, and stopped the commencing battle before it started by placing themselves inbetween the two battleready groups.

The Romans and the Sabines were reconciled and the city of Rome could continue on the path to greatness."

Routine

The last few days have just been routine...the Sun, good food and staff meetings.  Obviously we are trying to improve our defense and our kickoff coverage.  These two must go hand-in-hand if we are ever going to be a really good TEAM, not just a great offensive team. 

Gus and his new cast

The Fiat 600 VAN?

In Italy, the families are REALLY small!

My favorite fountain in Catania near the train station

"The Rape of the Sabine Women"

Wild horses, a wildman and naked women...all the European fountain favorites

Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar

Do you know how good Italian bread is dipped in this?

Random Thoughts on a Tuesday

Salvo, our waiter at Il Porticciolo Ristorante

Last Saturday night we drove over to Capomulini, about 5 minutes north of Malibu, for one last dinner out with Lynn and Wayne before they left Sicily.  At our ristorante that overlooked the water, we ran into a little chaos when the menu was only in Italian and Wayne and Lynn were having trouble both understanding it and deciding what they wanted.

Our waiter, Salvo, spoke very little English and grew very frustrated.  After finally getting their order he turned to me with a look of here we go again.  I quickly responded by using my best Italian to order "Spaghetti al Nero".  This is the traditional Sicilian black cuddle fish ink sauce spaghetti that I have grown to love.  He went crazy with my decisive choice in cuisine, came around the table, shook my hand and we, of course, exchanged the traditional Italian cheek kisses.  My self-esteem took a big jump!

For some strange reason I've always wanted a shot at being a transporter in a hospital.

I got my chance yesterday at the Morgagni Clinic Hospital in Catania wheeling Gustavo around between the attending physician and the X-ray technician.

Dr. J checking out Gustavo's X-rays whilr holding his ice pack.

Final diagnosis: Gustavo suffered a break just below the knee that will require a full leg cast for 30 days.  It kills me to have this happen to one of our hardest working and most dedicated Elephants.

The pizza oven at Pizzeria Pellegrino in Aci Trezza

Last night we tried a new spot for pizza that Gustavo suggested...GREAT CALL!  I had a mozzarella, gorgonzola and prosciutto crudo pizza that might be the best tasting one I've ever had!  How could it not be when it came out of the oven that is the mouth of the Sicilian Ciclopi. 

Lidos

The coastline in Aci Castello and Aci Trezza is mostly made up of volcanic rock formations and are not sandy beaches like we have in California.  The great thing about these beaches is the lack of sand makes for absolutely crystal clear water.  During the last few weeks workers have been very busy building lidos at the beach.  Lidos are wooden decks built over the rocks, you can actually see a large one to the right sticking through the lido.  These will give people in the summer a great spot to eat and drink by the sea and still do some very interesting people watching.

Lido's have great views of the Ionian Sea!

Ad of the Day?

O.K., I know that this is not really an advertisement but just a picture I took on my one hour walk through Aci Trezza this morning.

That being said, I am thinking about going down to the offices of the Aci Trezza Tourism Board and offering this photograph for their upcoming "Visit Sicily in the Summer of 2008" campaign.  What do you think?

New Jerseys

We got to sport our new jerseys yesterday in Bergamo.  If you are a sponsor, you get an ad on our jerseys.  Our starting LB, Gianmarco Pecoraro, #3, is doing the modeling.

On the front, 2 sponsorship ads, 1 IFL patch and, of course, an angry Elefanti patch.

Below the number is Davide's company logo.

We have 4 sponsorship patches above the number and one below. 

On the side, the Regione of Sicilia loves us too!

Of course, RB Enrico Lombardo's jersey had a problem.

Check his jersey number on the front vs. the numbers on his shoulders.

Ad of the Day Nomination

Bergamo's entry in the Ad-of-the-Day Contest

When I first saw this ad at the AutoGrille during the smoking/eating stop on the way to the game yesterday I too thought "Yeah, don't drink and drive"!

This ad has the potential to really change people's mindsets.

The Bergamo Game

Bergamo's Osio Sotto Stadio Comunale

The Elephants taking the field

Matt Epperson on his 75 yard two point conversion interception

Matt Epperson on a screen pass

Gus in his improvised "wheel chair" at the Catania airport 

The Sunday of the Bergamo game started with a 4:30 a.m. wake-up call to catch a 7:00 a.m. flight to Verona on Wind Jet.  Even though it was the first flight of the day, it was still 30 minutes late taking off.  From Verona we took a very comfortable double-decker recliner bus ride 45 minutes to Bergamo with the mandatory smoke/food break in the middle.  We arrived at the Stadium about 4 hours before kickoff.  Although it had rained steadily during our bus ride and was a little cold and damp when we got to the stadium, it turned into a beautiful day to play American football by the 3:00 p.m. kickoff.

In a quirky note, Bergamo's field is only 90 yards long so when you kickoff from the 30 yard line, the return team is pretty much guaranteed great field position to start a drive.

The first half turned into a see-saw battle with both teams scoring at will.  Key defensive plays for the Elephants in the first half were turned by Roberto Conti and Christian Di Mauro who both recovered Bergamo fumbles.

At the end of the first quarter Bergamo had the lead 14-7.  The first quarter included a 20 minute delay after one of the Lions' players was injured and had to go to the hospital, we could not resume play until the ambulance returned.

In the second quarter, a total of 7 TD's were scored!  After Bergamo scored to go up 33-27, the Lions mishandled the PAT snap, the holder tried to lateral to the kicker but Matt Epperson picked it off and raced 75 yards to score a defensive 2 point conversion.  This cut the Lions' lead to 33-29 but we then turned the ball over with 2 seconds left in the half and Bergamo's QB, Kendrick Dozier, escaped the rush, scrambled and threw a TD pass with no time left in the half.  At the half, which lasted two hours, Bergamo led 40-29.

In the second half, Bergamo took over the game. The Elephants scored first to cut the Lions' lead to 40-35 but the Lions responded by scoring twice in the third quarter, including a spectacular, weaving 95 yards interception return for a TD by their free safety, Anthony Stallings.  After 3 periods Bergamo was up 54-35.

The final period had Bergamo scoring their 3rd and 4th unanswered TD's of the half to go up 68-35.  We did respond with one final drive late in the game to make the final score Bergamo 68 - Catania 41.

For the Elephants, it must be mentioned that Enrico Lombardi continues to impress me with his tough running style, he gets stronger as the game goes on.  I thought Claudio Mangano, Gregorio Barbagallo and Pepe Strano all caught the ball well for our QB Jason Johnson.  I was also very proud of Brandon Bennett's Iron Man performance, going both ways at offensive tackle and defensive end/nose guard almost the entire game, I wish we had a few more players with his mental toughness.  Matt Epperson was another bright spot for us receiving, returning kickoffs and playing defensive back.

As for Bergamo, they are a very good, well coached and talented team.  Besides their QB and free safety that I mentioned earlier, their WR Mohammed Mortazavi, out of the University of California at Davis, made some incredible plays as well.  The bottom line was that Bergamo made all the key plays when they needed to make them.

After the game we loaded up the bus for a 30 minute drive to the Milan airport.  We were stressed for time since the game lasted almost 4 hours even with a reduced 10 minute half time to help us get to the airport on time.  No problem, our Wind Jet flight was an hour late in taking off...imagine that!

We got back to Catania at about 11:00 p.m. but our day was not over yet.  Our teammate and friend, Gustavo Bonnano, suffered a leg injury on the last kickoff of the game.  From the airport in Catania, Christie, Jason and I drove him to the Emergency Room at the hospital in Cannizaro near Aci Castello.  After X-rays and fitting him with a cardboard brace, we drove him home at a about 3:00 a.m.

Next Sunday, we have to get back on track in our home opener against the Palermo Sharks.

Italian Football League Week #3 Results

Game Results of IFL Week #3

Bolzano 21 - Parma 14

Bologna 25 - Palermo Sharks 24 (O.T.)

Bergamo 68 - Catania 41

Palermo Corsari 37 - Ancona 7

BYE: Milan

IFL Standings

2-0 Bergamo Lions

2-0 Bologna Doves

1-0 Bolzano Giants

2-1 Palermo Corsari

1-1 Catania Elephants

1-2 Parma Panthers

0-1 Milan Rhinos

0-2 Ancona Dolphins

0-2 Palermo Sharks

NOTE: The top four teams at the end of the season make the playoffs.

IFL Games Week #4

Saturday, April 19, Palermo Sharks (0-2) at Catania (1-1)

Saturday, April 19, Milan (0-1) at Bolzano (1-0)

Saturday, April 19, Ancona (0-2) at Bologna (2-0)

BYES: Bergamo (2-0), Palermo Corsari (2-1) and Parma (1-2)

South Korean Wins Duel in Acireale

One of the highlights of the World Fencing Championships held in nearby Acireale was the much anticipated duel between Gu Bon of South Korea, on the left, and Bustamonte of Argentina.  I have had some trouble uploading this vlog to you from our internet at Malibu, but going back to Davide's office today was like cracking into the NATO computer system atthe U.S.Navy's Sigonella Base near Catania...INCREDIBLE SPEED by comparison!

As you can only imagine I was torn between my friendship for Shi Young Kim who hails from South Korea and all my cousins who live in Argentina.  It was tough watching this titanic but mercifully quick duel! 

To recap, a match is won by the first fencer to reach 5 touches.  ENJOY THE ACTION!

Nicolosi, Mt. Etna, Cooking Lessons and the Bergamo Game

Our Friday was a busy one.  We started off the day by loading up the Nissan Micra with the five of us (Lynn, Wayne, Christie, Jason and yours truly) and driving to the top of Mt. Etna's Sud route.  To say the Micra was stressed is putting it VERY mildly but we made it.  Amazingly, the Micra went down the mountain much more carefree!

Part way up we stopped in he foothill town of Nicolosi.  It is far off the tourist radar scope but we can now boast of it's having a well stocked wine bar as well as a sensational cafe.

Granita

This concoction is mandorla (almond) topped with chocolate.  It is kind of a cross between gelato and a slushie, but oh so good for you!

Now that it is heating up, we are consuming these instead of our more wintery favorite cannoli.

La Dolce Vita Cafe

On the other hand, cannoli and other desserts at this Nicolosi cafe were still of interest.

The Silvestri Crater on Mt. Etna, altitude 1,986 meters

This is one of the relatively smaller side vents to the volcano.

It is rumored that in the cold winter months, when this crater is covered with snow, some crazy 20 somethings will actually drive up here around midnight to ride sleds down red face of this crater!  At least that's what I've heard.

Obviously when you live near a volcano accidents may happen.

Cooking Lessons by Katerina Barbagallo

We were invited to Gregorio's house for an Italian cooking lesson for Christie and her mom, Lynn followed by the dinner they themselves prepared.  Greg's mother, Katerina, was the head chef in residence and did a fabulous job teaching the ladies how to create Italian cuisine.  She even got me to peel the potatoes!

Katerina is a tour guide by profession and thus speaks great English.  She has a very elegant style about everything she does and lives in a wonderful home.  You may recall that she hosted us for the BIG Sant'Agata Day Parade gathering back in February.

The ladies had to learn by doing in the Katerina School of Cooking

Dinner was SUPERB!

From the left: Gregorio, Katerina, Brandon, Jason, Christie, Wayne, Matt and Lynn

After dinner, we retired to the Billiard Room

This is Gregorio's father, Bruno. He is VERY good at billiards.

But, he is even better at Ping-Pong!

Eventually, it came down to Gregorio vs. Jason in a 2 out of 3 Battle Royal!  Gregorio took the first game but after a short break for an exhibition match between Brandon and Matt, Jason stormed back to take the second game.

The rubber match was all Gregorio and even included Gregorio's trash talking to Jason.  Basically he told Jason that he should be happy that he even won 1 game vs. Gregorio!  We all laughed but I don't think Gregorio will have a ball thrown his away for at least two weeks.

Today we have our last practice before the Bergamo game.  Tomorrow we fly to Verona and then take a 45 minute bus ride to Bergamo to play the Lions.  This will be a VERY tough game for us!

The Lions are also 1-0 in IFL play and are the defending Italian National Championship team.

They have an excellent QB who runs the option and scrambles very well.  As if that wasn't enough, he is also very accurate throwing the ball.  The Lions running backs also performed at a high level vs. Parma in game 1 due in large part to an aggressive offensive line.  In short, they can move the ball.

Defensively, they like to blitz and attack the offense in a similar aggressive style as their offense.

Their kicking game is also solid with good return people.

As I said, we are going to have our hands full.

Post Practice Shenanigans

After practice Thursday night, we decided to go down to the Piazza Bellini and enjoy a very pleasant Spring evening in "all our glory".

The first thing that struck my eye was these new statues circling the Piazza that were drumming up business for an art show at La Ciminiere.  They were all oversized and interesting.

This "Thinker" made me wonder,

what if we ever had a practice and everyone showed up?

Blue Man Group on tour?

Sometimes beer IS the answer

While roaming the Piazza who do we run into?

None other than Elefanti starting CB

Massimiliano Garipoli "Call Me Smith"

Christie with me on my "Hog" posing for the June cover of the

Sicilian Chopper Gazzette

I know she's a little young for me but

we're in love and that's what matters!

Christie...you had to be there

Late night at Jonathan's Pannini Stand

Apparently Federico Fellini was shooting a film just down the street, how else can I explain these two at Jonathan's?

As if on cue, at the end of my "100th Day in Europe" celebration, Jonathan himself motioned me secretly to come to the back of the stand where he gave us each one of his coveted "Panineria Jonathan Loyal Customer Hats"!

Perhaps THE most memorable moment to date!

I was finally able to upload one of my two vlogs from yesterday's World Fencing Championships.  Enjoy this one and I'll keep trying to upload the other one.

Acireale 2008 Fencing Championships

Yes, I am tired and No, I don't usually wake up this early!

Check out the "Dueling Lemon" mascot

What better way to celebrate my "100th Day in Europe" than to wake up early and drive 5 minutes up the road to Acireale for the 2008 World Championship Fencing Tournament!

The event started on time at 8:30 a.m. featuring an intimidating military and police presence of about 50 for every one spectator.  Needless to say, Jason and I didn't dare to sit in any seats but our own!

This event is for Juniors, under 21, and Cadets, under 17.  There are both male and female divisions.

This morning it was the Junior Men's Saber Competition.  With the Saber you can hit your opponent by either poking them or slashing them.  This is a "Man's Weapon" as was mentioned and preferred by Ross Martin in his duel with Tony Curtis in the sword fighting scene from one of my favorite all-time movies, "The Great Race".

I grew up on swashbuckling movies like "The Three Musketeers", "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "The Man in the Iron Mask" not to mention the greatest sword duel of all-time, Basil Rathbone vs. Tyrone Power in the original "Zorro"!  They would both skewer Antonio Banderas 5-0 in under 45 seconds flat!

Needless to say I was pumped up for the action and was not disappointed except for the no blood part and the fact that nobody's limbs were hacked off.  Otherwise it was a very fun event!

If they only let them use these...

The Russian team checking out the action

A maximum of four matches at one time.

First one to 5 "touches" wins!

Gu Bon from South Korea, on the left, is SO fast!

Wagner, Gu Bon's German opponent, knows you can't hit what you can't see.

One of the Williams sisters, Venus I think, relaxing before the start of the Women's Foil competition

I WAS hoping they would do the

"Cut the Lit Candle in Half  Without Moving the Candle" trick

but no one even tried.

Maybe that great Zorro movie moment move is only done in the adult competitions.

Fencing Fever Hits Sicily

Kids in the streets of Acireale are already challenging their classmates by yelling "En Garde!"