It has been a while since I’ve done a YouTube “video.” I put video in quotes, because I am not a videographer, but I have put photographs to music and narration (or is it the other way round?), to wit those on our YouTube site. There are photographs there you won’t see here, and there are stories here you won’t find there. For those who like to savor photographs at their own speed, go to the Tutti Turi Tour gallery on our website.

Recently, a local group of us gathered to share photographs from the last six months of travels. Arnie chose a strictly Sicilian collection, while I did a potpourri from our other workshops.

As I perused the images, I was taken back to an amazing day we spent with Turi Siligato, self-taught master chef, wine connoisseur worthy of inclusion in the Wine Spectator, hunter and forager for the ingredients in his wonderful recipes, and undisputed entertainer supreme.

We were based in the ancient and modern, walled city of Taormina, perched high on a cliff above the Ionian Sea and under the watchful gaze of the famous volcano Mt. Etna.

We returned to our favorite restaurant in Sicily, Osteria Nero D’Avola, tucked into a quiet courtyard away from the hustle and bustle of the main street, Corso Umberto.

There, we renewed acquaintance with owner Turi, charming and interesting as ever. His restaurant was barely a year old the last time we were there, and even back then, we were impressed. “Thissa issa mya owna invention,” he would proudly say of a new dish. There was no question of where we would hold our opening reception for our photo workshop. With a menu featuring one page of food and six of wine, we had full faith in Turi. We told him what we wanted, and he had some great suggestions.

Photo courtesy of Goodloe Suttler

Typically, he sits down on a stool at the table with you, cigarette in one hand, always held away and downwind from you, and a glass of fine wine in the other. He tells you what he found at the fish market this morning, what mushrooms he gathered on Mt. Etna, and tempts you with all sorts of possibilities. Everything is cooked for you. There are no standard recipes, per se.

With those six pages of wine selections, you don’t have to worry about not being able to find something you enjoy. For us, however, we much preferred to trust to his pairings … and a price cap, of course. He has a number of bottles open, and goes around the tables, refilling glasses according to the fare being consumed.

Our group was hooked the moment we walked into the courtyard. Turi came by, greeted us, and poured us each a glass of Spumante, not to be confused with that dull, sweet, fizzy wannabe from college days. This wine is pure ambrosia and goes down so easily.

He repaired to his compact kitchen, and with his assistant, prepared some 14 large plates for us to share.

We started off with bruschetta, of course, then the plates came out almost faster than we could devour them. Sea urchins cut in half and scraped clean had red roe delicately shaped like starfish reaching up the sides, tuna and amberjack tartars, shrimps, mussels, clams, and other plates that escape my memory were brought to us.

Our plates were periodically taken away in favor of fresh ones. The table looked like a disaster area. It was a seafood Thanksgiving on steroids.

We had such a great time with Turi, that he said, “I wanta showa you mya Sicilia. I wanta showa you the-a reala Sicilia.”

We met with him the following Sunday. He poured us all wine and talked about what he would show us, where we would go, and what time we would meet.

The plan was to stop for breakfast at his favorite spot on the way to the first winery. Three of us were with Turi in his 4WD with the rest following in another car. We rounded the corner in a little village, and the café was closed, a vacation sign posted in the window.

“Sheeeta, a sheeeta, sheeeta, sheeeta,” Turi exhaled.

“Don’t worry, Turi,” I said, “I think you know our group well enough by now to know not much bothers us. We’ll make do.” Meanwhile, I was fervently hoping that people had remembered to bring snacks!

We arrived at Murgo Winery on the southeastern slopes of Mt. Etna. The volcanic soil is very friendly to wine growers, and Murgo has been around a long time. In fact, there are caves on the property that go back to Roman times.

Turi showed us around the fields, buildings, caves, and even the B&B at the top of the hill.

Stomachs growling, it was time for our tasting. 10:00, no breakfast, and the imminent prospect of wine on empty stomachs.

Turi opened up a bottle of Spumante. Thankfully, he also arranged for some breakfast for us. Prosciutto and cheese, fruit, bread, and locally-made olive oil. A perfect Sicilian breakfast we all thought!

Photo courtesy of Goodloe Suttler

Matteo Murgo explained about their wines, the viticulture of the region, and how they keep an eye on the vines for diseases. Those rose bushes at the end of rows aren’t just decorative. They serve as a barometer for trouble. If the roses start to look unhealthy, the wine growers have time to treat the grape vines for whatever disease is about to attack. Brilliant … and beautiful.

Arnie and I had seen the old lava flows on Mt. Etna several times, but our group had not. Mt. Etna is considered a friendly volcano. Quite active, it has had many eruptions, but because it constantly vents, it never blows its top. While it has caused quite a bit of damage over the centuries, it has taken remarkably few lives, given its long and active recorded history, some say the oldest of any volcano.

We went on to Graci Winery on the northeast flanks of the mountain and were greeting by Elena Graci and her mother Maria. As a sumptuous lunch was being grilled for us outside, we toured the old stone building with humongous wooden barrels.

Graci has unique name for one of their wines, Graci 600. That represents 600 cases of wine made in one year from grapes grown at 600 meters elevation. Small production, to be sure, and quite select!

We enjoyed a wonderful lunch, the omnipresent bruschetta, cheese-filled sausages wrapped in lemon leaves so the cheese wouldn’t burn on the grill, bread and their own olive oil, fruits, cheeses, and of course, some lovely bottles of their Etna Rossa Quota 600. Everything was perfect, as we sat around a long table by the bulge of one of those huge casks. You can see just how big those barrels are.

Photo courtesy of Goodloe Suttler

Well sated, we crowded into two 4WDs, Turi’s and one owned by the Gracis. Maria and Elena joined us, as well as one of the workers, and we bumped and shook our way up a tortuous road to a spot with a commanding view, Turi expertly spinning the wheel like a seasoned rally race-car driver to negotiate our way around deep ruts, hazardous lava rocks, and sharp curves. Old stone shelters graced the hillsides and nestled in amongst the vines.

We found plenty to photograph and had trouble tearing ourselves away so that Turi could get back to his restaurant in time for dinner preparations. He did have time to stop for an expresso, a bit of a snack, and some conversation at a little café, clearly one of his regular haunts.

When we saw Turi later, it was clear he had taken a nice long nap to recover. We enjoyed another great evening with him and a more modest meal this time.

The wine still flowed, and it was a perfect ending to a perfect day. I called it a Tutti Turi Tour. It was certainly all about Turi and his love of Sicily, the people, the food, and the wine.

We hope you will also enjoy and pass the following links on to those interested in photography, wine, Sicily, travel, etc.:

YouTube video
Flash slideshow

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