First day of Summer in Australia, but very much my first day of Winter here in Italy.
Love that smell of the cold as I emerge into the aerobridge at Malpensa Airport. But very soon, it’s the feeling of creeping cold seeping through to my bones in the Airport car park that has me rummaging in my luggage to retrieve my good old NZ possum and merino jacket.
Driving into Milan as the early morning grey becomes steelier and more sinister, the only light becomes the occasional flashing yellow sign ‘Neve’, a warning of snow for motorists. Doesn’t take long for the rain to change to sticky little patches of white splattering the windows.
All precipitation has stopped by the time I wake and step out to dinner in an authentic little Sicilian trattoria on Via Savona. The simple cuisine of Sicily has a sweetness rather than spice. I can leave the spleen tasting like fattier aerated slices of fried liver, but enjoy the slices of raw tuna and swordfish, smoked instead of the sashimi that I’m accustomed to. Home made pasta with squid is a pretty tasteless affair, simply filling. Crushed almonds in with the breadcrumbs on a breaded veal cutlet with a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of salt, makes for a plain but wonderful main meal.
And so back to the Principe di Savoia Hotel for a good night’s rest.