TRAVELING TO MOTTA D'AFFERMO, SICILY

All photos by F LoBuono
Motta D'Affermo, Sicily

When I was a young man in college I read Paul Bowel's seminal novel, "The Sheltering Sky." Published in 1949, the novel explores the themes of alienation and despair as seen through the eyes of a restless and adventurous married couple, Kit and Port Moresby. Without getting into the intricate details of what is a complex and compelling narrative, the notion raised of the difference between a tourist and traveler struck me like the proverbial bolt of lightening!

First, being a "tourist" in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it suits most people quite well. Most of us want to enjoy ourselves through  the fine art of total relaxation and there is certainly good reason for that. We've earned it.

However, in order to achieve this, we must sacrifice some important things along the way. This is where the theme of being a traveler rather that a tourist takes on its significance.

When we go as a tourist we often trade adventure and all the traits associated with it for  familiarity and safety. Of course, everyone needs to feel safe when they are away from their homes. But, at the same time, the experience becomes more staged. In other words, we only see what our hosts allow us to. Travelers immerse themselves in the world around them, taking all the time necessary to see, smell, and feel a place. And in most cases, this means a certain surrender to the time, history, language, culture, and people you are visiting. In my mind, this means allowing the place to come to US instead of vice-versa.

This was completely applicable for my most recent trip to my ancestral home, Sicilia, i.e. Sicily. Now, this is not my first time. In fact, that I've gotten to the point to be able to use the adjective, consistently. And in an effort towards complete transparency, the first few times I actually went as a tourist, i.e. with a guided tour group. I will also not apologize for it because those first few trips served their purpose by paving the wave for the adventure I now make of my journeys there. In a sense, it gave me road map of where I did and did not want to return to.

In a sense, to complete my connection to the island, my stepson, Jeremiah, and I decided to enter into a partnership and purchase a home in Sicily a little over 3 years ago. Although not connected by ancestry, Jeremiah fell in love with the place on his very first journey there. What it made so much more feasible was the fact that he is a much a traveler as I am. Plus, he did ALL the research and found us a spectacular, ancient town, high above the Aeolian Sea on the islands North/Central coast. Without going into a plethora of details it's a splendid home: 4 stories, 3 bedrooms, two full baths with bidets, 4 balconies with views of the town, mountains, and sea. It's solid concrete, marble, and iron railing construction, too. And even more mind-boggling is the fact that the former in habitants left ALL of the necessary furniture, kitchen supplies including pots and pans, original art work, beds AND linens, too. EVERYTHING. And since they are Sicilian, everything is immaculate.

The name of the town is Motta D'Affermo. It can date it's origins to the ancient and at one time very important, 4th Century B.C.E. settlement of Haleasa. It appears to have been abandoned at some point and then resettled again in the 5th Century AD before declining again. Much of the current village architecture can be traced to the 14th and 15th Centuries when it was once more restored. So, in other words, it's OLD and HISTORIC. The current full-time resident population is between 500 and 600. It's about a 2 hour ride from the airport in Palermo.

After a winding, snake-like road that takes you from the coastal super highway below to high above the sea, you arrive at one of the many piazzas that dot the village and one of the few level spots in the whole place. Depending on the time of day (like midday), you'll notice how incredibly quiet it is. If you're a New Yorker like me, it can be daunting. You'll feel the power of a blazing sun in an azure sky completed unrestricted by a single cloud. And you'll be awed by the spectacular views from virtually every corner of the village. People should also take notice that there are NO tourists here, only travelers. This place is so far off the beaten path, unless you have some familial connection,  I can't possible imagine ANY tourist making it a deliberate destination. If you use Chat GPT I'm sure that Motta will not make the suggested list of places to visit in Sicily. And that's what makes it special. It just took me a little while to discover that.

Another thing you'll notice is that there are not a lot of amenities in the village. There is a small post office and pharmacy, 2 small bars that serve only light food, and 2 grocery stores that we in NY would call bodegas. There really is no true shopping. So, if you're looking to find gifts for loved ones at home, you might have to travel to larger, bigger towns like Santo Stefano or Mistretta (15-30 minutes away). Also, if you haven't prepared yourself for an evening meal, you may find yourself going hungry - even in a place famous for its fresh food!

But this is how tourists act, particularly American ones. We are used to what we want, how and when WE want it. Well, it doesn't work that way in Sicily, especially in the villages that time has virtually forgotten. Places like Motta D'Affermo. The mantra here is: Piano, piano, that is step by step. Go slowly. Life has it's own pace, follow it.

When I first visited and stayed there I found myself resistant of just such a notion. After all, what I had heard was that the town was dying and needed and influx of new people and fresh ideas. And I saw myself in that role. I knew best. Wasn't I coming from one of the most impactful, happening place of the planet, i.e. The NY-Metro area? Sure, the ideas that I (and others) have for Motta are still valid and important to implement at some point. However, I now understand my approach was complete wrong and that's why I wasn't making the progress I thought we should be. Instead of attempting to impose my will on how things SHOULD be, I began to see AND feel how they actually were. In other words I allowed Sicily to come to me.

Motta Sunset

Even though I had traveled to Motta on a number of occasions over the years, this was the first time I had the opportunity to go there completely alone. There were a few reasons why but are of no ultimate importance at this time. Suffice it to say it would not only allow me to attend to some business matters associated with the house, it would also give me the ability to immerse myself without ANY distraction into the people, the customs, and the pace of Motta D'Affermo. With the exception of swimming in the sea and visiting a few friends in a nearby village, I had no other plan but to roam the village, speak as much Italian as I could handle, and make as many photos of the place as humanly possible. It was also festival season throughout Sicily and Motta is no exception. Hundreds of former residents all come back to the village to celebrate their ancient traditions with those Mottesians left behind. It was an honor to witness and in some ways, be a part of it.

I also had the good fortune to be taken under the care of an intrepid fellow traveler who cut ties with her native South Africa to reside fulltime in Motta. Two years ago, Ilze Porter and her Belgian Malinois,  Max, moved there to live as Mottesians and have never looked back. She taught me the rhythms of the place like how, when and where to shop, when to have coffee, when to assert myself and also to back off. And perhaps, most importantly, to let time work for me instead of vice versa. When I did, I began to realize that Motta was becoming part of me, and me it. This was manifested by the amount of people who took the time to greet me as one of their own and express their joy in my photographs of the village. They were truly appreciative of my presence there and in my efforts to become one of their own.

Motta Village Officials

And I started to understand things on a level I had not before. I once thought of the siesta as a ridiculous waste of time, literally. As you may know, siesta is a ritual practiced by all Sicilians and most of Southern Europe. During the heat of the afternoon, from noon until about 4, virtually EVERYTHING is closed all over the island. Everything. But when you realize that it's not about doing "nothing" but rather doing the things that matter most like having lunch with your family and a nice nap when it's too damned hot to do much of anything, it becomes a most civilized invention.

I spent countless hours walking in, through and around the ancient streets of the village all the time while connecting with the hundreds of spirits who had done so for so many centuries before. It was a humbling and grounding experience. Motta D'Affermo will never be Cefalu' or Taormina. It doesn't have to OR want to be! But if you want to be a traveler rather than a mere tourist, it is the place for you. It certainly is for me now.

Motta D'Affermo at night.