Why You Need To Meet A Nonna On Your Next Vacation

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Nonna means grandma and nonno means grandpa in Italian. Three very special nonnas (and one nonno) came into my life during travels to Lisbon, Buenos Aires, and Sicily, all of which had profoundly lasting impressions on me.

I met my Lisbon nonna (or, avó in Portuguese) on my last day in the city. I was shooting a show in Lisbon and was walking around the Bairro Alto and Chiado districts to get some beauty shots when I approached the sweetest nonna on her front porch to say hi.

A simple “olá” later and she gestured to my cameraperson, Vanessa, and I towards her porch, which led to a stunning rooftop patio. The view of Lisbon from her rooftop ended up being the best view of the city that we had seen on the entire trip. While my cameraperson was capturing the scenery, I sat down with my lovely Lisbon nonna and had a full conversation... in Portuguese. Even though I don't speak the language at all, I somehow filled in the gaps with my rarely used French and casual Spanish and understood her heartwarming stories of her grandchildren who live all around the world and how proud she was of each of them. It was a totally unexpected moment and one that I will remember always when I think back to my trip to Portugal.

My burgeoning circle of nonnas expanded when I traveled to Buenos Aires. I was sitting at a public sidewalk table at the Feria de Mataderos Market sharing a large thermos of maté with some friends when the most adorable couple, Angela and Antonio, sat down next to us and so we welcomed them to come join in on our maté action. Angela and Antonio, who spoke beautiful English, shared an incredible story of how they had met and fallen in love over 50 years ago in Italy before immigrating to Argentina. My heart still tingles thinking of it. I’m such a sap.

Then, there was my Sicilian nonna to complete the trifecta. This experience happened in the middle of a roadtrip around the Italian island in the quaint town of S. Stefano di Camastra, known for its gorgeous ceramics.

Since my friend and I had just a few days to conquer all of Sicily, we had planned on only making a quick restroom pit stop in tiny S. Stefano di Camastra, but the beauty of the ceramics were too alluring and we ended up hopping from shop to shop, meeting a charming and hilarious nonna/shop-owner who insisted that we follow her down the street to her artist’s workshop to meet her daughter and see more of the family’s treasured handicrafts. What ensued was a feast for the eyes.

I feel very lucky to have met these amazing nonnas on my trips and I highly recommend that for a moment you put your phone, or itinerary, down to do the same.

Here are 5 reasons why you need to meet a nonna (or nonno) on your next trip:

1) A local’s perspective. They know the city inside and out and can offer advice and perks not offered in dated travel books. It’s the best insider's point of view.

2) Nonnas are badass. They've seen the city through unbelievable ups and downs and gone through s**t you could never imagine and they’re there to give you a first person recount about it all. Sometimes, the tales can be utterly romantic- a real life Romeo and Juliet like my sweet Buenos Aires nonni.

3) One-of-a-kind souvenirs. You can go to hundreds of museums (which you should) but you'll probably forget most of them by the time you get back and you won't be able bring an original piece home with you. What you won't forget and will remember fondly is the time you spent actually watching original art being made and being able to take a piece of it home with you. Shout out to my Sicilian nonna. So next time you’re shopping, become buddies with the shopkeeper, he or she may dig out a rare piece from the backroom just for you.

4) You bring back stories to tell and create unforgettable memories. By creating a personal connection, you have many more interesting stories to tell your friends back home than, “So one morning, I went to this really pretty beach…” and let’s be honest telling and listening to stories of visiting tourist sites can be kind of boring. But that one time you sat with a sweet nonna on her rooftop patio in Lisbon as the sun was setting will stay with you forever.

5) You make a new bff. Not only have you made someone feel cherished by recognizing his or her existence and companionship, you’ve walked away with a new friend. In general, when you let your social guard down and meet new unexpected people, you unlock truly special moments, but meeting a nonna? Ah well, a nonna is just next level.

A Sicilian Roadtrip

Vucciria Market

A few weeks ago, I embarked on an impromptu road trip to Sicily (via Rome) and am still in a arancini haze as I type this back home. If you’ve already done the major Italian big hitters like Florence, Venice, and Rome or want to avoid the crammed summer tourist crowd, I highly recommend a trip to Sicily. The island itself is not very big so if you rent a car and have a week to spare you can experience three stunning seas (Mediterranean, Tyrrhenian and Ionian) by driving the circumference and at your own pace, take in the expansive vistas, numerous UNESCO sights, gorgeous beaches, and insanely fun nightlife… oh, and the food. The stomach-splitting/I probably came home 20 pounds heavier, and would do it all over again, comforting, delicious food.

Here is my Sicilian adventure in photos (basically, how I ate through the island and rolled back home):

After a quick flight from Rome to Palermo, we settled into our apartment near Piazza Paprieto. I loved peeking below the streets on our balcony and seeing the grittiness of the old buildings paired with beautiful flowers and greenery.

The view of the Cathedral from my bedroom.

For our first dinner in Palermo, my friend Nancy and I hit Osteria dei Vespri in Piazza Croce. On top of the fresh red prawn pasta and dessert that we ordered (definitely get the cassatella which is warm silky ricotta in a pastry folded like an envelope), the restaurant treated us to a creamy goat cheese soufflé and a tiny mason jar that contained what appeared to be a shepherd's pie-like concoction to start and then a mandarin cream tart and an assortment of petit fours, all on the house (now, that's Sicilian hospitality) to end our incredible meal.

Just around the corner is Vucciria Market- a chill spot where people come to buy cheap drinks (2 Euros each) and enjoy them on the street while meeting new friends. On any given night, you might run into the most amazing woman who goes around taking party pics. She will also give you the best dance of your life. Here she is in mid-performance.

The next day, we hit up Bar Touring for their well-known arancine bomba. The classic arancini is basically ragu stuffed into a saffron-scented rice bomb that's breaded and fried into carb coma deliciousness. It's called bomba for a reason- it's about the size of my head,

Obviously, I didn't let that stop me from ordering my favorite - a brioche con gelato. Smooth fresh pistachio gelato stuffed into a hot brioche bun. 

Fully charged for Day 3, we hit the road early and headed east towards Catania, starting with Cefalu as the first destination.

Cefalu is a gorgeous seaside town and has several kickass beaches on the Tyrrhenian Sea. Unlike Palermo, you'll notice some tourists here and tons of cute souvenir and local food boutiques lining the streets and alleyways.

Back on the road, we continued east and hit Messina and stopped at a super sweet and quaint town called S. Stefano di Camastra that sold the most beautiful handcrafted ceramics. We had planned on just making a quick snack/washroom stop but was captured by the warmth and friendliness of the town that we stayed and met a sweet nonna who owned a gorgeous ceramic shop and took us down the street to show us her amazing workshop where her daughter also works, taking part in the family business.

With a bunch of cannoli's to tide us over, we continued on to Taormina which was, in my opinion, the most beautiful town we saw on our road trip. In Taormina, we got to see a wedding that ended with a burst of rainbow confetti as the sun was beginning to set.

In Taormina, you get to take in one of the three beautiful seas that surround Sicily, the cool Ionian Sea.

By the time we got back on the road and arrived in Catania (if you have a few more hours/days to spare, stop at Acireale for a thermal spa treatment), it was well into the evening so we went straight to L'Ambasciata del Mare (just behind Piazza Duomo). If you're going to have a frutti di mare (fruit of the sea/assorted seafood pasta), this is the place to have it. With the fish market (A' Piscaria Mercato del Pesce) located right beside the restaurant in the early mornings, the seafood is as fresh as you can get it. We also had the calamari and the fried sardine that's breaded and stuffed with a creamy cheese goodness.

At this point it was about midnight and the last thing we wanted to do was hit the road again for another 3-4 hours to get back to our apartment in Palermo, so we signed up for a night at a hostel just a few minutes walk from the piazza called Agora Hostel, complete with a chill bar (below)

The intense A' Piscaria Mercato del Pesce is definitely a sight to see. On top of the wheeling and dealing of the fish, the surrounding area is filled with colourful local produce, meats and cheeses.

The highlight of the trip was the absolutely gorgeous drive from Catania (make sure to check out Mt Etna, an active volcano) to Palazzolo Acreide, a UNESCO town. Filled with vineyards, lemon and olive trees, ancient homes and structures, and countless livestock (in a span of an hour, we saw fields of donkeys, goats, cows, and sheep). 

Continuing on our UNESCO drive, we hit the white-washed walls of Ragusa.

As we finally pulled into Siracusa, it was around 9pm so we walked around the old port before stopping at a local roadside restaurant that had a couple of families enjoying fresh seafood and endless wine- the perfect spot for us to refuel before jumping back on the road.

For our final day in Sicily, we hit the road again, but this time headed west towards Sciacca. We were planning on getting some local thermal water and mud bath relief in Sciacca and Trapani but in our vacation mode didn't realize it was a Sunday, which meant all the spas were closed. No tears were shed though as Sciacca has an amazing beach, Sciacca Mare, to unwind on.

For our final feast, we binged at Santandrea in Palermo and made sure to order everything that contained Sicily's best ingredients- aubergine, tomatoes, lemons, sardine, swordfish, and chickpeas. Best dish of the trip was the pasta con le sarde- spaghetti with wild fennel, capers, raisins, and slow-cooked fresh sardines that melt into a ragu, that's then topped with fried breadcrumbs. It's not like any pasta you've ever tasted before.

To end the trip with a bang, we had to live up the Palermo specialty of fun outdoor drinking and hit Chiavettieri to start and then Garraffello (the other part of Vucciria) for a massive dance party. The perfect end to an expected trip to remember.