Sigonella Directory

The Cinquecento Project wants to pay it forward to incoming military and civilians to Naval Air Station Sigonella. I started the blog in part because of the dearth of information available as I attempted to plan for my transition to Sicily and the lifestyle of an OCONUS military spouse. Ha! I didn’t even know what OCONUS meant until I was over here for a few months. Check out the acronyms section below if you aren’t in that loop yet.

To help anyone who just wants to get information about Sigonella without wading through my more personalized posts, I culled my posts for the following information. Of course, since there is no typical military spouse, even my Sigonella-specific posts are somewhat personalized. I attempted to organize it into useful categories. If you have a question I haven’t answered, post a question in the comments and I will spend the second half of my time in Sigonella to fill in the gaps, as I can. I always have an eye to OPSEC, so I may not be willing to post all of the information you are seeking.

No matter who you are or where you are coming from, you can find a place for yourself in Sigonella; all it takes is a positive attitude and a willingness to be open to new cultures and experiences. Lean into the discomfort for your first six months and lickety-split, you will be assimilated and loving la vita dolce in Sicily!

Cinquecento Project Posts:

– Basics about living in Sicily
– Basics about NASSIG Amenities
– Getting Around
– What to do/Where to go…
…on Sicily
…in Italy
…in Europe
…in Europe and Asia
…in Asia
– Acronyms
– Italian Words

Sister and Brother Sicily Blogs:

– Sicily Ciao

Basics about living in Sicily

– if you are a civilian or military spouse interested in working or furthering your career in Sigonella, check out In Gear Career Sigonella Chapter

– summers are hot, the sun is relentless

– the best oranges of your life (unless you are from a citrus hometown)

– be aware of Ferragosto: business grinds to a halt for the month of August; August is the month of vacation for all Italians and many from the north come to Sicily for the beaches

– Sicilians smoke and they don’t hide in corners the way smokers in the U.S. do

– horse meat is enjoyed, donkey meat is a delicacy

– Sicilians take International Women’s Day seriously!

– avoid McDonald’s

– Leroy Merlin

– Trucker’s strikes (“sciopero” is the Italian word for strike) can be empty threats, or they can be very real and cause long lines at gas stations (no truckers to deliver more gas), and traffic jams due to protests at the toll booth, and more consequences: Here are my posts about the most intense strike in order 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

– gelato; gelato; gelato; granite; gelato

– military spouses do it all with resiliency

– eat figs, mmmm

– Poste Italiane, pay your parking tickets here (you can pay for a parking ticket at any post office in Italy, it does not need to be in the same city where you received the ticket)

– you may be in temporary lodging for 56 days

– Eat a granite and brioche for breakfast and feel Sicilian

– Military Members and pets

– Fall in love with Mt. Etna, and eruptions, eruptions, more eruptions, Mt. Etna webcam, and another, Mt. Etna smoking, Mt. Etna ash

– bonfires and fireworks for festivals and any celebratory occasion

– Permesso di Soggiorno, or Sojourner’s Permit: go to legal, apply for it, then forget it (unless you are taking a trip that requires it)…just don’t stress out about it, if you know you *need* it, call back to the office; if not, just relax and use your no-fee passport and visa and chill out; if you must, carry the letter that you applied for your Sojourner’s permit with you when you travel

– shopping, Ikea, more shopping

– history is all around you(!!!): stories from the Odyssey

– Geep!

– things burning on the side of the road should not alarm you during dry season

– don’t be surprised if you consider decorating with wine barrels

Basics about NASSIG amenities

Base Living

Yes, we have a Commissary, and a Navy Exchange, as well as Navy Federal Credit Union and a Community Bank (government contracted bank on base, operated by Bank of America, runs on 10-year contracts, renewed recently (~2013)), there is an autoport (although many car-guys trust Mario, who runs a garage across from Marinai), dry-cleaning is available on base, there is a laundromat, barber shop, flower shop, hospital, 2-screen movie theater, bowling alley, skateboard park, and more! Also, remember that Sicily is beautiful and you have to learn to overlook a bit of trash here and there (cuz littering is a thing here).

Tips for Adjusting

Postal System: with a few key tips in mind, you can have a lovely time in Sicily, receiving regular mail. Tips: Tip #1 – inform your creditors of your new address and always have an email back-up; you will NOT receive bills ahead of time, so do not rely on a paper document to remind you to pay your bills, PLAN AHEAD for this…schedule a regular payment, or pre-pay, or mark your calendar and call and ask how much the bill is when you know it has been issued…whatever it is, don’t rely on a paper bill showing up in the mail; Tip #2 – let your friends and family know that (a) a 1st-class stamp is all they need to get an envelope to you (under 1 ounce), (b) use Priority and the package will reach you in about 6-12 days, (c) if they use media rate or standard (fka Parcel Post) the package will take up to 3 months to reach Sigonella; Tip #3 pay attention to the shipping method when you purchase goods online, if the arrival is important to you, ALWAYS, always, always choose Priority! – the vendor cannot provide overnight service due to the distance (so it isn’t worth paying for it), and Priority will almost always get it here in two weeks or less; if the vendor uses FedEx or UPS, I recommend you (a) find an alternate vendor, (b) use a service like APObox, (c) negotiate with the vendor to use USPS for delivery, or (d) ship to a friend/family US address and have them use USPS for delivery. This is important because the companies who have contracts with UPS, DHL, FedEx or any other private carrier will revert to the slowest USPS method if they even offer service to the APO/FPO address, which means up to 3 months delivery time to Sigonella.

Gym: As of this writing, the gym on NAS I is much nicer, although both have their ups and downs. If you prefer the gym on NAS I, put your name immediately on the wait list for a locker, it may take 2-8 months for you to get a locker. The pool is at the NAS I gym, although there is a current project to restore the pool on NAS II. NAS II has sand volleyball courts. Both NAS I and NAS II have fields. NAS I has a track (behind the school). Both gyms have machines for cardio and weights; NAS I has classrooms for group exercises (yoga, pilates, zumba, etc). They also put together the Base 2 Base series, a group of runs that feels very much like home to any runners out there, I started with the POW/MIA run.

Housing:
– Inspection
– your dryer might be outdoors
– you will sign five original leases (wait, which one is the original?)
– your bathtub and shower will be different sizes than you are used to
– Base Housing, the majority of base housing is in Marinai (scroll to third photo on link)

Indoc: When you arrive on island, I recommend sitting through the indoctrination class the base provides you. Many of you will opt out, feeling that your time could be better spent exploring on your own; however, I regularly use knowledge I gained in indoc and colleagues and friends often say “How did you know that?” and I answer, “From indoc.” At the very least, I encourage you to participate in the InterCultural Relations (ICR) portion, which provides you survival Italian resources, a chance to step into the community with a guide, and information about ordering food from Italian vendors (e.g. “I want a pound of sliced provolone” does not compute with Sicilian vendors, and believe me, you want to buy their provolone!).

Library: There is a great OCONUS library system, complete with interlibrary loan, an NKO loaning library (your sponsor will have to get you registered unless you have a CAC), a coffee shop, friendly and knowledgable librarians, about 20 desktop computers for community use, study tables and carrels, a decent dvd section, ample travel book and travel dvd collections and strong wi-fi.

Getting Around

Driving

– My philosophy on driving in Sicily
– Telepass – get it if you live north of the toll line, it’s worth it!!! Traffic jams can be killer…, but just like getting back on a horse you gotta get back on that freeway

Ferries

Flying
The major airport for eastern Sicily is in Catania (CTA) and is named Fontanarossa, which means “red fountain.” Space A from Sigonella can get you to Norfolk, via Rota, Spain. Or, in the other direction, you can get to Souda Bay, which is on Crete (an island of Greece).

There are also some regional routes that offer affordable prices if you fly through the Trapani or Palermo airports.

What to Do/Where to Go…
…on Sicily

Acireale Carnevale

Aeolian Islands: Milazzo to Lipari, Canneto beach (views of Panarea and Stromboli), best cannolo ever, Vulcano,

Agrigento
–Valley of the Temples
–Turkish Steps
–Bagliesi Winery

Caleca Ceramics Factory, Caleca Ceramiche – near Patti, Sicily

Caltagirone

Catania Bellini Opera House

Catania Fish Market

La Caverna in Acireale

Cefalù: home of the annual international gelato festival, I went twice so far.

Gambino Winery – a winery run by a warm Sicilian family, with delicious wines, a great tasting room, and ample hospitality – enjoy!

Locanda COS near Ragusa

Ortigia

Ottobrata in Zafferana – this is a huge Sicilian festival, and it runs strong for each weekend in October, when the mountain town of Zafferana features a different Sicilian specialty each weekend. Go early and make sure you leave before dark to avoid 2-hour long lines leaving Zafferana

Shalai – this spa and fine-dining restaurant in Linguaglossa is amazing!

Siracusa

Snowshoeing on Mt. Etna

…in Italy

Amalfi Coast; we flew in and rented a car in Naples to visit Pompei and the Amalfi Coast, enjoying lovely sunsets, too

Lago di Garda, you don’t have to run the marathon, though

Milan, meandering

Roma – a favorite of mine, enjoyable as a couple, with parents, or even just an overnight on your way someplace else…

Tuscany, we had a great trip there with friends in 2011, good food,

…in Europe

Amsterdam, and eat bandeja paisa

Barcelona, mmmm eat at Escriba

Brugge, Belgium

Estonia, culture abounds, Tartu, scroll to the wall drawing

Geneva, Switzerland, we had a fabulous time in this expensive city; plenty to see and do and eat and shop (if that’s your thing), great opportunities for day trip to the mountains for a hike (though we did not fit that into this trip)

…in Europe and Asia

Istanbul, Turkey
– cay, ayran, kunefe, Topkapi, menemen, nar suyu, commentary

…in Asia

Taiwan
–Taipei, guava and popcorn, Taiwanese junk food, European style bakeries, Mr. Cheeseburger Face Man, cute kids, Zelda and Taroko Gorge
–Lyudao, Lyudao (Green Island), Lyudao II, and more Lyudao

Acronyms

CAC: Computer Access Card
CONUS: Continental United States
NASSIG: Naval Air Station Sigonella
NKO: Navy Knowledge Online
OCONUS: Outside the Continental United States
Space A: Space Available (access to open spaces on military flights)

Italian Words:

antipasto/antipasti: appetizers; traditional Italian antipasto plate usually has cured meats, cheese, olives, and maybe some local specialties such as sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, etc.

AutoGrill: restaurant and bar on the autostrada, always has interesting tchotchkes, free bathrooms, fresh panino, and nutella

bar: a coffee shop; usually you order at the cashier, get a receipt and take the receipt to the coffee bar where the barrista will make your coffee drink

Caprese salad: tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil (for some reason, the majority of places that serve the Caprese around Sigonella do not always include basil)

colazione: breakfast

Family words

Greetings: Buon giorno, salve, ciao, buona sera

mare: sea (signs saying “mare” indicate if you follow them, you will be led to the seaside)

panetteria: bread shop

riposo: rest; this is the Italian version of the Spanish “siesta” period; logistically, this is the time when shops close for the hottest part of the day, and gives Italians time to be with family before returning to work for another 4-5 hours; riposo period is very real in Sicily and you will notice changes in traffic and many shops will be closed; there are more malls and large stores that are staying open straight through riposo; just check the schedule of a store to avoid any frustration

Felix the great

Several things that I will think of when I look back on the marathon, spinning in our own worlds,

a la Felix Baumgartner:

and Colum McCann:
Let the Great World Spin

and Santigold:
Master of My Make Believe

This unending twist of the overlapping themes of our lives. What a wild ride this life is…

What’s a little rain when you’ve just completed a marathon?

90% chance of rain all day. I am 100% glad it is raining like this the day-After the marathon.

Making the most of the day wandering around town with my Frankensteinesque gait. Will give the full marathon report later this week when I have full Internet & computer access.

For now, know that it went really well, I am really sore and I had a exquisite celebratory dinner with Monica, Mark, Sandy and Jim in Marona di Valpolicella.

I am off to enjoy more views like this:

Limone sul Garda, Italia
October 2012

Desperados for the desperate

I forgot to tell you.

This beer is terrible.

The name should have warned me off; the description actually did make me wary, but not wary enough to forgo the beer craving I was having when I bought this beer.

Desperados really says it all. Gross.

Beware.

Waiting on my Dad

Not really waiting on him so much as looking forward to his visit…

…and thinking of this photo from a shoe store off Las Ramblas in Barcelona.

Thank you Sara & KEXP

First things first, I have to kick it to all of my Seattle peeps because almost everyone I know in Seattle has at one point or another recommended KEXP to me. But earliest and most adamantly, Michael B nudged me in his quiet “look how cool you can be like me” way to listen to KEXP when I was living in Seattle.

Thank you Michael!

Next, Nathan gave me more of an insiders view of KEXP. My Seattle friend Nathan has been volunteering at KEXP for years and years; he let me tag along on a companion fare for SIFF movies, he took me to the studio a couple of times, prodded me out the door to KEXP community events, played beautiful music for pure appreciation after dizzying conversations about life, let his adoration and admiration of KEXP shine through all the time.

Thank you Nathan!

Of course, everyone else Seattle who is reading this and I can’t name you all – thank YOU, too!

Then I came to Sicily and thought KEXP would be a ghostly whisper in my ear…but of course, these are the days of the internet…but even more than that, these are the days of Sara telling me about the KEXP Song of the Day podcast. Not being a very good media technician, itunes technician, or anything like that, I quickly signed up for this podcast and then even more quickly forgot all about it.

Nevertheless, Thank You Sara!

Luckily, despite my shortcomings, Sara reminded me of Santigold, which she discovered via KEXP Song of the Day, and now I am nursing my pre-race jitters with this song. I hope you enjoy it, too!

Never-nudes…there are dozens of us! Dozens!

Late last week, I was telling a colleague about never-nudes, and found it difficult to explain the hilarity of the never-nude, especially since I didn’t try to explain it at all. David Cross has such a unique sense of humor that unless you are familiar with either David Cross or the television series Arrested Development, you may not get it. To be honest, it was a long while before I appreciated David Cross, aka Mr. Show.

Instead of attempting to explain, I directed my colleague to self-educate via a Google image search. As I educated myself this weekend, I came across a delightful collection of documentation and homage to David Cross’s never-nude. Without further ado, here is a collection of never-nude images out there in the blogosphere.

I will start with a poster that shows a scene from the actual show, displaying the denim cut-offs that protect Tobias from being nude.

Source.

Caltagirone

The famed tiled steps of Caltagirone

September 2012

Caltagirone is a bit more than an hour southwest of us, and is easy enough to get to. The city is charming and one of its tourist draws are the Scala di Santa Maria del Monte, or the stairs that lead to the Santa Maria del Monte church. Caltagirone has made its name in ceramics for centuries. As a U.S. citizen, it was humbling to wander the old streets of Caltagirone and ponder that artisans had been selling their wares in these shops for centuries before our nation was even a glint in the eye of the pilgrims. The innovation, enthusiasm, and pure joy that are woven into the U.S. capitalist society are heady and intoxicating; in a completely opposite way, the stability, tradition and timelessness of Caltagirone was heady and intoxicating.

We wandered and dined there with Uncle Bill, and it was easily one of the better evenings I have had here – great company, a touch of ancient magic, delicious food, and modern life bustling around us. We randomly parked and stumbled our way toward where we believed Santa Maria del Monte Chiesa to be (chiesa = church). As such, I cannot offer directions or parking hints, but I can assure you that just getting close and parking is a fine way to experience Caltagirone.

Clandestino

Whoa. This life is a wild ride if you pay attention to the little details. Don’t sweat the small stuff, and all, but don’t forget it either, I say! Just wait to see what a beautiful pattern those small details create in your life – be patient for them, and don’t overthink it (right, Jonathan?).

There are so many themes that tie in with the idea for this post that it could become a major theme, but I am not going to overthink it and will keep the stream of consciousness light tonight.

First of all, the beautiful Manu Chao song, “Clandestino”

The song is essentially about noticing how many people around you are illegals (clandestino), yet they are of sufficient mass that they support the culture and economy of nearly all modern industrialized nations; the U.S. and Europe alike.

Then, the article about the Romania immigrants sold to or enslaved by Italian (European, American, Imperialist, etc) people; in particular, this article discussed how these people are forced into panhandling. This type of panhandling is likened to (though not outright compared to) the umbrella girls – poor, disenfranchised people, brought to a foreign country without language, people or resources, forced into some sort of body labor (prostitution v. panhandling) and left without money or independence at the day’s end.

Finally, Clandestino banana products. The cover design, product design, and results are exquisite. Beautiful product! I hesitated at first due to my on-again-off-again hatred of banana texture and flavor, mitigated by the ubiquity, utility and nutritional quality of bananas. Yet, when I tasted the Clandestino bar, I was pleasantly surprised! (As was this blogger who reviewed the product.) Finally a “power” bar that is mostly unprocessed, full of nutrition, and doesn’t leave that gross-fake-chocolate taste in your mouth.

No matter the quality of the banana bar, I couldn’t help hearing the haunting sounds of Manu Chao’s song, nor the images of my favorite pan-handler (one-legged-Andy), and the many, many umbrella girls I see nearly daily. The power of words, and particularly of names, is immense.

My stomach’s all aflutter

Saturday morning dawned bright and gay, and with thoughts of running, I met the day.

Yet, before I would head out for that 4-mile quip, I must discipline myself to make arrangements for my trip.

AGHHHHHH!

To re-cap, Dave and I were going to make the marathon the centerpiece of a long weekend in the Alto-Adige region near Lake Garda. I cheerfully booked my registration one Sunday evening, weeks ago, anticipating making flight, car, and hotel arrangements over the following week. The very next day, some progress in a case came through and the judge scheduled a pending case for the Monday after my marathon. (Insert shocking music signaling doom here)

Facing not only making travel arrangements, but making the entire trip solo, my spirits took a temporary nosedive. I still mustered through my training runs, but when I contemplated making the necessary steps to get my physical self to the start line, my stomach clenched up and I often turned to necessary house chores to avoid dealing with the issue. I have traveled solo in the past and I enjoy solitary time, yet I was looking forward to searching the crowd for “Go Jill Go!” posters that Dave would be holding; I was looking forward to celebrating together after the race, and having someone to hear my mild “oooohs” when I got in and out of the car while sight-seeing the day after the race.

Luckily, we live in the time of technology, so I can call and text Dave, and I can reach out to get virtual support from friends, family, and blog readers. So, the final challenge was to buck up and make the reservations. I toyed with the idea of making it a shorter trip, but ultimately, I had been looking forward to a short break from work and I decided to honor that intention and enjoy some time in Northern Italy.

Immediately after completing my bookings this Saturday, I read the following quote – which succinctly summarizes how I feel about running and the way it relates to life.

“We runners talk about having fun but I don’t think anybody believes us. We talk about discipline and endurance, we take care, we exercise caution, we watch our diets and monitor our pace. We are ascetics who talk, unconvincingly, of the bracing enjoyment of self-abuse.”

–Peter Sagal

I’m ready for a great run and recovery!