New Year’s Eve 2022 in Sicily: the best ideas for celebrating safely
After the limitations imposed due to the advancement of the variant Omicron, Sicily will be a New Year’s Eve 2022 Under the banner of sobriety and prudence. Most Sicilians will stay home to celebrate, but there is no shortage of alternative ideas anyway. From trekking at heater, via a visit to the Etna
: Spending New Year’s Eve on the Island can be a completely original way to start the year, under the banner of nature and culture.
End-of-year trekking in Sicily: from Erice to Castellammare del Golfo
A trek divided between the sea and the mountains, to spend the New Year’s Eve 2022 in Western Sicily and specifically in the province of Trapani. The independent guide site of Trekkilandia will accompany you on four days of walking and sharing.
It starts from one of the most beautiful villages on the whole island, viz. Erice, and its medieval alleys, passing through Trapani and to the small island of Egadi Levanzo. The tour, exclusively on foot, will then take one of the most beautiful trails from a naturalistic point of view, that of the protected reserve of the Gypsy.
An ideal end of the year for those who want to toast the arrival of 2022 by immersing themselves in nature and away from the hustle and bustle of cities.
New Year’s Eve on Etna: a toast at high altitude
If you love adrenaline, the idea of partying on Europe’s highest active volcano may be for you. There are several associations that organize breathtaking hikes and walks on Etna’s craters. Very interesting is the proposal of Step by Step Tracking, a hiking project that has been standing for several years already, which leads on a real path to discover not only little-known medieval villages such as those of Randazzo e Castiglione di Sicilia, but also of the small mountain realities in the area. All surrounded by the ever-present colors of Mount Etna.
The naturalistic and volcanological aspect is the central part of the hike, but there is no shortage of activities such as birdwatching, constellation observations e food and wine tastings
of the Etna region.
What is needed. Hiking shoes, backpack and winter clothing because you will climb to the top, where you will toast the arrival of the new year.
Start 2022 at the theater: here’s where to go
For those who don’t like dinner parties and are looking for an original and quiet idea for the first of the year, the theater Is an original and alternative proposal. Skipped again this year are the big events in the square in Palermo, confirmed instead is the traditional new year’s concert at Massimo Theater scheduled for Jan. 1 at 6 p.m. Tickets are available at the official website www.teatromassimo.it and access to the event is allowed only to those in possession of the Green Pass.
Simultaneously, also in the Sicilian capital, at the Politeama Garibaldi Theater, will be held the other concert of the Italian Symphony Orchestra. The choice of New Year’s Eve in the theater will convince many this year to opt for this magical place, which manages not only to convey unique emotions, but also to bring the whole family together.
The Sicilian veglione: between food and good luck customs
The data are clear: because of the restrictions imposed after the considerable upswing in Covid 19 epidemic infections, 7 out of 10 Italians will spend the dinner of New Year’s Eve home. It will therefore be an opportunity to stay with family and celebrate, never more than this year, by putting into practice a series of customs and traditions consisting, as in the case of Sicily, mainly of food e propitiatory rituals for the new year.
What are the dishes most popular? After the so-called “spizzuliata” (i.e., the sampling of the hors d’oeuvres that accompany the toasts and anticipate the dinner) we move on to the real courses. I first can be either of fish (such as the spaghetti allo scoglio or the “matalotta.” or the fish soup beloved by all Sicilians) or of meat such as the very popular lasagna with meat sauce or the baked pasta.
Are you already full? Wait before you see the seconds: codfish breaded and fried, sfincione (a kind of pizza bread made with tomatoes, anchovies and cheese; eaten mostly in the Palermo area),sarde a beccafico
(typical of Palermo, Messina and Catania cuisine), cotechino and lentils, roast mashed potato and orange salad. What’s next? Of course, the typical desserts: from cassata to “cesta pu scacciu” o “cannistru”, a mixture of dried fruits such as walnuts, almonds, peanuts and chickpeas.
Just before midnight people stop playing cards and wait together for the stroke of the round hour. The rituals for a self-respecting true Sicilian always remain the same: there are those who prepare an even number of grapes (a tradition of Spanish origin), or those who decide to cook lentils (both round elements are carriers of wealth).
To ward off bad luck? You break old dishes or items that you no longer use. Would you like to find true love? All you have to do is pit a pomegranate and eat it, just as Proserpine did before she fell in love with Pluto.
Now there are no more excuses to start the year off right. (Almost) happy 2022 to everyone!
Davide Donnarumma