'O Dammuseddu...or, a fantastic lunch !

On Sunday, we went to the amazing hilltown of Forza d'Agro' for lunch at a wonderful little ristorante  called 'O Dammuseddu.  The name is Sicilian for the mountaintop overlook where it is located.  The brothers who own it could not be more friendly and attentive.  Joe and I had eaten there before and made a reservation for la familia...

We were greeted with glasses of prosecco e tarocco (sparkling wine and blood orange juice)..a good start !

Our meal began with antipasti too numerous to count...there were fried zucchnni, grilled eggplant, bruschetta, salami, olives, cheeses, delicious stuffed mushrooms, meatballs made of eggplant and zuchinni then wrapped in bacon (yum !), a fritatta with egg and potato, fried cheese, sun dried tomatoes...  it went on and on ...

As if we weren't all full by then, we asked to share three pasta dishes...the owner suggested a mushroom risotto, a gnocchi in a wonderful creamy tomato sauce, and a pasta in a saffron cream sauce with pieces of ham... all of this wonderful food enjoyed with the restaurant's homemade red wine at the very friendly price of four euros per bottle....

not much left on these plates... and even less after this picture was taken !

Basta cosi !  (Enough !)  But wait, there's more (always !)  The owner brought us several kinds of cookies, and blood oranges in balsamic glaze for desert...we were all groaning by then, but were served a delicious, moist homemade cake...

Then...the after dinner drinks arrived....limoncello, amaro, hazelnut liquor, grappa...and all "on the house"...oh, my !

As we were stumbling out - after hugs and kisses, of course - the chef ran after us with a handful of pens for everyone inscribed with the restaurant's name...how cute is that ?

our happy hosts...

  

On the restaurant business card it reads "il tuo angolo di Paradiso"... your corner of Paradise...and it truly was !!

After this very long and thoroughly enjoyable Sunday "lunch", we strolled around town and through the nearby gardens to enjoy some of the most amazing views of Sicily's eastern coast.  We could see for miles in all directions, including across the sea to Calabria on the Italian mainland....

 

looking north toward Messina

view toward the northwest

looking west toward the mountains

You can just see the hills of Calabria

part of the gardens...

The Girls

To top it off, there were hang gliders soaring above the town....

What an amazing afternoon in Forza d' Agro!

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