Feeding kids in Sicily

Dinners in Sicily are a problem, as the restaurants open at 9pm, well after bedtime for our boys. The only place to get a bite earlier is in the take-out pizzerias - but these can be hard to find, as the good ones are located away from the high rent town center.

My friend the fruit stand guy told me about a great pizzeria, owned by the father of his helper (it’s a small town). He took pity on us after watching us trek around the town square to three restaurants at 8:30 pm, none of which were open.

We miraculously understood enough of his directions to find our way to a tiny pizzeria well outside of town. Inside was a big oven made of lava rocks with a roaring fire that cooked both the pizza and the people in the restaurant, and a number of sweating Italian families. Nobody waited longer than necessary to get their pizza box, pay and run back home to feast on thin, crisp pizzas filled with flavors that grew right around the corner.