Wedding Day Activities

We will be organizing two optional (and free) activities for our guests on Saturday, both of which will start and end at Hotel Mursia. The tours, organized by Tonino Marino and his cousin Valerio, consist of a tour of the island by boat and the other by land. If you plan on joining either tour, you will need to confirm the night before (we will have sign-up sheets at the degustation at our house Friday evening).

Le escursioni organizzate in compagnia di Tonino

Marino Travel Tour Brigantino (Brigantino Giro dell'Isola), Pantelleria (TP)
0923 311272, cell 0338 6410377

Red Tour Escursione Rossa (land tour): This tour consists of a drive around the island, stopping at various archaeological sites and points of interest. Depending on time, the tour may also stop at a wine canteen. If you are interested in the history of Pantelleria and in beautiful panoramas, this is the tour for you. Highlights include:

1. Neolithic tombs Tombe neolitiche
2. Hot springs Aqua termale
   
3. Caper farm Visita al capperificio
4. Phoenician funerary statues Statue funerarie fenicie
5. Clifftop vista Visita al Salto della Vecchia
   
6. Seaside stop Sosta baleare
   
7. Pantesco food and wine tasting Degustazione assaggi di prodotti tipici
   

Departure Time -- 9:30 AM from the Hotel Mursia
Estimated Return Time -- 13:30

Blue Tour Escursione Blu (boat tour): On this tour you will travel by boat around the island, stopping by beaches unreachable by land. A light meal will be provided.

Departure Time -- 9:00 AM from the Hotel Mursia
Estimated Return Time -- 13:30

Wedding Food & Wine

The menus for Friday and Saturday highlight some of the best dishes of Sicilian and Pantesco cuisine. While Sicilian cuisine is heavily influenced by the Spanish royal family (who ruled over Sicily for centuries), Pantesco cuisine is more influenced by local ingredients and by the island's geographic proximity to Tunisia.

Antonio Scardamaglia, the Food & Beverage Manager, and Agostino Palmisano, the Executive Chef of the Mursia & Cossyra Hotels, have created the dishes and advised us on the selection of the wines for the Friday degustation and Saturday dinner.

Antonio has been working with the DiFresco family for a year. He has 20 years of experience in the restaurant business, starting his career as a chef in various restaurants in Sicily. Antonio has worked the past ten years at several four- and five-star hotels, most recently as the Restaurant Manager of the five-star Grand Hotel Excelsior in Naples and as the Sommelier and Maître of the Grand Hotel des Etrangers et Miramare in Syracuse. We hope that you will enjoy the wines and dining experience created by Antonio.

Agostino has been a chef for 30 years, working in professional kitchens since the age of 18. His early years included four years as a chef at two Italian restaurants in Köln, Germany. Specializing in Sicilian food (especially couscous), Agostino joined the Mursia from the Torre Artale, a four-star hotel in Palermo, where he was executive chef. Previously he was the banqueting chef for the five-star Grand Hotel Villa Igiea in Palermo. We look forward to hearing about your favorite weekend dishes.

benvenuti welcome
4 luglio july 2008

degustazione dei piatti panteschi pantesco food tasting

filetti di triglie marinate al pepe rosa
Red Mullet Marinated in Red Pepper

alici all’finocchietto selvatico
Anchovies with Wild Fennel

carpaccio di polpo
Octopus Carpaccio

filetti di spatola pantesca
Swordfish Filet alla Pantesca

calamari ripieni
Stuffed Calamari

carni affumicati
Smoked Meats

taglieri di salumi e formaggi
Charcuterie and Cheese Selection

bruschette al pesto pantesco
Bruschetta with Tomato and Caper Pesto

insalata pantesca
Salad of Tomatoes, Onions, Potatoes and Capers

couscous di pesce
Fish Couscous

couscous di carne
Meat Couscous

tabulè
Tabulé

semifreddi all’arancia
Orange Ice Cream Cake

frutta fresca e granite
Fresh Fruit and Granita

vini wines
ligria, dancona
rosso verzella, benanti
anthilia donnafugata

ricevimento di nozze wedding dinner
5 luglio july 2008

Aperitivi - Antipasti

Fantasia di Tartine e Canapes - Cestini di Pasta Brisè assortiti
Assortment of Savoury Tarts and Canapés

Spiedini a Riccio - Verdurine Pastellate
Vegetable Skewers & Breaded Vegetables

Mozzarelline e Pomodorini di Pachino
Mozzarella and Small Vine Tomatoes

Scaglie di Parmigiano, Pere, Noci e Miele - Cucchiai del Marinaio
Seafood Spoons with Shaved Parmesan Cheese, Pear, Hazelnuts and Honey

Piccoli Panini con Panelle - Spiedino di Polpo, Patate e Pomodorino
Small Sandwiches of Chickpea Croquettes & Skewers of Octopus, Potato and Cherry Tomato

Carosello di Pesce Fumé con Gelatina al Cedro
Smoked Fish with Citron Gelée

Primi Piatti First Course

Sformato di Riso Venere ai Crostacei e Coulisse agli Agrumi
Timbale of Rice with Crayfish and Citrus Coulisse

Margherite di Pasta Fresca, ripiene alla Cernia Nappati ai Pomodorini
Fresh Pasta Filled with Grouper and Cherry Tomatoes

Secondi Piatti Second Course

Tortino di Dentice ai Gamberi
Cestino di Pasta Pane con Verdurine di Stagione
Sea Bream and Prawn Pie
Accompanied by Pizza Bread and Seasonal Vegetables

Sorbetto al Limone
Lemon Sorbet

Medaglione di Manzo in Crosta di Pistacchi Patate Mandorlate
Medallion of Beef Encrusted with Pistachios
Accompanied by Potatoes and Slivered Almonds

Dolci Dessert
Torta Nuziale e Buffet di Dolci e frutta Fresca
Wedding Cake and Dessert Buffet

Vini Wines
La Segreta Planeta
Cerasuolo di Vittoria
Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin
Passito D’Ancona
Moscato

Hotel Mursia

Until last summer when the main house of Chiare Stelle was finished, Paolo and his family spent every summer at Hotel Mursia. Hotel Mursia is a modern take on the family-run Italian hotel, not luxurious but warm, relaxed and simply stylish, like your childhood friend's fantastic home with the pool. The hotel is owned and managed by some of Paolo's family's closest friends, the Di Fresco family and the interiors were recently redesigned and renovated by the architect, Gabriella Giuntoli, who designed our house along with a number of our houses and hotels on Pantelleria (Casa Armani, Santa Teresa, etc).

View from the stairs from the hotel lobby down to the pool:

View from the café and bar next to the pool:

You can walk from the Hotel Mursia pool onto the black lava rock stretching out to the sea.

Getting Around Pantelleria

We will be organizing a couple of optional tours on Saturday so that guests can explore the island. However, if you want to see more of Pantelleria, you should rent a car (or scooter or quad). Renting a Panda should cost approximately €196 per week, or €35 per day. You can rent a car once you arrive at the airport or book in advance. Your hotel should also be able to help you with a car rental. Car rental companies with offices at the airport include:

Autonoleggio Pantel Rent
Via Napoli Pantelleria
Tel. 0923.913636

Autonoleggio Policardo
Via Messina, 31 Pantelleria
Tel. 0923.912844 / 0923.911741

Autonoleggio L'Agenzia di Busetta Teresa
Via Punta Croce Pantelleria
Tel. 0923.912836

Directions to Chiare Stelle, Casa Roncaglia

While we will provide transportation to and from Hotel Mursia and the Yacht Marina Hotel (located in Pantelleria town) for the Friday degustation and the Saturday wedding ceremony, we wanted to include directions to our house for those adventurous guests who will be renting a car. Below are directions from Scauri (from the direction of Mursia). Just follow the white Panda!


Here is the Panda passing in front of La Nicchia, a restaurant that we highly recommend for its fish and pasta dishes. Ask for a seat in the charming giardino pantesco (a traditional garden enclosed by cyclindrical wall of stones to protect plants from the wind).

Shortly after passing La Nicchia and turning a few more curves you will enter Scauri center, where the church takes prominent position, as with most small towns in Italy.

Turn left at the piazza in front of the church in the direction of the 'Casbah' store.

You will pass in front of a pharmacy.

Continuing down the road you will encounter a fork with a road sign. Turn left towards Rekhale.

At this point, you want to turn off the main road onto a very narrow road that can very easily be overlooked. Look at the Panda and you will see what we mean. Look for the road sign with the speed limit.

The road should look like this.

Continue along this road until you reach the end. At the three-way intersection you need to turn left. Look for the pink house.

The road should look like this (stone wall and higher elevation to your right).

Almost immediately thereafter you will reach a point in the road that may be slightly confusing. Stay on the road, which is to the left. The path on the right is the driveway to someone's house.

1.5 km from the Scauri town sign and the start of our journey, you will reach Chiare Stelle, Casa Roncaglia. Benvenuti!

Wedding Gifts

The best wedding gift you can give us is your attendance at our wedding in Pantelleria.

We have also created wedding gift registries ('wedding lists' in British English) on Amazon.com and at Casidea ai Parioli in Rome (User: Roncaglia OR Yoo). Jane has spent hours researching the ideal products in each category, and we would be happy to receive any of the items listed on our gift registries. Alternatively, you may opt to gift the Korean way, which is cash in a special envelope. Read an interesting debate/thread about the latter on an online ESL forum.

If you would like to give a more personal or unusual gift, we would love to receive the paintings and glasswork of Paolo's maternal grandmother, Monica Bratt. Here is an example of one of her works found online:


Other ceramic artists whose works would make wonderful gifts are the ethereal bone china pieces of Helen Felcey, who exhibited at Ceramic Art London 2007...


... and the similarly beautiful bone china, paper and glass works of ceramic and glass artist, Andrea Walsh.


Paolo loves wine and has a fledging collection. Jane is very supportive of this passion and especially enjoys the days when the wines are uncorked. The following items would be welcome wine-related gifts.

• Wine fridge (European 220-230 V, 50 Hz)
  
• Decanter
  
• Riedel or Spiegelau crystal stemware for tastings