Rodì Milici

The small mountain village of Rodì Milici in the north of Sicily

The piazza of Rodi Milici is not watched over by an imposing cathedral, nor is there an ancient temple waiting for visitors. But there are three different churches in Rodi, although not mentioned in any travel guide, they are charming and worth seeing in a typical rural way.

But tourists do not come to Rodi Milici because of the churches. Nor does it live from tourism. You won't find a souvenir store or a luxury boutique with just such prices on every corner.

Rodi offers much more

It is a grown and traditionally living Sicilian village. In the winter months, you won't find yourself standing in front of closed stores and restaurant doors, and the sidewalks aren't "folded up." You experience Sicilian everyday life, pure and 365 days a year.

This is how the German press writes about Rodi Milici:

In Rodi Milici, tourists still arrive in the midst of everyday Sicilian life. Here, the world does not revolve around them alone. Good thing!

Time is firmly in the hands of the church in Rodi Milici. Punctually, every quarter of an hour, the bells of the ocher-colored, shuttered-looking Chiesa dell'Immacolata pierce the small Sicilian village. Brighter strokes announce the full hours, a darker one sounds for each quarter. 24 hours a day. Reliable. Any timekeeping of their own becomes superfluous for the 2,200 inhabitants of the double village of Rodi Milici and the tourists who vacation here away from the usual Sicilian resorts in pleasantly small numbers.

Vacation in the middle of an intact village in the northeast of Sicily in the province of Messina. Vacation just a quarter of an hour from the Golfo di Tindari with its beautiful sandy beaches. Vacation in a gentle hilly landscape. Vacation among the villagers, in the midst of the daily life of the locals. This is undoubtedly what makes the charm of this charmless but intact village - here life still revolves around the people who are at home here, and not around the few tourists who are also there. What a contrast to the artificial seaside resorts that were created just for the tourists - and only come to life during the main holiday months of July and August, only to sink back into a deep sleep afterward, which doesn't make them any prettier. Rodi Milici is different. Here, life has a very pleasant, quiet rhythm. And all year round.

There are two main squares. Piazza dell'Immacolata, by the church of the same name, named after the local saint who is supposed to protect Rodi Milici from the rigors of life, is rather quiet. Here you will also find one of four well-stocked butcher shops, where people not only shop, but also gossip and laugh a lot. Workers drop in to have a panini filled with ham or sausage, while the car waits outside with the engine running.

Unobtrusively friendly locals

Not far from the square, a small but well-stocked supermarket leaves little to be desired. At the checkout, the petite old lady immediately asks if you are French. She also speaks French, she emphasizes. And she seems to want to use it again. When she is told that only German is spoken, she unfortunately has to pass, but is still happy to help and smiles her gentle, friendly smile. And another lady, no longer the youngest, packs your shopping into the obligatory busta (plastic bag) because she's at the checkout for a chat anyway, and then you can help out.

They are unobtrusively friendly here, turned towards strangers, greeting and waving as if they have known each other for a long time, and after a few days you get the feeling that you belong in this so normal place with its three churches. The "Buona sera!" is now replaced by the casual "Salve! People know each other. And after the siesta - which is still strictly observed between about 1:30 and 5:30 p.m. - they meet in the town's second square, which is actually the first. Because Piazza Martino is the lifeline of the community, although there is no church here. Here you stop briefly for a coffee, an aperitivo or a bite to eat in the bar "Rhodis", the news hub including a good pizzeria and restaurant and excellent ice cream and cupcakes.

But also at the gas station of Pino "Maresciallo", which is located directly on the sidewalk, mainly the men meet for evening gossip. The bank, pharmacy, bus stop, tobacco store and flower store are right next door. In general, Rodi is a place of short distances. And just around the corner on the small palm-lined promenade is the beautiful, obviously recently refurbished red town hall, which looks very South American. And in the middle of the street, a large angel with a sword commemorates the war dead from Rodi.

On the promenade there's another bar, for the younger crowd, two more restaurants - of which Santino's Borgo Antico (delicious, the Involtini di Pesce Spada) is highly recommended. If you want to eat there on Saturdays, or in the other inns, you have to make reservations early. Because it is hard to go out to eat in Rodi, even from the neighboring municipalities guests come to enjoy the village life pure.

With a glass of Nero d'Avola under a fig tree

If you want to be there, you can find accommodation in lovingly prepared country houses and vacation apartments in the middle of the village or a little above it on the edge of the village. Especially from the small, partly 150 years old cottages on the outskirts of the village, you have not only a beautiful view of Rodi, but also of the surrounding mountains and the not distant sea.

Sitting up here in the natural garden under the massive fig tree with a glass of Nero d'Avola and quietly counting the chimes of the Immaculata, you truly feel close to heaven. No wonder in this village, where the church still has a firm grip on time.