In Milazzo the success of “C’era una volta la Domenica” celebrated the Sicily of flavours, slowness and sharing. A tale of land and sea, between bread, wine and music under the centuries-old trees. At Ngonia Bay, a refined boutique hotel with restaurant overlooking the sea of Tono in Milazzo, Sunday 26 October was a hymn to slowing down, to going back to rediscover what really matters: the value of shared time, good food, authentic conviviality. The event, with the evocative title “Once upon a time on Sunday”, was the third event of the “October of taste, music and wine” cycle, a project conceived by the brothers Marco and Rachele Calabrese, young restaurant entrepreneurs who have made the valorisation of Sicilian excellence a mission and a vision. «We live in a world that runs fast, which often forgets the importance of slowness», they say.
«With this project – they continue – we wanted to restore Sunday to its original meaning: a day of meeting, of family, of simplicity. A laid table, a glass of wine and the pleasure of sharing stories. The scene opened in the upper part of the structure’s garden, a place that guests and staff affectionately call “the forest”. Here, among centuries-old trees, soft lights and the scent of burnt wood, there is an open oven and barbecue – two ancient symbols of conviviality, tools that transform food into a ritual. It is in this bucolic setting that chef Fabio Baudo and his team welcomed guests, intertwining gestures and words, passionately describing each dish, each ingredient, each choice. Alongside them, Luca De Gaetano and Alessandro Donnis, room managers, guided those present on a tasting journey that became a sincere dialogue between those who cook and those who taste. Not a simple lunch, therefore, but an immersive experience, made up of stories, smiles and flavours. Each course told a piece of Sicily: the bread that comes from wheat, the wine that matures in the wind, the desserts that preserve childhood memories.
Three figures who embody the artisanal and gastronomic excellence of the island gave body and soul to this special Sunday. The first, Antonio Palana, baker from Fragipane in Milazzo, brought his bread made with ancient methods, sourdough and selected flours. Each loaf is the result of slowness, attention and passed down knowledge. «Bread is the basis of conviviality – explains Palana – it is the simplest and most human gesture that exists: breaking it and sharing it». Then the turn of Nino Caravaglio, wine producer from Salina, one of the most poetic voices of Aeolian wine. Its bottles, the result of a territory beaten by the wind and salt, accompanied the courses with intense and mineral aromas. «Wine is a story of sea and land together», says Caravaglio, and «every sip contains the breath of our islands, the light, the effort, the hope».
To close the lunch, the mastery of Soccorso Colosi, pastry chef at Gualtieri Sicaminò, custodian of a confectionery art that is culture even before taste. His cassata, decorated with skill and balance, brought back childhood memories and scents, bringing to mind the Sundays of the past, when every slice was a celebration.
Everything was accompanied by the live music of Alessandro Panicola, who with his bossanova sounds and touches of guitar made the atmosphere light, harmonious, suspended in time. The notes mixed with the crackling of the fire, the clinking of glasses, the laughter that filled the air: a natural concert of emotions. The setup was curated by Luana Guidara, with natural flowers, in a simple but extraordinarily elegant style, capable of enhancing the authentic beauty of the environment. It was not difficult, looking at the relaxed faces of the guests, to imagine being in a contemporary fairy tale, where beauty lies not in luxury but in the truth of gestures. Every detail, from the rustic and refined equipment to the lights among the branches, spoke the language of the perfect balance between elegance and simplicity.
“Ngonia” in dialect indicates a corner, a landing place, a refuge. And Ngonia Bay, with its sober and refined architecture, is precisely this: a place where nature meets culture, where tradition blends with innovation. Since its birth, the Calabrese family structure has chosen to interpret Sicilianity in a contemporary key without betraying its roots but giving them a new voice. From the cuisine to the design, from the welcome to the selection of raw materials, everything speaks of an island that is not a postcard, but a living, vibrant, authentic experience.
«Every event we organize – explain Marco and Rachele – is born from the desire to create connections: between people, between flavours, between territories. Sicily is a land of encounters, and we want to be a crossroads.” The “October of taste, music and wine” cycle responds exactly to this philosophy: four events, recently concluded, which intertwined gastronomy, art and territory, uniting producers, chefs, artists and guests in a single network of shared beauty.
“Once upon a time on Sunday” was more than a gastronomic event: it was a cultural act, the demonstration that there is an audience eager for authentic experiences, for moments in which time stops and the senses awaken. A way, in short, to affirm that quality is not a luxury but a daily choice; that tradition is not nostalgia, but a root that nourishes the present. And this is precisely the secret of Ngonia Bay: the ability to transform a place into a story, a dish into an emotion, a Sunday into a memory.
At the end, between applause and the last notes, the staff expressed their gratitude. «We would like to sincerely thank those who participated, those who worked behind the scenes, those who believed in this project», said those responsible. «The success of this “Sunday” shows that there is still a desire for authenticity, for experiences that leave their mark. “Once upon a time on Sunday” is just the beginning of a journey that will continue to enhance our land and its extraordinary identity.”
At the end of the event, a scent of wood, bread and simple happiness remains. A contemporary fairy tale on the seashore. After all, “Once upon a time on Sunday” is not just a suggestive title: it is a promise. That of bringing the value of time, food and human relationships back to the centre. Ngonia Bay was able to turn an ordinary Sunday into a collective story, where every person, every dish, every musical note had its space, its voice.