We just got back from 5 days of fun and sun in Sicily. We chose to go to Sicily because we wanted to visit someplace that had a CHANCE of being sunny, with some warmth and greenery and the SEA. We also wanted to do something that didn't involve big cities. So, Sicily was the perfect choice and it delivered on all fronts.
After a pretty easy Ryanair flight into Trapani airport we hopped into our teeny rental car (Fiat Panda-amazing it was 4 doors at that size) and drove off the Cefalu. Here is the map of our general route for the 5 days.
Cefalu is a small, very pretty town on the north central coast of Sicily. We were happy to have made it through Palermo rush hour traffic - yes it lived up to the legends of being incredibly nutty- and arrive in a tranquil, peaceful place. We checked out the town, saw some of the main sights, had a mediocre (but inexpensive) dinner and hit the hay in our hotel room which was also on the beach, a little bit out of town.
Palm, in fruit, and in the main square.
A medieval-era fountain, where they used to wash laundry only a few decades ago.
Main square with important church in background.
Our first night and our first gelatto. Turned out to be one of the best we had. Dave didn't want any so I ordered alone: Pistachio and Mandorla (Almond).
After one lick Dave was pretty into the gelato and we were officially sharing it.
Main square of Cefalu.
The beach at night. Our restaurant is the group of windows with the red glow.
Next day we awoke in our artery blood red room. It was really a shocking use of color which was made more shocking with the shards of mirror they glued to the walls for "decoration". WHAT were they thinking??
Luckily the view was SPECTACULAR and it was a sunny day! Yippeee!
After a very nice breakfast on the terrace of the hotel (with friendly cats waiting for people to share their breakfast), i saw some people were going for a swim at the beach down below. One of my "goals" for hte trip was to go swimming. I knew it was as good a time as any and a fantastic place to go, so I took advantage of the opportunity and circumstances, ran back to my room and hopped right in. the water was NICE! it was far warmer than the beach in Maine or Salisbury this summer, even on those incredibly hot days. Dave even got in up to his chest. i was impressed.
I wish i had taken a photo of where we went into the water but this is the exact view I had while swimming. If i looked the other direction i saw a ruined castle/fortress thing up on top of a hill. The very best part of this hotel was how accessible the water was. a simple concrete platform area that stepped right into the water. No sand in your towel, etc. Love that.
On our drive from Cefalu to Taormina, our next stop...
Along the way we felt like we were going back in time. People walking along the road, picking wild greens, etc. which I loved to see. Something about seeing people pick wild fruits, vegetables, etc. makes me very happy. I like thinking that there are still edible, healthy goodies out there, in the wild, in our backyard. I think most Americans are out of touch with where food comes from and the old traditions of "gathering". This is something you see so much more of in Europe - even in modern, rich Luxembourg. Men taking a break from their after work soccer match to pick blackberries in the hillside next to the field, women in work clothes filling their purses with chestnuts, men whacking walnut trees in the parking lot to get nuts to bring home, etc. It's truly one of my favorite things about living in Europe.
Excuse the bad quality of the photo from within the car but i loved this place with all the planters painted like the Italian flag.
Some really poorly built, tacky 1980's development. We didn't take the main Auto route because we wanted to drive along the coast. It was surprising, alarming almost, how run down the towns were even though they were RIGHT ON the water, some with beautiful beaches. I was expecting them to be more like resorts. It was more interesting to drive through than something more developed but it made me think about the corruption and bad development going on there. Something unique to Sicily?
Our lunch stop. See the man sleeping in his chair?
This photo is for Dave's family friends, the Messinas.
Along the way you could see some of the Aeolian islands - volcanic islands off the NE coast.
We eventually cut inland and after lots of winding, climbing roadway we came upon this most majestic view of Mt. Etna. It didn't look real in person, either. At first it was partially covered in clouds, then it cleared within moments. i think we were very lucky to get such a good view like this.
More beautiful towns, this one also with Etna hovering over it...
We drove into Randozza, a town that was partially covered by lava in a more recent eruption of Etna. It was fascinating to see it up close. Fields of black, ominious lava rocks alternating with cute stone houses and lush vineyards.
Lava rock up close. Pumice anyone???
Eventually, we made it to Taormina, a very elegant, beautiful and touristy village, crammed into the side of the hills, over-looking the sea. Because it was off season we enjoyed few crowds and cheap deals on our gorgeous hotel (free lunch there too!). Here is our hotel "Hotel Villa Belvedere." Possibly the nicest place I've ever stayed.
Our next stop was the Greek/Roman amphitheater.
On a clear day you can see Mt Etna in the background.
SOme of the lushness surrounding our hotel. Sigh ...
And it was prickly pear season! They were everywhere. We read that they are not native an dare taking over the landscape. It certainly looked like they were taking over. We had them for breakfast - quite juicy, nicely mild and sweet. Interesting texture - like soft watermelon with tiny stoney seeds throughout that i just swallowed whole. The color of the flesh was intense - super bright fushia or golden yellow. At first i thought they used food coloring! But we picked one on our own and verified the color was natural!
Here you can see how over time the green "leaves" turn into the woody trunk.
Dave on our "juliet" balcony. We slept with the french doors open every night.
The view from our balcony.
One of the main piazzas. the bldg on the right is where Liz Taylor and Richard Burton used to come and drink while on vacation here. Called "Wunderbar".
Back at the hotel... this huge tree was in bloom. Never seen anything like it. the blossoms were a cross between a lily and a tulip. It was gorgeous. We later saw several of these in other towns.
The tree blossom up close
Breakfast, which included mini canoli!
Just a random shrine, one of many.
We explored the gardens of the hotel and came across this GIANT jade tree plant.
And a few heavily fruited orange trees. Okay, I have a thing for orange trees. Sigh, i love them.
Terrace of the hotel.
A ceramic pile of citrus. I have loved this kind of thing for a while. Don't know why. I was hoping to buy a mini ceramic orange tree but they were too expensive. In hind sight i wish i had bought an individual ceramic lemon. they were pretty cool, and not so much money. Next time...
Next to the hotel were some public gardens ...
...they were still lush and full of blossoming plants and trees.
and many cats.
Dave had been saying how he had never really seen olive trees in fruit and "Voila!!" we saw one, and several others, during our trip.
Some super funky bloom/fruit thing going on. Was on the top of some sort of small palm plant.
It was all saint's day or "day of the dead" or something like that. Kids dressed up, asking for candy, a-la-Halloween. Cute.
A bizarre photo shoot at an art show. No idea why there were so many photographers. we asked and the woman was not famous. So why not just one photographer? who knows.
LIked this variation on the ceramic sculpture. Didn't notice the "no photos" sign until too late. hee hee hee. I now want to state that i think it's ridiculous for people to have store fronts that face the public but not allow photos. Come ON. That's kind of ridiculous to me.
Loved the fresh oranges in the ashtrays.
fruit and veggie vendor and with what looked like a regular customer.
Dave and a giant aloe like plant that was hanging over the wall.
Even the locals like their ceramic sculptures! :)
A neighboring town, perched on the hilltop. So many towns were like this.
A gelato flavor called "Mt Etna". They made it into this special shape, to resemble the shape of the mountain, i suppose. It tasted like hazelnut with crispy biscotti pieces in it. yummy.
Gorgeous planter, just outside our balcony, with the light hitting it "just SO".
Ahhhh... love the Sicilan sunshine in late October...
Part of our (FREE!) lunch poolside. We had antipasto, pasta, and we watched a funny-looking man in a speedo swim in circles around the pool.
A super-delicious, sweet, surprisingly-crisp pear from the breakfast buffet. Loved the color too.
Pool
After lunch snoozing by the pool on very comfy and practical (see adjustable sun visor) lounge chairs. Dave's visor slowly and gently fell on top of his face and he didn't wake up. He was OUT.
Some prickly pear graffiti.
Some aloe graffit.
Dave and i took a big hike up this hill behind the town. at the top we stopped to pick a prickly pear, one of my other "goals" for the trip. Here he is about to whack the one pear down to me where i caught it with my rain jacket. the pears are covered in tiny prickers (of course) which got all over me. i was itching for a day afterwards. But it was worth it. :)
Here you can see how amazingly bright and intense the color of the flesh is.
Walking around Taormina at night. Can't imagine the crowds during "high" season! ONe very nice thing was that we felt like most of the people, if not all of the people we saw were Italians so it made the whole trip feel more "authentic" and not touristy.
Canoli magnet or pie server anyone?
Bizarre but kinda cool Octo-necklace.
Another shrine...
After lots of relaxing, aesthetically-pleasurable fun in Taormina we decided to head on down to Siracusa. On our way, we stopped in Noto, a small town know for it's recently restored Baroque architecture... and "the world's best gelato" (no joke).
A squash or melon field a few miles from Noto.
Okay, let's get right to the Gelato. We went to the famous "Constanzo" and wow, it really really REALLY was the most delicious gelato Dave and I had ever eaten. I had pistachio and ricotta and Dave had pistachio and Mandorla. i felt i had to have pistachio every time so i could accurately critique each gelato experience. All were pretty damn fantastic, but Constanzo had our vote for the best.
Even though this is a kind of goofy photo of Dave, his expression does capture the bliss that was the gelato.
Savoring the last of the cones, checking out the beautiful architecture.
Some nice hair going on here.
The friendly "exit' nun.
And everywhere, all over the cities in Sicily, we saw people wearing these "Hogan" shoes. I looked them up and saw that they cost between 150-450 Euros! Wow. All ages, men and women were wearing them. Never seen such wide-spread brand loyalty like this.
Some teens helping out a couple of women get a photo of themselves.
After a pleasant afternoon in Noto we drove on to Siracusa, specifically Ortigia, a small island within the city that is connected via a small bridge. We were relieved to get out of the car and get some fresh sea air. Our hotel is just to the left of the edge of this photo.
Ohhhh, the seaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!
Can you spot the boy fishing? I loved seeing kids fishing, randomly all over the city.
Dave got friendly with the new camera.
I took this photo because the cat symbol here is from a building in Riga, Latvia. i thought it was so interesting that this person had it adorning the outside of their house. i wonder if they are from Latvia. Wouldn't be a bad place to spend your winters if you lived in Latvia the rest of the year!
Ortigia is known for its dense, winding streets and charming architecture. It was quiet, and peaceful and everywhere you turned you saw something interesting or photo-worthy...
...like this dapper man in his red sweater and a kitty-cat in the alley.
I loved the colors and textures of the buildings and the shapes of their silouettes.
See the pigeons?
Prickly pears!
As in many Sicilan towns, there were ample collections of Greek and Roman ruins, like this old market area. Or was it a theatre? Can't remember... but it was in the center of one of the main piazzas.
Fishing and tour boats.
French fry pizza! Wierd.
Dave about to bite into an arrancini. Delicious balls of risotto that are stuffed with meat, sauce, cheese and veg and then quickly breaded and fried. YUMMMMYYYY.
Pringle dispenser??? Never saw one before. C'est bizarre, no?
And the Piazza Duomo in Ortigia. This church was originally a Greek temple. Over time it was repurposed for a Christian church.
You can see the ancient, greek temples on the left, towards the back of the structure.
the ceiling
better view of the Greek-era columns. Amazing to see such distinctly different eras represented side by side in the same structure.
More street views of Ortigia.
You didn't have to walk far to see the sea.
This cat was SO unusual looking. Something about her blue eyes...
Giant cacti, on a small balcony.
We purchases some of the sundried tomatos on the left. they were sooo fragrant and soft and plump. Made some delicious pesto with them.
Beautiful pears.
Bunches of teeny, tiny pears. So cute
Fish monger with his swordfish- a very popular fish there.
I never saw a swordfish head before. pretty cool to see in person like that!
Tuna was the other popular fish there (though dwindling in supply).
Later that night i had a couple of the smaller fish on the right. Sea bream. Very nice.
A cat about to get a fish from the two boys on the right. It was like something from a cartoon, seeing a cat walking down the street with a fish in its mouth. Never seen that before, not even on the wharves in Portland, Maine.
These boys were so cute, checking out the fish for sale in the restaurant's cart.
Then they gave more fish to this group of kittens that were living in an abandoned building. This made me smile. Nice to see kids being so nice. :)
I thought it was so "European" that these kids were using a beautiful, old iron-gated doorway in a historic buidling for their "goal".
And more street soccer!
Writing postcards in Piazza Duomo, enjoying a cafe.
We had a great dinner here. You sit down, and they just started putting down the food and it was sooo good. Nobody really spoke any english and i think we were the only tourists there. The cops and police cheif were there, families, elegant couples, etc. Such a fun, local scene.
One of the couples next to us in the restaurant, in front of a painting from a local artist (Fiore) who was from Oritigia. His work was all over the city, in bars, stores, restaurants, etc.
Another Fiore painting of tuna. This was in a bar.
Another Fiore, in the restaurant from the next night.
We had a fabulous meal on our last night in Ortigia. We both started with some pasta. Dave had penna alla Norma (eggplant, basil, tomato, cheeses). i had gnocchi vongole (with clams and ruccola). Deliscious, and not very expensive.
Dave demonstrating the "scarpetta" or little shoe method that involves using a small piece of bread to sop up the last of your sauce. We have been told that Italians don't eat bread until the end of their meal, and they eat it like this.
Next course - fish! Remember the sea bream in one of the earlier photos of the market? Well, i knew the fish would be very fresh.
Our last day we decided to check out a small town, Catalgirone, which is famous for its ceramics. Here the walls leading into the city are lined with ceramic tiles and urns.
Lots of shops full of ceramics. No cool little ceramic orange tree. i wish i had bought a little canister thing. it was very inexpensive and very pretty. oh well. next time.
A huge staircase in the town center, with all the risers covered in ceramic tiles.
We got back on the road and took in the scenery of the interior of the island. Drier, somewhat desolate but so so beautiful.
Once in a while you would see a gorgeous little town perched on top of a hill.
One thing about driving in Sicily is that there isn't great signage. We were looking for the highway for over an hour and finally were on the right road. Then, all of a sudden it was washed out. No warning ahead whatsoever. We thought we would have to go backwards for 20 km and try to figure out another way to the highway.
Luckily Dave spotted another dirt road, just next to this one. i thought it was just a path to the next field. It turned out to be the "detour" (completely unmarked as such) so we made it onto the hightway and back it to Trapani airport with some time to spare.
A presto, Sicily!
XOXOXO
