Turkish Stairs at Agrigento
Main square in pretty Ragusa
Balcony corbells
Dove sei Commisario Montalbano?
The next day we headed on to Siracuse, town of the Greeks! Well Ortigia was where the Greeks first landed when they invaded Sicily. We walked the island; Fonte Artusa, Duomo and the relics of Apollo’s Temple. It’s worth mentioning that on the drive into Siracuse we stopped in at the Archaelogical Park which features a Roman and Greek theatre as well as Dionysus’ Ear a cave named by Caravaggio because he believed that Dionysus could hear all the Roman strategies against him through the echoes. Anyway.
Greek Theatre at the Archaelogical Park, Siracuse
The JB in Dionysus' ear
Couple of locals at Fonte Artusa, Ortigia
Ortigian coastline
Duomo, Ortigia
Relics of Apollo's Temple, Ortigia
On the way up the Eastern coast of Sicily we had planned to stop in at Mt Etna for a peek, but as we ascended the weather turned on us and we detoured, heading directly for Taormina, which surprisingly afforded some great views of the Northern side of the crater. Whilst at Taormina we also checked out the relics of their Greek theatre that overlooks the Ionian Sea, with Etna in the background. The theatre is still used in the summer so it’s in great condition.
Mt Etna from Taormina's Greek Theatre
Greek Theatre, Taormina
Greek Theatre, Taormina
Up the Messina Straits from Taormina
Our last day in Sicily we headed up the coast to the ferry port and crossed back into ‘the mainland’, but not before indulging in a couple of traditional arancini on our way across the Messina Straits.
Our next stop was in at the JB’s relos in Calabria. We had planned to stay there for only a few nights, but during our stay were once again snowed in to about 30cm and with the all the food on offer, why leave? So after eating, eating and eating, we ate some more before having a snack on our way out. It was four weeks in one, even the JB had sore gums from all the food and talk. Every day we lunched/dinnered with different families, dropping in on cousins for coffees, arancini and chocolate! By the time we left yesterday we were knackered. So because we weren’t feeling tired enough, we decided to drive for eight hours to the outer suburbs of Rome. We literally ate and collapsed into a deep slumber.
San Francesco di Paola, Calabria
Sterling silver altar, Paola
Frescoes depicting the life of San Francesco, Paola
One of the many murals decorating the streets of Diamante, Calabria
The JB with cousins Roberto & Fabio (aka Carl Williams) in the snow, Calabria
Elisa's work in the kitchen...
After they were cooked...
La Sila, Calabria
Our farewell cake, Calabria (Elisa again!)
The JB & his Gramps, a classic act
This morning we returned the car; having driven some 11,230 kms in 86 days through countless locations. What a great experience this has been. The car-leg of the trip was by far better than waiting for buses and trains; it opened up more opportunity to visit places off the beaten track and kept us cosy and warm during snowy & wintery drives. The best way to see Europe.
So tonight we find ourselves in Roma. We plan to have a rest before hitting the touristy spots tomorrow. So much to do in so little time… Until we next post, do as the Romans do, whatever that is.
