A taste of Sicily

Sunset shot in Sicily.

We took-off for a 4 day weekend in early May to get a taste of Sicily. After the 30 minute flight from Malta to Catania, we rented a car (they drive on the right side of the road there—well kind-of.  It seems the Sicilian drivers like to stay a little bit in both lanes) with manual gear shift (they have up-dated manuals, you now have to pull a toggle up on the stick to get in reverse) and made a little triangle around the northeast leg of Sicily.  The points of our triangle included Taormina, Patti (in the Milazzo port area), Cefalù and through the Enna region on our way back to Catania. It has been a few months since either one of us has driven a car.  It was great to experience the control and freedom of driving again.  Tolls on two segments of the triangle cost us about 20 Euros, parking another 15 Euros, half a tank of diesel 65 Euros, not to mention the daily cost of renting the car, 60 Euros. Car travel is a bit more expensive here than in the States.  (Exchange rate 1 Euro equals about $1.40 USD.)

Looking down on Taormina.

We arrived in Taorimino just as the light in the sky disappeared. Thus, we followed one of our travel rules. Rule 3: Arrive before sunset to new places as it is easier to get unlost and to find your hotel in the daylight. After this trip I want to enact a new rule.  Rule 12: Do not travel without a navigation system or City Maps To Go app. Once checked into Hotel Condor and the manager kindly parked our car in a space that looked smaller than the car, we walked (ever so relieved not to be driving the narrow two way switchback cliff clinging roads) down to town and grabbed a gelato and wandered the pedestrian streets.  Walkways charmingly flowed in to intimate palazzis with outdoor cafes, fountains, and quiet corners.

Hiking up and up to Castelmola.

Still going up with Castelmola in the upper right of the picture.

Ohh, so there is Mt. Etna.

In the morning, we hiked from Taormina (656 ft above sea level) up to Castelmola, a steep 3 mile ascent.  When we arrived 1000 ft above Taormina, we found Mt. Etna.  We missed her on the drive up as we were so intent on finding road signs and figuring out exits, tolls and one way roads. We walked back down to Taormina and wandered through the public garden designed by a Scottish woman, Florence Trevelyan Cacciola in the late 1880s.  She married a local professor after being “invited” to leave England after a romantic liaison with the future king Edward VII. We then climbed around the 2C AD Greek theater with the best view in the world not only of Mt. Etna but also the coastline to the south. An incredible venue for a concert.  We completed all of this before noon and so enjoyed a well-deserved lemon granita (slurpee-like icy treat.)

Fountain in the public garden.

Grandest concert venue.

We then jumped in the car and headed north to Messina and then west towards Milazzo. We arrived at our Rural Tourism (not to be confused with the Agricultural Tourism program) Villa Pica’s stonehouse in the early afternoon. We read with a beer and glass of wine until dinner time while smelling the fragrance of citrus blossoms.  We felt like we had rolled back to our Santa Barbara days. The foothills, ocean and island views were reminiscent of Andrew’s doctoral education days.

View from Villa Pica.

Approaching Villa Rica near Patti.

We were up early for a day trip on Sunday to two of the Ionian Islands, Lipari and Vulcano.  We felt like we were headed to Mackinac Island, MI as we watched hydrofoil ferries head out to the Aeolian Islands (minus the rooster tail feature).  The sea was calm and enjoyable to be on.

Lipari town.

Reminiscent of our biking trip in 1988 through Europe.

Our cobbled beach.

A beach house on Lipari Island.

Black sand beach on Vulcano Island with namesake in the background.

Gelato-er

 We rented bikes in Lipari, pedaling a mile or so to a beach. Then, we enjoyed lemon granitas. On the island of Vulcano, we walked to the black sand beach and took a quick dip in the sea.  Then, treated ourselves to a gelato. In Michigan island visitors are called “fudgies” as they come over and eat fudge. We assume we were gelato-ers! That evening we took a Mother’s Day stroll with rest of the city, down the waterfront promenade in Milazzo.

What are we doing up here with a beach like that down there?

After a morning hike around Villa Rica, we headed for Tindari to view a cathedral and Roman ruins. We parked, climbed the hill passing 6 tour buses and were 10 feet from the cathedral entrance when we looked down at this spit of beach sand. We looked at each other and started back downhill. The empty beach, Capo Tindari, pulled us down like a magnet. We passed on getting cultured for some water time. We found our way through the little town of Oliveri and walked 20 minutes to get to our own strip of the Tyrrhenian coast.  It was wonderful. We took quick dips and long walks along the shore.  Andrew collected sea glass and me, rocks, including heart shaped rocks.

Come on, this way.

Yes, this is much better than being  up on the hill.

We left reluctantly and headed west towards Cefalù and Villa Palamara 1868, a converted convent situated along the coast. After cleaning up, we headed into Cefalù for cannolis and gelato. Nothing like having dessert for dinner. We wandered the town and the boardwalk.  We did not attempt to summit La Rocca, a fortressed crag that shoulders the town.  We had done enough hill work that first day in Taormino. In the morning, I swam laps in the Villa’s perfect pool and ate loquats from the tree over hanging the pool.

 

In front of the Duoma in Cefalù.

Cefalù

We headed southeast towards Enna and Piazza Armenrina.  Outside of town in a wooded valley, we toured the Villa Romana del Casale, a 3-4C AD Imperial Roman Villa.  The summer home was hidden under mud for 700 years and excavated in the 1950s to reveal over 12,000 sq ft of floor mosaics. Of note is the bikini girl mosaics. This artwork was inspiring.

 

Mosaics of bikini girls playing volleyball?

We pulled into the airport car rental place 5 hours before for our flight.  We spent the time in the terminal eating cannolis and gelato, whatelse?