Thanks to our guides, Diana and Dino for their care, enthusiasm and insights.

Planning: www.oattravel.com (Sicily and Puglia),   Rome2Rio app (trains and buses), www.thetourguy.com (Vatican and Crypt tour), www.trentalia.com (Italian Trains), www.omio.com (Italian Trains), www.italotreno.it (Italian Trains), www.ticketone.it (Borghese tickets),www.milan-museum.com (Last Supper by DaVinci tickets)

Diana, Best guide ever

Italy’s Mt. Etna is the tallest volcano in Europe and the  most active volcano in the world.  It dominates the northern skyline of Catania on the Ionian Sea and has probably been active for about 500,000 years. Mt Etna lies over the African and Eurasian plates and now has 4 craters. The last major eruption was in 1992 but in 2021 there were over 50 eruptions necessitating the cleanup of streets and buildings often.  Coarse black gravel-like pebbles are everywhere, along the streets as you head up to hike the volcano. We were able to hike up to about 7500 feet of the 11000ft volcano above which groups are prohibited.  

A local said of the volcano, “here more than anywhere else on Earth, you strongly feel the force of nature, we are so used to natural disruptions that, on one hand they make you admire nature, but on the other you turn to the High, the Most High.”

Taormina is one of the top summer destinations in Sicily aided by its lofty perch and spectacular views of the Ionian Sea.  The Greek and Roman theater, Teatro Greco sights Etna in one direction and the turquoise sea in the other. An evening summer concert here would amaze.

Syracuse (Siracusa) was the most important city in Ancient Greece, housing over 300,000 in its heyday.  Aligned with Sparta they defeated the Athenians in 413 BCE.  Home of the mathematician, Archimedes, Cicero proclaimed Siracusa the most beautiful of all Greek cities.  The old city Ortygia is reached by walking over a bridge and and immediately the ruins of the Temple of Apollo from the 7th Century BCE.  Strolling up the street through narrow streets to the Ionian Sea reveals turquoise waters and swimmers.  Circling back brings us the beautiful Piazza del Duomo, the real center of Ortygia and the cathedral where you can see the original Doric columns that were used in the construction.

Catania is our last stop in this two week tour of Italy and we immediately see the beautiful main square, Piazza Duomo as we walk into the city. The cathedral dominates the square and is dedicated to St. Agata, the patron saint of the city.  The festival of St. Agata is celebrated annually.  She is celebrated to invoke her ability to kept the city safe from eruptions, earthquakes and epidemics.

 In the shadow of Mt. Etna, Catania has been devastated after eruptions, most notably in 1669 it was covered by lava. The building material to rebuild the city was the lava it self.  Gray streets and steps are everywhere. Elsewhere in the Piazza lies the Diocesan Museum and the Municipo, (town hall). In front of the town hall stands a lava elephant (the city’s symbol) in a fountain carrying an obelisk.  The mysterious elephant was the symbol of the city going back as far as the 9th century.  In 1239 Catania rebelled and became a royal city and the Catanese chose the elephant to replace St. George.

Exploring the old city further, the lively fish market is front and center adjoined by many markets and eateries serving Sicilian specialties.

While in Catania we are reminded of the vital role played by Italy and Sicily in World War II by a visit to an Allied cemetery and a museum.

The city of Ragusa and the side trips to Modica and day in the life at a cheese farm were favorites in this trip. Ragusa is a hilltop city above a gorge and is so charming with its winding narrow streets and beautiful vistas and churches.  When in the city you are either walking up or down… nothing is level…. better watch out for cars and motorcycles!  It’s piazzas are lively and the food superb. Our local tour guide, Eleonora, makes the city special and serenades us at the end of the morning tour. Diana, our main guide, suggests we shop for ceramics so we must! I could linger in this town.

We make a one hour journey to catch the sunset in Modica and are treated to a thrilling ride in Fiat 500 motor cars up and down and around the city including sunset pic stops and to view the main church. This was soooo much fun!

We visited a Ragusan farm owned by 3rd generation farmer Salvatore Bussello and his wife and two daughters.  They run a dairy and make cheese, and have two food trucks that they take to local markets.  Salvatore has joined the “Zero Miles Producers Association”, a farmers’ union that advocates for small farmers.  During the pandemic they started taking their products to cities around them via his food trucks. They let us have a hand at cheese making and pasta specialties and barbecue. Their farmhouse lunch was terrific. As Salvatore said many times “Salute”.

Villa del Casale is an ornate, large and somewhat decadent retreat, quite possibly of Marcus Aurelius Maximianus, Rome co- emperor during the reign of Diocletian (AD 286-305) according to Lonely Planet.It is located in the countryside near the town of Piazza Armerina.

Following a landslide in the 12th century, the villa was lost under 30 feet of mud. It was fortuitous for all since the site is very well preserved. Most of the important restoration was done in the 1950’s.

On the north side is the entrance through the elaborate bath complex with hot and cold areas but the magic in this place are the mosaics which UNESCO says is ‘the finest mosaics in situ anywhere in the Roman world.’  Their color and craftsmanship make them stand out.  Famous are the so-called ‘Bikiini Girls’ which shows young women athletes.  Mike and I wonder about the line on their abdomens, umbilicus, scar from surgery or brand?  The Little Hunt and Great Hunt mosaics portray their pastimes.

I am fascinated by the columns, Doric (plain), Ionic (leaves) and Corinthian (both). A long column made or marble or granite with a top…. How did they construct them??

As we travel along the southwest coast of Sicily we arrive at the marvelous city of Agrigento (Akragas in Greek), home to the vast 5th century BCE Greek ruins, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Founded by Greek colonists, it was the 3rd largest city in Ancient Greece during the Magna Graecia (golden age of Greece).  Agrigento was neutral in the war between Athens and Syracuse in 413 BCE but was attacked and besieged for seven months and destroyed by the Carthaginians (from modern day Tunisia) in 406 BCE. Again it was destroyed by the Romans in the 2nd Century BCE but they rebuilt the city. Pindar wrote “Akragas, the most beautiful city mortals had ever built.”

On the edge of the city we are treated to a home hosted lunch with a view of the Mediterranean and a family history of ancient Italian cart making.  The vividly decorated two wheeled carts were drawn by donkeys or horses. They became widely used in the early 1800’s for transporting goods and people.  Sicilian carts are known for their elaborate decorations.

Traveling along the coast bunkers from WW II are visible among the vineyards and groves plus large vegetable farms.  Our guide, Diana explains that petrochemical plants that we also view have had deleterious effects on health of these Sicilians.

Our home for only one night is an isolated Agriturismo Vecchia Masseria which has beautiful views, gourmet food and a great bar and pool.  Highly recommended!

On the way to Marsala we are captivated by the views of hills of olive groves and the Tyrrhenian Sea.  We stop at an agriturismo for lunch and a short hike between rows of grapes with a view of a restored Greek Temple on the property..  The olive oil is superb. After arriving in Marsala we make friends with Fabio for a glass of wine before our gourmet dinner.

In the morning we head to Mazara which was founded in the 9th century by the Phoenicians and has a large Muslim population. Antonio, a Tunisian gives us a tour of the kasbah with its labrynthine pathways and colorful tiles.

Home of the largest fishing fleet in Italy, Mazara houses a treasure found by a fisherman, The Dancing Satyr, which experts believe dates back to the 4th and 1st century B.C.  A surprise awaits us after a serenade in a restored theater….we meet the fisherman who found the statue and have lunch in his home with his wife and step-daughter who is completing her 5 yr pharmacy degree and hear about his other step-daughter who is a physician.  They sing along with Boticelli on the radio while returning us to the bus.

Marsala is famous for its wine…there are groves of grapes everywhere, but also its salt.  They harvest salt from the Tyrrhenian Sea by old and new methods.  We have a salt tasting! We try salt on bread, flavored salts and salts on different fruits.

Despite the threatening rain, the weather clears and we take a boat to a nearby island of Mothya to visit the Giuseppe Whitaker museum loaded with ancient Phoenician and Roman artifacts. 

We had a wonderful cooking class learning the technique to make Sicilian parmigiana, pasta, pesto alla trapanese (combining almonds, garlic, basil and olive oil) and an almond parfait.

As we leave Palermo we stop at the small suburb which claims the magnificent Cathedral of Monreale. In the 11th century after the Christian Normans conquered the Arabs, they built grand churches in Sicily.

The church was built to show the power of William II (William the Good) and was ornamented lavishly with columns sent by the pope and indescribably beautiful golden mosaics from the 12th century telling the story of the Bible on the interior walls. Photos do not do it justice…. Do not miss this. The mosaics are massive. Jesus’s hand is six feet high above the altar. The cathedral has more than 68,000 square feet of mosaics.

Next to the toe of the boot of Italy lies Sicily, our next destination. We are right next door in Puglia but we fly to Rome then to Palermo, the Sicilian capital city. More than anything we realize it is a large city with lots of people in the streets.  Our walking tour highlights the center of the old city when visiting the Piazza Vigiliena, we stoppped to talk with a puppeteer and see their tiny theater.  They stage the old stories like that of Orlando.  Our guide Alexandra explains the Sicilian flag with the 3 legged juggler representing the ancient regions of Sicily and the colors red for blood and yellow for the sun.

We need to talk about food for a while.  Sicilians start with cappuccino but only for breakfast. Expresso for lunch and wine of course and my favorite, pasta.  The special pasta is Pasta Norma ( with eggplant and tomato sauce). Fish and pasta makes a frequent appearance but it’s not my favorite.  They always have appertivos and caponata made with cooked eggplant and tomatoes is the best.  Always some meat and cheeses and bread. Our guide points out a gelato business that we return to in the evening.  They are serving gelato on a brioche bun with chocolate cream and some sort of frosting on top.  Just had the cone but my favorite flavor is coco.  We visited the Capo Market which is a daily food market with prepared food and produce.  We try several arancinis  (fried pockets of dough or rice with different fillings).  We are served sliced pecorino cheese (made from sheep’s milk) with nearly every meal… love it! 

The Palermo way of Door Dash is to lower a plastic bucket from your balcony to the vendor on the street below or (your mother-in-law) two floors below our guide told us. See above photo.

We take a day trip to Castlebuono to the east of Palermo along the coast.  We visit the ornate 14th century castle housing the relic of the head of St. Anne the patron saint of Castlebuono.  The lunch highlight is pasta and mushrooms and a seranade by two local musicians. This small city is the home of panettone.   Mmmmm.

They have tuk tuks that work better than taxis and we all hop on one on a rainy evening.