On our last day full day in Sicily we grabbed an early morning taxi and rushed to Marina Lunga to catch the ferry to Palermo. The only problem was all ferries to Naples and Palermo were grounded due to bad (windy) weather. We exchanged our tickets for a hydrofoil ride to Milazzo, which is a straight (short) shot back to the mainland. From there we boarded a train to Palermo and enjoyed the 2.5 hour train ride along the coast. It allowed us to see a bit of the countryside paticularly between Cefalu and Porticello. Sabrina gratiously picked us up a [View Full Entry]

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We headed north from Taormina for about 25 minutes to the port town of Messina. The Ustica hydrofoil station and ticket office were easy to find and were just a short distance to the Europcar dropoff point. We arrived in the town of Lipari at the Marina Lunga after a relatively calm 45 minutes crossing of the Straits of Messina. Our hotel, Villa Meligunis was conveniently located near the other marina, Marina Corta. After breakfast we would walk the short distance (<150 meters) to the marina where we met Giancarlo and boarded the Alice, a comfortable 8 meter motorboat. For the [View Full Entry]

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We reluctantly left Siracusa and drove north to Taormina. The 45 minute drive skirted Catania through bumper-to-bumper traffic. We thought the worse was over once we exited the highway and began to drive the steep approach to Taormina. After making three failed attempts to penetrate the hilltop (more like cliff top) defenses of Taormina we parked the car and set out by foot to find Grand Hotel Timeo . The problem was that the main porta had been closed off to traffic making it very difficult to navigate to the front entrance of the hotel which was located near the base [View Full Entry]

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From Caltigirone we cut across the interior of Sicily passing farm land and distant views of Mt Etna, to the East coast and made a right turn (south). We arrived in Siracusa after about two hours of uneventful driving and spent the next three nights on the island of Ortygia. Orytgia, the site of the original settlement (Citta Vecchia) is the jewel of what remains of ancient Siracusa. During its prime (Greek Period; 2nd to 7th century BC), Siracusa rivaled Athens in size and importance before falling to the Romans in 212 AD. Several key ancient battles ocurred within the surrounding [View Full Entry]

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This morning we checked out of Gigliotto and backtracked north to Piazza Armerina and then west about 2 or 3 miles to Villa Romana Del Casale. The remains of this roman villa contain over 3,500 square meters of mosaics, many of which were preserved by a landslide that occurred in the 12th century. The villa is of uncertain origin, i.e. the owner has not been identified, but one thing is clear, the owner(s) led the high life of a typical Roman mogul. The mosaics give a glimpse into Roman life in the 2nd to 4th centuries AD, particularly the privileged class. [View Full Entry]

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Our visit to Agrigento and tour of the Valley of the Temples was our first introduction to the ancient Greek cities in Sicily. The ruins in Agrigento, or Acragas of the ancient Greeks (Agrigentum, to the Romans) were impressive. The archaeological park is best experienced with the aid of knowledgeable guide such as Luigi Napoli who guided us through the park and museum for over six hours. His knowledge (and enthusiasm) of history gave us a sense of ancient life and made our visit to Agrigento most enjoyable. The size and scope of the ancient city was a cle [View Full Entry]

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We zigzagged back down the mountain from Erice back over to A29 and drove southeast towards Agrigento via SS118. We ate our salami and cheese panini (prepared in Erice), fresh almonds, and cherries . Along the way we watched the cars passing on blind curves (with many near collisions) and many more wildfires. The countryside was similiar to California, golden hills with patches of small farms that included vineyards, olive orchards and a host of other fruit/nut crops. It reminded me of the old California Central Valley i.e. long before the strip malls, roadside motels and surburban sprawl. [View Full Entry]

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As we left Mondello for the last time, we picked up our guide Sabrina in Palermo for one final visit to the historic center. So technically speaking, I did drive in Palermo and lived to talk about it. The blackouts were in full bloom and wildfires continued to burn. We parked the car near Teatro Massimo and walked to the Museo Archeologico only to find by way of a hastily scribbled sign that it was closed due to blackouts....the best we could figure was that the staff closed the museum after the first blackout in the morning and never returned (after [View Full Entry]

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With six water bottles in hand we left Mondello and set off for the Capuchin Catacombs and then on to the seaside villages of Porticello and Sant'Elia which are about 20 Km east of downtown Palermo. The weather was broiling, apparently it reached 42 C (108 F) but what was most striking were the number of wildfires around the freeways, in the moutains and well, pretty much everywhere. It appeared that a single "amphibious bomber" was dispatched to drop water on these hundreds of fires (kinda like spitting on a bonfire). The plane would land briefly on the ocean to take-in [View Full Entry]

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Palermo was sizzling. The Scirocco (winds) from North Africa are blowing and temperatures were going up and up (and yes sand is in the air). We are averaging about 2-3 water bottles per day minimum each. Blackouts are becoming a common theme due to the overload of the electrical system because of widespread A/C use. But all is not lost....the A/C in our Golf continues to work like a charm. Today Sabrina guided us into the world of the Normans (of french Normandy) and Saracens of the 9th - 13th centuries. We are beginning to understand why Sicily w [View Full Entry]

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