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Cefalu
A picturesque and historic town but not much fun with the summer hordes!After our three hectic days in the sometimes chaotic, but always interesting, Palermo, a short one hour train trip along the north coast found us in Cefalu where we spent the night. This pretty and historic seaside resort is a favourite holiday venue for the locals. The narrow beach was 'pay only' entry (10 euro) for your umbrella and sunbed for the day. Everyone and everything was being prepared for the summer to come.
The following day a two hour train trip took us to Millazzo from where we caught a hydrofoil to Lipari town, capital of the Aeolian Islands. It was here we spent the next five days. Lipari is the largest and main island of this group of seven volcanic islands. We had really been looking forward to a relaxing time here and weren't to be disappointed.
The islanders that we met over our time there had a laidback, easygoing attitude. Once again there was a strong Australian connection and many who we met had either lived in, visited or had relations there. We had made a good selection, quite by chance, with our accommodation and were upgraded to an apartment in a lovely auberge in the
Lipari Town - one of the two harbours
The citadel dominates the harbour fronts. middle of town. The manager, Allessandro, had recently spent a year working as a chef in Lygon Street, Melbourne, and made us feel very much at home. His freshly baked pastries for breakfast were often too tempting.
Lipari town (population 11,000) had great ambience with narrow winding streets and two small harbours either side of a citadel, which had been built by the Spanish in the 15th century following a devastating attack by the pirate, Barbarossa, who murdered most of the men and enslaved the women. The mountainous island is covered in olive, citrus and pistachio groves and spring wildflowers. There are many vineyards which produce the local drop of Malvasia, a sweet dessert wine. We did some walks around the spectacular coastline which had great views of the neighbouring islands.
We spent a day on a ferry visiting two of the nearby islands. The first was Panarea, the most fertile and lush in the group. This island is a favourite with the international jetset and understandably so, as it is car-free and has narrow winding lanes covered with gardens and bougainvillea between the hotels and homes of the well-to-do. There are stunning Mediterranean views at every corner.
Entrance to our hotel
Ready for a day's sightseeing. Our second stopover, Stromboli, was quite a contrast. This is Europe's youngest and most active volcano. Its small town is situated at the end of what is an almost classic volcano shape. The black sand beaches did not look very inviting especially with the tsunami warning signs that indicated escape routes. We cruised around the island after sunset and were treated to a small fireworks display.
A two hour coach trip from Milazzo took us along the coast past Messina and Taormina to Catania, where we spent our final two days. We had missed out on Catania a couple of weeks before because of volcanic ash from Mt Etna, but this time no problem. Catania is Sicily's second city (250,000) and is built on the slopes of the brooding Mt Etna (3,700m). The earthquakes and eruptions from this mountain have shaped its 2,000+ year history and architecture. On a clear day you can see the summit from Via Etna, the city's main boulevard.
The city has beautiful baroque churches, palazzos and piazzas. One standout experience was the two hours we spent at the city's teeming morning markets. They are justifiably famous for their seafood and regional produce
Panarea Island
How about this for a view of the Med? and the real street drama of their colourful vendors. Oh if only we had been able to cook the fresh produce that was available.
So after two and a half weeks we had many happy memories of our travels in Sicily, from the fabulous historic sites to the baroque towns and hillside villages of the rugged interior.
The food was very regional with local specialities. A feature were the very strong flavours and unusual combinations. Seafood of the widest variety was always on the menu. Like the rest of Italy, Sicilians share a love of sweet foods and every street seemed to have its own pasticceria and gelateria. We certainly had more than our share of canoli, the famous local delicacy, as well as cassata and gelato!
So now it's ciao Sicily!
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Gus
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Great blog guys. Looks you were spoilt with the accomodation. Loving the pics as well, Mum's getting quite good at taking them, Mum you should let Dad have a go. Glad to hear you are having such a great time. x gus