Blogs from Sicily, Italy, Europe - page 8

As mentioned in the previous blog entry we took a day trip from Palermo up to the hilltop village of Monreale as everyone had told us we “had” to see the Cathedral there. We were very glad we took their advice. It was a quick 40 minute bus trip up from Palermo to Monreale where the main attraction is the Cathedral. If you remember when we were in Cefalu there was a Cathedral there that was pretty impressive. It was built on the orders of Roger II who also had the Palatine Cathedral in Palermo built. Roger’s grandson, William II decided he wanted to outshine his grandfather and in order to do this he would build a Cathedral in Monreale. Roger II wanted to incorporate the workmanship of the Norman, Arab, Byzantine and Christian styles in ... read more

On Tuesday we headed further south again to Sicily, but this time to the town of Taormina, on the north east coast. We went on an tour of Taormina, and the nearby city of Castelmola. Castelmola is a village set 1,800 feet high and is a small, quaint village with a bar once visited by Rockefeller, Ford and Churchill. Vistas over the Ionian sea were beautiful and this small village was an interesting stop. We ended in Taormina were we walked through the ancient town and stopped for a little wine. When in Italy, drink wine. Wednesday we sailed further south of Sicily to Malta, a small island chain and one of the most southern points of central Europe. We anchored just off the northern island of Gozo. The channel is very shallow here and only ... read more

The noon bells rang as we marveled at the beauty of the piazza of the Duomo in Siracusa, Sicily. We've strolled along the cobble streets and tiny alley ways this morning and now its time for lunch and we stop at a cafe with a stunning view of the cathedral that is both Norman and Baroque, having been reconstructed due to an earthquake in 1693. The Duomo of Siracusa is the standout site of the town. There is a holy place for Santa Lucia, an early, Christian martyr from Siracusa. Jack feels a wonderful symmetry of our trip to Southern Italy coinciding with Father's Day as his Father was stationed here while in the US Army Air Corps. I feel this is a lovely place to fulfill all of your southern Italian daydreams!... read more

Saturday March 31 2018 - Another good day. I got up close to 8am, and my host offered me some cookies and tea. Not a healthy breakfast, but it tasted good. I got packed up and headed out for another walk around Ortigia. This time I found my way back and forth much easier. I spent a couple hours walking around and then headed back. I did a few internet things and then had to wait for the preteen to exit the bathroom so I could use it and get on the road. My drive was only an hour, and I was driving through the city, then on a weird forgotten backroad of dubious quality that had me driving under bridges through narrow gaps in the support. Finally I ended up on the highway and passed ... read more

Thursday March 29, 2018 - Another early day starting before 7am. I got on the road at 8:15 and didn’t arrive in Ragusa until almost 11am, with one bathroom/gas stop. It was my first time filling up here, and I was only just under half full. Part of me wanted to see if I could make the whole trip on one tank, but the other part decided it wouldn’t be worth getting stuck on the side of the road to find out. I wasn’t sure what to do, but a guy came up to me right away and asked if I wanted to do it myself or if he should do it. I said I’d do it, but he still helped me figure out how to charge it to my card, which was nice. It’s a ... read more