Blogs from Siracusa, Sicily, Italy, Europe - page 3

Day 26 Modica Yesterday we took the bus into Noto, about and hour from here, and walked around the baroque city for a few hours...everything here closes down from 1:00 pm to 3:00pm...so it's hard to plan a trip of any distance, since we end up arriving just before closing time at 1:00! We managed to see the cathedrals and the Theater after they reopened, and before our bus (the last of the day...since it was Sunday) left at 3:55.... Today we took the train past Noto to another baroque town: Modica. This city is located in a gorge carved by the river in prehistoric times. It was an important city in Greek times, and then passed through Romans, Normans, Spaniards, and now Italy....it was rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake that also leveled Noto and Siracuse... ... read more

Sicily was never a place high on my to do list but when the opportunity arose for Adam to present at a conference in Catania, it seemed the perfect excuse to book a car, hit the road and see what adventures there were to be had. Before visiting, I knew very little about this Italian province. I had some vague awareness of Palermo being the capital (alla Marco Breciano, Socceroo star and midfielder for Palermo). Beyond that, the only other thing that came to mind when I thought of Sicily were imaginings of the Italian mafia, conceptualised almost entirely through scenes from the Godfather trilogy, the Goodfellas and similarly themed films. In my mind I imagined Sicily to be full of mafia men-that streets would be filled with beefcake blokes in black suits with smooth hair, ... read more

We decided to head south for Easter. Sicily seemed the perfect place: warmer, way older, and friendly sicilians! We rented a car and drove wherever we wanted....when we got tired, we found a hotel. The children really enjoyed the trip...we all loved loved loved Siracusa!... read more

02 Oct 2008 We headed back to see the archeological area of Syracuse, and maybe the catacombs, and to check out another beach. Today was again set to be a lucky day - all day we dodged the rain. First we visited the archeological area. Although most towns have greek or roman ruins of one type or another, this is probably the first real ruins (as opposed to existing structures) outside of Rome that we'd visited. Liam had a great time, chasing all the green lizards that were sunning on the rocks around the greek theatre (Teatro Greco). Joseph had another go at artistic photos inside Dionysus' ear, but he'll have to work on them, although he does show some talent for f... read more

Monday 8th August Licodia On Monday, Giuseppe took us to a pretty place 45 minutes away called Noto in the town of Syracuse. There was a tiny theatre that sat less than 400 people and was named after Vittorio Emanuele, the first leader of a united Italy. There have been monuments dedicated to him everywhere. All around the theatre were busts of famous artist, politicians, and musicians. The guide spoke enough English for Kurt and the kids to understand. We sat in the balcony seats and had photos taken like aristocrats. Later we went to visit Palazzo Ducezio with its Sala degli Specchi (Hall of Mirrors) which was an oval room with large rectangular mirrors that allowed us to see many reflections. They had a richly decorated clock made from Turtle shell; one of only 7 ... read more