Sunday October 16th
The morning started off with a very nice breakfast, and our first ever taste of “latte di mandorla” or almond milk. It tastes like water, sugar, and something a little different than almonds, and I liked it. Piero asked us about this site, so we went online and looked through it. They don’t read English, but they liked the pictures. They were very sweet, and Bouganvillea is very much worth the visit.
Noto during the day replaces the young kids with old men, and the electric lighting for a blaring sun. One of the 2 prettiest buildings is behind scaffolding, but this time it’s because a few years ago the roof of the Cathedral fell in. There is a building down a side street with numerous balconies, every one using a different person or animal to support it. And each one is a different size, to give the effect that they are all the exact same size from a distance. It is cool to me that people thought in those terms when they were designing buildings. All of the buildings that you would want to see are on the same street, and it is a pedestrian street at that. So you just park and then meander down the way. It couldn’t be easier. Schedule Noto in as a stop over rather than a full day though. Architecture fans will be very pleased, and non architecture fans will enjoy the fact that it is just a stone’s throw from the beach.
Siracusa was our follow up town, and more specifically Ortigia which is an island connected by a 100 foot (approx.) bridge. The oldest Greek temple in Sicily is here, but it’s ruins are not like those of Segesta or Agrigento. The Piazza Duomo is very nice, as is the Duomo itself. The Piazza is also the site of a little incident we had today. There were 4 boys playing soccer in the square and one was obviously a few years older than the others. He was dribbling around them and lost control of the ball. I took it and when he ran to get it I did a little move and went around him. I thought the other kids would enjoy this since he was taking advantage of them. I was wrong about that, one of them ran at me and tried to hit me, more in a over hand girly punch way than an actual punch, but just the same he was mad. So I kicked the ball to him and we walked on, then the older kid yelled “Bastardo” at the top of his lungs. I guess I didn’t impress them with my American soccer skills.
This was another place where it seemed like every monument we went to see was behind scaffolding. I’m wondering if it is because we are here when it’s not tourist season, and they are taking advantage of this time clean everything up? I do think I’ll invest in Italian scaffolding companies when I get home. There are still a number of things worth seeing, and most are down side streets, so you don’t have to worry about traffic. Back across the bridge there is an archeological park where you can find a Greek amphitheater and a Roman one. We were told we couldn’t film, so we didn’t go in, but it might be worth your time if your are in Siracusa.
Our agriturismo tonight was in Catania, so we hopped on the Vespa and headed off. Fondo 23 www.fondo23.it is immersed in fruit trees and olive groves, but they don’t necessarily grow any of these things. Chiara the young lady who runs the agri, is a party planner, and often times she uses Fondo 23 to host the parties. There a very large room that used to be used for making wine that is one of the single coolest rooms I’ve ever seen. It’s all open but there are 3 levels, and alcoves and arches, and knee walls, and more. I can imagine a party in it, so if you come here with a few friends ask Chiara to arrange something for you!
We got take away Pizza and brought it back here to dine al fresco on the picnic table. Chiara and her boyfriend joined us for a bit of conversation. We talked about Sicily, and Italy as a whole, they asked us what our favorite place in Sicily so far was, and then told us that it would change tomorrow. Taormina in their opinion is the best place in Sicily. We’ll have to wait and see.