Trip Report

October 7, Saturday

This was a very busy and noisy location! We had the windows shut and the AC on so it was not too bad but I heard it.

We toured Siracusa. There was a lot to see. We walked up to the Archaeological Park of Neapolis. Here we saw the Greek amphitheater which they still use today to put on productions. It is fairly eroded so I don't see how it is done. Must be uncomfortable unless you bring a cushion.

Next we walked up above the theater and saw the niches carved there and the water spurting out that used to go into an aqueduct. After that we walked down into the quarry where much of the stone came from. Here was Dioneses' ear - a man made cave with perfect acoustics. And there was another damp cave where the rope-makers worked. Evidently it was perfect for their trade. On the way out we saw a stone church built over a deep reservoir. We also tried to find Archimedes tomb. It was closed.

Dioneses' ear.	Greek amphitheater.

We walked about ten blocks from there to visit the Archeological Museum. It started with pre-history then moved on to bronze age, iron age, Greeks and finally Romans. All of the artifacts were from Sicily. It was quite interesting.

It was nearly 1 PM so we decided to walk back and look for either a pizzeria or a bread shop. We found the later and bought bread. We were going to eat it with the cheese and salami in the room. But then we saw a good shop with olives and ham and cheese so we bought some. It was a good thing too because when we got to the room we found the refrigerator empty. Someone had thrown out our lunch! Luther attempted to talk to the cleaning lady but she said she had not taken them.

So we just had what we bought which was fine. We napped and at about 4PM, when things start to open up again, we did a walking tour of Ortygia. It was great. The sun was going down and the weather was perfect. We had gelati and then bought more room wine. Luther had bonded with the nice older man who was the wine merchant. Once he made the effort to talk to him in Italian he was very friendly.

I looked for souvenirs and we stopped for a glass of white wine. Then we headed back to clean up for dinner at Don Camillo. It was a pretty place in an old vaulted building. There were three rooms. All the tables had green, floor length cloths. The chairs too were covered completely with cloths.

I was trying to keep it light so I ordered Carpaccio of Porcini Etna. It was lovely. Very thinly sliced mushrooms on fresh, crispy greens with a light lemony dressing. Then I had Gambeli Griglia. Prawns grilled with a breaded coating. There were four. Luther had a pasta and the frito misto. I was still hungry so I had a cheese sampling. All artisinal cheeses from Sicily. SO MUCH! Luther helped some, thankfully. It was a fun evening.

We walked back and the streets were thronged with Italian families out and about, strolling. Kids, Nonnas, mamas, dads - the whole fam damily. It was neat!

October 8, Sunday

We had the minimal breakfast provided which included cappuccino. Today we were doing a road trip. First stop Noto. In the 1683 earthquake which did a LOT of damage around here the town was destroyed. They rebuilt a couple of kilometers away and all the buildings are Rococo style. The only problem is, they were all under tarps and scaffolding being renovated. Too bad, they looked pretty nice what we could see.

Snails for sale on a Noto sidewalk. Who would think a seller would have to herd his stock back now and then as it tried to escape!	Wonderful stone carvings in Noto.

We left town and headed to Modica. We just drove through that town. They are all incredibly hilly. The best part was we got on a white road from Noto to Modica. It was just lovely. Stone walls all along the edges and acre after acre of olive trees. [See picture - right] Some large and ancient, some younger. Lots of nice prosperous estates scattered about and best of all, no traffic!

After Modica we went to Ragusa Ibla. A smallish town next to Ragusa proper. We had a book with restaurant recommendations here. We parked and walked up a long stone staircase to the pedestrian area in front of the Duomo. Nice town. We did find the restaurant, Locanda Don Serafino. We were a little early so strolled down the hill. Lots of little shops along the way. We stopped in one and got ham, cheese, bread and some local olive oil. Then we walked through a pretty garden with lots of palm trees.

Lunch was great. The plan was to eat lunch and skip dinner. The place was very elegant. Beautiful white stone walls and vaulted ceilings. We started with breads and a little olive oil in dipping dishes. The oil was startlingly different. It was even possible to have the olive oil tasting as part of your meal. Six kinds. I ordered the rabbit terrine with liver. It was good. Luther got a dish with thin mackerel wrapped around squash blossoms on greens. For the Secundi, we had - me, ravioli with mint pesto served with a dollop of tomato sorbet. Not terribly successful as the cold cooled the ravioli too much. Luther got spaghetti with lamb - tasty if strongly muttony in flavor. To finish I had almond gelato with tiny strawberries. Luther had two slices of cheeses. We had it all with 2 glasses of chardonnay and a bottle of red. All yummy and it was a two hour lunch!

Card	Lunch	Ragusa Ibla	Ragusa Ibla piazza in front of the Duomo

We headed back on the scenic route and got to Siracusa by 5:30. A fun day. We had our picnic for dinner in the room.

After we ate there was a knock at the door and it was Mara. She stood there with a pretty wrapped package as a gift to make up for the loss of our lunch the day before. It was full of pastries. She is very nice. I wish I could tell her so.