Feeling somewhat marina-bound, with all the internecine plots of small community living, we decided to get out and about and see something of Sicily. We offed early and caught the bus to Catania, where we could rent a car for 4 nights. First stop was Giardini, on the east coast of Sicily, north of Catania.
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| Giardino sea scape, this is the entrance to the port! |
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| Megan at Porto Giardini |
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| Typical sea-side Sicilian town |
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| ... with an honorary life boat |
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| ... and a typical small church. |
From Giardini, we headed north to Taormina. We had planned to anchor off Taormina when we crossed the Straits of Messina, but a sudden squall decided otherwise, so we fled downwind to a safe port at Augusta, and missed this cliff-top village. So visit it by car we did.
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| The anchorage below Taormina. |
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| Fabulous view up the coast |
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| Taormina fruit stall |
Then we headed inland, around the lower slopes of Mt. Etna, a live volcano. We ended up staying at a B&B at Randazzo.
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| Mt Etna from B&B in Randazzo at night |
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| Mt Etna, roadside view. |
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| Hill top village view |
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| Gives an idea of the topology ... view from a roadside cafe. |
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| Our roadside cafe ... on the way to Palermo |
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| Just a few donkeys. |
Italians drive with the same reckless abandon as they sing and (supposedly) make love. After 2 days of battling these crazy drivers on twisty steep mountain roads, we decided to chill out in the Sicilian capital, Palermo, for a few days. Palermo was an absolute delight, the architecture was thrilling and monumental, the small dark back alley's were suitably Sicilian and the food was great. We loved the Teatro Massimo, the classical concert hall in the old part of town, Palermo.
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| Lion guarding the Teatro Massimo |
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| The Teatro Massimo, the concert hall in Palermo |
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| Army band playing on the steps. |
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| The Teatro Massimo |
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| Outdoor facade of the Teatro. |
We adored the architecture and sculpture on the streets of Palermo, typified by the piazza called the 'Four Corners'.
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| One of the 'Four Corners' |
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| Fountain detail |
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| Beautiful light posts |
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| Another corner with light post. |
There were some pretty spectacular churches as well in Palermo.
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| Spanish Moor flavour to this church |
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| Courtyard of the church |
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| Main entrance |
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| Ceiling fresco |
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| Glorious architecture |
Palermo has its dark and shady side, best exemplified by the markets. They are in the Balaro district and date from the period of Arab Saracen rule, so they resemble an arabic souq.
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| Street market in Balaro |
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| Fruit seller |
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| Fish market |
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| Street stalls |
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| Palermo park |
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| Old town gate |
From Palermo, we headed to Piazza Amerina and visited the Villa Romana del Casale archeological site. This site preserves a wealthy Sicilian villa with some of the best preserved mosaics from the Roman era, about 2 - 3rd century AD.
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| Old wall of the Villa |
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| Hunting scenes in a room |
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| This sequence from the Great Hall represents the capture and export of wild animals to Rome. |
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| Famous ' Bikini Ladies' mosaic |
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| Doorway to the 'Bikini' room |
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| Robed figure on the left is purported to be the Patrone of the villa |
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| External shelter for the mosaics recreates the outlines of the villa |
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| A water feature Nympharium in one room |
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| Furnaces for the baths |
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| Outdoor urns |
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| The long pool, one of 3 groups of baths |
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| Megan with column. |
Finally, we travelled to Enna, an inland cliff top village. There is little to remember the Fascist rule in Italy under Mussolini, but we spotted a plaque on the town hall, where the dedication to Benito Mussolini had been chiselled off, with only the darker outline remaining. The views from these cliff-top villages are stunning and truly panoramic.
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| Looking from Enna to another cliff-top village |
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| Piazza in front of the cliff view |
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| Enna fountain |
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| Panoramic view from Enna |
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| Civic square built in the Art Deco Fascist style |
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| The plaque on the town hall. You can still see the dedication to Benito Mussolini, even thought its been chiselled off. |
Fantastic trip, you can see why we love Sicily. Till then, Arrivederci!
