Easter in Licata

Its Easter in Licata, and while this holiday may not enjoy the fervour it does in Greece, it's still a very big deal. Palm Sunday was the week before and featured lots of fireworks. Then Good Friday feature a race and great to-do between Jesus and Mary. The crowds form up on the main street early and it gets very crowded. There are lots of toy sellers selling all sorts of Easter equipment, like SpongeBob SquarePants, water pistols, kites and other religious implements.

Crowds begin to swell early on Good Friday

Cruisers grab a show side table early on

Syd, Tina and Morten; some of our cruiser friends.

The main event is staged in Corso Umberto, main street in Licata

First, Jesus, buoyed up by 30 or so of his staunchest defenders, sashays out of one of the main churches. He's lumping his own cross, so its heavy work for the carriers, who sway in time to some inner beatitude. Then Mary, similarly conveyed, sallies out of her church, conveniently on a road at right angles to the big guy. Sailing forth at a snail-like pace, their paths cross on the main street of town. Mary catches sight of Jesus, and then RUNS down the main parade to be with her guy.

Mary sees the Christ, and then its ON. 

She's now on the move!!

They meet and enter a mutual rocking kind of swoon together, their followers and supporters transported into the throes of ecstasy. They groove on back down the the street, where they crucify Jesus again. Didn't they already do that once? Isn't there some sort of statute of limitations in Roman Law?

Mary is reunited with Jesus

... and they head back down the street...

... kind of rock and rolling together to some heavenly beat ...

... to where they crucify Jesus all over again!

Its inscrutable to me, but they all seem to love it. Its a huge family affair, and the fireworks and marching bands continue for the next few days. Its almost like modernity never touched this neck of the woods.  Have a great Easter, from Pavlov!

Finally home

You might recall from the 'Plaint of the Tool-less Bloke' that I emasculated myself by selling all my tools. Now, I can (unfairly) blame Megan for implanting the idea that if I sold all these tools, I could then afford to buy myself a new guitar. I'd been lusting after a Paul Reed Smith hollow body for some years, and now had the capital to buy one. These guitars are ungodly expensive in the USA, starting at around USD$5500 and going stratospheric from there. Importing one into Italy would also incur VAT and courier costs. However, a world-wide search turned up a great example in Basel, Switzerland. So I innocently asked Megan, 'Fancy a trip to the Swiss Alps, honey'?

Wonderful long distance trains, it's the only way to fly.

I could feel my boyish love of trains being stirred on the platform...

So we caught the train from Milan to Basel, a 4 hour journey which passes through the Italian and Swiss lakes district in the Alps. This is a wonderful train trip that is very scenic.

One of the Italian lakes from the speeding train

Alps everywhere

It really is winter out there

Majestic mountains

Megan trying to catch the view

We spent 3 days in Basel, unable to eat in the incredibly expensive restaurants, and surviving from supermarket grazing. Apparently, the Swiss are paid very well, and so can afford the high taxes and expensive prices of their country. Too bad for the foreigners, which is perhaps why Switzerland doesn't rate that highly as a tourist destination. We were aghast when two coffee's and cake in a small and unpretentious cafe set us back around $40 Australian dollars.

The 'Rathaus' - town hall in Basel

Main square in the old town

Bridge over the Rhine river

We're not in Italy any more, Toto.

Much more winterly feel than southern Italy

Interesting bike

So, I got lucky with the guitar. Because it had been hanging in the store for six years, the owner was prepared to give me a huge discount over the normal price, and so I acquired a 25th anniversary PRS hollow body single cut guitar. It has a beautifully detailed and clear sound, demands a much more delicate and precise touch, but rewards the player with wonderful and varied tones. She is beautiful and I have named her Rosalinda. Here she is.

Happy as punch, Rosalinda and me.

Then back on the train for Milan, before Switzerland bankrupted us both. Again, a great trip through the Alps, then a 30 hour overnight train ride to Catania in Sicily and then finally back to Licata. It was just great to be back on Pavlov again. Finally our own space, we could relax and be ourselves again. We always feel like such a burden on friends and family when we are back in Oz, so it was wonderful to be home.

Swiss village with Alp

Another of the gorgeous lakes along the border

Picture postcard

So, we are getting into the social whirl again. Its a busy schedule, with chess games, skipper meetings, guitar lessons and sing-alongs. And there is always boat maintenance!  I'm also taking a few guitar classes with a local heavy metal virtuoso, Vincenzo, so that should keep me on my toes. Till next time, ciao from Pavlov.

Firenze, Lucca and Milano

We caught a train from Siena to Firenze; what a great way to travel in Europe. I enjoy being able to walk around, and so far, we've had multiple seats to ourselves.

Our mount from Siena to Firenze

The Arno river and the Pont de Vecchio

Shops on the famous bridge

Downstream from the Pont de Vecchio

We were initially disappointed by Firenze. We'd loved the lack of tourists and grockle in Siena, but Firenze seemed to be inhabited by wall to wall tourists. This was also reflected in the prices in restaurants and shops. Siena, and later, Milano were cheap by comparison.

Main Duomo in Firenze

Unbelievably ornate Gothic exterior to the cathedral

Street sculpture

Spectacular city gate

Yet another church

Giarondo period baptistry

That's a real mummified priest in that glass box. Now you know why they burn all that incense.

But Florence did have its virtues, and the Uffizi gallery was one of them. If you're a fan of Renaissance art, this is the number one gallery in Europe.

The 'anteroom' of the Uffizi gallery

That poor little willie seems awfully unprotected here ...

More virgins than you could poke a stick at!

Tribunal: The actual sitting room for the Medici's when resident.

Francesca's 'Dukes of Urbino'

Unknown sculptor

Michelangelo's painting: Tondo Doni

Botticelli's 'Birth of Venus'

Botticelli's 'La Primavera'

Portrait of a famous Firenze dwarf.

Caravaggio's Medusa

After we'd pounded the pavements of Firenze to exhaustion, we caught a suburban train to the town of Lucca, famous for its intact Renaissance era walls. Lucca was founded by the Etruscans, and became a Roman town in 180 B.C. It is also renown as the birthplace of Puccini, famous Italian opera composer.  Lucca was a delightful change of pace from Florence, small and intimate, we happily strolled around for a day before catching the train back to Firenze.

Gate through the Renaissance city walls around Lucca

Old chapel by the city walls

Beautiful blooming magnolia trees in Lucca

Piazza Anfiteatro

Duomo de Saint Martino

Wintery trees in the central Piazza.

After four days, we journeyed on from Florence to Milan, the centre of Italian fashion. Milan is a huge metropolis of about 5 million people, and is the third largest economic centre in the EU, after London and Paris.

Milan's central railway station feels like a museum

Massive front facade of the railway station

Home of much modern architecture

The Italians do uniforms like no other race!

One of the huge arcades fronting on the Duomo square

A huge sewing needle symbolic of the city's fashion ethic

Sforza Castle central parade ground 

Megan with fountain outside the Sforza Castle

Classic Milanese tram

We caught these trams all over the city

We enjoyed the lively cosmopolitan spirit of Milan, along with one of the best meals I've had in Italy at the incongruously named 'Woodstock 3' trattoria. After 3 days, it was time to head out, this time for the hills of Switzerland, in search of a divine guitar. If we find her, I'll be yodelling from the alp tops!