Licata - a photo essay

We've settled into our winter home and absolutely love the place. I'll try to show you why in this post. Licata is a true workingman's Italian town nestled into the southern coast of Sicily. The high hills behind the town provide a panoramic view over this coastline. We climbed up to the castle on the top of the hill; steep, but worth the view.

The wave break walls of the Port of Licata

Steep climb up to the Castro

Coastline looking west

Coast looking east

Unusual Necropolis above the town

The Marina and river entrance (that's the brown muddy water)

The town itself is a warren of small windy alley's, steep flights of stairs and dark nooks and crannies. It's a bit dirty and grubby, but every now and then, an amazing architectural feature, or carving, or ancient doorway just grabs your attention. It makes you realise that while its not a polished tourist destination, this is an old town with roots that go way back to medieval times.

Windy alley's and lanes

Virgins abound

Licata town hall

Even has its own music shop

Streetscapes 

I call this 'the old man's street'

More old men

Being as we are in the heart of Catholicism, there is no shortage of churches. The churches are now the repositories of much of the old art, and they are absolutely splendid inside.

Licata Chiese St Angelo

This church has been extensively rebuilt after WW2 damage

What is the story behind the black christ?

Carved wooden fresco's frame master paintings

All the gory details of the passion

Church candleabra

Beautifully detailed ceiling

The marina itself is spacious and nicely laid out, the facilities are easily accessible without walking miles. There are beaches either side of the marina, handy for the Pilates class held there in the mornings.

Main boardwalk in the marina, local lighthouse

Sand dunes behind the beach

The main beach

Megan at our 'local'

We've been adopted by one of the local cafe's, and we can't pass without being hailed by a hearty 'Bon giorno Capitane'. The social life at the marina is abundant, with a weekly bbq, too many happy hours to maintain sobriety, boules and exercise groups. We've started a band, and I'm teaching a guitar class. Megan has started an art group. We're so busy, we need a vacation from our hectic life-style!

Weekly BBQ

Some of the local cruisers: Melanie, Dave, Deidre and Chris.

A marina organised tour of Licata town, we're heading out on foot.

The following photo's just illustrate some of the surprising details that leap out from this fascinating town.

Old architectural features abound

An amphora from the marine archeological museum

Check out the gargoyles under this veranda

An aerial view over Licata

Old cave church

What to say??

This painting symbolises a local Licata folk singer

Street view

Amazing wood carving

More wood carving

Wall carved from wood

Carved nave

The pride of Sicily.

Thankfully, we've yet to see any other tourists apart from the marina crowd. After a season choking on tourists, its nice to get to a town with no apparent tourist attractions. We are very happy with our choice for the winter.

Home Run

We left Siracusa for our final run for home. After an uneventful night anchored in Porto Palo, we headed into Marina di Ragusa. This marina is in 'big time' competition with Licata as the premier wintering destination, with opinion sharply divided between cruisers. In fact, it almost seems like a religious observance, the zealotry with which each marina is defended by its advocates.

The gorge dividing Ragusa

Rugged terrain around Ragusa

Marina de Ragusa is a small tourist village that built up around the Port. There is not much of local interest here. We planned to spend two nights here, so a trip inland was in order. The real town of Ragusa is about 25km and a bus trip away. Ragusa is perched on a steep hill, with gorges all around. At the end of the main town, torturous stairways and paths lead down to the village of Ibli. There were fantastic panoramic views over these towns.

The village of Ibli, looking from Ragusa

Walking down the path to Ibli

Ragusa apartments perched on the cliff

Ragusa town hall

These coastal Italian towns were heavily bombed during the war, so there is a fascinating and chaotic jumble of new and old. I've become entranced by the architectural feature which just leap out everywhere.

Gargoyles supporting the balcony

Small shrines abound

Extensive stone carving in a church

Stone carving with partial fresco remaining

Small fresco on a church column

Ragusa was a fascinating town that we must return to during the winter. It was a long and steep walk down to Ibli, so we were very thankful that there was a local bus we could catch back up to the heights of Ragusa.

The village of Ibli

16th century church under renovation in Ibli

Main square in Ibli

Tranquil park in Ibli

Saint Georges gate, check out the slain dragon 

Formal gardens at the tip of Ibli

After a great day exploring Ragusa, it was back to the marina, ready for an early departure to our final destination. We'd chosen Licata based on recommendations of several friends. We quite like to arrange our contract early in the year as it gives us a 'target' to aim for. So, for the entire year, you have a destination in mind that will become home for six months, without any real knowledge of what you might have in store.

Our winter berth at dawn

Megan wondering 'Where exactly are we??'

Winter destinations are really important, as we'll be spending most of the next six months here. Licata proved to have a lively and gritty town, a real Italian town with no tourists or grockle. Its devious alley-ways, chaotic riots of small shops selling anything and everything, and its overtones of Sicilian mafioso will keep us entertained all winter. We love the place already.

Our local noise-maker, the concrete works

The sun rises on our new home.

A light house to keep us company at night

The cruising community here proved to be very welcoming and quite diverse. We've already been thrown into  a world of social activities, with parties and happy hours, playing gigs with a band, Megan's art group and my guitar group. It should be a jumpin' winter.

Megan admiring the tiling on the bus seat

Interesting and windy lanes

Stairways lead everywhere

On the hill overlooking Licata

Church and the main square

Lots of really old architectural features remain

Another Licata church

So, happily tucked into our new winter home, its now all about planning trips into the mainland of Italy (we might go the Naples and Pompeii next week)  and diving into the copious amounts of boat-work that need to be done. Arrivederci.