Last Day in Sicily

On our last evening in Italy, I watched as the sun slipped slowly below the horizon with a pale afterglow. Here over the bay the lingering light is a cyan blue with just a touch of pink. Soon a string of lights from houses and road lamps along the coast will start to twinkle in the haze.

For the past three days, Steve and I have been in Taormina; a small town clinging to the side of a mountain, not far from Mt. Etna, Sicily‘s active volcano. I hadn’t known what to expect two days ago as the bus started climbing, switchback after switchback.

No doubt we were headed toward the houses and verdant gardens that we could see above our heads as we looked out the bus window. Our hotel was near the bus terminal (Steve’s preference) and we did not have to walk far to reach it. Later we followed the winding road higher to get to the “level” main street lined with shops and other businesses. Taormina is known for the remnants of an ancient Greek Theater. The ruins have been stabilized with brick to withstand tourist traffic, but you’re able scramble up the crumbling tiers. Looking down you see a plank stage built below a few remaining pillars.

Before lunch, we visited a well-maintained public garden overlooking the bay which is a memorial to Sicily’s war dead. The view was stunning, especially in the afternoon. We had lunch at Vecchio Taormina (our third visit, recommended by Lonely Planet for its authentic food and reasonable prices)(Photo: Chef).

 

 

Afterward in late afternoon, we rode a funicular down to the coast to get a closer look at the shore. The ride was very short and not as frightening as we thought it might be. We walked along one of the available small beaches; apparently quite busy during the summer. The stroll was rough going over the large surf-smoothed stones. (Along the way, one restaurant had trucked in real sand that annoying clogged up my sandals.) The highlight of the stroll was the roaring, thunderous sound of the surf surging over the stones. The cool breeze was appreciated after the exertion of taking a hundred or so steps down from the road to reach this beach.

Back at the hotel, we sit on our room’s balcony. It has a pleasant, restful view of the surrounding mountain tops, the shoreline below and the bay off to our right. We’re facing northeast, so the sun is setting behind us as the night comes on before us.

From Cities to Towns by the Sea

The next destination, Siracusa (Syracuse), was reached by bus from Palermo’s unassuming bus stand on a side street. Leaving the city behind, the countryside began to blur past the bus windows in patterns -- orchards of orange trees and mountains in the distance. Soon dark clouds formed on the horizon and it began to rain heavily just as we arrived in Siracusa, at its bus stand on a side street, but near the rail station. We quickly pulled on readily accessible rain jackets and hats. Since our hotel was on a narrow lane not assessable to our taxi, we had to walk to the hotel dragging our luggage with us. Fortunately, the storm was passing over and we didn’t get too wet. The next few days were sunny and bright with moody sunsets. Siracusa is a lovely little town and it was a welcome respite from the hectic cities. We slowed our pace, sat on our balcony, and enjoyed walking the small streets through the town.

One attraction of Siracusa is its ancient Greek theater. To my regret, the stone rows were covered with wooden planks to provide seating for outdoor performances. I was told this is done seasonally; yet as it was it didn’t present a pretty picture (especially during the wrong time of day). However, I was fascinated by the wild flowers and plants that were stubbornly growing from the limestone boulders, evidence of evolution at work. The grounds beyond the theater are laid out as a park around ancient grottos. There were many lemon trees heavy with the fruit; similar to the enormous ones sometime seen in the markets and from which Lemoncello is made (a sweet liqueur).

 

 

On Sunday, crowds jammed the cathedral plaza for a ceremony to view the transfer of the statue of St. Lucia from the cathedral to another nearby church. We had noticed the decorations the day before, but were unaware of the planned celebrations. Many events had been scheduled for the entire weekend, including daytime fireworks. The first loud boom was a bit frightening since we didn’t know the cause. Then there was a second boom. No panic ensued, so we turned in the direction of the sounds. The fireworks were being fired up from edge of the bay. I took this fortuitous occurrence to use the video feature of the PowerShot G11. Maybe I’ll venture to put it in a separate blog.

So, leisure time in Siracusa was great. We had lunch at a recommended restaurant which was an event in itself. The owner is an artist and all the restaurant decorations, including collage menus, were done by him. One specialty was hearty thick soups made with local ingredients. The photograph here only shows the table. After the soup, I quickly tried the breaded sardines before it occurred to me to take a photo. Steve was having a flavorful pasta dish.