Le Colline della Sicilia Con Colleen Cecelia

Thursday, March 2

Catania

The name of the blog might be modified to "Travel With Colleenaleeena", since this is a trip that I took with my sister Colleen to launch a yearlong celebration of The Year of Milestone Birthdays for both of us.

Arrived at the Catania airport about 4:40 PM, took a 15-minute bus ride into town and found our apartment, which was literally a couple minutes' walk from the bus station. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/13028132
Settled in, went to the grocery store two blocks away for provisions, ate and went to bed.

Friday, March 3 

Catania

After a good night's sleep, walked around Catania.

Our street, Via D'Amico

Older men doing what older men do, all over the world

La Pescheria, the daily market

When you are wearing dark clothes, it is very important to choose the pastry with the most powdered sugar

Marble in the Church of St. Nicolas Arena

Colleen enjoys her first Campari Spritz

 

 

 

And looming above everything, Mount Etna

 

I didn't get any photos of them, but Catania has these random booze kiosks near busy intersections. Imagine that on the grassy median of Summit Ave and Snelling, there was a structure the size of the banana stand from Arrested Development, except instead of frozen bananas, you could buy a beer, wine, cocktail, pop, etc. ,and then you could continue on with your beverage, stand at the bar or sit on a nearby bench and drink. I think they could catch on in St. Paul (though maybe not in January).

 

Saturday, March 4

Siracusa

Took the train to Siracusa for the day. We started in the north part of town, at the Parco Archeological della Neapolis. There is a quarry/cave/grotto called Orecchio di Dionisio with incredible acoustics, and we enjoyed the singing of some other tourists.

Greek theater at the Archaeological Park Neapolis.

We then tried to get a city bus to the south end of town, called Ortigia. We asked someone where to catch it and where to buy tickets, and they said "Buy tickets at the tobacco shop". So we went to the tobacco shop, where they told us "We don't sell bus tickets here. You have to buy them at the lottery kiosk". So we went to the lottery kiosk, where they told us "We don't sell tickets here. You can just buy tickets on the bus. There's a machine, and you just put your money in". Fine.  So we waited for a bus for a while, then decided to just start walking. We saw a bus with the right number on it, and flagged him down. We hopped on and tried to put money in the machine, but it kept spitting out our coins. He said something to us and held out his hand , so we gave him the coins and sat down. I should mention at this point that all of these interactions were done in Italian, which I can pronounce OK, but my comprehension is virtually zero. So we're driving along, and at a point he stops the bus, points toward a bridge, and says "Ortigia.". He hands us our money back and drives away. It turns out that he had finished with his route and was probably heading back to the bus garage or whatever, and he picked us up out of courtesy/pity.

When we started researching our trip, one of the first things I read was that brioche and gelato (described as an ice cream sandwich) is very popular, especially in the morning. I thought, "Ice cream sandwich for breakfast? I'm there!" I was determined to try it at least once, so I took the plunge at Gelati Bianca.

It turns out that it's more like cake and ice cream, if the cake were panetonne without the fruit. It was good, but pretty filling, so I considered that itch scratched, and didn't need to try it again.

We walked a bit, then went to Piazza Duomo, which is gorgeous, with everything the same color of sand, and tile pavement. Being lovely, it was also very touristy, and we watched an enterprising seller of crappy rings work his hustle to insinuate himself with potential buyers. We got a table at Caffe Duomo to get a front row seat for people-watching.

Caffe Duomo

World's Youngest Chauffeur

Sunday, March 5

Taormina

Took the bus to Taormina for the day. All the guidebooks mention how touristy and expensive it is, so with rain forecast for the afternoon, we didn't want to waste any time with that part of it, and headed directly for the walk up to Castemola. It took just over an hour, and was utterly breathtaking.

Rather than ruin our shins with a steep walk down, we opted to pay the 2 euros for the bus back down. Walked around town, which was indeed touristy, but also very pretty.

We arrived in Sicilia a couple of days after Carnavale, so everywhere we went, there was leftover confetti in all corners of the cobblestones

Lunch at Osteria Rita

While waiting for the bus back to Catania, we walked just below the bus station and hung out awhile looking at the sea.

The striking vista of this garage is certainly enjoyed by the car parked in it.

Monday, March 6

Cefalu

Before leaving Catania, we took a quick walk around the neighborhood and stumbled across this cool building, which is a mechanic's garage.

We took a train to Cefalu, arrived at the guesthouse http://www.villadigiorgi.com/ at 2:30 PM, and had some coffee and cookies before heading to the beach.

We walked on the beach until the sun started to set, then checked out the restaurant recommended by our host. We didn't eat there, but he recommended a wine bar up near the Piazza Duomo*, where we hung out and congratulated ourselves for traveling during the off season.

In Summer, this area would be JAM PACKED

* Every city and town in Sicilia has a cathedral or "Duomo", surrounded by a plaza or "Piazza", which means that there are probably over 300 places called Piazza Duomo in the country.

Tuesday, March 7

Cefalu

Walked around the town. There was rain in forecast, so we had to be ready to duck into a shop or (the horror!) caffe. as it turned out, the weather story of the day wasn't so much the rain as the wind. According to one weather website, it was gusting over 100 km per hour, and the surf was unbelievable. It looked like milk or cream. Antonio, the owner of the wine bar we went to later, said that he had only seen it like that a couple of other times in his life (he was mid-late-20s). It's a good thing we got our beach walk in the previous afternoon, because there was no way to get near it today without literally risking our lives.

Dumo in the daytime

The silver altar

The surf.

The young woman in the corner of the photo ended up (with her boyfriend) being one of the only other people at the wine bar with us  later on.

Walking up La Rocca, which was officially closed because of the wind. ("Sign? I didn't see any sign!")

La Rocca

Since the previous night's wine bar was closed on Tuesdays, the owner had recommended another one, Le Petit Tonneau, which we had passed several times already, but hadn't noticed, and even when we were actively seeking it, we still went right past it a couple of times. We were rewarded for our tenacity, because it was very charming, and the owner was an enthusiastic young guy (the previously mentioned Antonio) who reminded us a bit of our nephew, Mickey. They have a spectacular sea overlook from the small balcony , which was unusable because of the wicked surf (except by an intrepid young couple, she from Germany, he from the UK; they lasted about 20 minutes, then had to concede defeat and come inside).

We hung out there for a few hours, and as we began our departure, it started to rain. We chatted with Antonio in the doorway, waiting for it to die down, but then it started to hail and pour. At a certain point, it seemed like it was petering out, so we bid him "Buona Notte" and darted out. We hadn't gone more than 100 meters before it started to pour again, so we just kept running and running. We ducked into a shop or two to catch our breath. Even though it was raining, we had wanted to go to the train station to check out the timetables to get a head start on planning the next leg of the trip, which added an element of difficulty to the evening perambulations. We eventually got back to the guest house (which is up a very steep hill), and were very grateful that we weren't staying in a cheap, crappy hostel. When your lodging has a radiator and a heated towel rack, getting caught in the rain is not a problem. It also helps to hang on to that copy of the Highland Villager that you brought for airplane reading; simply wad it up to stuff in your wet shoes.

Wednesday, March 8

Cefalu

It rained all day, so we used it as an opportunity to read and relax at the guesthouse. Being that it was the exact mid-point of the trip, and we hadn't actually made any plans for the day, the timing was excellent.

Thursday, March 9

Modica

Took a train to Palermo,

then a bus to Modica.

As soon as we started walking, I knew I would really like this place. While it can certainly accomodate tourists, it also has a life of its own. We got to our apartment https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/6616710  (where we were greeted with two bars of the city's signature chocolate), and then headed out to check out the town.

My very first cannolo!

Friday, March 10

Ragusa

Took a bus to Ragusa for the day, but only stayed for the morning. Yes, it's pretty, but for whatever reason, we just weren't feeling it. My highlight was a dish of gelato with 3 flavors: moscato wine, olive oil and violet. It was worth the trip.

Besides gelato, the only thing that made the morning interesting was a huge orienteering meet. Our wanderings were occasionally accompanied by a huffing, puffing kid looking for the next point to mark on his/her card

Trying to get back to Modica, we needed to get back to the upper part of town. There is a city bus, and a bus stop right outside the tourist information center, but we were told that they only sell tickets in the tobacco shop.
 Q: Where is there a tobacco shop nearby?
A: Oh, there's none around here! You need to go back to the far end of the town (where we had started out 3 hours previous).
So we splurged on a taxi to the bus stop at the top of the town (which is OK, because we had inadvertently ridden the bus down without paying. Oops!)


Back in Modica, we took a detour to explore the fitness course on the edge of town by the bus station, and I did my one and only pull-up of the trip.

At Caffee Matteotti (across from Piazza Matteotti), Colleen had gluten-free pizza and a beer, and I had another cannolo and a shot of some kind of amaro (bitter liqueur).

These people are serious about their gelato

Walked around town some more. Modica is the Chocolate Capital of Italy, so every third storefront is a chocolate shop, with dishes of all of the different flavors in pieces available for sampling. Oh my.
They make it in the Aztec style*, with no heat, so the sugar granules remain intact, giving it an appealing, gritty texture. It was fairly sweet, and I prefer my chocolate unsweetened, but that didn't stop me from trying every flavor at every store, two or three times over the course of our stay. Being a tourist has its privileges (though after another few days, they'd have probably started to catch on to me).

 Had dinner at La Rustica. Being tourists, we were the first ones there when they opened at 7 PM. Afterward, took advantage of our delightful terrace.

The sky really was that color!

* A co-worker who is also a chocolatier has informed  me that Jamaican chocolate is also made this way!

Saturday, March 11

 

Modica

 

View from the terrace off my bedroom

Our "street"

 

Walked around Modica Alta

Whay I no longer travel with a wheeled suitcase

How did they know?

Lots and lots of areas of town, and around the country, were under video surveillance

The music school, where we we treated to wonderful sounds every time we walked past

Cio che accade in Sicila, rimane in Sicilia

 

We had dinner at Il Girasole, again being the first ones there as soon as it opened. Gradually, all 8 tables filled up, which the single waitress handled ably. The 60-something couple at the table next to us were really antsy, and the woman took about 15 minutes to finally sit down. She kept looking over at us, and the best we could figure is that she was super OCD, and we were sitting at her usual table. Their faces looked really anxious and unhappy. We were almost ready to leave, but we thought we'd hang out and occupy "their" table to see if they'd eventually settle down. Then, a young couple with a stroller walked in and the older couple's faces transformed to sheer joy. The whole time, they had been nervously waiting for daughter/grandchild! After that, they were animated and delighted.

The (eventually) happy grandparents

Walking home, it was S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y! Night! We got swept up into the current of humanity that is......The Evening Passegiata. It was in full swing and the streets were packed. We hadn't seen so many people all day. Folks of all ages walking in pairs and groups up and down Corso Umberto, sitting on church steps, hanging at the creperie, etc. It's so gratifying to see the that preferred entertainment was just simply being together, not watching TV. The good citizens of Modica can be forgiven for believing that their town is The Center of the Universe, because in this moment, it actually is

TANGENT! We noticed throughtout the trip that while everyone had smart phones, there wasn't much evidence of people staring hypnotized into them. When people were together, they actually interacted, and the phones just happened to be there.

Sunday, March 12

Modica

We asked our host for a recommendation on a church to go to with good chorale music, and she steered us to Duomo di San Pietro. The music was more like a folksy guitar (no organ!), so we bailed. Walked around Modica Alta, covering some of the same ground as yesterday, with an extended rest in the sun sitting in front of Chiesa di San Giovanni Evangelista (not pictured).

The after-church crowd

These people are serious about their chocolate

Monday, March 13 Catania

One last walk around Modica in the morning

Kitty condos/refuges at the top of town on our side of Corso Umberto

Took a bus from Modica to Catania, then spent the afternoon walking around Catania one last time.

After so much bread and pizza, we were grateful to find a Pakistani kebab joint, where we got goodies on a platter with lettuce, red bell pepper, cabbage and curry or yogurt sauce (Colleen's with falafel and mine with chicken/turkey gyro meat) and NO BREAD!

Tuesday, March 14

Depart

6:15 AM flight. Note to self: there is no advantage to arriving at the Catania airport before 5 AM, as the security lines don't open until then.

FAQs

Why Sicily?

Both of us had been to Italy before and liked it. I had heard that if you want to experience Italy like it was 20 years ago, go to Sicily. Good enough for me!

Plus, it only takes about 4.5 hours by bus to get from the very North of the island to the very South (for the equivalent of $14.50).

Do you have any family connections or ancestry in Sicily?

No.

How was the weather?

Great! Other than a day-and-a-half of rain, the low temperatures were in the mid-upper 40s, and the highs were upper 50s-lower 60s, with mostly sun but occasionally overcast. Even when it was in the low 60s, most Sicilians still wore winter jackets.

 

How was it traveling with your sister?

Great! She is very easy to get along with, and we have a similar travel style: walk a little, look a little, rest a little, eat a little, drink a little. Repeat.

We covered a lot of ground, and saw a lot, but we didn't exactly pack it in. We more patted it in.

How did the One-Bag strategy go?

Even better than the last trip! My main bag weighed 11.7 pounds (most of it nutritional supplements), purse 3.7 pounds (most of it snacks), and travel vest 1.6 pounds, for a total of 17 pounds. 

The keys to getting by with wearing the same shirt every day are: A) make it medium-weight Capilene by Patagonia, B) shower at least twice a week, and  C) bring lots of deodorant and sandalwood essential oil

Why didn't you climb Mount Etna?

In 2014 learned my lesson about trying to get to the top of a volcano/mountain in Southern Italy in late Winter when Bhob and my attempt at Mt. Vesuvius ended with a fog so thick, we could barely see our hands in front of our faces, let alone the crater on top. So, with limited time in Sicilia, Colleen and I hadn't even planned to go to Etna. Then, two days before our arrival, it erupted, so no way were we going to go up there (if they would even allow it). I heard that it erupted again two days after we left! http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4324058/British-tourists-say-feared-die-Etna.html

How were your flights?

Great! Everything went off without a hitch. Though we had 3 planes each way, all of our layovers were long enough to get to our next gate and relax, but not long enough to get bored. 

What did you watch on the plane?

Lots of TV (Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Lucky Dog, and some Australian guy biking through Hokkaido), documentaries (Mr Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown, The Beatles: Eight Days A Week-The Touring Years, Daft Punk Unchained), about 10 minutes of Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie (which was absolutely terrible) and 2 minutes of Inferno.

Do most Sicilians speak English?

No, but everyone was very friendly and helpful. We would ask directions in Italian, and then they would proceed to give very detailed directions in Italian, of which  I could maybe pick out a single "sinestra" or "destra". They would repeat themselves, over and over, which actually kind of worked; we would get the essence of what they were saying. Generally, we would walk in the direction they were pointing for about 50 meters, ask someone else, walk 50 meters in the direction they were pointing, etc.

Did you ever get tired of hearing speaking Italian/Sicilian?

No.

What do Sicilians look like?

Like Southern Italians, but with generally darker skin. Everyone is attractive, presents themselves well and smells really, really good. I am not being facetious. There must be some very special laundry detergent that is exclusive to Sicilia. 

Is Sicilia part of Italy?

Yes, it is politically part of Italy, though like most of the country, still identifies itself with cultural autonomy. Its location means that it's been occupied by pretty much everyone, so it is as much Greek and Arabic as it is Roman.

Did you learn the national anthem?

Nope. Since most Italians identify most with their region, I didn't think that the Italian National Anthem would have much emotional resonance. 

Any evidence of the Mafia?

Not to my tourist eyes. It probably more affects anyone trying to do business in the region.

Do they drive like maniacs?

There was plenty of speeding and risky lane-passing, but they actually stop for pedestrians in crosswalks, unlike in some European cities (ahem Prishtina).

Did you see any refugees?

Hard to say. We saw plenty of African faces in Catania, but it was impossible to know whether they had arrived last week or last decade. There was a fenced-in area full of camper vans near the train station in Catania, which seemed like it might have been an encampment of sorts, but we didn't see anyone coming or going from it, so this is only speculation.

What is the food like?

Like Italian, but with regional specialties. Very wheat-based: pizza, panini, pane (bread), pasta, pasticceria. Being an island, there is a lot of seafood (of which neither of us partook; I prefer my fish boned, vacuum-packed and frozen from Aldi). Citrus was in season, so at all of the markets there was a bounty of lemons, oranges, etc. Blood oranges were .50 euros a kilo (about 25 cents a pound)!

Aren't they called cannoli?

Yes, they are called cannoli, but a single one is a cannolo.

Did you ever get tired of chocolate?

Temporarily, yes.

Any popular songs that became a soundtrack to the trip?

We heard this one a lot

And this one

And between strolling accordion players in tourist spots, people singing in a cave and playing on a loop before take-off on every Alitalia flight, we sure heard this one a lot

What was your favorite part?

Probably Modica, though Catania had a lot to discover. It reminded me of Napoli: dirty, noisy, lively....

Any surprises?

Since I try to avoid looking at photos of my destination, or reading too much about it, just about everything is a surprise to some extent. I guess the nicest surprise was Cefalu. When Colleen first suggested it, I'll confess that I had my reservations. "It's too far from our other hubs! It's a seaside town, so it's probably tacky." But I am so, so glad we went. It was enchanting, and not at all tacky. I don't know if I'd be singing the same song if I were there in July with a bunch of sunburnt Germans, but it was a pleasure.

Why do keep switching between calling it "Sicily" and "Sicilia"?

Because I am a pretentious snob.

Did you get any clothespins for your collection?

Well, since I already have Italian clothespins, I didn't buy any, but I did find a big, honkin' wooden one in the street.

Conventional clothespin included for size comparison

How much did the trip cost?

For 14 days total, (12 on the ground), here is a breakdown of my expenses in US dollars:

Airfare   1176.66

Lodging (my half) 512.43

Food 139.91

Ground transportation 105.91

Admission to attractions/pay toilets 12.23

Treats  70.28

Gifts     15.84

Travel insurance  74.00

Verizon coverage (my half) 20.00

Total with airfare 2127.76 or 151.98 per day (including travel days)

Total without airfare 951.11, or  79.26 per day for "on the ground" costs.

To pay for a trip like this, you'd have to set aside $5.83 per day for a year. I could have spent a lot less, maybe picking cheaper accommodations, eating more meals in the apartment, etc., but it sure was fun to splurge!

Should I go?

Yes! It is beautiful, laid back and affordable. We saw a lot of wonderful things in two weeks, yet only scratched the surface. I have convinced Bhob to join me on a future trip. Two important pieces of advice if you go:

1) Try to learn at least a little bit of Italian, or get the Google Translate app for your phone

2) Don't get too bent out of shape trying to track down The Best Gelato, The Best Pastries, etc. It's all pretty goddamn good.