Sweet, Sweet, Sicily!

Have you ever been to a place where the experience of being there permeated all of your senses and, you were sure, that for the rest of your life you would be able to recall that place with complete clarity? The mere thought of it; the sights, the sounds, the smells, even the night air as it wraps around you, evokes a feeling of sheer delight and contentment. Well, for us, Sicily has been just that place. We arrived from Spain, after a quick stop in Scotland. The moment we stepped off the plane we felt such a sense of peace. The people here are very nice and are always willing to go the extra mile to help you  feel welcome. It is as if we were their long lost family.

After we arrived at the airport, we learned that the next flight to Crete, Greece would be in a week leaving from the Navy Base in Naples. Naples in on the mainland and the flight is called the Patriot Express which is a civilian 767 leased by the government. This is a scheduled flight so we knew we had a good chance of making it. We decided to rent a car and explore the island for a week. In Italy, no one gets excited over renting an Alfa Romero or a Fiat but when they handed us the keys to an Alfa Romero we were ecstatic to say the least. Thankfully we have an international GPS (lovingly referred to as Betty), which allowed us to set her for sites unknown.

The first day we went to Catania and meandered around town. The open market was beautiful and we had so much fun meeting the locals and examining their goods. They sell everything from fruit to escargot! The cheese and homemade salami was the best we have ever tasted and the vendors are always happy to have you try their goods. It was a beautiful fall day, crisp and slightly blustery and we walked for hours.

We would find ourselves meandering along the old cobblestone streets and as we rounded a corner we would be in the middle of a beautiful piazza, hundreds of years old with a history deep and rich. It was everything you would imagine an old Sicilian port town to be.

We took the week to meander and we found an old farmhouse to stay in. We  fell in love with the small
and off the beaten path place.

We loved the ladies who ran the place, Francesca and Sylvia and they took such good care of us. They told us of some local activities, hiking, shopping and the local eateries. Their best recommendation to us by far was to tend the local festival that has proved to be one of our most favorite evenings so far. It was in a town called Mota Camastra. Walt Disney could not have re-created this mountain city any better. When I say mountain city I don’t mean a city ON a mountain, I mean a city IN a mountain. It was phenomenal! Our pictures will never do it justice but our hearts and minds eye we will never forget its beauty.

As we walked up the winding path, we could hear music playing to welcome the children. You will never guess what they were playing…”It’s a Small World”…. in English. We rounded the corner and lanterns were lit along the pathway with large candles also on the ground to light the cobblestone roads. The local merchants had their entire foodstuff available for sample and

sale. Limoncello, orange cello, olives, cheese, salami, crepes, marmalades and freshly roasted chestnuts to name but a few. Men were playing banjos, accordions and jute harps out in the evening; playing with such passion it made me weep.

They served us a huge bowls of freshly made warm pasta, fresh bread and a glass of wine. We sampled everything they had to offer. Near the end we sat down to have a glass of the local wine and Tom order a bar-b-cued sandwich. I will never forget the look on his face when the man told him it was horse meat! He ate it and we decided it was not too bad at all. In the everyday life, there is a lot to be said for just breathing and appreciating the beauty around you and for not being afraid to try something different.

After a few days we drove to Taoromina another beautiful town on the Sicilian coastline. We walked, talked and savored the beauty.

We then continued north to Messina and took the ferry to the main land and actually made it without any hitches. Trying to tell an Italian man you want to take your car across the ocean and continue heading towards Naples with only a small phrase book can be daunting but we made it and it was a lovely.

We felt as if we had left one world and entered another as drove into Naples. There are no American insurance companies will give you car insurance while you are in Italy so you must buy the Italian insurance. An extra $14.00 a day but well worth it! The Italians concur that the drivers from Napoli are the worse and we agree. There are rules to follow and non-adherence to them can be a matter of life and death. Go and go quickly is pretty much the motto for driving and you must never make eye contact. If you do, it is assumed you have yielded to the other driver and are acknowledging his sovereignty in the situation. Driving here for the non-native is a two person experience. One to drive the car and the other to watch the GPS to call out directions and to watch the traffic from the right. Things happen so quickly the driver does not have time to look at the GPS or wait for the voice command. No pictures to show of that because we were afraid to take our eyes off the road even for a minute.

We went to the ancient ruins in Pompeii and they are amazing. They are so very well preserved that you can almost see the city as it was before its demise in 79 AD.

We are now on the island of Crete. Hoping the wireless is up and available to send you this post. We think we will stay for a while. May take a clipper ship cruise to the surrounding islands or go back to one of our favorite places in Crete a place called St. Pietro’s. It is an old refurbished church that is actually delightful to stay in.

Will let you know!