Savoring Sicily - A Trip Report
Apr 29th, 2014, 06:24 AM
#41
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Leely2...unfortunately we did not see any of the Oratorios with the Serpotta stuccoes, just another reason to return! ;-)
thursdaysd...I agree with you about the RS guides, hotels and generally good food. I had to smile at your comment about you having better ideas about where to eat than your Sicilian guide. Once our guide realized how "into" food mom and I were, he would seek us out to ask where we had eaten during an "on our own" meal and a few times he gave us good/solid recommendations we really liked. I think he was a food-lover himself. ;-)
bab...no worries about "hi-jacking" the thread, I love to talk about all kinds of travel (Italian or Eastern European!) and as thurdaysd said, only about half the dinners are with the group on RS tours, that's why I also go on the tours armed with a list of restaurant options in each city. I shocked the tour members on our RS tour in Portugal last year, by knowing which restaurants I wanted to try in each city. Several of them admitted to me, they never thought of looking into where to eat for non-group meals. For us, food is a big part of our travel experience (but you can probably already see that from my TRs) and I would never think of going somewhere new without doing at least a little pre-trip food research.
sandralist...I agree with you about food being fun in Sicily and jumping out of the market and onto our plates! Love that reference and may have to use it in the future.
I hope to have another installment later today. Next we have a final day in Palermo/Monreale (yes, again) and then we are off to Cefalu.
thursdaysd...I agree with you about the RS guides, hotels and generally good food. I had to smile at your comment about you having better ideas about where to eat than your Sicilian guide. Once our guide realized how "into" food mom and I were, he would seek us out to ask where we had eaten during an "on our own" meal and a few times he gave us good/solid recommendations we really liked. I think he was a food-lover himself. ;-)
bab...no worries about "hi-jacking" the thread, I love to talk about all kinds of travel (Italian or Eastern European!) and as thurdaysd said, only about half the dinners are with the group on RS tours, that's why I also go on the tours armed with a list of restaurant options in each city. I shocked the tour members on our RS tour in Portugal last year, by knowing which restaurants I wanted to try in each city. Several of them admitted to me, they never thought of looking into where to eat for non-group meals. For us, food is a big part of our travel experience (but you can probably already see that from my TRs) and I would never think of going somewhere new without doing at least a little pre-trip food research.
sandralist...I agree with you about food being fun in Sicily and jumping out of the market and onto our plates! Love that reference and may have to use it in the future.
I hope to have another installment later today. Next we have a final day in Palermo/Monreale (yes, again) and then we are off to Cefalu.
Apr 29th, 2014, 07:42 AM
#42
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Saturday, March 1, 2014
Today we would be leaving Palermo, but not before going to Monreale with a local Rick Steves guide. The guide was Jackie and although mom and I had been to the cathedral in Monreale with Don Saro, it was nice to see it again and get another point of view. Jackie is extremely well-versed in Sicilian history and had a wealth of information to share. We still couldn’t get enough of the stunning mosaics. We also visited the cloister adjacent to the cathedral, which we hadn’t done with Don Saro. I’m glad we made this visit, the cloister was lovely and when we emerged, the sun was finally shining!
We climbed back onto the tour bus for the ride back down into Palermo where we visited La Martorana church, it was a repeat for us, but Jackie had interesting history to share. The final church stop for the day was the Cathedral of Palermo. I have to say, I preferred the exterior of this church to the interior, with one exception. There is an alter covered in silver, which is rather striking. Here is more information on the Palermo Cathedral: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palermo_Cathedral
We also walked through the Capo market with Jackie. Maybe it was the time of day we were there, but I wasn’t as enamored with the Capo market as I was with the Ballaro market. It was nearing lunch time and we ended our morning with local guide Jackie near the Teatro Massimo. At this point we had some free time before moving onto Cefalu. We had two choices; we could enter the Teatro Massimo and do a tour or go to lunch. We chose lunch since we would have one last day in Palermo after the tour ended to see the Teatro Massimo and we didn’t want to feel rushed trying to squeeze in a tour and find lunch somewhere.
For the life of me, I can’t remember the name of the place we went to for lunch, but it was at the recommendation of our guide, Donald. It was a café/bar type place not far from the Teatro Massimo. One side had display cases of savory items and the other had sweet pastries & coffee. Mom and I choose to order 2 of the largest arancini we had ever seen. We were pretty pleased with ourselves for remembering to place our order and pay first at the cashier and then take our receipt to the man behind the counter who then warmed our arancini, which were quite literally the size of our fists. They were ok, but not the best we ever tasted. If you are unfamiliar with what arancini are, they are fried rice balls typically filled with meat sauce and cheese and sometimes peas, but we’ve eaten a raddichio and gorgonzola variety in Rome that was out of this world good (but I’m digressing here!).
After lunch we met back up with the group and boarded the bus for the drive to Cefalu. Just before arriving in this seaside town, we made a “view”stop, I have to say from afar the town which hugs the sea and La Roca, a huge rock formation, is picture post card perfect.
Our hotel in Cefalu was in the old town area and since the streets there are narrow, the bus would not fit, so off we go with our bags in tow for a 10 minute walk to the hotel. The old town is charming with the narrow and winding streets, we just wished the Hotel La Giara at Via Veterani, 40 was as charming. I have to say, this was our least favorite hotel. I know, we were there in the “off season” but this place just felt dark and slightly neglected to us. I understand now, that the only guests staying during this time of year were RS tours, and the place closed down on the days when no tours were there, but still, it just felt like maybe it had seen better days. Here is a link to their website: http://www.hotel-lagiara.it/
Shortly after arriving we met the group in the lobby for a brief orientation walk around the town. Having done my pre-trip research I knew there was an enoteca not far from the hotel which I was interested in checking out. Lucky for us, the orientation walk ended on the same street where Enoteca Rossorubino was located (Via Carlo Ortolani di Borbonaro, 16).
This is a wine shop that also has tables for aperitivo, how could we not like this place! I came across it when reading about wine bars in Cefalu on Trip Advisor. There weren’t many reviews, but the ones there were good and it seemed appealing. Here’s a link to the Trip Advisor review page: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...mo_Sicily.html
After the orientation walk we were joined by 2 other tour members for a couple glasses of wine at Enoteca Rossorubino. The owner, Alessandro, could not have been more friendly and hospitable. We each had a glass (that ultimately turned into 2) of wine and Alessandro placed a nice array of apperitivo “nibbles” on the table for us, chips, olives and little pizzas. As we started to come to the end of our first glass of wine I asked Alessandro if he could recommend one of the restaurants I had on my Cefalu restaurant list (there were 4). He asked if we liked seafood and when we said yes, he did not hesitate to say Ti Vitti is the place he would go. He offered to call them for us and make a reservation for later that evening and we took him up on the offer and he called in a reservation for 4 and we ordered another round of wine.
Shortly before 8:30pm we made our way to Ti Vitti located at Via Umberto I, 34. What a welcoming atmosphere. It was not crowded, there were maybe 4 other tables (remember, this is the off season) but we were greeted very warmly and shown to a table. There was a chalkboard menu and the staff helped us decipher the items listed. Mom and I decided to have exactly the same things, which we don’t do very often. We both thought the starter of porchetta, artichoke & porcini “tortino” sounded to good to pass up (it was delicious!) and the grilled local fish, which I think was called ayello, was mild and had a lovely flavor and with a squirt of lemon over it, it was lip-smacking good. With a side of asparagus to share we rounded out a perfect meal. With a bottle of water and a bottle of wine (we shared with one of our tour-mates) and 2 digestivos, our cost was €73. Here is the website for Ti Vitti, and we think it is definitely a good choice for seafood lovers: http://www.ristorantetivitti.com/EN/DoveSiamo.aspx
Today we would be leaving Palermo, but not before going to Monreale with a local Rick Steves guide. The guide was Jackie and although mom and I had been to the cathedral in Monreale with Don Saro, it was nice to see it again and get another point of view. Jackie is extremely well-versed in Sicilian history and had a wealth of information to share. We still couldn’t get enough of the stunning mosaics. We also visited the cloister adjacent to the cathedral, which we hadn’t done with Don Saro. I’m glad we made this visit, the cloister was lovely and when we emerged, the sun was finally shining!
We climbed back onto the tour bus for the ride back down into Palermo where we visited La Martorana church, it was a repeat for us, but Jackie had interesting history to share. The final church stop for the day was the Cathedral of Palermo. I have to say, I preferred the exterior of this church to the interior, with one exception. There is an alter covered in silver, which is rather striking. Here is more information on the Palermo Cathedral: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palermo_Cathedral
We also walked through the Capo market with Jackie. Maybe it was the time of day we were there, but I wasn’t as enamored with the Capo market as I was with the Ballaro market. It was nearing lunch time and we ended our morning with local guide Jackie near the Teatro Massimo. At this point we had some free time before moving onto Cefalu. We had two choices; we could enter the Teatro Massimo and do a tour or go to lunch. We chose lunch since we would have one last day in Palermo after the tour ended to see the Teatro Massimo and we didn’t want to feel rushed trying to squeeze in a tour and find lunch somewhere.
For the life of me, I can’t remember the name of the place we went to for lunch, but it was at the recommendation of our guide, Donald. It was a café/bar type place not far from the Teatro Massimo. One side had display cases of savory items and the other had sweet pastries & coffee. Mom and I choose to order 2 of the largest arancini we had ever seen. We were pretty pleased with ourselves for remembering to place our order and pay first at the cashier and then take our receipt to the man behind the counter who then warmed our arancini, which were quite literally the size of our fists. They were ok, but not the best we ever tasted. If you are unfamiliar with what arancini are, they are fried rice balls typically filled with meat sauce and cheese and sometimes peas, but we’ve eaten a raddichio and gorgonzola variety in Rome that was out of this world good (but I’m digressing here!).
After lunch we met back up with the group and boarded the bus for the drive to Cefalu. Just before arriving in this seaside town, we made a “view”stop, I have to say from afar the town which hugs the sea and La Roca, a huge rock formation, is picture post card perfect.
Our hotel in Cefalu was in the old town area and since the streets there are narrow, the bus would not fit, so off we go with our bags in tow for a 10 minute walk to the hotel. The old town is charming with the narrow and winding streets, we just wished the Hotel La Giara at Via Veterani, 40 was as charming. I have to say, this was our least favorite hotel. I know, we were there in the “off season” but this place just felt dark and slightly neglected to us. I understand now, that the only guests staying during this time of year were RS tours, and the place closed down on the days when no tours were there, but still, it just felt like maybe it had seen better days. Here is a link to their website: http://www.hotel-lagiara.it/
Shortly after arriving we met the group in the lobby for a brief orientation walk around the town. Having done my pre-trip research I knew there was an enoteca not far from the hotel which I was interested in checking out. Lucky for us, the orientation walk ended on the same street where Enoteca Rossorubino was located (Via Carlo Ortolani di Borbonaro, 16).
This is a wine shop that also has tables for aperitivo, how could we not like this place! I came across it when reading about wine bars in Cefalu on Trip Advisor. There weren’t many reviews, but the ones there were good and it seemed appealing. Here’s a link to the Trip Advisor review page: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...mo_Sicily.html
After the orientation walk we were joined by 2 other tour members for a couple glasses of wine at Enoteca Rossorubino. The owner, Alessandro, could not have been more friendly and hospitable. We each had a glass (that ultimately turned into 2) of wine and Alessandro placed a nice array of apperitivo “nibbles” on the table for us, chips, olives and little pizzas. As we started to come to the end of our first glass of wine I asked Alessandro if he could recommend one of the restaurants I had on my Cefalu restaurant list (there were 4). He asked if we liked seafood and when we said yes, he did not hesitate to say Ti Vitti is the place he would go. He offered to call them for us and make a reservation for later that evening and we took him up on the offer and he called in a reservation for 4 and we ordered another round of wine.
Shortly before 8:30pm we made our way to Ti Vitti located at Via Umberto I, 34. What a welcoming atmosphere. It was not crowded, there were maybe 4 other tables (remember, this is the off season) but we were greeted very warmly and shown to a table. There was a chalkboard menu and the staff helped us decipher the items listed. Mom and I decided to have exactly the same things, which we don’t do very often. We both thought the starter of porchetta, artichoke & porcini “tortino” sounded to good to pass up (it was delicious!) and the grilled local fish, which I think was called ayello, was mild and had a lovely flavor and with a squirt of lemon over it, it was lip-smacking good. With a side of asparagus to share we rounded out a perfect meal. With a bottle of water and a bottle of wine (we shared with one of our tour-mates) and 2 digestivos, our cost was €73. Here is the website for Ti Vitti, and we think it is definitely a good choice for seafood lovers: http://www.ristorantetivitti.com/EN/DoveSiamo.aspx
Apr 29th, 2014, 08:09 AM
#43
I had the same reaction to the Hotel la Giara you did, and we were there at the end of April. At least they've changed the Palermo hotel, I had one of the worst European hotel rooms ever at the Hotel Tonic in Palermo with the tour (stayed at a very nice B&B there after the tour).
Apr 29th, 2014, 08:38 AM
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thursdaysd...
My mom will be happy to hear we are not the only ones with that opinion of the Hotel La Giara! It really put a negative tint on Cefalu for us.
I kept hearing how wonderful Cefalu was and maybe I was expecting more. We did have terrible weather while there, and it was a Sunday, which in the off season, meant there was very little to keep us occupied with many places closed.
I get when RS puts a "vacation from your vacation" day on his tour itineraries, but we would have preferred a "lazy" day further into the tour, not the day after leaving Palermo. Logistically though it makes sense to stop in Cefalu right after Palermo.
My mom will be happy to hear we are not the only ones with that opinion of the Hotel La Giara! It really put a negative tint on Cefalu for us.
I kept hearing how wonderful Cefalu was and maybe I was expecting more. We did have terrible weather while there, and it was a Sunday, which in the off season, meant there was very little to keep us occupied with many places closed.
I get when RS puts a "vacation from your vacation" day on his tour itineraries, but we would have preferred a "lazy" day further into the tour, not the day after leaving Palermo. Logistically though it makes sense to stop in Cefalu right after Palermo.
Apr 29th, 2014, 08:49 AM
#45
LCI - my tour started in Taormino, so Cefalu was right before Palermo at the end, which made a bit more sense. I thought it was pretty much a wasted day, though. (My TR is here: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ing-sicily.cfm )
Apr 29th, 2014, 10:03 AM
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Cefalù is a typical seaside resort, packed with sunbathers in the summer. My sister lives there April-June and October-December. I can imagine that it's a very sad town when the weather doesn't co-operate. We were lucky last October to have great weather, but then ... if you don't like to sit on the beach there is really not much to do there. We also had a car (having toured the western half of the island before visiting my sister in Cefalù) and drove into the Madonie, which was very, very nice!
Apr 29th, 2014, 12:03 PM
#48
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thursdaysd...yes, it seems like your tour route made better use of the days in Cefalu!
johnnyomalley...thanks for jumping on for the "ride"
Myriam...I can see the charm and appeal Cefalu would have in the summer months, just poor trip timing for us.
And now for more...
Sunday, March 2, 2014
As you may have guessed from our opinion of the Hotel La Giara, Cefalu was not faring well in our “favorite place” category. Waking up to torrents of rain was not helping the situation any. This hotel did not have an on-site breakfast room, but we could have the tour included breakfast at the café/bar in the Piazza del Duomo in the center of town. The rain had momentarily stopped as we made our way to breakfast.
The breakfast on offer was a typical spread we had at other places, pastry, cheeses, ham, yogurt and coffee, it wasn’t spectacular and it wasn’t terrible. But the waitress who handle the room was a pro, she was friendly and working her “tail off”. We lingered at breakfast because there wasn’t much for us to do on this soggy day.
When we finished with breakfast we meandered over to the cathedral, which was about 20 paces away. It was mildly interesting with nice mosaics, but the construction materials piled up inside the church kind of took away some of the charm. We were the only ones inside, and assumed from the looks of things, that there must be some restoration work being done. Here is more about the cathedral: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cefal%C3%B9_Cathedral
Upon exiting the cathedral we took a leisurely stroll around town and peered into shop windows. Being a Sunday, many places were closed. Several of the other tour members decided to take a walk up to the top of La Roca for the view. Mom encouraged me to join them, but I really didn’t want to hoof-it up there, even for a great view, since dark clouds were rolling in and it looked like more rain was looming. Plus I did not relish the thought of being cold & wet on top of La Roca, so mom and I walked back to the Piazza del Duomo, found a dry spot at the café were we had breakfast and ordered hot chocolate from our friendly waitress from breakfast. This actually turned out to be a pretty good choice, because it was carnevale time in Italy and we were treated to a great impromptu parade of sorts, of families with their children dressed in costumes. Some of those little ones were too cute; one lady bug costume really won our hearts!
We wandered back to the hotel for a little bit and later in the afternoon found a wine bar to have a glass of wine. Our favorite Enoteca Rossorubino was not yet open, but the place we found had nice wine and really great tuna and tomato brushcetta, and we were out of the rain!
In the early evening we were to meet the group for a cooking lesson and dinner at Al Porticciolo on Via Ortolani di Bordonaro, 66. Here is the restaurant’s website: http://www.alporticcioloristorante.com/
We pretty much had the restaurant to ourselves when we arrived and they had a little apperitivo set up for us. The chef came out to instruct us on how to prepare the meal we would be eating. There was a pasta alla norma dish (pasta with tomato and eggplant), pork involtini and cassata (cake) for dessert. Let’s just say, I’m sure it is difficult to wrangle a group of 20+ people for a cooking class in the middle of a restaurant dining room but it wasn’t the most organized cooking lesson I’ve ever taken. To be honest, this was our least favorite group meal.
When all the food was prepared by us, the culinary staff returned to the kitchen to cook everything. I hate to say this, but the tomato sauce tasted as if it came from a can, not the homemade that we were shown as being made (I get it, for that many people maybe they needed help making things “go all the way around”), the pork involtini was terribly undercooked and the cassata was cloyingly sweet. The meal was over by about 8pm and mom and I were ready for another glass of wine and fortunately for us Enoteca Rossorubino was just down the street, so we said our “good nights” to the group and beat a straight line to see our new found friend Alessandro. He welcomed us back with open arms and poured a “new to us” white wine, we sat back, and enjoyed perusing the stocked wine shelves and were happy to find a Sicilian wine we wanted to purchase to bring back home. After a couple of glasses of wine we were ready to get a good night of sleep to be bright eyed and bushy tailed for our adventure to Mt. Etna and a winery tour the next day.
johnnyomalley...thanks for jumping on for the "ride"
Myriam...I can see the charm and appeal Cefalu would have in the summer months, just poor trip timing for us.
And now for more...
Sunday, March 2, 2014
As you may have guessed from our opinion of the Hotel La Giara, Cefalu was not faring well in our “favorite place” category. Waking up to torrents of rain was not helping the situation any. This hotel did not have an on-site breakfast room, but we could have the tour included breakfast at the café/bar in the Piazza del Duomo in the center of town. The rain had momentarily stopped as we made our way to breakfast.
The breakfast on offer was a typical spread we had at other places, pastry, cheeses, ham, yogurt and coffee, it wasn’t spectacular and it wasn’t terrible. But the waitress who handle the room was a pro, she was friendly and working her “tail off”. We lingered at breakfast because there wasn’t much for us to do on this soggy day.
When we finished with breakfast we meandered over to the cathedral, which was about 20 paces away. It was mildly interesting with nice mosaics, but the construction materials piled up inside the church kind of took away some of the charm. We were the only ones inside, and assumed from the looks of things, that there must be some restoration work being done. Here is more about the cathedral: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cefal%C3%B9_Cathedral
Upon exiting the cathedral we took a leisurely stroll around town and peered into shop windows. Being a Sunday, many places were closed. Several of the other tour members decided to take a walk up to the top of La Roca for the view. Mom encouraged me to join them, but I really didn’t want to hoof-it up there, even for a great view, since dark clouds were rolling in and it looked like more rain was looming. Plus I did not relish the thought of being cold & wet on top of La Roca, so mom and I walked back to the Piazza del Duomo, found a dry spot at the café were we had breakfast and ordered hot chocolate from our friendly waitress from breakfast. This actually turned out to be a pretty good choice, because it was carnevale time in Italy and we were treated to a great impromptu parade of sorts, of families with their children dressed in costumes. Some of those little ones were too cute; one lady bug costume really won our hearts!
We wandered back to the hotel for a little bit and later in the afternoon found a wine bar to have a glass of wine. Our favorite Enoteca Rossorubino was not yet open, but the place we found had nice wine and really great tuna and tomato brushcetta, and we were out of the rain!
In the early evening we were to meet the group for a cooking lesson and dinner at Al Porticciolo on Via Ortolani di Bordonaro, 66. Here is the restaurant’s website: http://www.alporticcioloristorante.com/
We pretty much had the restaurant to ourselves when we arrived and they had a little apperitivo set up for us. The chef came out to instruct us on how to prepare the meal we would be eating. There was a pasta alla norma dish (pasta with tomato and eggplant), pork involtini and cassata (cake) for dessert. Let’s just say, I’m sure it is difficult to wrangle a group of 20+ people for a cooking class in the middle of a restaurant dining room but it wasn’t the most organized cooking lesson I’ve ever taken. To be honest, this was our least favorite group meal.
When all the food was prepared by us, the culinary staff returned to the kitchen to cook everything. I hate to say this, but the tomato sauce tasted as if it came from a can, not the homemade that we were shown as being made (I get it, for that many people maybe they needed help making things “go all the way around”), the pork involtini was terribly undercooked and the cassata was cloyingly sweet. The meal was over by about 8pm and mom and I were ready for another glass of wine and fortunately for us Enoteca Rossorubino was just down the street, so we said our “good nights” to the group and beat a straight line to see our new found friend Alessandro. He welcomed us back with open arms and poured a “new to us” white wine, we sat back, and enjoyed perusing the stocked wine shelves and were happy to find a Sicilian wine we wanted to purchase to bring back home. After a couple of glasses of wine we were ready to get a good night of sleep to be bright eyed and bushy tailed for our adventure to Mt. Etna and a winery tour the next day.
Apr 29th, 2014, 12:25 PM
#49
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LCI, I was so tickled to see your TR title. Your really got to see many more things with your guide. DH and I also loved Sicily and shared your attitude about driving and getting a ride into town from the airport. I have yet to see mosaics as beautiful as those in Monreale. Pretty incredible, eh. We hit Mondella in March and there was more going on. Did you see the Art Deco beach place when you were there?
Looking forward to more!
Looking forward to more!
Apr 29th, 2014, 12:31 PM
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Hi TDudettte! Glad you liked the TR title. ;-)
By the time we got to Mondello around 6pm the sun had already set and it was still raining, so sadly we did not see the art deco beach place, but I have seen photos of it online, looks lovely! Another thing to see "next time"!
By the time we got to Mondello around 6pm the sun had already set and it was still raining, so sadly we did not see the art deco beach place, but I have seen photos of it online, looks lovely! Another thing to see "next time"!
Apr 29th, 2014, 05:19 PM
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LCI & thursdayd,
Looks like you have both confirmed my decision to skip Cefalu when I visited last year. I spent 5 days on Lipari so didn't feel the need for more "beach/fishing village" experience.
LCI - was your RS guide Jackie Alio? A thirty-something brunette who lived in so. CA for many years of her childhood? I did a private 1/2 day historical tour of Palermo with her and thought she was a wonderful guide and delightful person!
Can't wait to hear more!
Looks like you have both confirmed my decision to skip Cefalu when I visited last year. I spent 5 days on Lipari so didn't feel the need for more "beach/fishing village" experience.
LCI - was your RS guide Jackie Alio? A thirty-something brunette who lived in so. CA for many years of her childhood? I did a private 1/2 day historical tour of Palermo with her and thought she was a wonderful guide and delightful person!
Can't wait to hear more!
Apr 29th, 2014, 06:24 PM
#52
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Dayle...I do believe that is the same Jackie. I recall she spent childhood years in the U.S. and graduated from high school in Sicily. She is a great guide!
She's just published a historical book on woman of Sicily. Here is a link I found with a short book description: http://www.bestofsicilyblog.com/2014...line-alio.html
She's just published a historical book on woman of Sicily. Here is a link I found with a short book description: http://www.bestofsicilyblog.com/2014...line-alio.html
Apr 30th, 2014, 07:22 AM
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Monday, March 3, 2014
Today we were ready to leave the Hotel La Giara and make our way to Mt. Etna. Before arriving at the top of this volcano we drove on a well maintained and practically deserted autostrada to the Catania airport. Not because there was a flight to catch, but because one tour member was not feeling well and she requested to go straight to the hotel in Taormina. Our bus took this detour so that she and the assistant guide could take a taxi to Taormina and check into the hotel while the rest of us continued on with the day’s itinerary. My suspicion, based on observations, is she was more hung-over than “sick”, but this is another “compromise” of a group tour, although I have to say in all the other 7 Rick Steves tours I’ve taken, something like this never happened, there is a first time for everything though!
This detour put us slightly behind schedule by almost one hour and unfortunately in that hour the clouds had moved in at the top of Mt. Etna. Did we get to see this marvelous site? Yes, of course, but I can’t help think if we had been there just a little bit earlier it would have been slightly less cloud covered. It was fascinating to be on the bus as we wound our way around the twisting road to the top of Mt. Etna and see houses that had been buried in lava, with just a roof or chimney peaking out of the earth. At the top, we carefully disembarked the bus and had time for a quick bite to eat (another colossal arancini) and for those of us brave enough a walk around a dormant crater. It was pretty slippery up there with lots of snow and ice, so maneuvering up to the rim of the crater was not for the faint of heart.
The next activity on the daily itinerary was one that mom and I were really excited about, a visit to a winery and a wine tasting with a light lunch. We had no idea of the name of the winery, it wasn’t listed in the tour details, so I did no prior research and didn’t know what to expect. We were very pleasantly surprised when we stepped off the bus and into the Benanti Winery in Viagrande, near Catania. Here is the winery website: http://www.vinicolabenanti.it/en/home/
This winery is a Benanti family operation, originally begun by the family patriarch and now managed by his twin sons (who are pretty easy on the eyes if I say so myself). On a covered patio area next to the tasting room and at the base of the vineyard, we were welcomed with a spread of juices (love the fresh blood orange juice!) and an array of snacks including all kinds of delicious hummus and eggplant bruschetta. One of the twins spent time telling us about the history of the winery and then we were off tramping up a small hill to the vineyard. It was really a lovely setting and the sun was shining and there was a slight breeze, it felt like we were in a dream. Some of the vines at this particular vineyard (the family has several vineyards in the area) were more than 100 years old. It was all really interesting.
Soon enough it was time to leave the vineyard and head to the tasting room. The room was set up with several round tables that would seat about 8 people each. On the tables were a delicious selection of meats, cheeses, bread, olives, and raw vegetables, this was looking to be like the kind of “lunch” mom and I like. Over the next hour or so, we tasted 3 Benanti wines, 1 white and 2 reds. The patriarch of the family was also in attendance and he came in and spoke eloquently and lovingly about his passion for starting this winery.
Usually mom and I tend to prefer white wines, but we really fell for the last red we tasted and once the tasting was finished we quickly decided to purchase 2 bottles of our favorite red. On a side note, later that evening when I posted some photos of the winery and tasting on Instagram, a sommelier friend in Rome told me this winery is very well respected for producing excellent Etna wines and she also indicated the father was quite the charmer, I had to whole-heartedly agree with her about this! Mom and I felt this winery visit and tasting was one of our favorite tour moments.
Our group poured ourselves back onto the bus for the ride to Taormina where we would be staying at the Hotel Continental, located at Via Dionisio I, 2/A. Here is the hotel website: http://www.continentaltaormina.com/en/
The location was terrific, just a short walk out the back of the hotel and we were on the main street of Taormina, but I’ve got to say, when first entering the hotel, it felt like we were transported back to the 1970’s. Other than feeling like the place needed a serious “make-over” it was fine, and the best feature was a large terrace off the lobby that had stunning views of Mt. Etna. As we arrived just before nightfall, we stood on this terrace and could see lava flows up on Mt. Etna. Wow! What a site!
Shortly after arriving, our guide gave us a quick orientation walk of the town and pointed out a few restaurants. Being a Monday, several were closed, but he had a business card of a place which the Benanti Winery brothers recommended and said would definitely be open on Monday. When the group was “set free” after the short walk I approached our guide and asked for the name and location of the Benanti recommended restaurant. I was thinking, if a winery is recommending a place, how bad would it really be, right? Don told us the name and pointed us in the general direction. After walking around where we were directed I was just about to give up, we could not find this place, when we turn around and there is Don our guide. He didn’t say it, but I think he realized he gave us the wrong direction; we should have been at the town gate on the opposite end of the main street, not the one we were at.
After we righted our direction, it still took a little sleuth work to find Osteria Rosso diVino at Vico Spuches, 8 but it was really worth our hard work finding this place! Here is their website: http://www.osteriarossodivino.com/
We knew the moment we walked up to the front door we were going to like this place. The restaurant is run by two lovely young sisters, who really know their food & wine. Their English is excellent, and they still indulged us by putting up with my ordering in Italian. This place offers mainly seafood, and it is prepared deliciously. For starters mom had the chickpea & mussels soup and I had the gnocchi with shrimp in saffron sauce. Both dishes were full of flavor and they tasted like comfort in a bowl.
For our main dishes we both selected the same thing, on the chalkboard menu it said spatola. This was explained to us as a local fish, we later found out it was called saberfish in English. The presentation was stunning. The fish was served coiled with a raisin and pinoli nut stuffing and the fish’s shiny silver skin exposed. Our server selected an excellent Etna white wine to go with the meal. We ended this delectable meal with 2 espressos and 2 amaros. We’v e had amaro before, but this (and I failed to get the name) had a wonderfully orange/herby taste. It was a perfect ending. This was our most expensive meal in Sicily at €112, but it was worth every Euro.
Today we were ready to leave the Hotel La Giara and make our way to Mt. Etna. Before arriving at the top of this volcano we drove on a well maintained and practically deserted autostrada to the Catania airport. Not because there was a flight to catch, but because one tour member was not feeling well and she requested to go straight to the hotel in Taormina. Our bus took this detour so that she and the assistant guide could take a taxi to Taormina and check into the hotel while the rest of us continued on with the day’s itinerary. My suspicion, based on observations, is she was more hung-over than “sick”, but this is another “compromise” of a group tour, although I have to say in all the other 7 Rick Steves tours I’ve taken, something like this never happened, there is a first time for everything though!
This detour put us slightly behind schedule by almost one hour and unfortunately in that hour the clouds had moved in at the top of Mt. Etna. Did we get to see this marvelous site? Yes, of course, but I can’t help think if we had been there just a little bit earlier it would have been slightly less cloud covered. It was fascinating to be on the bus as we wound our way around the twisting road to the top of Mt. Etna and see houses that had been buried in lava, with just a roof or chimney peaking out of the earth. At the top, we carefully disembarked the bus and had time for a quick bite to eat (another colossal arancini) and for those of us brave enough a walk around a dormant crater. It was pretty slippery up there with lots of snow and ice, so maneuvering up to the rim of the crater was not for the faint of heart.
The next activity on the daily itinerary was one that mom and I were really excited about, a visit to a winery and a wine tasting with a light lunch. We had no idea of the name of the winery, it wasn’t listed in the tour details, so I did no prior research and didn’t know what to expect. We were very pleasantly surprised when we stepped off the bus and into the Benanti Winery in Viagrande, near Catania. Here is the winery website: http://www.vinicolabenanti.it/en/home/
This winery is a Benanti family operation, originally begun by the family patriarch and now managed by his twin sons (who are pretty easy on the eyes if I say so myself). On a covered patio area next to the tasting room and at the base of the vineyard, we were welcomed with a spread of juices (love the fresh blood orange juice!) and an array of snacks including all kinds of delicious hummus and eggplant bruschetta. One of the twins spent time telling us about the history of the winery and then we were off tramping up a small hill to the vineyard. It was really a lovely setting and the sun was shining and there was a slight breeze, it felt like we were in a dream. Some of the vines at this particular vineyard (the family has several vineyards in the area) were more than 100 years old. It was all really interesting.
Soon enough it was time to leave the vineyard and head to the tasting room. The room was set up with several round tables that would seat about 8 people each. On the tables were a delicious selection of meats, cheeses, bread, olives, and raw vegetables, this was looking to be like the kind of “lunch” mom and I like. Over the next hour or so, we tasted 3 Benanti wines, 1 white and 2 reds. The patriarch of the family was also in attendance and he came in and spoke eloquently and lovingly about his passion for starting this winery.
Usually mom and I tend to prefer white wines, but we really fell for the last red we tasted and once the tasting was finished we quickly decided to purchase 2 bottles of our favorite red. On a side note, later that evening when I posted some photos of the winery and tasting on Instagram, a sommelier friend in Rome told me this winery is very well respected for producing excellent Etna wines and she also indicated the father was quite the charmer, I had to whole-heartedly agree with her about this! Mom and I felt this winery visit and tasting was one of our favorite tour moments.
Our group poured ourselves back onto the bus for the ride to Taormina where we would be staying at the Hotel Continental, located at Via Dionisio I, 2/A. Here is the hotel website: http://www.continentaltaormina.com/en/
The location was terrific, just a short walk out the back of the hotel and we were on the main street of Taormina, but I’ve got to say, when first entering the hotel, it felt like we were transported back to the 1970’s. Other than feeling like the place needed a serious “make-over” it was fine, and the best feature was a large terrace off the lobby that had stunning views of Mt. Etna. As we arrived just before nightfall, we stood on this terrace and could see lava flows up on Mt. Etna. Wow! What a site!
Shortly after arriving, our guide gave us a quick orientation walk of the town and pointed out a few restaurants. Being a Monday, several were closed, but he had a business card of a place which the Benanti Winery brothers recommended and said would definitely be open on Monday. When the group was “set free” after the short walk I approached our guide and asked for the name and location of the Benanti recommended restaurant. I was thinking, if a winery is recommending a place, how bad would it really be, right? Don told us the name and pointed us in the general direction. After walking around where we were directed I was just about to give up, we could not find this place, when we turn around and there is Don our guide. He didn’t say it, but I think he realized he gave us the wrong direction; we should have been at the town gate on the opposite end of the main street, not the one we were at.
After we righted our direction, it still took a little sleuth work to find Osteria Rosso diVino at Vico Spuches, 8 but it was really worth our hard work finding this place! Here is their website: http://www.osteriarossodivino.com/
We knew the moment we walked up to the front door we were going to like this place. The restaurant is run by two lovely young sisters, who really know their food & wine. Their English is excellent, and they still indulged us by putting up with my ordering in Italian. This place offers mainly seafood, and it is prepared deliciously. For starters mom had the chickpea & mussels soup and I had the gnocchi with shrimp in saffron sauce. Both dishes were full of flavor and they tasted like comfort in a bowl.
For our main dishes we both selected the same thing, on the chalkboard menu it said spatola. This was explained to us as a local fish, we later found out it was called saberfish in English. The presentation was stunning. The fish was served coiled with a raisin and pinoli nut stuffing and the fish’s shiny silver skin exposed. Our server selected an excellent Etna white wine to go with the meal. We ended this delectable meal with 2 espressos and 2 amaros. We’v e had amaro before, but this (and I failed to get the name) had a wonderfully orange/herby taste. It was a perfect ending. This was our most expensive meal in Sicily at €112, but it was worth every Euro.
Apr 30th, 2014, 11:15 AM
#54
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Tuesday, March 4, 2014
As far as tour activity this day was pretty low-key. Our group met a local guide in the morning for a walking tour of the center of Taormina. The center of town is not an enormous place, and we meandered down the main street while the guide, whose name I have forgotten, but she was another gem, gave us a talk on the history of the town. There are some really lovely views and a few interesting churches. The main purpose of this tour though was the visit to the Ancient Greek Theater. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient...re_of_Taormina )
This theater is another stunning Sicilian site. The fact this structure is as well preserved as it is, is incredible, but then when you factor in the view from this site, it’s even more dazzling. I think we were fortunate to see it when we did, because a few weeks later, the stage for a concert series was to be installed, and although the view would still be there, the ability to scramble all around the theater would be limited.
By about noon our group tour ended and we had the rest of the day on our own until a group pizza making session and dinner at a local restaurant. It was at this point mom and I made a bee-line for some of the specialty food shops we had seen and made a few purchases, chocolate from Modica, blood orange jam, and a few other Sicilian items we aren’t able to easily find at home.
One thing I really wanted to have in Sicily was granita. Now, I know this is usually a frosty delight consumed in the height of summer when temperatures soar in Sicily, but I love this type of stuff (I’m a huge fan of the granita di caffe con panna at Tazza d’Oro in Rome) and I really wanted to try some while in Sicily. I managed to ferret out a place called Bar Bam, which reportedly, is supposed to have some of the best granita around. After the Greek theater, and a bit of shopping, mom and moseyed over to Bar Bam and sat down for cups of almond and coffee granite. I loved it! The coffee was good, but the almond was “out of this world good” and so creamy and of course the whipped cream on top was “to die for”. The only way this could have been better is if the sun was shining and the temperature was 30 degrees hotter!
After our frosty little snack mom and I continued with a little bit of “retail therapy” and I found a nice tablecloth and matching napkins, which made a great souvenir and didn’t take up much space in my suitcase.
When aperitivo time rolled around we left the hotel in search of a café/bar. We found the perfect place right outside one of the town gates on the corner of Corso Umberto and Viale Arcageta, just across the street from the post office. We weren’t expecting much, but the white wine here was very drinkable and they were generous with their pours, we’ll have 2 thank you!
Another thing we were not expecting was the carnevale parade we unknowingly had a “front and center” seat for. The town gate that was a few feet away was the ending point of the carnevale parade and all the floats and costumed kids (and some adults) exited through the gate and continued to parade right by us. We had front row seats for the best passeggiata we had ever seen!
Later that evening we met up with our group for a pizza making lesson at Villa Zuccaro, not far from our hotel. The young pizzaiolo, did a nice job of demonstrating his pizza making prowess and we ultimately got to taste 4, or maybe it was 5 different types of pizza. They were good, but not the best we’d ever had (yes, I’m looking at you Gabrielle Bonci of Pizzarium fame in Rome!)
Mom and I enjoyed our time in Taormina and would not hesitate to return to explore more of the area. Next we would be moving onto Siracusa, to the island Ortigia, and one of our favorite days of the trip!
As far as tour activity this day was pretty low-key. Our group met a local guide in the morning for a walking tour of the center of Taormina. The center of town is not an enormous place, and we meandered down the main street while the guide, whose name I have forgotten, but she was another gem, gave us a talk on the history of the town. There are some really lovely views and a few interesting churches. The main purpose of this tour though was the visit to the Ancient Greek Theater. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient...re_of_Taormina )
This theater is another stunning Sicilian site. The fact this structure is as well preserved as it is, is incredible, but then when you factor in the view from this site, it’s even more dazzling. I think we were fortunate to see it when we did, because a few weeks later, the stage for a concert series was to be installed, and although the view would still be there, the ability to scramble all around the theater would be limited.
By about noon our group tour ended and we had the rest of the day on our own until a group pizza making session and dinner at a local restaurant. It was at this point mom and I made a bee-line for some of the specialty food shops we had seen and made a few purchases, chocolate from Modica, blood orange jam, and a few other Sicilian items we aren’t able to easily find at home.
One thing I really wanted to have in Sicily was granita. Now, I know this is usually a frosty delight consumed in the height of summer when temperatures soar in Sicily, but I love this type of stuff (I’m a huge fan of the granita di caffe con panna at Tazza d’Oro in Rome) and I really wanted to try some while in Sicily. I managed to ferret out a place called Bar Bam, which reportedly, is supposed to have some of the best granita around. After the Greek theater, and a bit of shopping, mom and moseyed over to Bar Bam and sat down for cups of almond and coffee granite. I loved it! The coffee was good, but the almond was “out of this world good” and so creamy and of course the whipped cream on top was “to die for”. The only way this could have been better is if the sun was shining and the temperature was 30 degrees hotter!
After our frosty little snack mom and I continued with a little bit of “retail therapy” and I found a nice tablecloth and matching napkins, which made a great souvenir and didn’t take up much space in my suitcase.
When aperitivo time rolled around we left the hotel in search of a café/bar. We found the perfect place right outside one of the town gates on the corner of Corso Umberto and Viale Arcageta, just across the street from the post office. We weren’t expecting much, but the white wine here was very drinkable and they were generous with their pours, we’ll have 2 thank you!
Another thing we were not expecting was the carnevale parade we unknowingly had a “front and center” seat for. The town gate that was a few feet away was the ending point of the carnevale parade and all the floats and costumed kids (and some adults) exited through the gate and continued to parade right by us. We had front row seats for the best passeggiata we had ever seen!
Later that evening we met up with our group for a pizza making lesson at Villa Zuccaro, not far from our hotel. The young pizzaiolo, did a nice job of demonstrating his pizza making prowess and we ultimately got to taste 4, or maybe it was 5 different types of pizza. They were good, but not the best we’d ever had (yes, I’m looking at you Gabrielle Bonci of Pizzarium fame in Rome!)
Mom and I enjoyed our time in Taormina and would not hesitate to return to explore more of the area. Next we would be moving onto Siracusa, to the island Ortigia, and one of our favorite days of the trip!
Apr 30th, 2014, 02:59 PM
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Wednesday, March 5, 2014
We left Taormina and headed towards Catania where we visited the museum of the 1943 landings in Sicily. Mom and I found this museum mildly interesting since it was presented from the Italian point of view, but we weren’t particularly fascinated by this museum. On the tour itinerary this was to be the only stop in Catania but fortunately we were running slightly ahead of schedule and at the suggestions of Aldo, our assistant guide we found enough time to go into the center of Catania. We had just enough time to get a “whiff” of the fish market and a very quick visit to the cathedral. The Piazza del Duomo was lovely and the cathedral itself, was quite nice inside. Before we knew it, we were headed back to the bus for the ride to our lunch destination.
We were having lunch at an artichoke farm, not far outside Catania, owned by a baronessa. The baronessa was delightful. The farm is rustic and the welcome she gave us could not have been friendlier. As we disembarked the bus we were directed around the barn to an area that had been set up with a table full of pre-lunch snacks. Believe me when I say, this spread could have easily served as our lunch. There were at least 3 different types of rustic tortes, some vegetable, and some cheese. There were bowls of olives, cheese cubes and raw vegetables and of course to wash it all down, there was wine that was made at the farm, there must have been vineyards nearby too!
We were then escorted into another area of the barn where round tables of 8 were set up for our lunch. The pasta course consisted of two dishes, a lemon fettuccini and a pumpkin and speck risotto. I honestly cannot say which I liked better, they were both some of the most delicious pasta I had ever tasted. Even mom commented at how perfectly cooked the risotto was, which is not always easy to do. The next course was a huge platter filled with veal meatballs, sausage, rosemary roasted potatoes and artichokes. It was all so tasty, but my two favorites were the veal meatballs and the artichokes. Those artichokes were so tender and full of flavor, I still dream about them! Dessert, or what we thought was dessert, was the reddest, freshest strawberries I had ever seen.
Just when mom and I thought we could not eat another bite, the baronessa announced coffee and something sweet would be served back around the barn where we had started with the pre-lunch “snacks”. Oh My! Now on the table was not only delicious cups of espresso, but the most scrumptious orange marmalade crostata I had ever eaten. At first mom and I declined the offer, but another tour member, said it was really just too good to pass up and he was right. To feel a little less guilty, mom and I shared one piece between the two of us.
What a way to spend the afternoon! Actually, I think it was a perfect way to spend an afternoon in Sicily! We were basking in food coma and enjoyed the view of the farm and surrounding area. Although we have seen artichoke plenty of times in Italian markets, this was the first time seeing them in fields being grown. Row after row of beautiful green plants with exquisite purple-y artichokes…maybe Sicily truly is heaven!
The baronessa’s farm was not too far from Siracusa and in a short time we were arriving at what would be our favorite hotel of the trip. We stayed at the Domus Mariae Hotel on the island of Ortigia in the city of Siracusa at Via Vittorio Veneto, 76. This hotel happens to be run by the Urseline order of nuns, and it was common to see the sisters serving in the breakfast room or at the front desk. Here is the hotel website: http://www.domusmariaebenessere.com/en/
Our room was spacious (with a capital S), the twin beds were huge, and the bathroom immaculately clean. For us, it was just the most comfortable 2 nights of our trip.
As is usually the case when we arrive in a new city on the tour, our guide gave us an orientation walk and a preview of the next day’s activities. Originally the tour was to visit the Neapolis Archaeological Park, but the park was closed. It wasn’t just closed for one day, I believe it was due to some type of renovation or restoration work going on and would be closed for a long length of time.
The alternative was to visit the catacombs. We have nothing against catacombs and we have seen them in other cities but sometimes climbing up and down stairs is difficult for mom and I thought we were ready for some real time on our own. So, when our guide finished the orientation tour, I let him know we would not be joining the group the next morning to visit the catacombs, but would meet them at 6pm for the puppet theater. With that bit of business taken care of, mom and I high-tailed it to a wine bar we had seen during our walk.
We walked in Taverna Giudecca at Via della Giudecca, 7 to another warm welcome. We grab a table and saw some other of our tour-mates were there too and gave them a little wave “hello”. The owner came over to take our order and (again) with my limited Italian we communicated to him we would like 2 glasses of a dry white wine. He quickly poured us a taste which we liked and we were off to great start. Soon he started bringing over plates of snacks, since after all, it was aperitivo time! Since we had such a large lunch mom and I had decided before sitting down, that we would just enjoy a few glasses of wine and some nibbles, but this man just kept bringing us more and more delicious food! When he realized we tend to enjoy with “gusto”, he brought out 2 jars of what I call a savory tomato jam. Each jam was a bit different and he gave us a little taste of each, as our eyes rolled back into our heads with pure delight, I asked if he sold these. Thank God he said yes. So we continue on with our aperitivo “on steroids” evening and have a couple more glasses of wine before buying 2 jars of the savory tomato jam and shuffling off back to the hotel to fall into the most luxurious beds we’ve slept in since leaving home.
We left Taormina and headed towards Catania where we visited the museum of the 1943 landings in Sicily. Mom and I found this museum mildly interesting since it was presented from the Italian point of view, but we weren’t particularly fascinated by this museum. On the tour itinerary this was to be the only stop in Catania but fortunately we were running slightly ahead of schedule and at the suggestions of Aldo, our assistant guide we found enough time to go into the center of Catania. We had just enough time to get a “whiff” of the fish market and a very quick visit to the cathedral. The Piazza del Duomo was lovely and the cathedral itself, was quite nice inside. Before we knew it, we were headed back to the bus for the ride to our lunch destination.
We were having lunch at an artichoke farm, not far outside Catania, owned by a baronessa. The baronessa was delightful. The farm is rustic and the welcome she gave us could not have been friendlier. As we disembarked the bus we were directed around the barn to an area that had been set up with a table full of pre-lunch snacks. Believe me when I say, this spread could have easily served as our lunch. There were at least 3 different types of rustic tortes, some vegetable, and some cheese. There were bowls of olives, cheese cubes and raw vegetables and of course to wash it all down, there was wine that was made at the farm, there must have been vineyards nearby too!
We were then escorted into another area of the barn where round tables of 8 were set up for our lunch. The pasta course consisted of two dishes, a lemon fettuccini and a pumpkin and speck risotto. I honestly cannot say which I liked better, they were both some of the most delicious pasta I had ever tasted. Even mom commented at how perfectly cooked the risotto was, which is not always easy to do. The next course was a huge platter filled with veal meatballs, sausage, rosemary roasted potatoes and artichokes. It was all so tasty, but my two favorites were the veal meatballs and the artichokes. Those artichokes were so tender and full of flavor, I still dream about them! Dessert, or what we thought was dessert, was the reddest, freshest strawberries I had ever seen.
Just when mom and I thought we could not eat another bite, the baronessa announced coffee and something sweet would be served back around the barn where we had started with the pre-lunch “snacks”. Oh My! Now on the table was not only delicious cups of espresso, but the most scrumptious orange marmalade crostata I had ever eaten. At first mom and I declined the offer, but another tour member, said it was really just too good to pass up and he was right. To feel a little less guilty, mom and I shared one piece between the two of us.
What a way to spend the afternoon! Actually, I think it was a perfect way to spend an afternoon in Sicily! We were basking in food coma and enjoyed the view of the farm and surrounding area. Although we have seen artichoke plenty of times in Italian markets, this was the first time seeing them in fields being grown. Row after row of beautiful green plants with exquisite purple-y artichokes…maybe Sicily truly is heaven!
The baronessa’s farm was not too far from Siracusa and in a short time we were arriving at what would be our favorite hotel of the trip. We stayed at the Domus Mariae Hotel on the island of Ortigia in the city of Siracusa at Via Vittorio Veneto, 76. This hotel happens to be run by the Urseline order of nuns, and it was common to see the sisters serving in the breakfast room or at the front desk. Here is the hotel website: http://www.domusmariaebenessere.com/en/
Our room was spacious (with a capital S), the twin beds were huge, and the bathroom immaculately clean. For us, it was just the most comfortable 2 nights of our trip.
As is usually the case when we arrive in a new city on the tour, our guide gave us an orientation walk and a preview of the next day’s activities. Originally the tour was to visit the Neapolis Archaeological Park, but the park was closed. It wasn’t just closed for one day, I believe it was due to some type of renovation or restoration work going on and would be closed for a long length of time.
The alternative was to visit the catacombs. We have nothing against catacombs and we have seen them in other cities but sometimes climbing up and down stairs is difficult for mom and I thought we were ready for some real time on our own. So, when our guide finished the orientation tour, I let him know we would not be joining the group the next morning to visit the catacombs, but would meet them at 6pm for the puppet theater. With that bit of business taken care of, mom and I high-tailed it to a wine bar we had seen during our walk.
We walked in Taverna Giudecca at Via della Giudecca, 7 to another warm welcome. We grab a table and saw some other of our tour-mates were there too and gave them a little wave “hello”. The owner came over to take our order and (again) with my limited Italian we communicated to him we would like 2 glasses of a dry white wine. He quickly poured us a taste which we liked and we were off to great start. Soon he started bringing over plates of snacks, since after all, it was aperitivo time! Since we had such a large lunch mom and I had decided before sitting down, that we would just enjoy a few glasses of wine and some nibbles, but this man just kept bringing us more and more delicious food! When he realized we tend to enjoy with “gusto”, he brought out 2 jars of what I call a savory tomato jam. Each jam was a bit different and he gave us a little taste of each, as our eyes rolled back into our heads with pure delight, I asked if he sold these. Thank God he said yes. So we continue on with our aperitivo “on steroids” evening and have a couple more glasses of wine before buying 2 jars of the savory tomato jam and shuffling off back to the hotel to fall into the most luxurious beds we’ve slept in since leaving home.
Apr 30th, 2014, 05:30 PM
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LCI, Wow, what a great report. Especially loved your description of your afternoon at the artichoke farm. What a spread. The food in Sicily is fabulous.
Glad that you and Mum were enjoying your wine along the way. Interested in if you visited the old Cathedral in Siracusa.
Looking forward to more...
Glad that you and Mum were enjoying your wine along the way. Interested in if you visited the old Cathedral in Siracusa.
Looking forward to more...
May 1st, 2014, 05:29 AM
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Join Date: Sep 2007
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LCI - I love the description of your experience at Taverna Giudecca and the kindness of the owner and his tomato jam. DH was born in Sicily and when we visited a few years back, I was impressed by the warmth and generosity of the people. It sounds like you experienced it as well. Looking forward to more of your adventures....
