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Hi Ian - I travel solo, and prefer not to rent a car. Do you think Modica (and La Magnolie) would be a good base for two or three days using public transport?
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I don't know Le Magnolie, but you could easily make Modica a base for visiting Modica and Ragusa. Ragusa is less than half an hour away by bus.
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great report. bookmarking
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thursdaysd
Ragusa is 25 minutes by bus. There appeared to be great bus services to Cantania, Siracusa, Gela, Nota, Enna . . . even Palermo. I would also rate Modica as very safe so security is not an issue. There is also a train station. Both bus & train are only a 10 minute walk from La Magnolie. I didn't see any taxis in Modica but they must exist. Ian |
Day 13 Menfi with Agrigento on the side
We were well rested after our ‘holiday’ & it was a beautiful day for a drive. We set out early with the commuters from Modica & beyond heading for the industrial zone in west Ragusa. E45 slowed to a crawl as a line of impatient cars followed a slow truck for 1/2 the 20 kms to Ragusa. I was impatient too. And yes, I passed when I shouldn’t have – like everybody else. Safely but . . . Then E45/SS115 turned west towards Comiso & most of the traffic died off. All we had to do was stay on this hwy all across the bottom of Sicily until Menfi with a jog out for the Agrigento temple site. Easy, right? Well, this road is never straight for more than 1 km at a time the whole way to Menfi. If you could capture it all in detail on Google Earth, you would see that it looks like an EKG. Not that I minded, but I did have a passenger who did offer mildly obscene suggestions for the Sicilian road engineers who designed this road. We careened around some incredible twisties with 2 somewhat narrow lanes & edged with rock walls toward Comiso & then slowly dogged through center of this busy town as everybody made their way to work. The road straightened just a bit & we bypassed Vittoria & I took the opportunity to replenish the fuel. 47€ in diesel so far. Did I mention that the scenery is quite stunning on this drive? Mountains are always hovering in the distance. After Vittoria, it was a straight run – on the map anyway – to Gela. I would rate Gela as one of the armpits of Sicily. The hwy runs through a part of the town with multiple stop lights & lots of limited congestion. Trucks, buses & Sicilian soccer moms all compete for road space but you just have to plug along through it. Certainly not a pretty place. You bypass Licata to the north and Palme di Montechiaro to the south. Then on approach to Agrigento you go through a hideous touristy area with hotels & eateries lining the hwy. When that’s over & with a temple in sight on a hill to the northeast, you get to a rotary. Your GPS might tell you to take the 2nd exit but you really want the 3rd. You see, there are 2 entrances to the temple area. One real & the other one real too but you aren’t supposed to enter at the ‘other’ real one. Confused? Let me explain . . . We exited at the 1st road & headed up the hill with the temple to our left on the brow of the hill we were climbing. The road twirls around as it goes up & you get to a bend to the right with a gate, a ticket office & a parking lot with a hand-lettered sign on the left. I missed this & headed down the hill where a museum (or something) is on the right. Sensing that I blew it & despite the GPS chirping about some nonsense, I turned around & went back. Sure enough, it appeared to be an entrance & I drove into the parking lot, paid my 2€ & parked with numerous others in a bumpy field intermingled with olive trees. The parking lot had a trailer toilet & charged 0.50€ to use it btw. We bought entrance tickets in the ticket office which you insert in the turnstile & it date stamps it & you are in the temple park. All is well, right? Actually no, but you won’t know it for a while. Read on . . . We walked up the hill to the temple - the furthest one east – know as the Temple of Juno (Hera) Lacinia. Wow. Pretty spectacular setting. After taking 200 – 300 photos (it’s your 1st Agrigento temple right?) you set off down the stone Via Sacra for more. http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...ento/juno1.jpg Another temple is sight . . . http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...gento/path.jpg The next one up is the star. The so-called Temple of Concord. It’s a fair jaunt down the hill & you pass some worked rock formations on the left that require some photo time too. http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...ento/paleo.jpg The rock star. http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...to/concord.jpg Now assuming you still have some room on your camera’s memory card, you keep moving on. Next up is the Temple of Eracle (Hercules). This one is a tumble down affair, so you probably go for art shots here like most. http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...nto/eracle.jpg After some misc buildings, you exit through a turnstile & reach the main entrance. Yes, this is the real one, not the unreal one that you used. More on this later. You cross the busy road & there is a parking lot, a café, misc vendors & free washrooms. Then you enter through another turnstile that needs your ticket again for the lower part of the site. Here you find the jumble of stones that was the Temple of Zeus Olimpico. http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...gento/zeus.jpg Then it is on to the actual city where numerous foundations cover a field. The remnants of the Temple of Castor & Pollux finish your temple photo opportunities. Note: modern Agrigento in the background. http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...nto/castor.jpg There are other things to see on the site – churches & such – but we had some more miles to cover. We returned to the busy main gate & walked across the road to the entrance to the hill to walk back to our car. We inserted our tickets in the turnstile & they were now dead. It would appear that they want you to start in the middle & do both loops, finishing in the middle. You can only validate the tickets twice – once for each half of the site. Hmm. I appealed to the hopelessly bored gate keeper about my car & she easily relented & let us through. But why do they let you buy tickets & enter at the end when ‘officially’ you can’t go back through? Answer: unknown. So we trudged up the Via Sacra – it’s a long way up when the sun is beating down – exited & retrieved our car from the now-obviously ‘unofficial’ parking lot. As a historical aside, Sextus Pompey (son of Julius Caesar rival Pompey the Great) sometimes used Agrigento as a pirate base during his spat with Augustus around 40BC. On the road again (kudos to Canned Heat – this tune always pops in my mind whenever I strike out on a new road) . . . we set off again for our coming digs in Menfi. Good roads again with lots of geographical eye candy. What a beautiful drive. The traffic was pretty light & the car’s passing ability was tested on numerous occasions. Of course, at the same time, Benzs & Alfa 149s seemed to enjoy leaving me in their dust regularly. The only 4 lane sections on this road were in the tunnels. Are you supposed to pass in the dark? Very strange why they haven’t put some slow vehicle lanes on some of the hills. Since the traffic was light, it was a non-issue for us but I can imagine that there are nice slow trucks with a substantial entourage on occasion. We stopped at a gas station/eatery around Montallegro for food but it was a pretty pitiful late lunch. The views spiced up dramatically south of Ribera. If you look north around here you can see pretty Caltabelloto perched on its mountain. That was a town I researched as a possible. The hwy sliced easily – albeit slowly with a bit more traffic - through a northern suburb of Sciacca & we were on our home stretch. At this point, I was following GPS co-ordinates 37°36'47.85"N / 13° 0'13.97"E. The Baglio San Vincenzo is rural & doesn’t have a proper street address so I had pegged it on Google Earth at home & written down the co-ords. We cut off the highway & wound up on a nice 2 lane road (that had a slow vehicle lane???) for several kms letting HER be our guide. This road was signed with an end in Palermo fwiw. The vistas here were the usual stunning btw. The GPS told me to turn right around a bend & lo & behold there was a sign for Baglio San Vincenzo pointing the way. We followed the GPS & the signs on a series of 1 lane paved roads that wound through farmland on a plateau studded with olive trees & vineyards with a windmill farm to the north on a brow of the hill. After 4 or 5 kms we pulled into the driveway. Part 2 to follow . . . |
Day 13 Menfi (Part 2)
The Baglio San Vincenzo is the home of the Lanzara winery. It is a rural farm with a large inner courtyard that dates from the 16th century. Much of the structure has been rebuilt over the centuries but parts of its church – yes, it has its own chapel – and a staircase etc remain & have been incorporated into the buildings. They greeted us warmly & showed us the suite that we had rented – complete with a large veranda that is shared with the other suite. We had the Don Neli room named after one of the past owners of the estate. This is a worked vineyard owned by a professor from Roma. Originally from Sicily, he bought the property in 2002. They produce wine & olive oil in a modern facility on site. Their fields are spread over the plateau & down the slopes on both sides. Two of the professor’s sisters run the Baglio. The entrance. http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...fi/baglio1.jpg The courtyard left with the chapel in the background. http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...fi/baglio2.jpg The courtyard right with the old stairs. The arch under the stairs is the restaurant. http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...fi/baglio3.jpg Our living room. http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...fi/baglio4.jpg Bedroom. http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...fi/baglio5.jpg Bathroom with the slightly-strange shower massager combo. http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...fi/baglio6.jpg Veranda looking west – the other ½ is for the other suite. http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...fi/baglio7.jpg Veranda looking southeast with Menfi in the distance & the sea due south. http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...fi/baglio8.jpg After settling in (please don’t damage the crusty 16C stairs with your bags!) we wandered the grounds & had espresso & cappuccino in the great room beside reception that has sitting areas & a pool table for guests. http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...fi/baglio9.jpg Dinner was served at 8 pm. 3 courses with an appetizer, pasta with shrimp & small breaded pork or veal roulades on a skewer stuffed with egg & cheese etc (25€ pp) plus a bottle of Lanzara’s ’05 Cabernet for 16€. You are a relative captive for dinner since Menfi appears to have slim food options. But this was not a problem for us because the food was very good. The waitress was a bouncy English-speaking girl & she had an older man helping. There was only one other couple + child at dinner when we arrived & another couple wandered in a little later. We met the other sister (one checked us in) after dinner. Her daughter was getting married in the chapel on the coming Saturday & she inquired if we would be around to see the service at 11 am. She seemed to be encouraging us to stay for the ceremony but my wife thinks she wanted to make sure that we would leave in time before because they had a gaggle of guests coming. I like to think that I am right because she was so friendly. After dinner we sat on our veranda & watched the twinkling lights in the distance. |
great report, now I want to include Sicily in our next trip to Italy..........
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We're planning our next trip to Italy and looking into Sicily. This is so helpful. Thanks
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I'm really enjoying your photos but do you think you could put them all in 1 album with 1 link so people can scroll through rather than opening and closing windows to see them individually. Thanks!
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Day 14 Menfi
After yesterday’s long drive (3 ½ - hours with about 3 hrs at Agrigento) we needed to have a ‘soft’ day. The ruins of Selinunte were calling so we decided to drive over to view them & then we could go to the beach at Port Palo for lunch. It was only ½ hr pleasant drive to Selinunte. From the Baglio, you have to drive the one lane paved farm lanes to Menfi to get back on E45. Then after 10 kms or so you exit south to Selinunte which is another 6 kms or so right on the coast. Just follow the signs to a parking area & entrance center just after the rotary. This is a large site divided into 3 parts. One part – with the most intact temple – is on a hill about ¾ km to the rear of the entrance building. The acropolis sits on the next hill further west & closer to the sea about 2 kms away. Due to the distance, they let you drive into a secondary parking area beside the walls of the acropolis. We saw some people that walked it & felt very sorry for them in the sun. The third area we didn’t go to is found via a path that leads down the hill to the west. The acropolis is a warren of foundations with a couple of temples thrown in - all enclosed in an outer bastion. They had a pretty nice view. One temple has some columns held up by scaffolding for some unsightly reason & the other is just a rock pile now. The house foundations stretching over the hill are choked with scrub plants but with there are some paths for the adventurous. Very different feel then from the ruins at Agrigento. Somehow more real but far more decrepit. http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3.../selinute5.jpg http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3.../selinute1.jpg The intact (rebuilt) temple is found on the other hill closer to the main car park with 2 more temples jumbled behind it. The intact one is very photogenic. http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3.../selinute2.jpg http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3.../selinute3.jpg http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3.../selinute4.jpg Then it was off in search of Porto Palo. We drove inland & picked up the rural route that winds (literally) up & down & around through farmland. After we cut off towards Port Palo, we went right & drove into PP proper & its Saracen tower on our 1st attempt. It sits on a bluff & we eyeballed a beach below to the east that looked promising. We drove back out & took the left fork this time & soon we were coming down the bluff to the beach service road (“Of course, MORE CURVES!!!!” – from my wife). One restaurant – Ristorante da Vittorio - had the biggest signs & we gave it a whirl. It was right at the end of the laneway so it’s hard to miss. The food was very good & about 12€ for a pasta primi. I had spaghetti with mussels & my wife had the prawns. Both dishes were fresh & quite good. We walked on the beach to stick our toes in the cold Mediterranean (I actually didn’t but she did). Only about 4 sunbathers on the whole beach. http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...portopalo1.jpg Then it was back through shuttered Menfi (lunchtime) & on to the Baglio for siesta. On the way we snapped a few more pics . . . http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...nfi/rural1.jpg http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...nfi/rural2.jpg And the Baglio from a distance . . . http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...i/baglio11.jpg After coffee, the reception’s ‘sister’ asked us if we wanted a tour of their winemaking facility. The professor’s daughter (yeah, it was starting to confuse us too) took us for an impromptu tour along with assorted other guests that had rolled in that afternoon including 4 Dutch couples. Lanzara is a very modern winemaker with a capacity of 1 million bottles. Dinner was a copy of the night before with different dishes (‘pig’) & a different wine - ’06 Lanzara Terre dell”Istrice – their Nero d’Avola/Cabernet blend. It was all very good once again. One of the Dutch women abruptly got bored with their resident ‘loudmouth’ & pounced on us for conversation. She was actually nice & told us that they were on a 4 day trek of Sicily. They drove to Genoa (9 hrs) & took the ferry to Palermo (20 hrs) so they could tour with their own car. Later during coffee, we were introduced to the professor who was in residence since the family had started to roll in for the wedding. They were all very pleasant & made us quite welcome & he was very happy that I was enjoying his wines. Clunk. Another good day under our belt. Next up: Drive to Palermo with a stop at Segesta on the way . . . |
adrienne
Once I get it all done, I will post it on our Travels website with the pictures as thumbnails. I personally like the pictures to be with the text so they are relatable. I will see if I can bucket an album at some point . . . Ian |
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Thank you Ian!
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Ian-
I cannot believe you ate at Da Vittorio! I had one of the most memorable meals ever there in 2003: http://www.wired2theworld.com/sicily2003part5.html There was no menu, just whatever they were serving for lunch that day. Course after course of seafood. Fantastic. |
Kristina
Yes, we came upon it quite by accident. They had a sign at every turn on the way to the Porto Palo beach area so we took a chance. Here is the restaurant from the beach: http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...a-vittorio.jpg Ian |
Day 15 Palermo with a visit to Segesta
When I titled this ode ‘Doin’ the Ruins’ I was not joking. We enjoy poking around ruins. Probably me more than my wife but she drifts off & photographs flowers when she gets bored so we both have fun. I love trying to piece it all together & understand the lives lived before on these sites . . . Anyways . . . we were off for Palermo. Yes, the Black Hole of driving in Western world according to many although it appears to share this title with Napoli. I have driven in Napoli accidentally & totally, absolutely lost, so I guess it’s time to get its evil twin under my belt. We packed & said our goodbyes to the Baglio. It had gotten really windy the night before & that continued as the Baglio was abuzz with wedding preparations. The ‘sisters’ & much of their family wished us safe travels at breakfast. I would rate the Baglio San Vincenzo as a great place to relax. They are a touch rough around the edges but the family feel was there. The room was great (except . . . the garbage containers are under the front of the balcony . . .) The food was good. Limited selection of course but good. The 1st night they asked if we wanted fish or meat so I am sure that no one will go hungry. The breakfast was basic but adequate. We have found that breakfasts in Sicily do tend to be more basic than many other places we have visited. The people at the Baglio were excellent. All of them friendly & helpful. They were also only several weeks away from having a swimming pool finished which would certainly enhance a relaxing stay in the heat of the summer. And the Lanzara wines are quite good – I am actually drinking one now as I write this . . . and I wish them success in their endeavor. Btw our room Don Neli was 150€ per night. I believe that they have a total of 12 rooms. Highly recommended. Website: http://www.bagliosanvincenzo.it/ A last picture of the courtyard in front of the chapel . . . http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...i/baglio10.jpg We easily found our way back to E45 for the journey to Castelvetrano where we spiked north on A90 which was a 4 lane road for the duration. Then it was clear sailing. As per usual our heads were doing the ‘Hey, look at that’ swivel for this drive. We exited onto E933 to go to Segesta. The mountains are pretty stunning here btw. Segesta exits immediately after a long tunnel but of course, my GPS blanked in the tunnel & I missed the exit. It was a 10 km drive to find an exit to turn around. When I did make the exit you almost immediately turn right. Then you have to turn right or left. I searched for a sign but of course, I missed it & went right. After 4 kms or so, I decided that we were inevitably heading in the wrong direction. Back to that intersection again, but this time I did see the sign & shortly after we pulled into the stony Segesta site parking lot. Tickets were bought & by inquiry, we found that there was a bus to take you up to the theater which was 2 kms or so up a monster hill. And yes, it is a monster hill. Some people did walk it but no thanks. The bus appears to cycle every 30 minutes but I could be wrong. From the upper bus lot, you swing up & to your right & there are some stone abodes that have been partially reconstruction. Then follow the path down & to the left to the theater. Absolutely incredible views everywhere. Wow. And the theater was NOT staging a production, so it wasn’t messed up like the one in Siracusa. The theater http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...a/theater1.jpg http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...a/theater2.jpg And the view http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...gesta/view.jpg The lower ruin is the Temple. Just beautiful in its setting on the hill beside the gorge. Another Wow! http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...ta/temple1.jpg http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...ta/temple2.jpg So there you have it. We had been ruined. Toarmina, Siracusa, Villa Romana della Casale, Agrigento, Selinunte & Segesta. We had visited them all. There were many other sites in Sicily that had tempted me but I just couldn’t work them in. Oh, well . . . maybe next time. Now it was time to brace ourselves for the drive to Palermo. And into Palermo at that. I had booked the Hilton Villa Igliea which is on the waterfront at the west end of the harbor. When planning this trip, I quickly realized that hotel to airport transfers were not cheap because it was so far from the city center. So I decided to drop the car at the AVIS outlet near the sea terminal on Francesco Crispi rather than at the airport to save at least one way of the transfer costs . . . Part 2 to follow . . . |
"hotel to airport transfers were not cheap" - I took the bus, which was fine, and I believe there's also a train.
Photos of Segesta are great - sorry I missed it - passed by on the bus to Trapani, but you can't see it from the road. |
Day 15 Palermo (Part 2)
[Errata: A90 above should be A29/E90] While reading Sicily travel reports from posters, there was one consistent theme that was universal: Don’t drive it Palermo. Now I am a Road Warrior. My occupation requires me to drop into strange cities, rent a car & make my way around to customers, restaurants, hotels & airports. Of course, the bulk of this has been done throughout North America but I am pretty good at driving away from home. When our itinerary was coming together, our drive into Palermo happened to fall on a Saturday. This was good news because I could avoid the workday crush in the city. Since we didn’t know our timing for arrival, I booked the rental drop-off for the following morning: Sunday. It was a good plan & worked quite well . . . When we left the Baglio in the morning, I planned to go to Segesta & then possibly – depending upon time & mood – stop in Monreale on the way in. We didn’t finish Segesta until about 1 pm so we decided to nix Monreale & go directly to the Hilton – which was another freebie from Hilton Honors btw. We figured that we could bus out on Sunday or Monday to Monreale. It was a great drive into Palermo with the mountains towering above us on the right & the sea to the left for the drive along A29. The traffic started to pickup just west of the airport. Photo radar warnings on my GPS did too but they were warning about 130 km/hr etc & there was no fear that I was driving that speed. I exited the freeway when the GPS told me to & dove in. Yes, traffic was chaotic. But after many days of Sicilian driving I was pretty used to it by now – although still somewhat apprehensive. Even in small towns this chaos is common but on a much smaller scale. And we had witnessed similar mania in Roma so it came as no surprise. One lane allows 2 vehicles side by side, 2 allows 3 etc. Motorcycles thread their way through stopped vehicles. Rotaries are a free-for-all but seem to work in some chaotic fashion. Stop signs mean slow slightly & blast through. You pass whenever you can, wherever you can – city street or rural hwy. To enter a road you just keep nosing out until a slight pause allows you to turn. Parking is next to impossible but any square inch is fair game. Anytime you pull over or attempt to turn around, some other driver will be impatiently waiting . . . and on . . . and on . . . We had no difficult getting to the hotel except for its immediate locale. The street was under construction & reduced & 4 roads intersected at strange angles just in front of the hotel without the benefit of a traffic light or a rotary. This made it a bit of a zoo in front. I missed it on the 1st blast by & circled around the corner – with some difficulty. On the 2nd attempt, I sailed right into the valet area & shut it down. We had arrived. Insert sigh of relief here. The Hilton Villa Igiea is a century old Liberty-style villa & sits in a so-so area (more later) in between a mountain & Palermo’s harbor. A grand hotel that has catered to the wealthy – and HH members – over the years. We checked in with ease & were ushered to our room. Since it was a freebie, we received a room on the side, with a nice view of a palm tree rather than the paying guests who often have patios & wonderful sea views. They scored huge points with my wife when only 5 minutes after getting into our room, a sweets & fruit tray arrived with a bottle of chilled water. Nice touch. Villa Igiea http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...mo/igliea4.jpg http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...mo/igliea7.jpg Our room # 210 – had a strange entryway that was totally useless. http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...mo/igliea2.jpg http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...mo/igliea1.jpg We booked Lo Scuderio for dinner at 8 pm & taxied over. Just 4 blocks from the hotel, we went through the most disgusting garbage filled streets I have ever seen anywhere. The smell was atrocious. My wife & I simultaneously looked at each in the back of the cab startled by the scene. There was garbage in piles, remnants of burnt garbage in piles & crap all over the gutters & sidewalk. It was appalling. Traffic & people were everywhere & going about their business as usual amidst this wasteland. Once we left the harbor area & got up by the prison, things improved dramatically & it was like any other grittier city, but it left its mark on us. Lo Scuderia (Via Turati Filippo, 7 – 091581628) is across the street from Teatro Politeama. I read decent reviews somewhere. And a group of 6 Americans that were also staying at the Igiea must have read the same review because they came in 10 minutes after us. This restaurant felt like they were just going through the motions. The service, the food & the ambience just seemed tired somehow. We share an appetizer & a primi & had separate meat cortornos + the usual bottle of wine. Not cheap @ 82€. We had been spoiled in Modica & Siracusa with very good cheap meals. Splitting had become our routine because my wife is not a big eater & even I couldn’t handle all 3 courses in one sitting. But we could drink a bottle of Sicilian wine! I think we only had dessert once or twice because it was just too much food. I know, this should not be a problem . . . and it wasn’t, it’s just a fact. So I would rate Lo Scuderia a 6/10. Nothing terribly wrong – except the meat was tough – but no reason to seek it out. The taxi driver that took us over offered to pick us up at 9:30 pm. We agreed & sure enough, he pulled up on time. His name was Carmelo (3898167849). He spoke passable English & bantered on. We expressed interest in going to see the Capuchin Catacombs & he said he would take us roundtrip for 30€. That was basically cab fare – maybe just a tad more. We set a time of 3 pm with him & I got his cell # in case we went into town earlier & didn’t need him etc. Then it was back to our oasis . . . the Igiea . . . for the night. Speaking of which, here’s a night shot of the pool area. http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...mo/igliea9.jpg More Palermo coming in Day 16 |
Day 16 Palermo
We awoke & had a good buffet breakfast – the best we had seen all holiday. We sat outside on the terrace with waiters milling around a finger-snap away. Yeah, I could get used to this. The grounds were truly outstanding & this little oasis (to use the word again) seemed miles & miles away from Palermo which was right outside the gate. But of course, we had to venture out to drop the rental car off at AVIS. So once more, I suctioned the GPS in place & we sped out into Palermo. Well, we tried. The road in front of the hotel was solid with cars heading out of the city to the beach. I sat there waiting for the slightest break in traffic for at least 5 minutes if not longer. Finally I saw a hesitant driver & a 20 ft break in traffic & I nosed out & away. To avoid the nearby garbage cesspool, I retraced part of out incoming route & then hung a left towards the rental location. Traffic was actually reasonably light & a non-issue but I was tense & ready for vehicular battle. I filled the beast with diesel along the way for 17€. This brought the grand total to 60€ for fuel costs for the entire time of our rental. Unfortunately I forgot to record the mileage in or out but this seemed pretty cheap considering the price of fuel. Then we negotiated our way to Francesco Crispi which I had seen the previous night on the way to dinner. With a quick turnaround on an overpass & I pulled it up on the boulevard right in front of AVIS on the north side of FC. Street parking would have been tough & I would have had to do it ½ on the boulevard anyway to allow traffic by. The shop was open with several renters. An Australian was trying to rent a car without his driver’s license. What’s up with that, mate? He had left it in his hotel room & had to phone someone to bring it because he was refused. While I was waiting a man came out of the AVIS garage & obviously asked the clerk: whose car was on the boulevard? He then launched at me with a stream of arrogant Italian & I calmly said “no capisce”. He gave up & sullenly wandered off. The car was deemed as ‘perfect’ & I secretly smiled thinking about the curbs I drove over & the wall I backed into & the poor clutch . . . Just as I was going to ask the clerk to call us a taxi, one pulled up outside – probably the Australian’s wife arriving with his license. Back to the Igiea we went. Our driving was over. After this mid-morning excitement, we decided to catch some rays by the pool. This was a holiday after all & the Igiea certainly felt like a resort. We were feeling pretty lazy. We did wander down the street again (we had the night before for cigarettes & Coke) to get paninis from the shop around the corner. I say around the corner but it was actually down a very busy road that went around a bend & you had to walk on the street to get around parked cars that blocked the sidewalk & then dash across the street to the shops. This was well before the nasty area so we felt safe enough in the daytime hoofing around – just not too far though. The shop was closed on Sunday though so we grabbed lunch at the hotel. No cheap but the lunch/bar terrace is a joy to sit on watching the yachts below in the harbor. The food was just so-so – especially for the stiff price. Obviously the atmosphere was included in the tab. http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...ermo/view2.jpg After some hemming & hawing, we got ready to go see the Capuchin Catacombs. We had seen this on some travel show & though it looked particularly macabre so we wanted to see it. Carmelo was waiting out front right on time, so off we went. I mentioned to him to please point out any other sites of interest that were enroute to the Monastery. He did one better but I am getting ahead of myself . . . For those that haven’t heard about it, the Catacombe dei Cappuccini is under the monastery & is the ‘burial’ place for thousands of people. They are mummified & hanging from pegs in the wall – all dressed in their funereal finery. Truly, seriously bizarre. There are several hallways of this & many are categorized – professionals, clergy etc. And the star, a 2 year old girl perfectly preserved in 1920. The dates for most seem to be 1850s – 1890s. I will admit I snuck some pictures. Bad, bad me. Capuchin Catacombs. Please excuse the slight fuzziness. I took them without flash so I wouldn’t hurt these works of ???????????????? And be forewarned: THESE ARE VERY STRANGE & POTENTIALLY DISTURBING http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...o/capuchin.jpg http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3.../capuchin2.jpg http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3.../capuchin3.jpg http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3.../capuchin4.jpg Back out in the sunshine, it took a few moments to absorb what we had seen but Carmelo was nonchalant. “They were rich people & wanted to be preserved there.” After that we got a great bonus. On his own initiative, Carmelo took us on a driving tour – with commentary – to all of the greatest hits in downtown Palermo. He pulled over each time so I could hop out for photos. Palazzo dei Normanni http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...o/palermo1.jpg Port Nuovo http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...o/palermo2.jpg Cathedral http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...o/palermo4.jpg http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...o/palermo3.jpg San Cataldo http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...o/palermo6.jpg La Martorana http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...o/palermo7.jpg Piazza Pretoria. Carmelo had some long explanation about the fountain & how shocking it was at one time or other because of the church on one side & the monastery on the other etc etc . . . http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...o/palermo5.jpg He drove us by the Teatro Massimo & told us about the Godfather scene with Michael Corleone. And showed us the alleys across the street – now filled with eateries but pretty nasty places not too many years ago. And on the topic of the Mafia, he said there is no real problem there since they only have one Mafia in Palermo. Two would be a problem but not one. And he said that to get a driver’s license/cab license was easy in Palermo. You go to school & learn for 2 or 3 months or you just put 500€ into the right hands. It’s simple. His tour took us through narrow alleys & streets to buildings & piazzas all over the old section of town. He showed us the banyan tree. And told us about Saint Rosalia. We saw it all without walking & with great stories – all from a local point of view. Better than the guide books – not as accurate I am sure - but still better. He dropped us back at the hotel & I gave him 40€ for his 2 hour tour. He was happy. We were happy. For dinner, we decided to go with the atmosphere & pretend we belonged mingling with the Villa Igiea clientele. We had dinner on the terrace & then retired to the bar to listen to the piano player’s repertoire & sip cocktails. He only stumped me with one song all night as we sat under the stars watched the moon over the Gulfo di Palermo . . . I told my wife that she had to call me Don Ian from now on . . . Coming up . . . Our Last Day in Sicily & Conclusion |
Ian,
Your impromtu tour with Carmelo sounds just great! What a treat. It's those things you remember and enjoy the most. |
Sure hope you got to Monreale!
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Nice trip report.
I will be leaving for SICILY Next week, and enjoyed reading your experiences. We will be arriving in Palermo too. I also heard that the restaurant Lo Scuderia, HAS SEEN BETTER DAYS. Too Bad your dinner there was a disappointment. We will definitey plan on visiting Monreale, as it is close and easy to get to from Palermo. Can't wait to read more about your trip! Trend Girl |
Day 17 Palermo – Our Last Day in Sicily
This was it. The swan song of our Sicilian vacation. The last day. We had breakfast as usual & debated what to do. We hadn’t really seen Palermo except by taxi with Carmelo & a couple of short precision hops by car. But we didn’t care. We hadn’t visited any of the necessary cathedrals - particularly the local biggie: the Duomo of Monreale with its exquisite mosaics, the world’s best example of Norman church architecture & the much-lauded cloisters. But we didn’t care. We had seen enough. We had done enough. We wanted to do nothing but lie in the sun & read our books & work on the tan so it looked like we actually went on vacation. We have never been the type of travelers that have to see it all. You should see what you enjoy seeing. If you miss some, who cares? Buy a postcard or tour it through someone else’s eyes online. Or plan to see it next time. A holiday should never become a marathon of site visits. There shouldn’t be some checklist that has to be completed. I have seen countless itineraries posted here & my main critique of most is the lack of free time. You need to ensure that there are mornings or afternoons or even full days to stare at the sea or to walk in a field or down a wandering alley – completely without purpose. Since we were staying in a hotel that felt like a Caribbean resort, we surrendered & let the day flow. Morning in the sun. We walked to that restaurant mentioned above & got some paninis for lunch. Then we lay in the sun some more. We didn’t feel the slightest bit of guilt for our touristic omissions. We had an early dinner/late lunch at the hotel & went to bed at 9:30 pm to prepare for our 6:50 am flight to Roma the next morning. More Igiea pictures; http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...mo/igliea6.jpg http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...mo/igliea5.jpg http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...mo/igliea3.jpg http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...mo/igliea8.jpg And a stitched panoramic view of Palermo from the Igiea. http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...lermo/pano.jpg The Hilton Villa Igiea was a superb hotel. Its site. The view. The beauty of the building. The impeccable service. The fact that it was free for us. The big letdown was the food. I can’t say that it was on par with the rest of the hotel. The prices were but not the variety or the quality. The location – like the Cavalieri in Roma does make it tough – and more expensive - to get in & out for touring. Recommended but with those cautions. Day 19 Travel Home We taxied to Palermo’s airport. Sure there were cheaper options but the taxi waiting outside the hotel’s door at 5:30 am was painless (albeit 70€) & this day was going to be painful enough. At FCO we rescued our bags & checked in for our Air Canada flight to YYZ. I relaxed in the premium airline lounge with my book (I had finished McCollough’s ‘The First Man in Rome’ since leaving home & was now ½ way through ‘The Grass Crown – my 3rd read of this great series that I figured would put me nicely in context for viewing ruins). My wife gave some euros away to the airport shops for the requisite last-minute gifts for people at home. I know, I know . . . I keep telling her but she keeps doing it. Goodbye to Europe until the next trip. Coming up . . . Conclusion & Our Trips Greatest Hits & Misses |
Conclusion & Our Trip's Greatest Hits & Misses
We disliked Roma. Again. ‘Nuf said except that I am glad we gave it a 2nd chance & that we had the opportunity to see the Borghese & the Scavi tour & some misc things that we missed on the 1st go. We really enjoyed Sicily. The island is stunningly beautiful. It was easy to get around. The food was great. The people we met along the way were friendly & helpful. I would say they are a notch above continental Italy & Spain on the International Friendliness Scale. My wife would pipe in at this point with a caveat about the roads & driving which was not an issue for me but for some travelers it might prove daunting. She is a nervous driver/passenger to begin with so that colors her opinion imho but there it is. Hat’s off to rkkwan, Bob the Navigator, Franco, ekscrunchy & many, many others for their trip reports of Sicily and/or Roma. I read them all & stole ideas, restaurants suggestions, tips etc etc. I hope that this amazingly long diatribe will be of use to others too. Roma Best Site visited this trip: Borghese Gallery Site we should have missed: Spanish Steps Best Restaurant: Armando al Pantheon Runner-up: Ambasciata D’Abruzzo Worst restaurant choice of Roma: Sora Lella Sicily Best site visited: Segesta for the views Site we could have missed: Parco Archeologico - Siracusa Best restaurant: Torre d’Oriente (Modica) Runner-up: Too tough to decide Best dish: A tie. The pasta/meatball soup (called Pasta Bruordu) @ Osteria dei Sapori Perduti (Modica) & the ravioli primi @ Torre d’Oriente (Modica) Worst meal choice: That gas station/eatery around Montallegro Best road for driving: A toughie. S124 out of Caltagirone if I could only pick one Best road for view: Another toughie because there were so many. S194 between Modica & Ragusa Favorite town: Modica with Siracusa the runner-up Thanks for reading this much longer than expected trip report . . . Ian To reach me: cab87 (at) rogers.com My Travel Site: http://members.rennlist.com/imcarthur/travels.htm |
You skipped Monreale? Well, I guess you now have a reason to go back! (Along with Trapani, Erice, and the islands!)
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Ian,
Mille Grazie for such a great, detailed trip report. It's so valuable to have all variety of opinions. I'll keep your report for when I get down to serious planning for my Sicilian trip. |
Glad you enjoyed it. I have learned that everyone enjoys travel in their own unique way. Trip reports can be a great resource but 'your results may vary'.
Ian |
As an addendum to this post, I finally completed & have added our Sicily adventure to my travel site. The pictures are thumb nailed & this makes it an easier read.
http://members.rennlist.org/imcarthur/sicily.htm Note: I will still be doing some editing etc over the next couple of days . . . Ian |
That Baroque palace on Piazza Duomo in Siracusa (you also have a photo of its courtyard) is the Palazzo Beneventano del Bosco.
Horatio Nelson once stayed with the family, and the current owner still has a bread-and-butter letter from him. |
Thank you, Zerlina. I labelled it now.
The trip is already dimming as real life rears its ugly head. Time to start thinking about the next one . . . Ian |
Hi Ian, jsut want to let you know how much we have enjoyed your report. We are going to Sicily for the first time in May 2010, and your "n-nonsense, cut-to-the-chase" reporting is just what my husband has enjoyed reading! It is a great resource, thanks so much.
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Wow, what a superb trip report! I love the organization and all of the photo links!! We are deliberating between returning to Greece this May or going to Sicily for the first time. Your trip report has been most helpful.
Was the GPS device you used one you bought here in the States? |
Ian, just read your old report to help with my planning...better late than never! Appreciate all the time you spent with detail.
BTW, if you haven't made it to Africa yet, I have a recom. I also hate tours, but Africa is a little challenging. Best compromise was one I put together with Africa Adventure Co. in Kenya and Tanzania where they flew us between camps, but we traveled independently. It was amazing to be in the middle of no where and a little plane buzzes down to pick us up and take us to the next camp...no glitches...planes were always on time and there was someone to transport us from camp to airfield, etc. We stayed in "luxury" type tents and loved the whole experience. You can check out my old trip report from 2008 if interested. |
Thanks, barefootbeach. I will read your report for the future. We decided on Turkey for our next trip. We leave in 2 weeks.
My trusty GPS is a US bought TomTom. I now use the Antiguan voice which sounds like an angry Rasta . . . ;) Ian |
bookmarking for upcoming sicily trip
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