We were slated to be picked up at 9:30AM and taken to the airport for our flights home. Gerry & Sue were able to make their connection to Chicago but because of the timing we would be again spending the night at the Frankfurt airport amd flying to Seattle tomorrow.
The transportation arrived on time, BUT it was a Mercedes sedan, not a larger vehicle that could hold 4 people and luggage. The driver tried to fit the luggage in the trunk, but no way. He suggested we hold the luggage on our laps and we said “no way” . He said he would take two people and call for a second cab. We told Gerry & Sue to go first because of their connection. We would wait. By this time the street in front of the hotel was now closed to traffic so we would have to walk the one block to an area where traffic was allowed. Luckily the lady from the hotel front desk offered to go with us to make sure we got our needed ride. We waited 5 minutes,10 minutes, maybe even 15 minutes, but no cab. The hotel lady then said she would call for a cab for the hotel which she did and it promptly arrived. I did not know what it would cost but at this point I could care less. We were on our way to the airport, and in the end it only cost me 20 Euros! All’s well that ended well!
Goodby Malta! Loved the sign on the truck.
We made our flight to Frankfurt and bid goodby to Gerry & Sue as they winged their way to Chicago. We again stayed at the Marriott/Sheraton hotel complex right at the terminal, had dinner at their restaurant, got a good nights sleep and completed our trip the next day (September 29th) to Seattle with no further glitches.
Waiting for our flight.
Malta from the air.
Frankfurt from the air.
Heading home Manhattan!
Of course we are in a German airport lounge!
Gotta have a German pretzel before leaving.
Condor believes in giving you multiple appetizers.
Our flight route home.
Very novel salt & pepper shaker!
Shrimp Scampi sounded good.
Breakfast sausage.
Home, sweet home!
Steps for the day: Sept 28: 5,806. Sept 29: 7,484
EPILOGUE
The trip was delightful. It was a bit too warm for us who are used to the mild summer weather of Seattle. Going earlier or later in the year would be preferable unless you are a fan of warm weather. Sicily is really part of Italy, yet it is so different in so many ways. It is worth an extended visit the next time you are in the area.
Our experience with Secret Italia Tours was very positive; I would travel with them again.
And finally, Malta was simply amazing and certainly worth a visit in its own right. Yvonne now says it is on her “one of my favorite countries” list!
And a final word: “We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” – Unknown
Today we are to explore several of the ancient temple sites of Malta, located outside of Valletta. Our initial stop was at the Tarxien temple complex located about 7 km from Valletta. The complex was “rediscovered” by farmers in 1914 and restoration of the site began in the 1950s. This site, dating from 3600 to 2500 BC, is the most complex of all temple sites in Malta and consists of four megalithic structures. The temples are renowned for the detail of their carvings, which include domestic animals carved in relief, altars, and screens decorated with spiral designs and other patterns.The site seems to have been used extensively for rituals, which probably only involved animal sacrifice as there was evidence of animal bones in the area, but no human remains.
The temple complex at Tarxien. There are designated walkways and a massive covering over the site to protect it from further erosion.
Schematic of what the temple looked like.
Views of temple walls.
Exterior view of temple.
I was surprised at the shape of the rooms-basically round.
Some pottery found in the temple area.
Pottery for washing?
Impressive fitting of the stone slabs.
Interior views of one of the temple rooms. What look like feet were actually part of a statue.
Holes for leather straps that acted as hinges.
Engravings on the rock surfaces.
Thought to be sacrificial altar. Note carvings in the stone.
I was amazed at how large the temple structure was and the fact there were multiple rooms in the building. The fact that these structures existed 1,000 years before the pyramids of Egypt blew me away. I had never heard of this piece of history before this day.
From here we drove to the other major site in the area, known as Hagar Qim, but we first made a stop at the Blue Grotto which is on the way to Hagar Qim. Normally we would be able to take a small boat ride to the grotto but the sea conditions on this day prevented the boats from operating. However, we did have an opportunity to interact with a real Maltese falcon and his trainer at the viewpoint overlooking the grotto. Never one to pass up a unique photo opportunity I had my picture taken while holding the falcon! I was amazed at how light it was and the falcon pretty much ignored me while sitting on my arm.
A small chapel on the roadside.
The Blue Grotto.
This is the closest we got to the grotto today.
Desert landscape in the area.
Not much vegetation in this part of the island.
No boats taking people to the grotto as it was too windy.
A local!
Maltese falcon encounter!
The owner and trainer of the falcon
Stand still and hold your arm out!
A Maltese falcon and his master!!
After a quick view of the grotto from afar and a stop for some refreshments, we went to see the remains of the megalithic temple at Hagar Qim. There is a main building dating from the era of 2600-3200BC, with several smaller buildings nearby that may be even older. We got to see a short 3D movie about the site before walking to the site itself. There is evidence of animal sacrifice being held here but no evidence of any human sacrifice. As is often common in many ancient structures there is a hole in a wall that allows the sun to shine on a particular location during the summer solstice. Like the Tarxien complex the temple contains adjoining rooms and some of the stone pieces are huge! Excavations and restoration of the temple started back as early as 1839. It would take significantly more time spent at these temple sites to fully understand their meaning; we only got a glimpse and quick overview of their history and meaning.
The Hagar Qim temple complex.
A popular souvenir of an ancient statue linked to the area.
Another famous replica of an ancient artifact found here.
Model of the Hagar Qim temple complex.
Display showing how round rocks made moving large stones much easier than using logs.
Watching the 3 D movie about the temple complex.
Schematic speculation on how the temple was constructed.
Approaching the temple entrance.
The entrance to Hagar Qim temple.
Showing how the temple was originally covered.
Ornate carvings on a piece of stone from the complex.
Some of exterior walls. These walls were larger than those seen in Tarxien.
Interior room in the complex.
This gives you a feel for how big some of these stones really are.
Schematic showing how the massive stones were moved and erected.
Schematic describing one of the biggest stones found here.
This is what it looks like!
The hole in the wall allows the sun to reach the interior wall only during the summer solstice.
The last exploration of the day was a visit (and lunch) at the nearby fishing village (population 3,660) of Marsaxlokk. We were not overly hungry so we simply opted for pasties served by a vendor located at the waterfront. They were quite tasty and something different.
Rock walls everywhere! And I thought Ireland had a lot.
The Marsaxlokk harbor. It is a fishing port.
The fisherman is king in Marsaxlokk.
Boats are uniquely painted.
Street vendors along the waterfront. A lot of linens were featured.
Pasties stuffed with various meats and cheeses . They were really good!
The main church (Our Lady of Pompei) in Marsaxlokk.
Doors in Marsaxlokk.
Returning to Valletta we bid farewell to our tour guide and prepared to go to our final dinner in Malta, as tomorrow we leave. The original restaurant picked by Secret Italia was changed at the last minute and we were picked up and transported to the nearby town of Sliema. We were a bit surprised that the tour company would transport us to the distant town when there were so many restaurants near our hotel in Valletta. As it turned out, the tiny (14 tables), out of the way ( down a very narrow street) place is a favorite of the owner of Secret Italia (the restaurant owner told us ) and we assumed he simply wanted us to sample a very non-tourist restaurant for our final meal. It was a nice gesture and it turned out to be a delightful evening. I even opted for the very traditional Maltese dish of rabbit stew for my entree (tastes like chicken). Again we ordered what we wished on the menu in the way of food and drink and the bill was never presented to us for payment. A cab was ordered for us and delivered us back to our hotel, again without a charge to us. I was impressed.
The tiny “Il Merill” restaurant in Sliema.
Looking into the restaurant which had about 14 tables.
Funky interior.
Be careful if you order the mixed grill! It could feed a family of 4.
Mixed vegetables came with the mixed grill.
Rabbit stew. Lots of bones and not much meat on a rabbit!
Our dinner wine of choice.
Tomorrow we all head home.
Steps for the day: 5,903. More riding than walking!
This morning we were met by a different local guide, a gentleman (none of us can recall his name) who turned out to be a wealth of knowledge about Malta and its history! Today is meant to be a walking tour of the many sights in the city of Valletta.
Our local tour guide for the next two days.
We walked a few blocks to the edge of Valletta to overlook the water and the fortifications that had protected this city/country for hundreds of years. After learning more about the history of Malta we made our way back into the city to tour the small archeological museum which turned out to be pretty fascinating and I wish we had had more time to explore it. The most fascinating new information we received was that there is evidence on Malta of civilizations that dated back to 3600BC, a thousand years before the Egyptians. Holy smokes! Tomorrow we will be visiting the ruins of these early civilizations.
View from the overlook park.
Part of the view park.
Building once occupied by Napoleon when he invaded this part of the world.
Statue of someone important in plaza.
Facade of the Royal opera house that was destroyed during WWII.
Ceiling of the archeological museum.
Tracing history of the area back to 3600 BC
This ancient statue has become the symbol of Malta. Replicas are for sale everywhere.
Statue of a reclining lady found in archeological digs.
These ancient people used round rocks, rather than logs, to move large stones around to build their temples. Pretty ingenious in my opinion.
Model of temples found on the island that date back to 3600BC. We will visit them tomorrow.
After the too short walk through of the museum we went to tour the Manoel theater, built in 1731 by the, then, Grand Master of St.John, as a source of entertainment for his knights and the local townspeople. It still exits today and is in amazing.
Obviously I had to take a picture of this!
Now that is a wraparound balcony to covet!
Inside the Manoel theater, built in 1731,
Chandelier in the theater.
The “important people” box.
View from the important people box!
No, the chair is not broken. Its companion chair would have an opposite arm (so you can cuddle?).
From there we proceeded to an OMG visit to the St. John’s Co-Cathedral, probably the most visited attraction in Valletta as there are timed entrances and when we were there it was very crowded. But, oh what a church! It was built from 1572-1577, again, by the order of the current Grand Master of the Knights of Malta. I thought the church we had seen in Sicily was the most elaborate I had ever seen. I was wrong as this church is simply amazing. I cannot post most of the pictures I took while there; I suggest you go to the church website to get a fuller appreciation of the grandeur of the facility. The interior of the church is considered to be one of the finest examples of high Baroque architecture in Europe. I believe it!
Co-Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Valletta.
The OMG Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.
The ceiling.
The main altar of the St John Cathedral.
Look at these decorations. I am sure that is 14K gold.
The church organ.
Some of the frescos in the church.
The entire ornate marble floor consists of 400 tombs of knights of the order. It is a work of art in its own right.
The entire marble floor consists of these decorated tombs of knights. They are a work of art in their own right.
Besides the main church there are nine chapels dedicated to the knights of various countries who are members of the Knights of Malta; each chapel seems more elegant than the last.
One of the 9 side chapels dedicated to the various countries of the Knights of Malta.
Elaborate tombs of Grand Masters of the Knights of Malta.
Another reason why people are interested in visiting this church is because there are several original paintings by Caravaggio including the famous “Beheading of St. John the Baptist 1608” located there. A second Caravaggio painting “Saint Jerome Writing” is also in the church. They are both impressive works of art.
Waiting to enter the chapel where knights were knighted and where the Caravaggio painting is located.
The chapel dominated by the Caravaggio painting.
Caravaggio painting g of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist. It occupies the entire width of the wall.
Another Caravaggio original called “St. Jerome Writing” is located nearby.
An aside: the name “co-cathedral” was new to me. It is so called because it shares the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Malta together with the much older Cathedral of St. Paul in Mdina.
Our tour company, Secret Italia, had made reservations for an included lunch at a local outdoor cafe and our guide left us there to order whatever we wanted from the menu and to have the rest of the afternoon free to explore the city further.
Had to laugh when I saw this! Yes, I did stop and look.
Secret Italia had made luncheon reservations for us at an outdoor cafe. Order what you want at their expense.
Fresh calamari , probably caught this morning.
A creamy risotto.
After lunch we decided that we wanted to take a harbor cruise to gain a different perspective of the city. Sue’s knee was acting up and she begged off so the three of us grabbed a cab to head over to another part of the city to catch the 2 PM tour. Malta had a neat system for catching a cab. You went to a central kiosk where you bought a prepaid fare (based on a city zone) and simply walked over to a line of waiting cabs. No hassle, no arguing over fares; it was a welcome change to cab travel! The 1.5 hr tour was delightful and we got to see more mega-yachts, and other fortifications that protected the city through the centuries.
A harbor tour of Malta.
Why Malta was a fairly safe haven in olden times.
Want to rent it for a weekend?
Want to stay at a beachfront 5 star hotel? They have them.
These walls acted as a major deterrent to invasion.
Old ruins on top of old ruins!
A freighter being towed into dry dock for maintenance. Malta does a big business in that.
There is a ferry system that connects various parts of the city.
Boats everywhere.
Malta seems to be a favorite of the “rich”.
Not all of Malta is old!
Major fountain at entrance to the old town.
Once a moat around the city.
Tourists or locals? Who knows, but there are certainly a lot of them.
Dinner was on our own and after the big lunch we had we did what we often do when in a foreign country-visit the local McDonalds for a burger and fries (and to see if there were any special menu items that cater to tastes of the local clientele). The only difference we saw here was you could get a beer with your burger!
The devil made us do it. But at least you can get a beer with your order in Malta!
Valletta night scene.
My version of an evening nightcap!
Tomorrow we will be visiting several of the ancient temples found on the island.
Steps for the day: 8,765. Not bad. Good enough to justify an after dinner gelato again!
September 25, 2022: Exploring Some Ancient Cities of Malta
We were met promptly at 9AM by our local tour guide (Agnes, if memory serves me) and a driver who would be taking us to see several small ancient cities outside of Valletta. Our first stop was in Naxxar, where we would be visiting a palace (Palazzo Parisio) now open to the public. There was originally a hunting lodge at this site built in 1733 for the Grand Master of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly know as the Knights Hospitallers, an organization dating back to the first crusade when it was established to provide care for the sick and poor people going on pilgrimages to Jerusalem. In 1898 Marquis Giuseppe Scicluna bought the property and built the home that is there today. Needless to say it is elegant!
Our local Valletta tour guide. I think her name was Agnes.
There are hundreds of boats of all sizes in marinas around Valletta.
The Carrara marble bannister is one piece!
The original owners who built the current palace.
One of several suits of armor in the home.
The sitting room.
The master bedroom.
Any good palace needs its own private chapel where the local priest can come and say mass.
The owners were important enough to be invited to a queen’s inauguration.
The gold room.
Each chair is decorated with a different instrument.
The main ballroom.
View of the extensive gardens from a second floor balcony.
Another section of the garden.
From there we made a quick stop at the Dingli cliffs, at 250 meters above sea level, to take in the views of the coastline of Malta before driving on to the town of Rabat (Population 11,470) to see the famed catacombs of St. Paul located there and then used as burial grounds during Roman times. According to the bible, St. Paul was shipwrecked in Malta for three months. I was rather amazed at how extensive the caves and burial sites are. It took a lot of digging and carving to create this labyrinth of tunnels and tombs.
Approaching the ancient city of Mdina.
The chapel at Dingli cliffs.
The view at Dingli cliffs, the highest point in Malta.
Entry to the St. Paul’s Catacombs in Rabat.
Schematic of the St. Paul catacombs.
Note the short lifespan of medieval humans.
What a typical burial site would look like.
Corridors throughout the catacombs leading to avenues of burial sites.
It took a lot of rock carving to create them.
Another view of the St. Paul catacombs.
Inside the church. Mass was going on so we only could stand in the back for a short time.
Another popular snack-a bread filled with anise filling similar to poppyseeds. I was not overly impressed.
Finally, a bit of color in the white city.
Many street corners have statues of saints.
Before leaving Rabat we were treated to a local popular pastry called “pastizzi”, which is usually eaten warm. We could not get seating in the local shop selling them so Agnes purchased them along with a popular local soda called “Kinnie” and we retired to the nearby park to leisurely eat our snack before moving on. The pastizzi are made from thin, flaky dough (like phyllo) and typically stuffed with ricotta cheese. Kinnie is a popular Maltese carbonated soft drink made from bitter orange and extracts of wormwood. In my opinion it is an acquired taste.
Tour guide bringing us a snack of pastizzi and Kinnie soda.
The savory ricotta filled “pastizzi” pastry.
Popular with locals is Kinnie soda. I was not overwhelmed.
We next went to the ancient city of Mdina (population 243). This fortified city dates back to the 8th century BC and was the early capital of the island until 1530 when the Order of St. John arrived. It was a cool place to wander around and we were given ample time to do so. Like most of the buildings on Malta the buildings are made of ivory colored stone.
The moat around Mdina.
The map of Mdina..
The main entry gate to Mdina.
The main square in Mdina.
One of the side streets leading to the residential area.
The flowers soften the appearance of the harsh stone buildings.
Views of the countryside from Inside the walled city of Mdina.
A small chapel in Mdina.
Wall with large vine in Mdina.
They like fancy door ornaments.
What flowers we did see were colorful.
Our last stop of the day was to see and experience St. Mary’s Church in Mosta. The design of the church is based on the Pantheon in Rome. It sports the third largest unsupported dome in the world and is Malta’s largest and most famous church. The church narrowly avoided destruction during WWII when on 9 April 1942 a German aerial bomb pierced the dome and fell into the church during Mass, but failed to explode. Obviously parishioners considered it a miracle. There is a special display in the church showing pictures of the damage caused by the bomb.
St. Mary’s church in Mosta, with the third largest unsupported dome in the world. Yes, that is a hole in the top.
Panorama of the church.
The main altar in the church.
The German WWII unexploded bomb that hit the church.
It was then back to Valletta where we wandered the busy streets in the late afternoon, stopping for a drink and some people watching. Dinner was on our own this evening and we all wanted meat so off we went for a delightful dinner in a second story, outdoor restaurant overlooking one of the squares of Valletta.
Pedestrian street in Valletta.
Statue on a Valletta street corner.
This bar was featured in a recent Below Deck Mediterranean episode.
People watching while enjoying an afternoon cocktail.
Impromptu street bar.
Tacos
BBQ ribs. Messy but good!
There were street musicians located all over Valletta.
I earned my gelato for the day. The question is which flavor.
Tomorrow we will be doing a walking tour of the major sights of Valletta.
Steps for the day: 11,641 which justified my gelato after dinner!
Malta is 187 km southwest of Sicily, and a short 45 minute flight away from Sicily. And, perhaps more important, it is a new country for the Bishops! Gerry & Sue had once visited it for a day while on a cruise but they agreed it would be fun to spend more time there and explore it a bit. Secret Italia offers tours there so we simply added on a five day tour of the country to our Sicily trip. We had a 3:30 PM flight from Catania to Valletta, the capital city of Malta so it was a leisurely morning as we were scheduled to be picked up at noon and taken to the airport which happens to be in Catania, about 45 minutes away.
The pickup (another tour couple went with the four of us) and the drive to the airport went smoothly, but when we got to the Catania airport the driver unloaded another suitcase & briefcase that did not belong to any of us, or anyone in our tour group! Someone was going to be very unhappy when he/she discovered their suitcase had disappeared. We do not know what happened next. The airport was very crowded but we managed to grab sandwiches as there would be no food on our Ryanair flight to Malta.
Ham & cheese sandwich at airport as we awaited our flight.
Our low cost Ryanair flight (our first) to Malta. It was not as bad as people say it is.
All went well with the flight and we were met by a driver in Valletta when we landed. I give Secret Italia a lot of credit for arranging for personal driver/transportation. It is a very nice perk.
Country #94- Malta!
Airport terminal at Valletta, Malta.
On the way from the airport to our hotel. Everything is white!
A quiet side street in the old town part of Valletta.
The old town part of Valletta is also a walking city for most of it. In fact, our driver had to leave us off about one block from our hotel. The good news is it was downhill and we managed to roll our suitcases there without much effort. Our wives did note, however, that it was uphill when we leave! We”ll cross that bridge later!
We have to walk where??
One of pedestrian streets. Cars have limited access before 9:30 AM
The hotel was a very small boutique hotel with maybe 20 rooms and a tiny lobby. The rooms were very modern but ours was very small with only a couple of windows which looked out to the building walls next door! We had no idea of what the weather would be.
The lobby at our hotel.
On our bed. You see this sort of art on cruise ships.
Dinner was provided this evening but no one met us in the lobby so we assumed we had to walk to the selected restaurant and hope that all had been prearranged. There was no real bar at the hotel so we wandered down the street to find some pre-dinner refreshment, stopping at a “funky” tiny bar that looked like a 1940s living room, run by a couple of guys. It/they were friendly and we had our first cocktail in Malta, and, no, it was not a Manhattan. Gin & tonic seemed more appropriate for some reason. We walked a few blocks further on pedestrian-only streets to our restaurant hoping there was a table waiting for us. There was, and we had an absolutely delightful meal, complete with wine. In fact, in my opinion, it was one of the better meals we had on the trip. The decor in the small restaurant was elegant and the food was great. It was a wonderful way to start our visit to Malta. Walking back to the hotel we again were met with a tremendous energy level and vibe of the city, brought about by all the people eating and drinking in the outdoor cafes and restaurants.
The funky bar where we stopped before dinner.
A door in Valletta.
Restaurant Preca, owned by two ladies. One of the best meals we had on our trip.
The restaurant consisted of small rooms with a small number of tables in each. It made for a lovely setting.
Our first dinner in Malta. Once the meal was over we simply got up and left. We assume the bill was sent to Secret Italia who arranged our tour.
Mushroom soup.
Simply marvelous mussels- small and tasty.
Beef entree with mixed vegetables.
Sherry trifle. One of many great choices for dessert.
Chocolate sandwich!
Lemoncello tart.
Late night street scene in Valletta, Malta.
The entrance to our tiny, boutique hotel.
Steps for the day: 5,439, mostly once we got to Malta. Tomorrow we hopefully are met by a guide who will show us Malta.
Today is our last day in Taormina and our Sicily tour. But before we leave Giusi arranged for us to participate in a cooking class where we would make, then eat, a pasta and a pizza.
Views from the hotel breakfast room.
Where was Mt. Etna yesterday!
What we should have seen yesterday at Mt. Etna.
A door in Taormina.
We walked over to a local restaurant that also offers cooking classes in the morning before they open for lunch. We were issued aprons and then instructed by one of the staff how to start with flour and water and make the dough we would need for the pasta. Once the dough is made we were to wrap small pieces around a stick to create a pasta with a hole in it. It was not as easy as our teacher made it look! The resultant pasta were not uniform in size or diameter; it was not a proud moment for the students.
Starting our lesson on making pasta.
Our version of Mt. Etna? You make the dimple so when you add the water it stays put…well, some of the time!
You cut the rolled out dough into small chunks which you then wrap around a stick to (supposedly) create a hollow pasta. Not as easy as it looks.
A pretty sad looking final product. In fact it was pretty pathetic.
Hard at work creating pasta.
The resultant dish of less than perfect pasta.
Next came the flour, water and yeast to make pizza dough. The resultant mounds of dough were not pretty but they would serve their purpose. Once the dough was stretched into the appropriate circle we were marched into the kitchen where we could add whatever condiments we wished to our creation! I was a traditionalist, selecting sausage and mushrooms. They restaurant uses a wood fired stove to bake the pizzas so they were done in the blink of an eye. And most importantly, they actually tasted quite good! The pasta was served with a simple tomatoes sauce on it and I thought it was rather bland. And, of course, there was wine and cannoli to finish our luncheon.
Our pizza dough starting to rise!
Gerry and I with two young ladies from England who joined our culinary session. The wine made it all better!
Ready to test our prepared meal.
The compulsory appetizer plate.
Creating our personalized pizzas.
The finished masterpiece ?
What we were eventually served
And of course the meal would not be complete without a cannoli (that they made)!
We got official cooking certificates! I guess I am now a certified pizza & pasta chef!
We had the rest of the afternoon as free time and Yvonne and Sue decided to spend the time packing for our departure tomorrow. Gerry and I decided to take the Rick Steve’s walking tour of Taormina, using his guide book to explain what we were seeing as we walked through the city. You do learn a lot about the area and its features by using such guides. We did quite a few “I didn’t know that” as we walked past areas we had walked past in previous days and not knowing what we were seeing. These walking tours add to the overall enjoyment of a city and culture. We did make a stop at a highly recommended coffee shop called the “Bam Bar” specifically to have one of their specialty granitas that contain two flavors AND whipped cream. We had to laugh when we tried to pick two random granita flavors the waiter said no-obviously he felt they would not complement each other. He then offered a second flavor to blend with our first choice. Boy, we’re we impressed with the result, especially with that addition of a marvelous whipped cream! No wonder this place is always packed.
One of the old city gates (Porta Catania) where we began the city walking tour.
Looking out to the bay from a small park. The building to the left is a former convent, now a 5 star hotel.
Street leading up to a ceramics shop.
Street scene in Taormina.
Church of Santa Caterina, built in the 1600s.
I could not agree more…and it would be a wise investment!
An elaborate nativity scene that includes a whole village, located in a local church.
A Catalan-Gothic arch, common for the 13-15th centuries.
Lovely balcony.
Church of St. Joseph in the main piazza.
Stairway to an art gallery.
Any color, any shape pasta you might ever want.
Naumachie wall built by the Romans in the 2nd century AD.
A former small church that dated back to 1533. It is now a museum.
The always busy Bam Bar.
Examples of how those colorful male & female vases are used. There is a story behind those vases that has a not too pleasant ending!
The famous Bam Bar two tier granita topped with fresh cream. Marvelous!
Tonight was our farewell dinner at a nearby restaurant and, of course, it was served outdoors. I do not know what they would do here if it ever rained as most dining is done outdoors. We ate, drank and laughed reflecting our 12 days with Giusi as our leader. There were then hugs and farewells as we all were headed our separate ways in the morning. I was impressed that Secret Italia (our tour company) had arranged for us all to travel separately to the Catania airport, leaving Taormina at times based on our flight departure times. It was a nice touch as more often tour companies will simply load everyone on a bus for a single departure and you might get stuck waiting hours at the airport for your flight.
Yes, another one. Turned out to be the last one we saw!
Sunset. Note the vapor stream from Mt. Etna.
One of our tour guests was also an artist and presented this watercolor to Giusi as a momento!
A farewell toast to our tour director and guide, Giusi.
Giusi saying goodbye to us. She claims we were the best tour group she ever had!!
Sicilian Caponata; eggplant is cooked with celery, tomatoes, olives, and capers
Paccherri pasta (big tube) with fresh catch of the day in shellfish sauce.
Most of us chose the beef entree option this evening.
Lemon mousse with fresh fruit.
More strolling musicians.
Most people were healed home but some, like us, were moving on for more adventure. In our case we four were headed to Malta for a 5 day tour. The vacation continues……
Steps for the day: 6,592- almost the recommended amount now said should be the goal for those of us older folks!
September 22, 2022: Mt. Etna and Sicilian Wine Tasting!
We have had marvelous weather (albeit, a bit too warm for us) so far until today! But today we were faced with clouds, clouds, and more clouds with a threat of rain. And today we are slated to travel to Mt. Etna and explore its upper region. It is obvious we will not be seeing a lot of the surrounding landscape while there. No problem, it will still be an adventure. They say you should visit Mt. Etna for two reasons: to see the volcanic landscape and visit the wonderful wine country that exists because of it. We will be doing both. Rick Steves calls this itinerary “The Whole Shebang”. Bring it on!
Cloudy, rainy morning!
Geography lesson for the day: Mt. Etna stands 10,924 feet above sea level and obviously dominates the Sicily landscape. It is still an active volcano, but it is referred to as a “gentle volcano” because it usually spews only ash and occasionally slow moving lava rather than having massive eruptions like other volcanoes such as Mt. Saint Helens, located in our backyard. However, several hundred tons of vapor spew from the top crater each day. Etna is not a single volcano; there are hundreds of craters scattered on its flanks. It presents a Mars-like landscape for all who visit. End of lesson.
When we left Taormina it was not raining; however when we stopped for a break about one hour later in the town of Zafferana Etnea, it was now raining pretty good. In this town Rick Steves said to seek out a small bakery (Donna Peppina) on the main square ( where we happened to park) and seek out a local delicacy sweet, called “sciatore” which he described as “a sugar-bomb chocolate covered-cookie that resembles a pair of skis”. I found the place and purchased a couple of what looked like large chocolate covered logs, which I then tried to share with my fellow travelers. I had few takers and I had to admit I was not impressed. They looked freshly made sitting on the counter but they were not soft and fresh. Not unsure if that is the way they should taste or were they simply old! One “no” vote for the Rick Steves suggestion.
The Rick Steves recommended pastry: Sciatore. I was not a fan.
By the time we climbed to our destination, Refugio Sapenza, at 6,300 feet we were completely enveloped in clouds, which limited our visibility drastically. This is the area where a tram can take you further up the volcano and other excursions are also available. Needless to say nothing was operating because of the weather conditions.
Poles to measure snow depth in the slopes of Mt. Etna. It gets cold enough at these altitudes to snow.
Barren landscape with a few survivor plants.
We were given free time to wander around, after being warned about not falling into one of the many small craters in the area. Most people, after a quick look at the surrounding bleak landscape, beat a hasty retreat to the warmth of the coffee and souvenir shop. That included our party of 4. I guess we simply will have to return someday if we want the real Mt. Etna experience.
Our view most of the time we were there.
Scenery when the clouds parted enough to take a picture.
Standing on the edge of one of the small craters. Could not see a thing!
Old lava flow.
Colorful lichens?
Amazing how some plants manage to thrive in this barren environment.
What Mt. Etna can look like when erupting.
Heading back down the slopes of Mt. Etna the rain had stopped as we headed to one of the many vineyards/ wineries in the area. The volcanic soil offer wonderful growing conditions for wines and the wine industry is emerging big time here I was impressed at how modern and elegant the winery that we visited (Gambino) was. The vineyards were neatly arranged, the main building was large and modern and most important, the wines we tasted were quite good (and inexpensive compared to US wines). We were told we would have a “light lunch” to accompany the wine tasting and I should have known by now what a Sicilian “light lunch”. What it is not is a light lunch-an appetizer plate that could be a meal in itself, a main course and dessert- all served with 4 different wine pairings in an elegant room overlooking their vineyards. The wines were good enough to have me see if they can be bought in the US. Yes, they are available at prices not mich higher than in Sicily. I did purchase a jar of a great lemon sea salt (and other spices) spice blend that they mixed with our olive oil for bread dipping.
Gambino winery where we stopped for wine tasting and yet another “light lunch”.
Very modern wine tasting area. It was much larger than I expected.
The first wine we tasted – a white. Surprisingly we can buy them here in Washington and the prices are not much more than in Sicily.
Looking out at the valley below.
Looking out at some of the Gambino vineyards.
Big, long tables for the wine tasting, overlooking the vineyards and valley.
Our starter appetizer plate, along with glasses to taste 4 additional wines with our lunch.
Main course of Sicilian sausage.
Cannoli for dessert.
Grapes are about ready to be picked.
Leaving on full stomachs most of us probably snoozed as we worked our way back to our hotel in Taormina. We said goodbye to our excellent driver, Andrea, as he was no longer needed as our last day will be spent in Taormina itself.
Saying goodbye to our driver as this was the last day for driving us around Sicily.
We met up again with the Austgens for dinner but everyone simply wanted pizza tonight so we wandered the streets until we found a place that could take the 6 of us.
Cocktails with Dennis & Linda Austgen, friends of Gerry & Sue.
Another busy night on the Main Street. We had to wait about 10 minutes simply to get a table.
Waiting for our pizzas at Licchios.
Not your mother’s pizza! Ham and pistachios.
The Cassatella di sant’Agata, a famous Sicilian dessert,
made to honor St. Agatha. It contains sponge cake, fruit juice or liqueur, ricotta, candied peel, marzipan, and icing. Surprisingly it was a bit too sweet for me!
A lovely set breakfast is served in a room on the top floor of the hotel with fabulous views of the area.
View of Mt. Etna this morning.
Fruit, breads, meat and cheese served for breakfast. Also a big pot of coffee!
Cruise ship anchored in harbor this morning.
Another road trip today with the first stop at the tiny (pop 1,714) mountain village of Savoca, made famous because it was used as one of the locations for the filming of the Godfather movie. The church and the local bar were prominent locations for the filming of the 1972 movie. The road to it can make you seasick with all its twists and turns but the location of the village is rather idyllic. We walked to the tiny church where the marriage took place. The church is still functioning and has a bunch of pictures from the movie on display next to the religious statues-a bit ironic.
Community park next to hotel.
Sculpture in the park.
One of several decorative structures in the park.
On the road to Savoca.
View from the main square. That is the church featured in the film in the background.
View of the countryside from Savoca.
Looking back at the village center.
Gateway to the road to the church.
A Savoca door with capers growing from the rock wall.
Stations of the cross on the road to the church.
That is the famous church located on the top of the hill in Savoca.
Inside the small village church.
Pictures from The Godfather movie in the church.
More pictures from the movie in a local bistro.
The walk (uphill) to the church led us past a local bakery where the smells compelled us to stop after our visit to the church. They were giving out samples of freshly made biscotti and promised that their bread would be out in 10 minutes so we had to wait because the sweet smell of bread was overpowering! Well the 10 minutes turned out to be more like 25 but it was worth it as I walked away with three small baguettes of still hot bread (olive, sun dried tomato, and Parmesan). While waiting for our bus we tore off hunks of the warm bread and wolfed them down. All that was missing was some olive oil or butter. Savoca was a fun stop!
Fresh, still hot bread, from the local bakery.
The main activity of the day, however, was a luncheon in the home of a local family. It was quite an extravaganza! We were met by the host’s daughter and walked to the home where we met a close friend of the family who had recently moved back to Sicily after spending 40 years in New Jersey, running her own restaurant. She was a “hoot” and acted as our translator as our host proceeded to serve a lavish lunch to us accompanied by pitchers of her homemade wine. We had an appetizer plate, followed by a traditional pasta featuring eggplant. We thought that was the lunch when out came a dish with sausage pattie’s and a salad. We all groaned a bit but kept eating. Next came her homemade lemoncello and a demonstration on how to properly peel the lemon needed for the brew, along with the recipe so we can make it at home. And then….came the dessert – a monstrous mound of dough balls covered with a chocolate mousse, another traditional Sicilian recipe. We left several hours later completely stuffed; it was a marvelous event and one to be remembered.
Travels to our luncheon.
Our hostess for our in home luncheon.
Appetizers ready for us!
Table big enough to seat us all in what appeared to be an enclosed patio area.
The famous Sicilian welcoming pine cone prominently sitting on the table.
The mother (and prime cook) of our hostess.
Cheese, olives, meats as our appetizer. Enough for a meal!
Pasta alla Norma-famous Sicilian pasta featuring eggplant.
Sausage patty cooked on a lemon leaf.
Still hungry? More sausage brought to the table.
Their homemade wine served with the meal.
Homemade lemoncello.
Learning how to properly peel a lemon to use for making lemoncello.
Secret reciipe for making lemoncello
Our hostess and her friend who had lived in New Jersey for 40 years before returning to Sicily. They are carrying the huge dessert.
Our late afternoon was free but Giusi offered to walk us up to the famous local landmark, the Greek/Roman amphitheater located in Taormina. Yvonne and I had seen it 20+ years ago while on a cruise so she remained behind while Sue, Gerry and I went. It is quite a sight, but again because it is used for present day concerts was visually less appealing because of all the scaffolding/plywood used for the concerts. You could not fully appreciate the complexity and beauty of what was built
Entrance to the Taormina amphitheater.
Look at the tremendous view from the cheap seats!
Gerry and Chuck checking out the cheap seats.
Close up of the back drop of the amphitheater.
Another view.
Another view of the amphitheater.
2,000 years ago. The amphitheater is made of red bricks, indicating that it is a Roman design, but its layout reflects that used by the Greeks so it is another example of the Romans rebuilding such structures to suit their interests. It is the 2nd largest amphitheater in Sicily, only Siracusa is larger. We walked around and then quickly left as a rain shower descended on us; luckily we had brought umbrellas so we avoided getting wet.
Another “it’s a small world” example: Gerry had learned that friends of theirs from Indiana happened to be in Taormina at the same time we are here so he arranged for the six of us to gather for drinks and dinner this evening. We met, we had cocktails at the hotel, then had a lovely dinner at, yet, another outdoor restaurant, while comparing stories of our respective travels in Sicily.
Cocktails with Dennis & Linda Austgen, friends of Gerry & Sue.
Amuse Bouche with our drinks.
Our dinner at il Baccanale.
Dinner at the outdoor restaurant. Dennis & Linda Austgen, Gerry & Sue Bishop, Yvonne & Chuck Bishop.
A new member to the strolling musicians.
Another singing entertainer.
Tomato salad with fresh basil.
Grilled calamari- tender and delicious.
Steps for the day: 7,915. But we made up for it by eating a lot!
September 20, 2022: Taormina, the Santorini of Sicily
We are leaving Siracusa, heading to our last stop, Taormina, with intermediate stops in Catania and Giardini Naxos. We really enjoyed out stay in the Siracusa area; it is our favorite stop so far!
Catania was one of the early Greek settlements but when the Romans occupied it, it was most likely the largest Roman city in Sicily. The city was virtually destroyed in 1693 by both an eruption of Mt. Etna and an earthquake. Talk about bad luck. Then in WWII it was bombed heavily. The city is rebounding but is not as popular as its sister cities near Mt. Etna. We spent a few hours there with a quick walking tour and some free time to shop. We then moved on to our group luncheon at a beach cafe (Lido La Romantica) in the town of Giardini Naxos.
Mt. Etna getting closer!
Egg plant and peppers. Sicily has a great variety of fresh vegetables.
Novel food cart serving mussels and bruschetta.
Catania fish market.
All sorts of shell fish.
Obviously fresh swordfish.
Meat market selling all parts of the carcass except the ‘moo’.
Mobile souvenir shop.
Nut brittle of various types.
Umbrella Street
The cathedral of Catania dedicated to St. Agatha.
City gate of Catania.
Kodak moment?
I like to take pictures of fountains.
Another accordion buddy!
Street vendor selling a lemon juicer. Yes, we bought them!
Inside the Catania Cathedral.
Inside the Catania Cathedral.
Naxos is the oldest Greek city in Sicily. It dates back to 734/5 BC, about one year before the Greeks established Sircusa (Syracuse). Siracusa destroyed it 300 years later when it became the dominant Greek city in Sicily. What little is left today is part of the beach town of Giardini Naxos, known for its sandy beaches and thus popular with sun worshipers.
Black volcanic rock starting to appear becasue we are approaching Mt. Etna territory.
Abandoned fortress.
Fountain in Naxos, the original location the Greeks settled.
Seaside luncheon on the Naxos beach.
Starter of seafood including calamari, octopus, fish and fritters.
Main course of fresh fish.
The national symbol of Sicily. It appears everywhere.
Only took this picture to show that many females in Sicily favor tattoos. We saw a lot of women with tattoos.
After lunch we were treated to a boat ride along the coastline of Sicily, with a singing captain and a bottle of lemoncello that he provided. It was a very enjoyable one hour journey and allowed us to experience Sicily from the sea.
The beach where we boarded our boat. We had to walk down (then up) 97 steps to rerach the roadway.
Our Sicilian captian who played Dean Martin songs as we cruised! It seemed very appropriate.
One of several bays we visited during our boat ride by being serenaded by the Captain and his radio.
Crystal clear water.
People frolicking in shallow water.
By late afternoon we were in for final destination of the day and the trip, Taormina, a cliff side town overlooking the Ionian Sea on the slopes of Mt. Etna. Giusi took us on a brief orientation walk before leaving us for the evening. Taormina is in a lovely setting; it is glitzy; it is vibrant. Think of it as the Santorini of Sicily. My initial impression was that I was really going to like it!
Our hotel, Paradisio, in Taormina where we stayed for 4 nights.
Hotel lobby looked like a living room of a home.
The million dollar view from our balcony.
The main street in Taormina. It was “hopping” every day & night with people.
A door in Taormina.
The narrowest street in Taormina.
Yep, another one!
Some of the beautiful people walking the streets.
The main city square.
Outdoor dining everywhere you looked.
After the heavy lunch we simply wanted some minestrone soup!
Clothing is very colorful in Sicily.
Our room is in upper left.
Night view from our balcony.
Looking back at the city at night.
Steps for the day: 11,096. More than I thought!
September 19, 2022: Exploring What Siracusa Offers
Our last day in Siracusa will be spent exploring more of the city. But before we start our exploration a bit of a history lesson is warranted.
Syracuse (as most of us remember it as) dates back 2700 years (founded in 734 BC)! If you are like me, you thought Syracuse was a city in Greece, not Sicily! In the 5th century BC it was a big as Athens; in 415 BC about 250,000 people lived here. The Bible says that the apostle Paul visited here. Archimedes, the famous mathematician (inventor of calculus), was born (and died) here. End of lesson.
Our hotel is actually is located on the island of Ortigia, the “old town”, which is attached to the mainland by a couple of bridges. Our first activity of the day was going back to the mainland to visit the the Neapolis Archeological Park to see ancient Greek and Roman ruins located there. The Greek theater here dates back to 500 BC with seating carved from stone and capable of seating 15,000 people. It offers the best view in town, overlooking the bay beyond. The theater is still in use today so had had to contend with some wooden scaffolding which somewhat ruined the true view of the facility. Nearby are the remains of a Roman amphitheater built in the first century AD after the Romans took over. It was used like the Colosseum in Rome-for gladiator fights. Part of the same complex is a huge quarry where slaves provided much of the stone needed for the construction of the theater and amphitheater. The area is know known as the Garden of Paradise and we visited one of the huge caverns dug there that has amazing acoustics. We all had to test whether that was true!
Schematic of the Greek theater.
The 5th Century BC Greek theater in Siracusa.
View of the theater from the cheap seats!
Caves used as homes at one time located at Greek theater.
One of the entrances to the theater.
Remains of a Roman amphitheater in Siracusa.
Roman burial sarcophagus found in the area.
The massive man made cave called the “Ear of Dionysius”. The acoustics are phenomenal.
From there it was back to Ortigia for a walking tour of the area followed by a visit to their daily market.
A door in Siracusa.
$220 million super yacht anchored in the harbor.
A fellow accordionist! I always contribute to accordion players I see.
The ultimate commuter vehicle?
The fountain of Archimedes.
We first visited the Cathedral of Siracusa (dedicated to St. Lucy, the patron Saint of Siracusa) located right around the corner from our hotel. The original structure here was a Greek temple built in the 5th century BC. In 878 it became a mosque, then in the 11th century it was made into the Catholic Church it is now. What makes it unique (and unlike any other church we have ever seen) is that the church was built encompassing the columns of the original Greek temple; they are an integral part of the church and gives it a truly unique appeal on the inside.
Inside the Siracusa cathedral.
The current church was built around the remains of an ancient Greek temple. I have never seen a church built like this.
Another view of the Greek columns in the church.
Main altar in the cathedral.
We then walked to the northern part of the island to see the remains of the Greek temple dedicated to Apollo located right next to the city market, our next stop. After strolling through the market (and stopping to learn about local products) we ended up at a local restaurant at the edge of the market where we had a fabulous lunch which consisted of a half dozen small bowls of various salads, meats, cheeses and fish. There was even a dessert. Everyone thought it was a great treat.
Another delightful narrow street in Ortigia.
Fish mobile near a shop selling all sorts of fish art.
Restaurants tuck tables wherever they find space.
Our local guide, Andrea, our driver, and Guisi.
The remains of the 6th century Greek Temple of Apollo.
“Styling” as I tour Siracusa.
Touring the Siracusa market.
Anyone for some olives?
The heavenly scent of fresh spices.
Freshly caught tuna.
Fresh vegetables of all types.
Calamari, which I really like.
Outdoor picnic table seating.
The restaurant located in the market where we had a group lunch.
Today a local beer called out to me.
Look at the marvelous luncheon we were served! It was awesome.
The rest of the afternoon was supposedly free but we were not able to have our laundry done at the previous hotel stop, as it did not have weekend service, so I convinced Yvonne (reluctantly) to go to the local self service laundromat that others in our tour group used. It was nearby, clean and easy to use. Luckily the owner was there, spoke English perfectly and guided us through the process which only took about an hour.
There were no plans for the night and Gerry suggested that we go to a local puppet show, a skill carried on in Sicily for centuries. There are even a couple of shops still making puppets in Siracusa. We agreed it would be fun and we joined about 60 other people at the 6PM show. The puppets are about three feet tall and have elaborate costumes
A local puppet theater.
Sicily is famous for its puppet shows
Waiting for the show to begin.
The puppets are about three feet tall with elaborate costumes.
The puppeteers who put on the show.
A local shop that makes these life-like puppets.
The show (in Italian) was about a knight fighting for the hand of the fair maiden daughter of the king. We understood nothing but somehow did seem to follow the plot, but found we would have to come the next night to see if there was the happy ending we all were waiting for! Obviously we could not as we were leaving the next morning so we will never know the “rest of the story”. My bet is that he prevailed!
We were on our own for dinner and we all wanted pasta WITH meat and sought out a local recommended restaurant noted for it. There is a funny incident associated with the evening. We had to kill 30 minutes before getting our table so we wandered near by to get a drink while waiting. Service was very slow and our drinks did not arrive for 25 minutes, leaving us little time to consume them. We needed to-go cups but where could we get some? Gerry spotted a liquor store across the street and came back with a package of about 50 plastic cups that he paid 1 Euro for! We had a hardy laugh as we left with our drinks in plastic cups and an excess supply of cups (which actually came in handy later in the trip).
A first (and last) Negroni- gin, vermouth & Campari. I am not a fan of the taste.
Gerry figures out how we can take our drinks and leave.
The meal at the restaurant was good and we happily called it a night afterwards. Oh, I might comment there are often strolling musicians who go from restaurant to restaurant, entertaining the guests and passing a hat for tips. We happily obliged when we ran into them as it lent atmosphere to the evening.
Veal scallopini.
Pasta with meat! They sure know how to cook their pasta properly.
Strolling musicians wander from restaurant to restaurant.
Typical dress code-the women dress to the nines; the men not so much.
