We were all excited to go to Gozo. We had heard so many good things about the island. Catherine and her driver, Herbert,who hav e been showing us around the countryside all week, picked us up at the hotel and drove the short distance to the pier where we drove onto the ferry, left the car and went upstairs to watch.
The ride to Gozo took only 20 minutes and was very smooth sailing, but not much to see. Back in the car, we were soon off the ferry and headed for the neolithic temples. The countryside was very similar to what we had seen on Malta with gentle rolling hills. However, the landscape was not as fertile or green and there are few villages. More desert like. On the way we passed an unexpected structure in a town called Xewkija. It is a church built by the knights of St John and it is called the Church of St John the Baptist. It is renowned for its majestic rotunda. We drove by, but did not stop.
Church of St John the Baptist in Xewkija, Goza
We drove on to Ggantija Temples near the middle of the island. At 3600 BC, they are the oldest free standing structure in the world. This UNESCO World Heritage site is 1000 years older than Stonehenge of the Pyramids at Giza. It was only after the site was excavated that the remains were dated to the Neolithic.
Approaching the Ggantija Temples by carThe back of the temple structureA side wall of the templeElevated walkways keep people from damaging the temples.An entrance to a roomMimi and Phil are captivatedAnother roomA door way. THe holes may have been used as a baracade.A rebuilt structure An entrance to a roomTHe hole here was made only with stone tools as no metal was yet available.
After having the temples we drove to the coast to see the Xwejni salt pans still in use.
Xwejni Salt Pans These Saltpans are still used today. Salt pans being used today
From there we drove back to the center of the island to visit the Citadel or Citedella as it is known. It was first fortified during the Bronze Age, and later by the Phoenicians and the Romans until it was a complex Acropolis. Up until the 18th century it was the onlyfortified refuge against attack for the inhabitants of the island.
A bronz cast of the citadelA UNESCO World Heritage SiteEntering the CitadelView of the city from the bastionsA government building in the CitadelInterior of the CitadeThe 4 of us pose for a photoA view over the desert like plain to the town of Victoria. Another view toward Victoria.A Citadel wallSt George’s BasilicaPope John Paul II stands in front of the Citadel Basilica
Inside the basilica the main alter looks a bit like St Peter’s in Rome. The church is very decorated and painted.
We left the Citadel and were happy to get out into the countryside for a picnic provided by a local lady. She presented the food and left us alone for over an hour. It was delicious and welcome.
The table was setWe thoroughly enjoyed the mealAnd happily left the dregs.We stoped at the beach in Victoria for a foot in the Mediterranean A shot from the ferry as we passed by Phil and MIM riding in the vanAn ancient aqueduct at sunset in Malta.
Back at the Iniala Harbour House we enjoyed our last night in the room and said good bye to Mimi and Phil, who were leaving at 4 in the morning. Our departure was not until the afternoon of the 9th so we were able to relax before heading to Florence for our last 4 nights.
We could see the canon go off from our room at the Iniala. Nice parting touch.
At 9am the 4 of us met our guide for the day and got into a van for a drive through the countryside. We learned that the country was first formed 7000 years ago due to the existence of a land bridge at that time.
Drive to MdinaCountrywide near MdinaMore mid-Malta countryside
By about 2000 BC man arrived, as evidenced by pottery shards found. Today the population is only half a million. It feels like many more due to the tourists, who arrive on huge ships on a frequent basis. In 218 BC Malta became part of the Roman Empire and remained connected to Rome until 500 AD when the Empire collapsed. We drove to Mdina in the middle of the island to see the original capital of Malta. It is the high point on the island and was a thriving community. The story is that the country became christianized in 69 AD when St Paul survived a ship wreck on the shores of Malta. By the time the Arabs arrived in 890 AD, the island had been thoroughly christianized. They demolished Roman buildings, killed or enslaved the citizens and abandoned the islands. Very few people remained. By 940 AD the islands had been repopulated by muslim Sicilians. By 1121 the Muslim Arabs were told to convert to christianity or leave. The Arabs made Mdina the small, fortified and noble town that it is today. In 1530 the Knights of St John arrived and took over the town. The earthquake in 1693 destroyed the city. The then current Grand master of the knights, Manoel de Vinhena, paid to restore the area and build a castle for himself in 1724. He was long lived and did many good deeds for the community.
THe government building with the crest of the great Grand MasterGrand Master Manuel de Vinhena
Driving through the countryside, we saw many fewer people, and the scenery was lovely with gentle rolling hills covered with fruit trees, fields of vegetables and conifer trees, interspersed with small, charming, old villages.
Phil and Mimi in the vanScenery on way to MdinaMore scenery from the top of the hillThe fortified entrance to MdinaThe square and St Paul’s Church in Mdina. Art through an entry gate in Mdina
Once on foot, we entered through the gates of the Old fortified city of Mdina (which means fortified) and wandered through the streets admiring the Baroque, Norman and Arabic touches on many of the old buildings. The streets, meant for horses, were very narrow and winding . The town was very small, with only 250+ residents. There were few shops and cafe’s, which added to the charm for me. We were invited into the home, Palazzo del Prelato, of a Noble family that had occupied the property for over 200 years. A young, well dressed, family member, Michael Lanfranco, showed us the house, and told us about the furnishings and the art as well as the the faces hanging on the walls, all of whom were his relatives. He took us up to the roof for a good city view. The place was obviously lived in as we saw a BBQ grill sitting on the roof. He did not, however, serve us any food.
A curvy Mdina streetA lovely house entranceOne of several churchesArt work on a wall. A snake bites St Paul with no effect.ILooking at the ceiling in St Paul’s ChurchA painted statue of Mary and Jesus narrow Mdina street A bastion wallEntrance to St Agatha ChapelSt Agatha’s ChapelEntering the private noble residence An antique side tableEgyptian statue from ancient times. An owner of the house, Michael Lanfranco, showing us the master bedroom and mahogany cabinetThe dining room setMichael’s family alter was full of icons received during many generations
After wandering around Mdina awhile, we drove into the very pretty countryside to a co-op farm that makes its own wine and oil and raises animals as well as fruits and vegetables. It was a charming, jumbled place on 5 acres of hillside. The owner, Charles and his wife, Belle, welcomed us with open arms. They bought the property in 2000 and have been working it every day ever since. They eventually developed a co-op of 27 farmers like themselves. They agree it is hard work, but they love what they do. Bringing in some tourism has helped with expenses. Then they layed out a very nice spread of all the fruits of their labor. We ate and drank vey well. Finally, it was time to go. They bid us a fond god bye.
The owner of the farm, CharlesThe local wine we were served. It was ok, not great.The 4 of us wait for lunch
After lunch we went to the Hypogeum to see the underground temples. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take any photos, so I bought a book and took photos of some of the pages. Will have to do. While waiting to get into the Hypogeum we saw a large poster that Catherine told us was of her daughter. What a surprise. They do look alike.
Catherine and her daughter posing in the advertisementThe largest room in the underground Hypogeum. A spectacular room in the HypogeumA small statuete of 2 people sitting on a sofa like piece of furnitureA wooden reconstruction shows how the furniture may have been made. Small statues that may have been bundled together More bone statues. These sculptures were made from cow toe bones
After we left the very impressive Hypogeum, we went directly back to the hotel. I was sorry we could not take photos in the Hypogeum, but understand the need to protect the underground system from too much humidity . The belief is that the rooms were mostly used for burial of decomposed remains. It is believed that over 7000 people were buried in the pits of the various rooms after partially decomposing. Unfortunately, houses were built on top of the hypogeum and structural elements were driven through walls and roofs resulting in much damage.
We catch a beer on a downhill street cafe.There are still crowds of peopleThe streets are lit and crowded
Mark and I walked up into the city to see it by night and found ourselves drinking beer on a steep downhill street cafe. Then we walked around absorbing the boisterous, youthful atmosphere. In short order we turned down hill to our quiet, cozy hotel and bed.
Friday , October 6, 2023
We took a traditional Maltese boat (called a Dghajsa) ride across the bay to the 3 Sisters side of the harbour to visit Birgu. The bastions were very well fortified on this side. We had to cross under 3 gates to enter the city. The bastions and walls are quite high. Birge’s position in the Grand Harbour was of great importance and several military leaders wanted to take over the city to get it. Yet no one did more for the city than the Knights of St John, who arrived in Malta in 1530 and made Birgu the capital of Malta. The Grand Master LaValletta was the leader during the siege.
The 10 story elevator to get from the harbor to the city center without climbingA traditional Dghajsa boat ride across the bay.Crossing toward BitguBirgu water housesBirgu cityA British postal boxThe Cathedral in Birgu
We learned some things about the Inquisitions. The Roman Inquisition from 1574-1798 was abolished by Napoleon when he was in Malta for only 6 days. It was not as bad as the Spanish Inquisition, wherein a man could be tortured for eating sweets or meat during lent, for gambling, or other light crimes. The 3 judges were an inquisitor, a Grand Master and a bishop. Napoleon also abolished slavery and nobility. We also learned that the Maltese were gamblers, but not in casinos. The Maltese cross, with 8 points, is a symbol of the Order of St John. The 8 points refer to the 8 Beatitudes. Sorry I cannot remember them. Maybe one of you will look them up and tell me.
From BIrgu we drove north through more countryside to a desertlike place where we met up with Lawrence, the Maltese Falconer. He has been caring for birds for 43 years. Currently he has 13 birds and brought 2 of them to show us. They are a girl named Jessie, who is the tamest of his birds and Gustof, a less tame boy. Mostly we spent time with Jessie. We took turns holding her while Lawrence instructed the bird to fly where he wanted her to fly, which was usually over one of our heads and onto his hand. We all took turns holding the bird and having her fly over our head, It could make for a good video, if we could master the skill. We each got to hold Gustof. But did not get much action.
Passing the Blue Hole to get to the FalconerJessieJessieJessie flys inGustof
From our visit with the falcons, we continued driving inland to visit ancient temples from 3600 BC.
First we learned that there are two kinds of limestone on the island. One is called clobigerina. It is soft for easy carving. The other is Caroline limestone and it is harder. These temples were excavated in 1839 and are thought to have been built to worship a type of fertility goddess. They are about 1000 years older than the pyramids at Giza and Stonehenge.
Layout of Hagar Qim TemplesAnother layout of Hagar QimA statute found in Hagar Qim.Hagar Qim under fabric cover.Hagar Qim doorwayAncient Hagar Qim craft workArt from Hagar QimA large room in Hagar QimSome of Hagar Qim extended above the previously unexcavated surface. 20 ton Hagar QIm blockdescription of size. A huge wall at Hagar QimAn entrance to the templeArchitectural drawing from the time Saga Sim was built
From the Hagar Qim Temple construction we went a short distance to the Minajdra Temples. Very similar in construction and time period. Excavations began in 1952-54
Inside Mnajdra TempleA carved stone in MnajdraA large room in the templeAnother large room with a door in the backAn entrance that has been broken.Layout of the Mnajdra temple.This image shows the architecture of the temples More architectural elementsArt on a large stone in the temple.
For neolithic cultures without a written language and so many centuries ago, the work is remarkable. I wonder what they must have been like, how they lived and where did they go? Archeologists seem to have learned all they can with so little remains to study. Will more details come to light? Who knows?
On our way back to Valletta, we stopped at the largest fishing village in Malta, called Marsaxlokk, to have some fresh fish. The colored boats in the port are called “Luzzu” and are Maltese traditional boats. They have small eyes painted on their bow that are supposed to protect the fishermen and bring them good luck. We acth ordered a different fish and enjoyed a fine repast.
Back at the hotel, we were all done in. We had seen and learned so much. Tomorrow we take the ferry to Gozo . More to see there.
We did a walk through part of the Villa property with Gabriella and saw some caves and a couple of tombs. Then we finished packing up and departed. We were among the last to leave. Here are a few more images of the property.
These images add to our memory of the Villa. And we received a few more images that belong in the last evening photos.
And we pointed the car westward.
We still had a few more days in Sicily and headed first for the Villa Romana del Casele in the middle the island, to see the tile work we have heard so much about. The drive through the countryside was very pretty and interesting. Mark had no trouble with the roads as they were reasonably wide and he could go fast. He especially enjoyed the stick shift of the MG SUV we are traveling in. We reached the Villa Romana in about 1.5 hours. After finding a place to park among the large busses, we waited for our guide to arrive. She was late, but by the time she arrived, the crowd had dissipated and we could walk freely along the overhead walkways and see the tile work easily. We spent a couple of hours at the Villa Romana. The tile work was most impressive. It was all made of marble in the 3-4th centuries. We walked on elevated walkways throughout the Villa and could identify the purpose of many of the rooms from the size, shape and images on the tile.
The ladies above were gymnasts or olympians. Notice how different they look from women in other scenes, who are much more voluptuous. There are scenes of hunting for animals; bringing animals from Asia and Africa onto a ship. Carrying animals in boxes. Catching fish in nets. Pictures of many different animals. There are intricate geometrical patterns throughout the property in the service areas and passageways. Below are people gardening and harvesting plants; Mermaids swimming with unusual fish; voluptuous naked ladies with animals and fish and more. It was a lot to take in. It is unknown who the family was that lived in the Villa or who built it and designed the rooms. The tile has survived in such perfect condition because it spent centuries covered with mud from ancient earthquakes and mudslides.
More voluptuous ladies, mythical figures and wild and domestic animals. About 2:30pm we finished with our guide at the Villa Romana del Casale and drove another 1.5 hours to Agrigento and checked into our hotel, the Villa Athena. We wandered around the Villa and then ordered a drink for our patio. Soon we encountered Mimi and Phil, who had the room next to ours and we moved over to their patio. About 7:30 we went upstairs for dinner on the terrace. Martin and Catherine White joined us and we enjoyed the evening as if the birthday week had not ended. The view of the Temple Athena from. our table was a treat. Afterward, we said our good bye’s to Martin and Catherine and went to bed. Tomorrow we will explore the temples in Agrigento before heading for Mon Reale and Palermo.
Temple of Athena, AgrigentoMimi, Phil, Catherine, Martin, Julia and Mark having dinner at our hotel looking up at the parthenon
Sunday, October 1, 2023
Mark and I took a morning tour through the Valley of the Temples. Our guide met us at our hotel and we walked through a gate into the archeological park. The park was quite large and we walked several kilometers to see the best preserved temples. The first was the Temple of Athena. It resembles the Parthenon in Athens, except that it is complete. Several centuries after it was built and destroyed, christians restored it and made it into a church. More recently, it was returned to the shape of the original temple and became an archeological site.
Temple of Athena with a sculpture made by a local artist Approaching the Temple of AthenaThe reconstructed temple with christian arches retained for supportThe front of the Temple of Athena before the crowds arrived. Schematic of the Temple of ConcordiaTemple of ConcordiaConcordiaTemple of ConcordiaInterior of Concordia
After walking around the Temple of Athena we walked to and around The Temple of Concordia and the Temple of Zeus.
Temple of ZeusPiece of a column showing connection hole The path used to haul the temple stonesFlowering Eucalyptus along the temple pathsOne of several large horned goats kept corralled in the park. Mark in front of our hotel
The Temple tour took about 2 hours. Fortunately we did it early enough in the morning to avoid the crowds and the heat. We packed and headed cross country for Palermo via Monreale, the famous cathedral we had heard about. The scenery was full of small towns and villages and various agriculture fields and orchards of orange, olive and almond trees. We arrived in Monreale about 12:30, took a long time finding a place to park and then went to lunch, as the cathedral was closed until 2pm. The cathedral was huge and spectacular. It was built by Norman King William ll in the 12th century. The walls were mosaics of glass and gold leaf. Very stunning to see. The interior of the cathedral contains three naves, each of which has its own group of mosaics, which cover about 10,000 square meters in total.
The front of the main apse of the cathedral
The building was overwhelming in every way.
The awesome apse of the cathedralClose up of the central apseLower register Close up of lower registerUpper register The brOnze entry to the Cathedraloverlooking the cloisters from the roof of the cathedral
From Monreale, we drove to the airport to return the car. It had been a good companion for over a week, but we were ready to be free of the burden of the risk of hitting other cars in the very narrow streets and finding parking in those same streets. Then we took a taxi into Palermo city to our downtown residence, called Hotel Villafranca. That evening we reconnected with Mimi and Phil and had dinner in a pizza joint a few blocks from the hotel.
This was our last full day at the Villa. A few people went on excursions, and others found another beach nearby to swim in. Jean and a few others tried to erase the scratch Terry had managed to put on his rented car. The extra coat of mud made all the difference. Can hardly tell where the scratch was.
The scratch is barely visible and the rental agency never even noticed.
The rest of us hung out at the Villa. The puzzle got finished and was given to Catherine and Martin, who had spent the most time working on it and are taking it back their home in Fingal Bay, Australia. Mark and I hung out around the grounds, had lunch on site and visited with people as they came around. It was a relaxing afternoon.
Julia, Mark and JeanJulia Ken abd JulieMark, Julia, Ken and JulieJulia and CatherineHilda and Juliagathering under the red canopy
The evening entertainment was created by all the participants and choreographed by Terry. Mark and I were kept in the dark. First up during the cocktail period was a history talk about the Villa given by the owner’s wife, Gabriella. We were all captivated by her story and several of us accepted her invitation to walk the property in the morning before departing. A few things we learned were that the property is 250 acres and the family has owned it for 200 years. Originally it was built in the 1300 BC by the Greeks. It was later overtaken by the Romans and other cultures before becoming a monastery in the late 1700’s. In the early 2000’s the current owner remodeled the buildings into a rental facility, which is how we came to use it. They still occupy a portion of the property for their own personal residence.
Gabriella sharing the history of the Villa with us.
Once Gabrielle was finished, the presentations began. First up was Julie and Ken doing a roast that converted to a toast and made everyone laugh. Then there was Jean, who read a book she had made for us. It was beautiful and touching. Roxanna and John humorously shared their 20 years of history with us. She touched on a lot of mostly happy and fun memories.
Julie and Ken open with a roast that turns into a toastRoxanna and John recite a limerick they had writtenJean reads her book to us
Harry and Mary Jane gave a delightful poem about their relationship with us. Then we all recessed to the pretty dinner table set up in the garden under twinkling lights.
Dinner under the twinkling lights.
Between courses several people took a turn sharing. Hilda sang Volare with the assistance of Judith. We all joined in on the chorus.
Liz played a song she wrote for our birthdays Our Sicilian birthday cake
Al spoke and simultaneously provided sign language and managed to make us all understand his English translation about his and Lynne’s joy in our longtime relationship. Catherine and Martin did a Q&A game about Australia that most of us flunked. Mark and I are convinced we should make a trip down under to visit our friends and get to know more about Australia. Scott stood up and gave a talk about the value of relationships. Mimi gave an extemporaneous and then recited a limerick she had written. Cheri talked about her appreciation for our gift of the week.
Terry had a Q&A game to see what people knew about us. It was no surprise that Roxanna knew the most. Liz played her guitar and sang a song she wrote for the occasion. It was clear that the table was overflowing with love and joy. Even the table setting was a labor of love provided by our chef Francesca. She ended the dinner festivities with a beautiful homemade Sicilian birthday cake. The cake was delicious, but the party was not over yet. John had made a video of our week’s activities and we all retired to the living room to watch all 17 minutes of the delightful video. I sure hope I did not miss anyone. We were so engaged in enjoying the evening that we did not take any notes and very few photos, I am sorry to say.
The sun setting in the garden
Mark and I were both overwhelmed by the demonstration of love and appreciation. The week had been a stunning success.
First I want to make a correction. All the time I have been calling the villa “Il Borgo” thinking that was the name of the villa, but I just learned that Borgo is not the name. It merely references a place. So the name of our villa is Commenda di San Calogero. This explains why everyone was having a hard time finding the place. Thank goodness that problem is solved.
Monday, September 25, 2023
Today was the food tasting tour in Catania. Another event arranged by Terry. Almost everyone got themselves to the elephant sculpture in the middle of the main piazza at 10am.
Our group in front of the elephant in the piazza
The fish and vegetable market under the umbrellasHilda eating chocolate gelatoJudith eating pizzaMe waiting to be servedPeppe telling us what we are about to eatFish in the marketOctopus on displayPeppe and Liz enjoying gelato. Julia tasting her Cafe Granita with whipped cream isn lower right.
There we met the walking food guide, Peppe. He spoke English well and was loud and clear to hear. We wandered through the fish market and arrived at a café that served us the most traditional, Sicilian food item called arancini. It consists of a ball of rice and breadcrumbs filled with cheese and ham and deep fried. It was delicious. Then we cruised through other streets and tasted other foods that did not capture my taste buds. We stopped for different drinks along the way too. The most interesting was a mix of sparkling water, lemon juice and salt. Supposedly it is an energy drink. I drank it, but would not ask for it again.
Underground riverUnderground cavern Underground spring
Along the walk Peppe took us to an ancient underground river and spring which were fascinating to see. He finished the tour at a café that served us a variety of ice creams and coffee drinks. I tried to get the drink we had had with Silvia a few days before, but it was only a partial approximation. While at one café, I noticed it was very close to the Osmundo hotel we had stayed in a few nights before. I wanted people to see how unusual it was, so I invited a few ladies and got in to see the public rooms. They enjoyed the art as much as we had. Once we were finished with Peppe, we drove back to the villa to enjoy the pool and visit the rest of the day. In addition to sunshine, the sky blessed us with several sprinkles of rain drops. No one was bothered by the rain. Most everyone stayed at the villa for dinner. It is hard to keep track of who was doing what, but everyone seems to be having a good time.
Welcoming the rainGathering in the living room for a cozy eveningFranchesca, our chef for the week, was a delight and her food was good tooWe sat in groups of 6.
Tuesday, September 26, 2023
Our fisrt day with no planned activities and everyone had an idea how to spend their day. For me it was about the jigsaw puzzle I had brought from home. It is a map of Italy indicating all the wine growing regions. I set it up in the poolside dining area and put in the edges. Soon others came around and started adding pieces. My hope was to engage people in a collective activity and it seemed to work. The steam room was on and hot. The pool was delightful. A small group went to Agrigento and another to Villa Romana for sightseeing. Some went to nearby Brucoli for dinner. Others stayed at the villa with Mark and me. Here are a few images taken by others.
Sunset on the villaSunset on an entry gateEvening twilight at the villaMt Etna on a very clear dayA view of the villaThe villa courtyard at nightA street in CataniaA favorite beverage Mark napping in front of his room. Another view of the villaLunch in the patio by the pool..
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Today was Cannoli making day in Taormina, another activity Terry McAteer had arranged. High on a hillside overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, Taormina was a lovely place to see and visit and even more special having an activity to share. The drive was 1.5 hours north of the villa and everyone went on the adventure, although a few did not engage in cannoli making.
Approaching Taormina Climbing up to TaorminaReaching the townAn ancient building in TaorminaCatherine, Harry, Julia, Martin and Mary JaneA pedestrian street in Taormina before the crowds arrived.An entry arch into townThe cannoli making before we get startedMixing doughMixing doughHilda wHilda and Julia kneedingorking the dough Ken squeezing the doughThey are done with kneadingHilda and Julia needing the wadHarry deep fat frying the doughMartin eating a hot cannoliCraig whipping the filling
We set off at 8:30 to be in time for our 10:30 date at Porto Messina Restaurant. The restaurant was ready for our large group of 21 and we were each assigned a station in front of a small pile of flour, a half cup of wine, a quarter cup of sugar, an egg, a quarter cup of butter, a dash of cocoa powder and a pinch of cinnamon. We mixed it all together and kneaded it until it was firm. Then we rolled the blob into a thin flat shape we then cut into rings with round or square cutters. Then we rolled the rings around split metal tubes and sealed the dough rings with egg white. Some of us never quite got the hang of the process, but we all had fun making a mess any why. The rings that were decent looking, went into boiling oil and came out fried. Immediately after the dough was cooked, we removed the split rings from under the cooked dough by twisting them. If all went well, the cannoli came out whole and was ready to be stuffed. Once we had made the filling of ricotta or lemon curd, we stuffed as many as we could and then ate them, almost as fast as we stuffed them. Much fun was had by all.
Mark gets into the processLiz, Jean and Terry take a breakRoxanna, Jullie and Judith cleaning the dough off their hands Martin, Harry , Mary Jane and especial Catherine enjoying the fruits of their labor
After cleaning up as best as possible, Catherine and Martin White and Mark and I went on a guided tour of the city.
The town was packed with tourists, many of whom were from ships parked in the bay at the bottom of the town. After wandering past many upscale shops and interesting facades and churches, we reached the 3rdcentury BC Greek-Roman Amphitheater on the same level as mid-town. It affords a super view of town and the sea in the distance. Then we stopped at the Hotel Metropole in the middle of town and had a pizza and beer.
Excavations of an ancient site in Taormina.
The city of Taoramina The Greek Amphitheater in TaoraminaLooking down at the Ionian Sea A carob tree that puts out carats, which were used to measure the weight of diamonds. A carob seed Inside a local churchThe front of a local church The sculpture in front of the alter. Next to Jesus is a barefooted female figure.
We drove back to the villa and relaxed a while. Then the 4 of us changed and went back to Catania for a Michelin Star dinner a place called Sapio. The table was big enough for 8 and we had a hard time talking to each other across the expanse. We laughed about the ridiculously oversized table and agreed to order a very nice 7-course meal that did not leave me overstuffed. Mark, however, said he was more than full.
The Michelin restaurant We were seated at a huge table and could hardy hear each other. Funny and odd.First course was a bunch of tiny tests. Most were very good. One of our 7 courses.The dessert course.
Thursday, September 28, 2023
This was our day to drive to Ragusa, walk the town per Rick Steve’s book, get a tour of a private home in the downtown and walk to another Michelin star restaurant. This one was reputed to have 2 stars.
Driving up to RagusaApproaching Ragusa A Treelined street in lower RagusaInside the cathedralThe ceiling painting in the CathedralSt George slaying the dragon in the Cathedral
As everyone was booked for the lunch, we all carpooled and enjoyed the scenic drive to Ragusa. Parking was a bit of an issue for some, but eventually we all got parked and met up in the town. The beginning was a lovely garden at the bottom of the rather steep hillside town. After walking around the garden, we slowly walked up hill passing more shops, and trinket stores.
Entrance to the palaceCurrent owner of the palaceFamily alter with many relicsFormal dining roomCeiling in the Ball RoomLynne, Julia and Al at the window to the CathedralThe Cathedral view behind Julia and LizThe Ball Room
Midtown, we reached the private home we were scheduled to tour and met the owner. Once we were all assembled, he walked us up a large central staircase into the formal rooms of the palatial home. We were invited to inspect the ball room, drawing room, dining room and an office space. We saw paintings and photographs of his relatives going back 5 generations, a ball gown worn by a great grandmother, several Venetian glass chandeliers, several generations of furniture. His parents still live in the half of the house he did not show us. His ancestors had been aristocrats, and public figures in the community. It was an interesting tour that lasted about 45 minutes. Then he pushed us out the door as he had an Italian group coming right behind us. I suspected this was his way of paying for the maintenance of the property, but it looked quite neglected
Exactly at that moment Scott Kellerman appeared with his luggage in tow. He was expected, but it was still a surprise to actually see him.
We all continued up hill to the cathedral, which was lovely to see and visit and then, at 2pm, we converge on Ciccio Sultan Duomo, the Michelin 2-Star restaurant Terry had booked us into for a 3-course lunch. We took up the entire placed sitting in overly padded, all white chairs in 2 all white rooms. The wine flowed freely, and everyone became quite jovial. It was a delightful afternoon with wonderful, delicious food.
The Michelin 2 Star Lunch More guests And more guests The rest of the guests Pasta courseTruffle CourseMain Course Dessert Julia and Mark at the front door
After departing the restaurant everyone ambled downhill to their cars and drove back to the villa with a stop along the way in the little town of Modica, famous for its chocolate, especially the factory called Antica Dulceria Bonajuto
The factory was located on a side street off the main street of town. Eventually everyone found the place and we all bought bars of different flavors to take home and indulged in a cold; very dark chocolate drink topped with heavy whipped cream. If we were not stuffed already, the drink finished us off. By the time we got back to the villa, the sky was dark, and we were all pooped.
We flew from Bari, the capital of Puglia, to Catania, Sicily on the evening of September 22 and took a taxi to our hotel in the heart of Catania’s Old Town. Our travel agent, Martina, had booked the place but not told us what to expect.
It was the most outlandish accommodation we have experienced as well as the most humorous and appealing. For starters, there was a huge, ceramic black foot in the middle of our room, not to mention the life-size ceramic sculpture of Spiderman outside our door, as if standing guard. There was pop art in all the public rooms and on every shelf and wall space. We wandered around smiling at everything. The hotel was on a pedestrian only street with several restaurants. We selected one and had a delicious meal of fresh fish and pasta. We were joined by the first of our selected group to arrive, Jayna and Craig Ashcraft, Ken and Julie Zuckerman and Jean Creasey. They had all arrived early for our group gathering and we were happy to have them join us for dinner. We were all giddy to finally be together in Sicily after a year and a half of planning. We lingered over dinner a long time umtil we were all getting sleepy. We crawled into bed giggling about the foot at tne end of our bed.
September 23, 2023
Breakfast was on the plant bedecked terrace overlooking a piazza. It was the usual European breakfast of cappuccino, cheese, lunch meat, fruit, yogurt and fresh breads. Each day we try to eat less, but are not very successful. Thankfully we don’t eat like this at home, or we would be blimps. Then we went for a stroll around the old town and observed that our hotel was literally on the same street as the busy and entertaining Fish Market.
The Fish Mongers are all shouting about their products and wanting us to taste and buy different fish. Above the street was a roof of colored umbrellas that provide some shade and rain protection. Then we followed Rick Steves walking directions and saw several ancient buildings as well as churches and underground antiquities.
Back at the hotel by noon, we checked out, got some lunch, picked up the car and headed for our villa for a week called Il Borgo. It was a half hour drive south of Catania in the middle of orchards of fruit trees and grass land. It definitely contained the required 12 suites, public areas and large swimming pool. It was just a bit more rustic than I expected.
Mark and I busied ourselves deciding where to locate each of our 21 guests, putting name tags on each door and laying out T-shirts Mark had designed and made for everyone. Before we knew it, our first guests appeared and by 6:30 everyone had arrived, except Judith Ciphers, whose flight plans delayed her until mid-day on the 24th. The weather was very warm and the pool very inviting. As people arrived they put on their suits and hung out in the water. Everyone ordered cocktails and the party began.
By 7:30 we gathered in the courtyard for dinner. The villa staff provided us with a delicious buffet with typical Sicilian dishes. The sky sprinkled on us and most of us moved under cover. Al Dover gave a lovely welcome thank you to Mark and me for hosting the week. It was very touching. Then I talked about housekeeping matters and Terry McAteer talked about the planned activities for the week. I was thrilled that everyone had arrived safely and were already enjoying themselves. Success. We had been so busy chatting that we forgot to take photos. Sorry.
September 24, 2023
We woke up to a sunny and warm day. Breakfast was at 8am. Some of us stayed by the pool while 8 of us went to the beach at Agnon Bagni Beach about 12 minutes from the villa.
The water was a comfortable temperature and we had fun bobbing around. Liz and Jean went for long swims. I thought the beach was pretty dirty and a bit disappointing. The pool was a much better place to cool off. Some of us worked out with Roxanna back at the villa.
We changed, ate a fast lunch and drove in several cars to Syracuse for a walking tour led by Terry. It included Greek antiquities in the middle of the modern city, the ancient city walls, the large and lovely Piazza Duomo and the Cathedral, which had originally been a Greek temple, later replaced by a muslim mosque and finally by the Roman Catholic Church . We attended Mass in the Cathedral at 7pm and dinner at a nearby reserved restaurant at 8pm. The food was terrific. All went as planned by Terry. Love that boy.
We spent our last full day in Puglia with Silvia visiting 2 more towns in the Valle d’Itria and watching a cheese maker create his specialities of mozzarella and burrata cheeses.. The landscape consists of karst Murgia hills and large caves covered in dense vegetation and a cultivated plateau with red terrain that extends to the sea. The countryside is dotted with conical, white stone structures called trulli.
I was taken with these houses and wanted to see many of them. Here are a few of the offerings. We did get into an abandoned house Silvia knew about and that helped add to the story.
Our first stop in town was at a cafe shop called Bar Adula in Marina Franca. It was Silvia’s favorite place and we could understand why. The coffee choices were extensive and the best was a cold coffee drink called Granita Di Caffe that had an iced coffee mix at the bottom with dense whipped cream on top. Even I had to admit that it was excellent.
Cafe AduaGranita Di CaffeSilvia thinks this coffee drink is the very best.
Once fortified with the coffee we walked under the entry arch into the Old City of Marina Franca. The first thing we saw was a statue of St Martino cutting his cloak in half in order to give half to a poor beggar. St Martin is the national patron saint of France.
We explored the Palazzo Ducale, a huge building that had belonged to the Caracciolo family of Naples. This family administered the town from 1600 to the 1800’s. Many rooms were frescoed with scenes from mythology and the Bible. Several doors were linked together to create a telescopic perspective with a baroque effect. An annual opera festival takes place here that is very popular, the Itria Valley Festival.
Martina Franca is the largest town in the valley with a population of 50,000. The town is named for St Martin and Franca refers to a tax free zone officially established in the 1300’s . The tax free zone helped establish the development of the area. Local products could be shipped in both directions to either sea. In the 1743 an earthquake damaged homes and public buildings. The new baroque style was used in new construction to good effect in the late 1700’s. Rococo decorations were also included in the structure. In front of the church is the Piazza Plebiscito.
Entrance gate to the Old city of Martina FrancoPalazzo Ducale was owned by the Caracciolo Family from 1600-1800A baroque style telescopic perspective.Another gate with Mary on top waving what looks like a cell phone. St Martin is on the top cutting his cloak in half.
Many buildings were originally built in the 1300’s, but an earthquake in 1743 caused much destruction. It was a good excuse to use the new, modern styles of Baroque and Rococo in late 1700’s construction, including the Basilica of San Martino, the Church of St Dominic and its attached cloister and many houses.
Basilica di San Martino. Built after the earthquake of 1743An unusual fresco of the Last SupperA sculpture of Jesus recovered from the original 1300 churchInterior is mostly painted. The style is Baroque with Rococo decorations.
In front of St Martin’s Basilica is the Piazza Plebiscite. The piazza is surrounded by a covered archway that is popular for vendors in the summertime. Around the neighborhood we arrived at St Dominic Church, also from the late 1700’s. Attached to the church was the Dominican cloister, which is now used for a preschool. There were few people in the town. Almost no tourists. The streets provided very pleasant strolling with many upscale clothing stores. We found a store where Mark bought another shirt. This makes 3 new ones for him and one purple outfit for me. Enough!
We learned that many people who had lived in the town through the centuries had been very wealthy, but the younger generations turned to spending rather than investing and eventually they could not maintain their salacious homes, so they sold them. Today we see fancy entry doors, but plain walls on the rest of the building. New owners maintain the property as best they can. Here are a few.
An owner struggling to keep up.One palace reduced to several apartments
A colorful scene of Martina Franca near the Basilica. From here we headed for the UNESCO Heritage site of Alberabello, which was begun in the 1500’s. The village is the town full of Trulli, round structures with cone shaped roofs that were dry-stacked. Many were whitewashed to protect the walls from crumbling as they built without cement. The people who initiated the structure were the Acquaviva Family. The first house was built in 1428. They paid no taxes because the roof was not permanent. By dry stacking, the owner could remove the roof and no longer have a taxable home, only a stable. As soon as the government taxing authority agreed there was nothing to tax and departed, the owner put the roof back on the building. The concept became popular. The town, having no taxable buildings, had no name either and was known as a ghost town.
Our fixer upper Trulli home.A room for cooking or sleepingThe main living area with a ceiling that could be for storage or for children to sleep.
Today Trulli houses are valuable as tourist attractions and second homes. Many of them are lived in full time and have all the conveniences of modern houses. Here is an abandoned countryside house Silvia found to explore. It had olive trees, and wheat fields. We pretended to be proud new purchasers of the fixer upper. This would be our 5th remodel. Nice huh.
We went into the town and found a Trullo house that the owner uses to attract tourist money. She does not live there but spends her days there to show off the place. Remodeling an old historic Trullo with a modern bathroom is illegal, but she has managed to get away with it because she did it before the restrictions took place.
We walked around the town an saw many trulli and eventually had enough.
From Albebello we headed into the countryside to a cheese factory called Itria Bonte and the home of the cheese maker, Georgio, He was a man of few words but oh could he make cheese. He took us through the process of making Mozzarella cheese, as well as burrata, which I much prefer. Mark, on the other hand, prefers mozzarella. I got so involved in the process that I forgot to take photos until we were standing with the finished products. After the demonstration, Georgio and his wife served the three of us lunch of a selection of cheeses, homemade salami, capicola, home made olives and wine and cheese cake for dessert.
Our room at Paragon 700The spacious bathroom.
We are at the end of our stay in Puglia and we have enjoyed every bit of it, just as our travel agent, Martina, said we would. Now we are headed for Sicily, where a whole new adventure begins.
We’v been slowly working our way up the east coast of Puglia and today we visited Polignano. It is a small seaside town with colorful character. Our new driver, Carlo, is the owner of the company that has been driving us around. He speaks very good English and was very pleasant to be with, especially as Silvia did not meet up with us until we reached Polignano, an hour after departing Ostuni. His tourist driving company is very lucrative and he and his wife and daughters are able to travel a fair amount. He goes to Sicily every year and has been to the US 4 times. He was driving us in a new Alfa Romeo today. We met up with Silvia at Elisa’s office at her guide service company, called Southern Visions, in Puglinano. We visited awhile and complimented Elisa on the excellent service we have received.
Me, Elisa, Silvia and Mark in Elisa’s office.
From there, we drove to the main gate and did a short walk through the gate and into Polignano.
The Church of St Maria di Asunti. Medieval exteriorThe real marble alter and gilded wooden choir are from 1700’sCeramic Rococo tile floor under the altarPolignano city streetA colorful shop The fancy organ above the entrance doorEntrance gate to Polignano is 1600’s Renaissance.Garden stairs Houses with more exterior stairs
We went inside the important town Church di Santa Maria Assunta and saw a real marble altar with lovely wooden choir, a beautiful organ, and an exquisite sculpture of the Nativity by Stefano da Putignano. Apparently it is so well regarded that an Italian stamp has been made of it.
Nativity scene sculpted by Stefano di Putignano
From the church we wandered around the small, narrow streets enjoying the views of town and the Adriatic See. Before getting on a boat to see caves, Mark had another cappuccino . I was concerned that the water would be rough, as it had been the other day, but the Sea was only slightly choppy. We, however had no interest in swimming. The caves were larger and easier to enter and experience than the last trip, which was nice. The rocks were colorful, there were lots of shells and it was fun to see the town hanging on the edge of the cliffs. The tiny, rocky beach was full of people enjoying themselves, but it did not occur to us to join them.
Mark downs a cappuccino before going boating A beach sceneWe are on the Adriatic in Giuseppe’s boat headed for caves. Inside a caveCanyon Beach from the city sidePolignano a Mare city hangs on the edge of the cliffs.A very colorful cave A shell attached to a cave wall. An underground restaurant as seen from inside a cave.Looking up at the town from a place we hade looked out at the water.The cliff hanging town of Polignano a Mare.
Carlo drove us back to our hotel in Ostuni, where we relaxed by the pool until it began to sprinkle. The first rain we have seen on this trip. It lasted only long enough to drive us out of the garden and into our room. After a couple of hours, we walked down into the old town and got a bite to eat. The couple sitting next to us spoke English so we got into a nice conversation. He was from Australia and she was from New York. Currently they live in Australia and are in Italy on a month long holiday. Well after dark, we slowly walked back uphill to our hotel and dropped into bed.
This was our last day at the Masseria Trapana. We have enjoyed having several days in the quiet countryside. Today we drove back toward Otronto and south along the Adriatic coast. Our plan was to enjoy the coast line and see the beaches along the way.
A Bauxite quarry near Otronto. Reminded me of Malicoff DigginsThe lighthouse of Punta PalasicaA rocky swimming hole Another swimming hole And another. Th swimming holes are not particularly inviting.
The route was mostly high above the sea and very rocky. Where there were housing settlements, the traffic was very congested and the beaches were not close. The countryside was so rocky that the vegetation was sparse and dry. We were disappointed in the drive, even though we did see a few rocky coves with small sandy beaches.
Mark selects a Sea BreamMy lobster arrived perfectly steamedA delicious salad to go with the lobsterOverlooking our restaurant Lo Scola
The high point of the drive was our lunch stop at a place called Lo Scolo in the village of Marina di Novaglie. It was a charming place overlooking the sea and a popular swimming spot with no sand, just boulders. I had local lobster and Mark had sea bream. The lobster was superb—tender and sweet. I probably will not have it again as the price, which I learned when we got the bill, was astronomical. Glad I ate it before knowing the cost.
After lunch we drove to the tip of Puglia and got on a small boat with 6 other people. First we motored up the east coast through the usually rough water of the Adriatic. The boatmen stopped several times at various caves to show us points of interest. After the first couple of caves, we were ready to be finished as there was nothing special to see and the caves were too shallow to enter. Eventually we turned around and headed south to the place where the Adriatic and Ionian seas meet. Almost instantly the water calmed down. Turns out the Ionian See is always calmer than the Adriatic. We saw a few more caves and stopped twice to snorkel and swim. Mark and I had not intended to swim, so we watched the others.
Another LighthouseOn the boat inside a cave. Looking up into the heart shaped hole in a cave.
About 5:30 we were back at the dock and on our way north by the inland route. We had a couple of mis-directions returning home but made it safely by 7:30, as it was just getting dark. We went directly to dinner, had a light meal and headed for showers and bed. We agreed that other coastline drives were far superior, such as Highway 1 in California, the Amalfi Coast in Italy and Hwy 28 and 89 around Lake Tahoe.
View of our suite from the pool Unassuming entrance to our suiteView of the courtyard from our top deck
This was the side deck off our bathroom. It had a nice view of the countryside and was pleasant in the early morning before the heat got to it.
We were picked up by our driver, Massimo, and left Matera for Altamura and Castel del Monte. We rendezvoued with our guide for the day, Silvia, at the Di Gesu Bakery in Altamura . We were met by Giuseppe, the 5th generation proprietor of the business. He was quite proud of his product and walked us through the steps of making the best bread around. We had to admit that it was very tasty, soft in the middle and crispy on the outside The wood burning oven behind us in the photo is 6 meters in diameter. Quite huge. It takes 40 minutes to load the oven and the best bread is what goes in first and comes out last.
From the bakery we walked through Altamura’s Old CIty, which had been abandoned in the 600’s when Rome fell and was rejuvenated by Frederick II in 1233. We stopped at the Cathedral of the Assumption to view the intricately carved portal, a lovely sculpture of a young Joseph with Jesus and a special painting of the conversion of St Paul.
The young Joseph with JesusThe conversion of St PaulClose upon a scene on the portalThe portal is a masterpiece
I bought a purple outfit I saw in a store window and could not resist. Then we headed for the next town, Gravina, where we stoped at the Church of Purgatory and took in the sayings on the wall. “What you are, is what I used to be.” “What you are going to be, is what I am.” Sylvia had her own saying. “The mother of the idiot is always pregnant.” Not sure what she had in mind.
The Church of Purgatory, with sayings on either side.Saying “What you are is what I used to be.”Saying “What you are going to be is what I am.”
On that note we all had a coffee and then hit the road for my big goal for the day, the Castel del Monte an hour north of Gravina. The countryside was mostly gentle rolling hills. Very lovely even though the fields were mostly brown cut grass. Trees were very sporadic but added variety to the sameness of the undulating hills. Most of the buildings we saw along the way were abandoned farm houses. Farming and sheep raising had once been the main economy of the region. Today the economy is mostly olive oil, then olives and grapes, followed by almonds, fruit trees and then wheat–the crop we were passing through.
Mediterranean pine trees with rolling hills in backgroundApproaching Castel del Monte
As we approached the Castel, the conversation turned to Frederick II, who commissioned the castel in the 1240’s. He was born in 1194, became the king of Germany in 1212=]\ and Emperor of Italy and the Holy Roman Empire in 1220. He was a Christian, but was excommunicated 3 times by the pope. He died in 1250 after having been a forward thinking leader and commissioner of great works.
This structure is a perfect octagon, that took years to get perfect. there are 8 sides, 8 equally sized rooms on two floors, beautiful marble walls with corinthian columns, and bathrooms on both floors. The building sits on top of a hill with a 360 degree view of the area. It was built with great precision and has a grace about it that makes me think of it more like the Taj Mahal. We spent an hour roaming around the place and taking in the atmosphere. I was pleased to have added it to our list of sights to see. We drove back to Matera and called it a good day. Mark and I had dinner in a local underground restaurant called La Lopa and went to bed. We have not yet adjusted to the time change..
My travel experience began at 19 when I was an exchange student to Germany. After college I wanted to travel, but had no money so the natural choice was to become a stewardess. I was hired by World Airways and traveled all over the world on the non-scheduled carrier. It was exciting and wonderful and made me want to keep traveling even after I quit the airborne waitress business. At one point I realized that I liked flying as much as I liked traveling and earned my pilot's license at the age of 30. Since then I fly and travel as much and as often as possible. I used to write about my early travels in long hand but they were not legible. Now, with the aid of this computer, I am able to share my experiences. I hope you enjoy them.
Adventures with Julia 