Sicily's South East
I write this sitting on the balcony of our apartment for our last night of our first stop on the long way home. I'm looking out across the water at the sun setting behind Mount Etna, with a massive electrical storm that is coming up from behind it. The sea is crashing in below me as the thunder-less lightning flashes across the sky.
The last two days have been about exploring Sicily's South East corner. Having felt a bit rushed in out last visit to the Siracusa 'suburb' of Ortigia we decided to return at a more leisurely pace without the concern of expiring seafood in the car. Mum and Ariane shared a cup, about the size of an espresso, of Sea Urchins which they sell on the street for €10 a cup which were delicious by all accounts (it was too early in the morning for me).
We then returned to a market store we had noticed last time we were there which did really delicious sample platters of all the local produce. Lots of cheese, cured meats, fish and pickled vegetables - well worth the return visit.
We then drove all the way down to the southern-most tip of Sicily (Isola della Correnti) where we'd been told the beach was really nice. Never listen to a non-Australian that tells you the beach is really nice. It was okay. More than anything though it was incredibly hot and being out of the air conditioned car anytime between about 2 and 5pm was a bit much. Mum had a quick dip while Ariane and I sat in the shade eating Granita in a pool of sweat.
The best part about it though was the drive which felt like a drive through some very quintessentially Sicilian farmland. There are cactus everywhere with fruits on them that we'd notice at the market and wondered why anyone would buy them given they growing on the side of the road. As Ariane found out, it's because they have a very effective defense mechanism, shooting out a burst of tiny spores that get in your skin and are quite irritating. I guess someone takes the brunt of that for you when you buy them at the market.
We stopped in at a beautiful little fishing village on the way home - Marzamemi - for a bit of a wonder around as it started to cool. Again, very Sicilian - terracotta tiled roves, big open town squares and oh so sleepy.
Today we headed in the same direction, ignoring the GPS and getting a little bit lost we found our way to Vendicari through similarly typically Sicilian country side. There's a nature reserve there with some wetlands that occasionally accommodate some Flamingos; sadly none today but beautiful nonetheless.
There are some ruins there which I was thrilled to read was an old storage facility commissioned by the Duke of Noto, Peter of Aragon. I've just finished reading an amazing book - Vanished Kingdoms: The History of Half-Forgotten Europe by Norman Davies - I highly recommend it to any history enthusiasts (and thanks Stuart for the tip). There is a chapter in there about the Kingdom of Aragon which really captured my imagination and as the Kingdom of Aragon once included all of Sicily and mainland Italy right up to Naples I've been on the lookout for evidence of it.
Finally we made our way to a late lunch at Torre Vendicari for a fabulous lunch that can best be described as 'rustic'. It was a recommendation from an English couple that we got talking to in the Duomo restaurant in Ragusa. I thought they were a couple of posh twats so it just goes to show the power of a personal recommendation.
Tomorrow we leave Costa Saracena - Castelluccio for Palermo. We're reluctant to leave given how relaxing and wonderful it has been but the next destination beacons - hopefully with less fucking mosquitoes!
