I’m woefully behind in posting for several reasons. We have been traveling around like crazy, getting back late (and tired) and I am apparently unable to post photos, because I have apparently run out of space on the WordPress site (now finally remedied as I have purchased more space!).
So, let’s see what I can recall from the past three days!
On October 9, we drove to Tellaro to meet our private guide, Alessandro Rustico from Uncovered Sicily. We met at the Roman villa, a mini- version of the Villa Romana Casale in Piazza Armerina. The remnants of this villa are much smaller, with foundations and the remnants of mosaic floors in three room and a corridor. The villa was owned by a Roman senator (rather than an emperor like the other one) and was built in the 3rd century AD in valley of Noto. The area was important for the cultivation of wheat. Alessandro has a dynamic personality and really brought to life the historic and archeological significance of what we were seeing.
Next we drove to the fishing village of Marzamemi, once an important site of tuna fishing and procession the southeastern coast of Sicily. (The other area for tuna was on the northwest coast where the tuna had a higher fat content because they hadn’t yet gone out to breed/spawn.) The village no longer has a tuna processing plant and the modest homes of the fishermen have been converted to shops and restaurants. It was a blustery and overcast day and the village did not have many visitors nor were many of the shops open. We got caught in a brief cloudburst but luckily we brought umbrellas!
The next stop was a visit to the Zisola vineyard where we learned a bit about winemaking in the region. We had a vegetable- based lunch, with zucca (pumpkin), eggplant, onion frittata, cheeses, pasta alla Norma, olives, and a dessert made with grape must (leftover skins from the grape pressing. It had a gelatinous consistency and was not particularly sweet!
The last stop was in Noto, entirely rebuilt in a different location after the earthquake of 1693. The city has a golden yellow appearance due to the type of stone and the angle of the sun light hitting the buildings. The cathedral was recently rebuilt following the collapse of the dome in the 1980s. Many palazzi, some garishly adorned, are found throughout, many owned by families prominent in tuna fishing. We also stopped in at Caffè Sicilia, famous for their pastries. Still pretty full from lunch, we opted for a coffee granita instead. We returned to Ortigia around 6 pm and joined Christina (and Giuseppe) for a pasta dinner cooked by Giuseppe! After a delicious yet simple meal of spaghetti with tomato and olives, we spent the better part of two hours chatting away.
Camino Musings 