One of my favourite activities living in Sicily is to go to the beach. Or how they call it here the lido. South of Catania, there is entire spread of different lido’s which are under different concessions. Do not expect a beautiful road to drive through, though. The road is full of bumps, holes, trash and construction fences. But once you park your car and … Continue reading Lido
is one of Sicily’s prettiest seaside villages: Marzamemi. It consists of couple of shops and bars, with one main square on which are all the restaurants located. In the evening this place turns into a fairy tale. It was the Arabs of the 10th century who put Marzamemi on the map. They not only gave the village its poetic name, Mars? al-hamam (translating as something like Turtle Dove … Continue reading Marzamemi
According to legend, Daedalus stayed in the city after his flight over the Ionian Sea, as did Hercules after his seventh task – Capture the Cretan Bull. 🙂 In 9th century it was conquered by the Muslims, who elevated the city to become a capital of one of the three districts of the island (the Val di Noto). In 11th century, it became the last Islamic stronghold in Sicily to fall to the … Continue reading Noto
The city’s name has its origins in the neighboring town of Lentini. In 16th century, Vice-King Giovanni De Vega founded a new city in honour of Habsburg Emperor Karlo V, naming it in Latin Carleontini, or Leontini of Carlo. In Italian, it became Carlentini, and in the various Sicilian dialects, Carrintini or Carruntini. They say in Sicily, you can recognise the flavour of the city by its bar. So my first decision was … Continue reading Carlentini
This city is placed in such a remote place that even dear Lord decide to say buona notte a tutti. Driving there, through various hills beautiful landscapes but scary landscapes… roads that are incomplete, the GPS that get lost, the moment of: Please let’s try not to make a wrong turn because we are not sure if the GPS is wrong or the indications and … Continue reading Corleone
It is located on the slope of Monte Caputo, overlooking the very fertile valley called “La Conca d’oro” (the Golden Shell), a production area of orange, olive and almond trees, the produce of which is exported in large quantities. The town, which has a population of approximately 39,000, is about 7 kilometers inland (south) of Palermo, the regional capital. Monreale forms its own archdiocese and is home to Monreale Cathedral, a … Continue reading Monreale
Long time ago, my first visit to Sicily in 2012 was accompanied by visit to Palermo. I had a day only to visit so the story to tell was shorter. Now I am blessed to live on the Island of Sicily for a more extended time so I have more to tell. For the beginning, when driving to Palermo from Catania, you have to pass … Continue reading Palermo
When I discovered this city – I was driving quite often towards the south to hang around and be away from Catanian trash and dirt. This historical city has much to offer and makes you come back again and again. Where to start? Syracuse is mentioned in the Bible in the Acts of the Apostles book at 28:12 as Paul stayed there. Good start? The city was founded by Ancient … Continue reading Syracusa – Ortigia
And just above Santa Maria La Scala is home to numerous churches of neo-gothic and typical Sicilian baroque style. Sicilian dialect calls it Jaciriali. I am trying to understand the rules of a dialect here too. Wish me good luck 😛 In Sicily, I found so far three nymphe’s that were born here. One of them is Galatea – the sea-nymph. According to tradition, the … Continue reading Aci Reale
A charming small fishermen village – this is how would I call it. Not even much tourists around to see as the beaches are made of lava rocks that don’t make your day spending on the beach much comfortable. This city is upon the Ionian coast and rises the seaside – just 15 km north from Catania. The residential area is set around a small … Continue reading Santa Maria La Scala
RED RIDING HOOD 