Don's Exit on the Information Highway

Sicily 2004

(Click on the thumbnails for larger and clearer views.)

June 20 - Agrigento


Landed in Sunny Palermo after a stop in rainy Milan.	Immediately hit the road for Agrigento and met up with Luigi, our guide to the Greek ruins there, Greek name Akragas, here beside one of the giant capitals from the Temple of Jupiter.	Walked along the Valley of the Temples, getting our first glimpse of the magnificently preserved Temple of Concordia, which has survived centuries of earthquakes thanks to the flexibility of the soil underneath.	Saw this 800-year-old olive tree, among many other flora including the exotic (to us) caper plant, bougainvillea, and the oleander that was to become a ubiquitous presence on our journey. Cacti were also in abundance here, though not a part of the ancient landscape.	From the temple of Jupiter one could see all the way back to the Temple of Juno almost a mile away. Then we drove back to Palermo, where we spent hours lost in the darkness in the unmarked streets, finally rescued by our B&B host, Giorgio.

June 21 - Palermo


Today we concentrated on Palermo proper, with the Palazzo dei Normanni as one of the main attractions. It contains government offices and many excellent spaces such as the Cappella Palatina. This is the first of many examples of mosaics we viewed throughout Sicily & Rome.	Also in Palazzo dei Normanni, an example of mosaics, both figurative and in geometric patterns.	Continuing our tour of Palermo, we find the Piazza Pretoria with its Fontana dei Nudi, or so-called Fountain of Shame because of the flap the nudes caused among certain prudish elements when they were first unveiled--very curious for a country chock full of nudes from ancient times through the Renaissance to the present, and amply present among the artistic treasures of the Vatican itself.	We could not make a trip without homage to music. The Teatro Massimo is Sicily's opera house, one of the largest in Europe, under the watchful eye of a bust of Verdi. These are only a few pictures from a busy day in Palermo that also included notably the cathedral and Martorana and San Cataldo churches, along with the sculpture-filled Four Corners (I Quattro Canti).

June 22 - Monreale & Cefalù


Possibly the finest cathedral in Sicily is in the Monreale suburb of Palermo. Before entering the cathedral I caught this slice of everyday life there.	This is a view of the Monreale cathedral from the cloisters.	Glorious mosaics are the predominant feature of the cathedral at Monreale.


Heading out along the north coast of Sicily, we come to Cefalù, my grandfather's home town. It is noted for its cathedral overshadowed by La Rocca.	Well after he left there in the first decade of the 20th century, the town became a resort.	Another picture opportunity presented itself in the form of this artist, who I think could be a fit model for Pinocchio's Gepetto.	Here's a closer view of the cathedral and La Rocca. We climbed to the fort at the top of La Rocca, duplicating an adventure undertaken by my father and uncle about 75 years ago. We hit the road again, this time for Milazzo to serve as a base for our exploration of the Mt. Etna area.

June 23 - Mt. Etna - Randazzo


The next day we toured around the base of Mt. Etna.	One of the closest towns to the volcano, and one miraculously spared destruction over centuries of its eruptions, is Randazzo.	Randazzo could be called the Black City for its being built mostly with lava, as shown here in the Via dei Archi.	An even more wonderful example is the contrast of the lava and white facing on the church of Santo Nicolo.

June 24 - Taormina & Siracusa


Continuing in the shadow of Mt. Etna,	we proceeded to Taormina, the most popular resort in Sicily, with its ancient Greek Theater towering over the harbor, and another excellent place from which to view or visit Mt. Etna.	In the afternoon we drove down the east coast of Sicily to Siracusa, or Sykara as the Greeks knew it, home to one of the most spectacular collections of Greek ruins in Sicily. In Parco Archeologico della Neapolis. pictured here is the "Ear of Archimedes" from the inside. Yes, Archimedes himself was perhaps the most famous resident of Siracusa.	Elsewhere in the park is a Greek theater, one of its prime attractions. Although well preserved, it is somewhat compromised as a photo op by the modern bleachers installed to make the theater usable by contemporary audiences. Less complete, but more authentic in appearance, is the Roman amphitheater pictured here.	In downtown Siracusa, in the Ortygia section originally occupied by the Greeks, we visited the Duomo.

June 25 - Siracusa & Villa Romana del Casale


Having spent the night in an agriturismo, a lemon grove in this case, we returned in the morning to downtown Siracusa, which is one of the most orderly and beautiful of Sicilian cities. Then we headed out to Villa Romana del Casale. It is especially well known for, guess, what, mosaics.	There is room after room of mosaic-filled floors. This one is particularly remarkable for its documentation of an early bikini in a depiction of women in sports.	On the way from Villa Romana to the airport in Catania, we stopped in the little town of Armerina and this church,	notable for the shades of blue inside.

From central Sicily we drove to Catania, a large, rather industrial city on the east coast, which has the only major airport on the island other than Palermo. From there we took off for Rome, bidding arrivederci to Mt. Etna and all of Sicily.