2006 Sicily & Malta 2

Sicily and Malta 2

Journal kept by Susan Hanes during a trip to Sicily and Malta from March 26April 14, 2006. Photos by Susan Hanes and George Leonard, copyright 2006.

Volume 2.

Cover: View of Valletta from Vittoriosa, Malta

Sicily & Malta March 26 - April 14, 2006

We took the ferry to Malta spending four nights in Valetta and taking a ferry to Gozo before returning to Sicily for the remaining days of our trip.

Volume 2

Thursday, April 6

to Valletta, Malta

We awoke to the first overcast day of our trip. After a modest breakfast, we

tickets were waiting for us there. Not knowing quite what to do with ourselves

walked down the hill to the Palazzo Cosentini where we saw more fanciful

with free time on our hands, we visited a supermercado that was far from

balconies carved with caricatured faces and masks. We returned to the Duomo

super and then drove to a park where we just hung out in the car. The whole

area and Jake enjoyed taking pictures of a group of old men talking animatedly,

place was depressing and the weather was grey and dreary. We both needed a

a workman at the church and, outside our restaurant of the night before, our

WC by that time so we drove on back to the port where we found a little

waitress and the owner of Il Duomo. After checking out of the hotel, we drove

cafĂŠ-cum-7/11 type of place and ordered two glasses of red wine in order to

further up the steep hill, maneuvering the narrowest roads we had yet

buy our way into the restroom. There we sat at the one little table, sipping our

encountered. This decision resulted in scraped fenders on both sides of the car

wine and watching Millionaire on TV, as workmen and children came in and out,

in spite of the assistance of some local residents. Having no choice but to

buying cigarettes, candy, and snacks.

continue in that direction, we climbed all the way through the new Ragusa, finding the road steeply inclined the whole way. We stopped for another 60euro tank of gas before driving on to Chiaramonte Gulfi, passing more stone walls and fields of yellow wildflowers on a plateau that gave us straight roads for a change. We descended into town and asked a policeman the way to Majore, a restaurant specializing in pork and sausage, where we had reservations for lunch. After gestures and smiles, we discovered that it was just a half-block away, down an alley. As we did not know what else to do to pass the time, we decided to arrive much earlier than our 1:30 reservation, which fortunately presented no problem. We were greeted and ushered through the kitchen and seated in the corner of a cozy, simple room. I was the only woman there for the entire meal. We were served an antipasto of gelatinized pork, sliced sausage and gardinière, followed by a combination of risotto and ravioli in a tomato-pork sauce. We shared pork chops and sausage and a much-needed green salad. Pineapple provided the perfect dessert. Driving south, we descended to the coast at Marina di Ragusa, following the coastal road to the Port of Pozzallo. There we checked out the ferry terminal in preparation for our evening departure to Malta and then continued on into town. We found Pozzallo to be a tacky seaside resort, not yet open for the season. By chance, we saw a sign for the Vertu Ferry office and decided to drop in for no particular reason. However, we were glad we did when we found that our

as they delivered and retrieved sickness bags, helped people to the bathrooms and brought cold compresses to soothe sweating foreheads. We watched it all from our front row venue, supremely thankful that we were spared from being ill. We were also grateful that we had chosen seats that precluded the necessity of people trying to crawl over us to get out. The scheduled 90-minute crossing ended up taking more than three hours, as the captain had to take an alternate route due to the rough sea. Mercifully, the lights of Malta finally came into view and the motley and bedraggled passengers staggered off. While the EU travelers sailed through customs, we were examined long and hard by a dourfaced Maltese policeman. Finding a taxi was easy (I had been concerned about this considering our midnight arrival) but we got a roundabout trip to our hotel, the driver taking us back and forth in front of the walls of Valletta, probably to justify the exorbitant LMT 8 fare (nearly $24). He finally deposited us at the grand old Meridian Phoenicia. We checked in and were shown to our room: At last it was time to board the ferry. We parked adjacent to the embarkation area, feeling fairly secure about its location next to some sort of military office building. We checked in early at 7:45 for our 9:30 departure, later discovering that our timing had been impeccable. The ship was a beauty and the attendants were attractive and smartly dressed young women in grey suits and high heels.

We had our choice of seats, not realizing until later that the trip was a total sellout. We stowed our bags in convenient bins, I bought a sandwich and we changed currency at the bar on board. By 8:40 there was a steady stream of people coming aboard. From our first-row seats, we watched as large groups of Germans and Italians boarded and settled in. As we were getting underway, I looked out and saw the harbor lights across the top of the large window—and then across the bottom of the window—and thought, uh-oh, as the lights revealed the degree to which the boat was rocking. We moved out into the dark night and I was so petrified that my teeth were chattering. I just shut my eyes and tried to envision myself just rolling with the waves. I am sure that this is what saved me from getting sick. Practically everyone else on board was. The attendants in their cute outfits and high heels had their work cut out for them

simpler than we were expecting, but at that hour, particularly welcome.

Friday, April 7

Valletta

I opened my eyes to the sun streaming through starched Maltese lace curtains. Since breakfast was not included in our very reasonable hotel rate, we walked across the bus terminal and entered the Valletta city gates, finding a pleasant cafÊ on the Plaza of Freedom where we had delicious lattes and pastries. I tried a pea-cake, sort of a thick pea soup encased in a puff pastry that was far tastier than it sounds. We walked down Republic Street, one of the main thoroughfares in Valletta, taking in the new sights and sounds—especially the unfamiliar Arabic-Italian sound of the Maltese language. Malta is such a mix of cultures that we enjoyed noting the various names on businesses and signs. Since the first millennium BC, Malta has been occupied successively by Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Sicilians, The Knights of St. John, the French and the British. (When Malta gained its independence in 1964 it was the first time in history that the islands had been ruled by a native Maltese.) All of these temporary powers have influenced the culture in some way, but despite that fact, the Maltese identity remains intact. And as it is a Mecca for tourists, the streets were filled with the voices of Germans, French, English and Italians. This blending of cultures was evident everywhere.

St. John’s Co-Cathedral

Reaching St. John’s Co-Cathedral, we were first in line for the 9:00 opening. The cathedral was built in the 16th century and was designated a status equal to St. Paul’s Cathedral in Mdina by a papal decree in 1816; hence, the term “co-cathedral.” Upon entering the church, we found the most striking feature to be the floor, a huge patchwork of colorful marble tomb slabs. However, we went immediately to the museum located in a bay to one side, for we wanted to see the two Caravaggios before the tour groups swamped us. The extraordinary Beheading of John the Baptist is the altarpiece and St. Jerome hangs on the adjacent wall. I found the smaller painting particularly moving in its depiction of the saint’s spiritual qualities housed in his aging body. We visited the Grand Master’s Palace where we toured the State Apartments, made difficult to assimilate by an infestation of large tour groups.

Of more interest to us—and more accessible—was the armory, a treasure house of armor, some made of gold and silver damascening, including the suit of Alex de Wignacourt, which Caravaggio depicted in a painting of the man. In another room, all forms of arms were displayed: crossbows, pistols, rifles, cannon, swords and spears, all imaginatively designed to inflict pain and death. Falling prey to a heavily advertised “Siege of Malta” multimedia show nearby, we bought tickets to a somewhat tired and all too contrived walk through the history of the Knights of St. John on Malta. Afterwards, we continued along the streets of Valletta, noticing a green man in a fountain, passing the beautiful Manoel Theater and locating Rubino, where we would be dining later.

Grand Master’s Palace

We walked as far as Fort St. Elmo, and then crossed to the other side of the peninsula where we recorded the sound of the WWII Siege Bell and admired the substantial fortifications. The Barakka Gardens above gave us an impressive panorama of the harbor before we descended to the Auberge of Provence. Spotting a post office across the street we bought stamps for our postcards and a few for souvenirs. By this time I was insisting that we stop for lunch and while I tried another local pastry—this time with mushrooms—Jake sampled a local Cisk (pronounced “chesk”) beer. Thus fortified, we went next door to the National Museum of Archeology where we were captivated by timeless objects from Malta’s prehistoric sites: the Fat Ladies and “Venus de Malta” from Hagar Qim, and the haunting Sleeping Lady from the Hypogeum that dated from before 3600 BC. These works of art transcend the millennia in their beauty and style. We also went upstairs to see a collection of colorful opera dolls on loan from China.

Fort St. Elmo

WWII Siege Bell

View from the Barakka Gardens

National Museum of Archeology

One of Malta’s funky old yellow and orange buses carried us to Vittoriosa (once Birgu). As we entered the main gate complex, we were impressed by layer upon layer of fortifying walls. We toured the Inquisitor’s Palace, once the tribunal and prison of the Inquisitor, whose task it was to find and suppress heresy. It was chilling to see the cells and the inquisition room and to consider what must have gone on there. An attractive garden and interior courtyard offered a pleasant respite. We made a short visit through the Maritime Museum, housed in the old naval bakery building. It displayed Roman anchors, Maltese fishing boats, and exhibits pertaining to WWII. Getting back to Valletta was fun and quick with a ride on a dghaja, a traditional Maltese boat with oars and a small motor, which zipped an Australian couple and us across the Grand Harbor in fifteen minutes. The fact that there was only about 6” of freeboard gave us some concern of being swamped in what was in essence a wood-sided canoe. Upon disembarking, Jake stopped to photograph a couple of cruise ships while I made a dash up 180 steps to the plaza level and ran back to the Archeology Museum, getting there just before closing, in time to buy a tiny silver bus I had been considering. Back at the hotel, we had delicious traditional drinks (a White Lady and a Sidecar) in the attractive bar. Our dinner reservations were at 8:00 and after dressing, we walked back to Rubino. Our host was personable, the surroundings cozy, but the meal at this old confectionery was sadly disappointing. Our Maltese couscous and bean soup was hearty and delicious but our second course of breaded salted cod and deep-fried ball of some kind was not good at all. Our friendly host seemed a bit out of sorts that we did not clean our plates, which put a damper on things after that. The casada cake and gelato helped a bit, but all in all, our meal was not a success. With the cruise ships gone, we had a quiet walk along Republic Street back to the hotel.

Vittoriosa

Saturday, April 8

Valletta

Deciding not to mess with success, we had lattes and pea cake again at the same cafÊ on the Plaza of Freedom. After breakfast, we took another fun old bus, this one festively decked out in Manchester United paraphernalia, towards the suburb of Paola and the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum. However, our driver forgot our stop and we had some tense moments, fearing we would miss our carefully scheduled 10:00 appointment made in January. Fortunately, he was able to hustle us onto another bus and we arrived just in time for our tour. The Hypogeum, dating from as early as 3600 BC, is one of the oldest structures on earth. It is an incredible underground necropolis, discovered during some construction work in 1903 but not reported until some years later, as homes had been built over it and the owners feared losing them. It consists of over 500 square meters of halls, chambers, and passages hewn out of the living rock with only picks, wedges and mallets. The truly amazing thing is that it is in virtually perfect condition, looking exactly as it must have when it was built. Our guide was most articulate and as he led us down into the temple along narrow, dimly lit walkways, he explained that over the course of 1000 years, the necropolis was expanded and adjusted but in that time only 7000 bodies were buried there—an average of only seven per year. As new bodies were interred, older ones were pushed aside. It has been the repository of some of the finest art in the prehistoric world, including the evocative Sleeping Lady that had so intrigued us in the museum.

Hal Saflieni Hypogeum a UNESCO site

We left the Hypogeum in high spirits, making the short walk to the Tarxien (pronounced “tar-sheen�) Temples, hidden up a back street, just a few blocks away. These structures consist of four linked temples built with massive stone blocks, many of which reveal spiral patterns and animals in relief. There is also a large statue of a Fat Lady near the first temple. Built around the same time as the Hypogeum, it was nonetheless anticlimactic for us after the dramatic effect of that perfectly preserved structure. We took a bus back from Paolo with the assistance of a kind local woman who, seeing that we were in the wrong place, showed us the way to the correct bus stop.

Tarxien Temples a UNESCO site

At the hotel, we asked the concierge to arrange for a taxi to take us around the island. Our driver, Tony, was loquacious and conversant, pointing out churches, cemeteries and other sites along the way. He drove us to an overlook of the Blue Grotto (as Jake joked, one of 3,492 Blue Grottos in the world) and the tiny islet of Filfla that the British once used for target practice. We drove on to Hagar Qim and the Mnajdra Temples, set on a rugged plateau that descends to the sea and remains virtually untouched. These two complexes were also built at about the same time as the Hypogeum and are within a kilometer of each other. In their untarnished settings, they were far more interesting to us than the Tarxien Temples.

Blue Grotto

Hagar Qim

a UNESCO site

Mnajdra Temples a UNESCO site

Tony dropped us off at Mdina where we entered the main gate of the fortification and walked along its narrow, twisting but pristine alleys of golden limestone. We stopped for a Maltese pizza and wine at the 1540 Café, associated with Xara, a Relais & Chateau hotel in a beautifully restored 18th century palace.

After lunch (and gelato) we walked to St. Paul’s Cathedral, the main church in Mdina whose austere and massive exterior dominates the skyline for miles around. Though far simpler inside than its co-cathedral in Valletta, St. Paul’s also has a magnificent floor of colorful tombstones. We had a wild ride back to Valletta on an old bus, this one having an open door, a deafening engine and a clanging bell. Arriving at the hotel, we found a wedding in full swing and watched as the new Mr. and Mrs. greeted friends in the lobby. There was a DJ playing dance music in the main drawing room. We noticed that most of the women were wearing huge hats, and of course, all had high spike heels. When the groom happened to look my way, I smiled and gave the “OK” sign. He smiled back and gave me a “thumbs up.” We eventually went back to the room for a little rest and ended up sleeping though the night.

Mdina

Sunday, April 9

Valletta

Since we had not eaten the night before, we awoke famished and enjoyed a sumptuous breakfast in the hotel dining room, populated primarily by middle class, middle aged British couples. It was interesting to see the varied menu choices, from stewed tomatoes, “bangers� and Wheatabix to Maltese breads, to Muesli and yoghurt, to Coco-Puffs; there was something for everyone. We departed the bus terminal at 9:00 to catch the Gozo ferry, arriving just as it was departing on its hourly schedule. On our way, we passed numerous resorts and yacht harbors. As it was Palm Sunday, the churches were clusters of activity; one blared religious music over loud speakers outside to the street. We noticed a plethora of travel advertisements, from Dubai shopping sprees to Lourdes tours. Sicily was visible on the horizon as we descended to Cirkewwa, the ferry terminal. The 25-minute cruise to Mgarr Harbor on Gozo was smooth and pleasant. Upon disembarking we immediately hired a taxi at MTL 12 ($35.50) an hour. Jerry, our driver, took us to Xewkija, a town of 400 with the fourth largest church in Europe. We stepped into St. John the Baptist, just as a song I recognized and particularly love was being sung in Maltese. Although Jerry told us that few young people attended church, we saw a large group of young men crowded together in the back. Lots of young girls were entering as well; it was fun to see the church so vital on that special Sunday.

As we passed a racetrack he told us that horseracing is the most popular sport on Malta, second only to soccer. Jake suggested that the British would have had something to do with that.

Gozo

St. John the Baptist

Here I am, Lord.

Is it I, Lord?

I have heard you calling in the night.

I will go, Lord, If you lead me.

I will hold your people in my heart.

We stopped at the Temples of Ggantija, the largest of Malta’s megalithic temples, also dating from 3600 BC. The walls were reinforced with metal bars but at a careful angle we could still take some good pictures. Jerry finally dropped us off in Victoria (Rabat), the main town in Gozo, located in the center of the island. We set out to walk around Il-Kastell, the citadel. As the cathedral had a service in progress, we were unable to enter and see the trompe l’oeil dome that had been created in place of a real one, and contented ourselves by walking the ramparts and looking out over the city. We eventually ended up at the bus terminus and decided to wait for the next bus back to the ferry rather than pay the exorbitant taxi fare. A ten-minute bus ride returned us just in time to make the next crossing.

Temples of Ggantija a UNESCO site

Il-Kastell

Because all buses on the island of Malta only go to and from the main terminus, we had to take the 45-minute ride all the way to Valletta in order to take another bus back out to San Giljan’s (St. Julian’s), a 25minute ride to the end of the line. We had drinks in an outdoor restaurant overlooking Belluta Bay in touristy but attractive Sliema.

Later, we joined throngs of tourists, groups of kids and couples of all ages for an evening passeggiata along the waterfront promenade, getting a sense of this upscale, glitzy area. Jake was interested in trying rabbit, a traditional Maltese dish, and after some inquiries we were directed to the Tal-Kazia, a restaurant specializing in rabbit, octopus, and calamari. We sat out on the terrace and enjoyed our meal amidst the lively atmosphere of Maltese nightlife. After dinner, we had fun compiling a list of some of the trade names we had seen while in Malta that reflected the varied influences on its culture.

Big Ben Parking Leicester Garage Barrakka Café M. Mifoud & Sons Nipparts Auto Parts Tennessee Fried Chicken Mxlokk Trade Granny Smith Antiques

Zammit Florist Carmelo Abela Meats McPherson Paints Ascot Flats Iz-Zejon Is-Sorijet Trafalgar Gift Shop Marks & Spencer’s

San Julian’s

Monday, April 10

Agrigento, Sicily of the group. We had to wait a while for some kids to finish climbing over the stones in order to take a picture of the eight tapering columns that constitute the remains of the temple. A short gelato break had us in good form to cross over to the other side of the road. Here we saw the Temple of Castor and Polluce in its setting of dark pines and the remains of the Temple of Zeus, its stones showing U-shaped incisions through which hauling ropes were threaded.

The entire scene, with the Temple of Hephaestus in the distance and the remains of other structures picturesquely strewn amongst the almond trees and prickly pears, was wonderfully evocative.

Our wake-up call came at 5:30 and we were in a taxi to the ferry terminal an hour later. This time, the catamaran was only half full and the crossing was smooth with only small swells, for which I was very grateful. We watched— rather, tried not to watch—a dreadful American film that would do little to further our reputation in other parts of the world. The ferry docked at Palazzo at 9:00, a half-hour late, but that presented no problem. Again, our car was just as we had left it. Soon we were back on the SS115 towards Agrigento, stopping briefly for coffee and pastry at a gas station on the way. We arrived just after 1:00 at the Domus Aurea, a small hotel dating from 1758. It had taken several passes for us to determine just where the road was where we were to turn off. We settled in our room and then headed out again in the car to the Valley of the Temples. The temples are actually up a hill, not in a valley, and consist of a series of structures all erected in the course of the 5th century BC as a testimony to the prosperity of the city of Agrigento at that time. Much to our chagrin, we found that the principle monument, the Temple of Concordia, was encased in scaffolding! We did the best we could to avoid it in our photos, and were nonetheless impressed by the temple’s elegance and majestic symmetry that was still evident. We continued down the Via dei Templi, passing orange groves and almond trees to the Temple of Hercules, the earliest

Temple of Concordia Valley of the Temples

Temple of Hercules Valley of the Temples

Temple of Zeus

Temple of Castor and Polluce

Eventually we returned to the hotel for a welcome bath and rest. We discovered that the restaurant, Leon d’Oro, where Jake had hoped to go, was closed on Mondays so we had to make other plans. We had wine on the hotel’s attractive terrace overlooking the garden and then drove into San Leon where we had an excellent grilled seafood dinner at the edge of the water. On the way home, we missed the turn into the hotel again and ended up circling the outskirts of Agrigento on an elevated highway, looking for a place to turn around. Once back in our room, we enjoyed looking at the dramatic lighting of the temples from our balcony.

Duomo Aurea, Agrigento, April 10 Overlooking a vineyard, with the city of Agrigento suspended on the hill across from the balcony where I sit, I can just see the columns of the Concordia off to my right, in the Valley of the Temples. For the first time on this tour of Sicily and Malta, I realize that our trip is winding down, even though we have four nights remaining. Once again, Jake has planned a magnificent itinerary and once again we have been on the go from morning to night, seeing and doing more than any tour director could imagine. Although we have seen great numbers of tourists, there have been very few Americans. Rather, we have found ourselves with British, German, French, Italian, and Maltese people, watching them enjoy their holidays. Being among them, I have sensed the communality of man. I have seen that no matter where we come from or how aggressively we drive or how animatedly we speak, we are all looking for the same things in life.

We love our kids and seek peaceful, meaningful lives. These weeks in the Mediterranean have provided a break from the war and torture and the “We can do anything because we’re Americans� attitude that has wearied and saddened me. Watching Sicilians enjoy life has been a balm. Good food, good wine, good friends and someone to love: this is the bounty of life.

Tuesday, April 11

to Valderice San Nicola Church

Our breakfast at the hotel provided a particularly nice array of tarts, each of which we felt compelled to sample. After checking out we visited the archeological museum, partially housed in the old monastery of San Nicola church. The collection was substantial and we enjoyed browsing through room after room of cases containing a wealth of artifacts unearthed around Agrigento. It was interesting to see the impact that Greek culture had on the area. On one wall, a series of large photographs depicted intricately decorated Attic vases that had been placed in the major museums of the world, demonstrating Agrigento’s far-reaching influence. Even in the museum, signs of renovation were everywhere, as various areas were cordoned off and plaster dust and construction noise was in the air.

We paused to look inside the 13th century Cistercian San Nicola church before returning to the SS115 in the direction of Tripani.

Archeological Museum Agrigento

Traffic cleared out quickly and we encountered excellent roads all the way into Selinute. We parked at the first lot and walked to a large temple, beautifully intact, in a photogenic setting of wildflowers and scrubby trees.

Selinute

Returning to the car, we drove to a second lot and continued on foot to a cluster of temple ruins strewn about a field of buttery shoulder-high wildflowers. Groups of Italian high school students frolicked among the ruins, laughing, calling out to each other and posing for group pictures. Off to the west, the sky was an ominous grey although the sun shone brightly where we stood.

Archaeological Area of Agrigento a UNESCO site

Driving on the A29 towards Tripani, we encountered the first rain of our trip. We exited at Segesta to see its glorious Doric Temple from 430 BC, which was almost completely whole. A misty rain was falling over the dark pines behind the temple, creating a mystical backdrop to the golden limestone of the columns. The temperature dropped significantly as the rains came and we decided not to continue to the Greek theater, which would require an additional bus ride.

Segesta

We took the autostrade to its end in Tripani and continued through Valderice to our hotel, Baglio Santa Croce, on the outskirts of town. The baglio was a former 17th century fortified farmhouse. We were given a stone walled room with a lovely harbor view and a rudimentary bathroom with a shower directly on the floor.

After dropping off our bags, we drove up the steep, curving mountain road to Erice, a medieval village perched high overlooking the sea with the city of Tripani below. Unfortunately, as we ascended, we went through the clouds and had to explore the labyrinth of narrow, cobbled streets in a wet, cold mist. We toured Erice’s main church, the 14th century Chiesa Matrice, with a large group of Italian students. (It seemed that we ran into these groups wherever we went.) It was a shame that the weather was so foggy and miserable, for on a clear day it is possible to see as far as Tunisia. We had 8:00 dinner reservations at Monte San Giuliani where Jake had been eagerly anticipating a meal of Sicilian couscous, but it was so miserable out and I looked so bedraggled that we stayed only long enough to have a cup of coffee and admire their famous pastries, marzipan fruits and Easter lambs before driving back down through the fog and back to our hotel. We had a pleasant, if unremarkable, dinner in the adjoining restaurant. Later, back in our room, we saw that the fog had lifted, leaving Erice shining like a jewel in the moonlight, high up on the mountain above our window.

Erice

Wednesday, April 12

to Palermo

The rainy weather moved on during the night, leaving a bright and chilly morning. We ate our breakfast overlooking the sea. By 9:30 we were on the road again, back to Palermo. We paused briefly at the fishing village of Castellamare di Golfo, a sleepy seaside resort with an attractive beach.

Castellamare di Golfo

We joined the A29 for the final 60 kilometers, reaching the city limits by 10:45, where we became engulfed in Palmeritan traffic and a maze of restricted exits and one-way streets. We finally found our way, arriving at Villa Igiea at 11:30. Upon check-in we were given a room upgrade: a large bedroom, anteroom, huge closet and nice bath. At noon we dropped the car back at Notabartolo Station and taxied back to the hotel, far faster than we had come. We each enjoyed a bath while the other explored this Art Nouveau masterpiece housed in a 15th century mansion. When it was my turn to bathe, I luxuriated in the huge tub, filled with bath foam that, on its label, promised to be “sensual and primitive, with an intense delicacy that unveils a new realm of physical pleasure.� Who could ask for more? At about 4:00 we dressed and had drinks on the garden terrace with the yacht harbor below, encircled by the hills of Palermo.

Villa Igiea

As we sat outside, enjoying our beautiful surroundings, we thought back over the past weeks and shared our impressions of Sicily.

1.

2.

3.

4.

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6.

7.

8.

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14.

15.

Consistently extraordinary weather with blue, cloudless skies.

People who were uniformly friendly and forgiving of our language inadequacies.

Traffic that appeared to be chaotic but actually made sense.

Assertiveness is key in driving, crossing the streets and lining up.

Excellent main roads and highways but narrow and steep village streets.

Groups of Italian high school students visiting historic sites.

Parking constraints that resulted in double parking and other creative solutions.

Mt. Etna dominated a major portion of the island.

Inadequacy of road signs that seemed to let you down when you really needed them. $75 tanks of gas.

The use of ancient buildings for modern purposes: hotels, restaurants, and museums, to name a few.

People’s willingness to be photographed.

People not particularly polite about giving way, lining up or taking turns. (See #4) Laundry hanging out in rich and poor areas alike.

Scaffolding and restoration work everywhere: a. b. c. d. e. f. g.

Messina Museum: under construction Bellomo Museum, Ortigia: closed for reconstruction Cappelle Palatine, Palermo: both ends covered for restoration Duomo, Noto: covered in scaffolding Duomo, Ragusa: covered in scaffolding Concordia, Agrigento: covered in scaffolding Agrigento Archeological Museum: under restoration

Later, we took the hotel shuttle to the Grande Hotel des Palme, a notorious former Mafia hangout where we had a drink in their slightly seedy but atmospheric bar. We walked down Via della Liberta again, just as we had when we first arrived in Sicily, and stopped to buy jackets for the boys at Schillaci. At the Excelsior Hotel, the other sister hotel to the Igiea, we visited their bar as well but were their only customers. Later we retraced our steps to the Teatro Massimo area where we tried unsuccessfully to have dinner without reservations at nearby Lo Scudiero, a Michelin Bib. We ended up at Cucina Popoff, an attractive restaurant in a rustic stone building. We started with an appetizer plate of unappealing fried unknowns, followed by an unmemorable pasta dish. Our enthusiasm was further diminished by the adjacent table, where a Denver orthopedic surgeon and his wife were regaling three Italians (and the rest of the room) with details of his practice. We returned to the Villa Igiea in a taxi with a fast meter at around 10:00 and slept well in spite of numerous ambulance sirens and a couple of persistent mosquitoes.

Teatro Massimo

Thursday, April 13

Palermo

We slept in, foregoing breakfast. Later we took a taxi to the Vucciria district where we walked back to Antica Focacceria San Francisco. There we joined a large lunchtime crowd clamoring for pizza, pasta, and spleen sandwiches (a specialty). I watched as Jake’s spleen sandwich was made with a roll, spleen and two kinds of cheese. We ate out in the piazza under the shadow of San Francisco Church, watching the families gathered there.

We noted that most people just got up and left their mess to be blown away or pecked over by the numerous pigeons. We decided to walk part of the way back to the hotel, stopping to look at the outside photography exhibit, “La Terra Vista dal Cielo” or “Earth from Above” that we had seen in Chicago. We found it to be moving and disturbing, just as we had the first time, as we pondered the ecological facts that accompanied this remarkable exhibit. At the Villa Igiea, we spent a lazy afternoon napping and packing. I enjoyed a room service hamburger and Coke in front of the TV, watching BBC news and an Italian version of Entertainment Tonight. We were sound asleep by 9:30.

Friday, April 14

to Chicago

Our dreaded wakeup call came at 3:30 AM and we were on our way to the airport an hour later, zipping through empty streets that would soon be teeming.

We checked in for our 6:10 flight to Milan in plenty of time. The weather was perfectly clear on our flight, enabling us to look out over the Alps on our approach. I made a quick run through the airport shops in the Milan airport but was disappointed in the duty-free area that mainly sold cigarettes, liquor, and lines of cosmetics and perfume that did not interest me. At 10:40 we boarded AZ 626 to Chicago for our 10-hour flight home. It was interesting that there were so few Americans on board; most were Italians carrying packages and cakes, presumably to relatives who had immigrated. Though the flight seemed interminable, at last we saw the Chicago skyline silhouetted against Lake Michigan and soon we were happily back home in our cozy apartment.

Itinerary MARCH Sunday

26

Depart CHICAGO O’Hare, Alitalia Flight AZ 627, 2:20 pm IN FLIGHT

Monday

27

Arrive: MILAN, Malapensa, 7:25 am Depart: Milan Alitalia Flight AZ 1761, 9:35 am; Seats 4A, C Arrive: PALERMO, P. Raisi, 11:20 am Quattro Canti; Cattedrale UNESCO; S. Giovanni degli Eremiti; Palazzo dei Normanni Cappella Palatina; Porto Nuova Dinner: Santandrea, 8:00 pm Centrale Palace Hotel PALERMO, SICILY

Tuesday

28

Piazza Pretoria; La Martorana; Mercato di Ballaro; La Magione; Galleria Regionale di Sicilia; Porta Felice; Museo Internaziionale delle Marionette; Palazzo Chiaramonte; Mercato Vicciria; Mercato del Capo; Via della Liberta Lunch: Ai Cascinari, 1:30 pm Dinner: Trattoria Primavera, 8:00 pm Centrale Palace Hotel PALERMO

Wednesday 29

Automobile Rental: 9:00 am: Europcar (Auto Europe) Monreale UNESCO: Duomo; Cefalu UNESCO: Duomo; Polizzi Generosa; Petralia Spttana; Petralia Soprana; Gangi Lunch: tavern del Pavone, Monreale Dinner: Tenuta Gangivecchio,, 8:00 pm Tenuta Gangivecchio GANGIVECCHIO

Thursday

30

Sperlinga; Enna; Piazza Armerina; Villa Romana del Casale Dinner: Agriturismo Gigliotto, 8:00 pm Agriturismo Gigliotto PIAZZA ARMERINA

Friday

31

Caltagirone; Nicosia; Troina; Cesaro; Randazzo; Novara di Sicilia Dinner: Country House Green Manors, 8:00 pm Country House Green Manors CASTROREALE

APRIL Saturday

1

Depart: Ustica Ferries: Milazzo, 9:30 am Arrive: Lipari, Aeolian Islands, 10:30 am Vulcano; Lipari UNESCO: Castle, Museo Archeologico Eoliano, Quattrocchi Dinner: Filippino, 8:00 pm Hotel Villa Meligunis LIPARI, AEOLIAN ISLANDS

Sunday

2

Depart: Ustica Ferries: Lipari, 7:50 am Arrive: MILAZZO, 8:50 am Milazzo; Messina: Museo Regionale; Mt. Etna UNESCO; Taormina: Teatro Greco, Giardini di Villa Comunale, Corso Umberto I Dinner: Liccio’s, 8:00 pm Villa Ducale TAORMINA

Monday

3

Taormina; Siracusa: Ortigia UNESCO: Piazza Duomo, Duomo, Fonte Aretusa, Via Della Maestranza, Mastrarua Dinner: Osteria da Mariano, 8:00 pm Grand Hotel Ortigia SIRACUSA

Tuesday

4

Museo Archeologico Regionale; Catacombe di S. Giovanni; Parco Archeologico della Neapolis: Teatro Greco, Orecchio di Dionisio Lunch: Giardino des Epicures, 2:00 pm Dinner: Darsenna da Jannuzzo, 8:00 pm Grand Hotel Ortigia SIRACUSA

Wednesday 5

Necropoli di Pantalica UNESCO; Noto UNESCO (Caffe Sicilia); Ragusa Ibla Dinner: Ristorante Duomo, 8:00 pm Locanda Don Serafino RAGUSA IBLA

Thursday

6

Ragusa Ibla; Ragusa; Chiaramonte Gulfi; Marina di Ragusa Lunch: Ristorante Majore, Chiaramonte Gulfi, 1:30 pm Depart: Virtu Ferries, Pozzallo, 9:30 pm Arrive: FLORIANA, MALTA, 12:30 am Le Meridien Phoenica VALLETTA, MALTA

Friday

7

Valletta UNESCO: St. John’s Co-Cathedral, Grand Master’s Palace and Armoury, Siege Bell Monument, Upper Barakka Gardens, Augerge de Castille, National Museum of Archeology; Vittoriosa: The Three Gates, Inquisitor’s Palace, Malta Maritime Museum, Dockyard Creek and Harbour Dinner: Rubino, 8:00 pm Le Meridien Phoenica VALLETTA

Saturday

8

Hal Saflieni Hypogeum UNESCO, 10:00 am; Tarxien Temples UNESCO; Blue Grotto; Hagar Qim UNESCO and Mnajdra Temples UNESCO; Mdina: St. Paul’s Cathedral, Domus Romana Lunch: Xara Palace (Trattoria 1530), Mdina, 2:00 pm Le Meridien Phoenica VALLETTA

Sunday

9

Cirkewwa; Ferry to Gozo: Mgarr, Xewkija: Rotunda; Ggantija Temples UNESCO; Victoria: Citadel; Ferry to Malta: Sliema, St. Julian’s, Dinner: Tal-Kazin, St. Julian’s, 8:00 pm Le Meridien Phoenica VALLETTA

Monday

10

Depart: Virtu Ferries, Floriana, 7:00 am Arrive: POZZALLO, SICILY, 8:30 am Agrigento; Valle dei Templi UNESCO Hotel Domus Aurea AGRIGENTO, SICILY

Tuesday

11

Agrigento: Museo Archeologico Regionale; Selinute; Segesta; Erice Dinner: Baglio di Santa Croce, 8:00 pm Baglio di Santa Croce VALDERICE

Wednesday 12

Castellamare del Golfo; Palermo Return auto rental Dinner: Cucina Papoff, 8:00 pm Grand Hotel Villa Igiea PALERMO

Thursday

13

Palermo Lunch: Antica Focacceria S. Francisco, 2:00 pm Grand Hotel Villa Igiea PALERMO

Friday

14

Depart: PALERMO, P. Raisi Alitalia Flight AZ 1758, 6:10 am Arrive: MILAN, Malapensa, 7:55 am Depart: Milan Alitalia Flight SZ626, 10:40 am Arrive: CHICAGO O’Hare, 1:40 pm

Faces of Sicily and Malta

Journal kept by Susan Hanes during a trip to Sicily and Malta from March 26-April 14, 2006.

Photos by Susan Hanes and George Leonard, copyright 2006. Volume 2.

V. 2