A First Few Days In Sicily

<HERE'S A LINK TO MORE PHOTOS!>

We're staying in a beautiful, modernist, spare, steel, glass, and cement home in rural south-east Sicily. We're on the edge of the plateau that silently stands a couple miles inland, looking over the Mediterranean Sea in the distance, the city of Siracusa (Syracuse to us) hugging the coast with the ancient city of Ortigia dangling off its foot and into the sea. Around the bend of the hill and 40 or so miles to the north, Mt Etna stands alone topped with snow, belching a continuous  hot fog from deep within coloring the horizon to the east and south and letting us know that, well, ya never know.

Mt Etna from our neighboorhood

This area has a natural beauty and an old story. The Phoenicians settled in the western part, followed by the Greeks here in the east. They built port cities and expanded trade hundreds of years BC. They left their temples and theaters and the Romans built over them, then the Vandals, the Byzantians, the Spanish, the French and on and on...

Our pool and view

The house

from the inside out

Coming up the drive

It's old, beautiful, rugged, and funky. Cooler and dirtier than southern Spain the Sicilians haven't quite mastered how to make the most of the gift of Mediterranean beaches. The water is pristine and mild, but beaches are hard to come by and not well maintained.

The local beach 

One of many WWII pillboxes

But they know how to eat! Dining anywhere involves tablecloths, linen napkins, multiple courses served by professional wait staff and the food is unsurpassed! It's a bit overwhelming, frankly. One learns to order less and less. And share.

The Germans left many cement bunkers; on the beaches, in the fields and on the hills. One can easily imagine the British and American landing craft that came ashore here those many years ago.

And cows (steers really)...there are cows all around us. Mostly they remain unseen but within earshot as their bells provide a musical soundtrack to the awesome natural beauty. But sometimes...

Sicilian traffic jam...

Next time: The Things We've Seen!