Cefalu, Castelbuono and Sant' Anastasia

Cefalu's Norman cathedral

Yesterday we drove from Taormina to Cefalu and on to our hotel for our last 2 nights in Sicily, Relais Sant' Anastasia, in the mountains above Cefalu.  So, now we have completed our circle around the entire island of Sicily, ending up tomorrow morning at the Palermo airport to start our journey home.

mosaic above altar

Sicily is very mountainous, with long spines of limestone and lava and other volcanic rocks spreading all the way from the mountain ranges to the Mediterranean.  Consequently, Sicily's autostradas have endless tunnels.  If you really want to see the Sea and the coastal villages, take the provincial roads and plan to drive on windy roads for a long time.  Worth it if you don't mind the traffic and trucks and hairpin turns because you will see so much more of this beautiful island.  Taking the autostrada, which we did in order to reach our hotel by dinnertime, means you will see little but the insides of tunnels, some over a mile long, with only brief glimpses of the turquoise Mediterranean.  We have driven hundreds of miles of back roads during our 2 weeks and loved them.

abandoned farmhouse in mountains above Cefalu

Cefalu is a very busy small city with a large historical center and a splendid Norman cathedral.  At least one of the back towers was built during Moorish times as demonstrated by its graceful and beautifully decorated Moorish arches.  Inside the cathedral, instead of a garish Baroque altar, there is a lovely mosaic.  I would not put Cefalu on my list of places to visit unless I had lots of time to wander the byways of Sicily and explore its old cities.

Sant' Anastasia

Sant' Anastasia is a winery as well as a hotel, so we took the wine tour and tasted some of its wines.  They practice organic and "bio-dynamic" viniculture and wine production.  We did not think these methods produced exceptional wines.  The best wines we tasted by far were Planeta, from our first wine-tasting at the Planeta Ulmo winery (one of 6 Planeta family wineries). 

Sant' Anastasia vineyards

The location is spectacular, with views over vineyards and olive groves, down a long mountain valley to the Mediterranean.  We hiked this morning around Sant' Anastasia's extensive vineyards, about 4 miles, with a lot of climbing from the low point back to the hotel.  It was beautiful.  We watched some of their workers, all local farm laborers, pruning the vines.

 

restaurant in alleyway

Queen Anne's lace Sicily version?

          Our afternoon visit was to Castelbuono, another old mountain town with a large castle.  The town winds through narrow alleyways, one of which provided our lunch stop, up a steep hill to the castle.

Castelbuono castle

This will be my last blog on Sicily unless I find time to do a blog highlighting our favorite places and activities.  I will post an itinerary that we'll follow when we offer this trip to a group next year.  My next blogging will probably start when we visit Portugal and Spain with a group in early June.

Climbing Mt. Etna--spectacular day

lava flow from 2002-3 eruption

Today we climbed Mt. Etna, facing a ferocious wind all the way to the top that nearly blew me over several times.  Yesterday, the winds were too strong to climb and they were close to that today.
But, once at the crater, no one cared about the howling wind because the crater is unbelievable.

Mt. Etna's main crater

There are at least a dozen holes and cracks spouting smoke and steam deep in the cavernous center and all around the sides of the crater.  It is a fantastic sight.  Mt. Etna is an active volcano, with a small eruption only 2 weeks ago.  It's most recent sizable eruption was last December, but that came from a different crater, below the top.

The volcano first erupted 500,000 years ago, out in the Mediterranean.  Since then, it has continually moved inland, erupting from slits and gashes ever farther from the coast and creating 200 craters that periodically blow, gushing lava and gasses.  The mountain grew over time and is now a major vineyard and winery area in addition to being a huge volcano.  But, the threat of another large eruption is ever-present, made obvious by the enormous lava fields that cover the mountain, some very recent.

Don at crater rim

For those, like us, who want to climb to the top of Etna, there are several options.  You can walk all the way up from the Refugio and its parking lot, about 4500 feet, on a dusty road used by large 4 wheel drive vehicles ferrying passengers higher up the mountain.  Or, you can take the gondola as far as it goes and walk from there, but you must have a guide for the last 1200 feet of elevation gain (understandable, given the volatile nature of the volcano) to the summit at about 11,000 feet--about 1 1/2 hours to the top.

4 of Mt. Etna's 200 craters (including the one on the side)

                                                                       We decided to go with a guiding service that takes you up the gondola and then buses you to the top of the road, hiking the last 1200 feet of elevation gain, a couple of miles, to the crater rim which is the top of the mountain.  The return hike is all the way down to the gondola, gliding down the steep slopes of volcanic ash with stops to learn more about the volcano and see the most wonderful views.  Today, we could see the south coast of the Italian mainland quite clearly, over the devastation of recent eruptions.  This trip takes about 5 1/2 hours and costs 85 euros per person.

The climb to the crater is steep, but not really difficult, except for the wind today, which made it hard to maintain your balance on the slippery volcanic ash.  This ash is not fine-grained.  It's like large, sharp gravel and is very dusty.

crater from 2002-3 eruption

Today's climb was very cold.  I think it is often cold on Etna.  We took all our warm clothes, but it was still very cold.  So, if you want to climb Mt. Etna, make sure you have very warm gloves, a fleece jacket or 2, down jacket if possible and a windproof layer.  You'll need a warm hat and good sunglasses with wind protection.  I wore hiking pants, but would have liked heavier pants.  Take plenty of water and some food as you'll stop for lunch.  When the wind howls as it did today, there is no protection anywhere, so you'll be cold when you stop to look or eat.

Gail at crater rim--cold, but loving it

The hiking service has boots if you didn't bring any with you, and they were fine.  While boots aren't absolutely essential, they are pretty important since the sharp ash gets into lower topped shoes and you really can't stop to empty out the ash.  The service also provides helmets, which you need to wear at the top in case the volcano decides to spout hot rocks over the rim.  And, there are some hiking poles available, which are helpful on the soft ash.

I kept thinking all the way down what a wonderful day this was and how much I loved being on that volcano, wind and all.

And another of Sicily's gems--Taormina

view of Taormina from Castelmoro

As you drive north from Siracusa towards Messina, on the NE coast of Sicily, you eventually see a village way up on top of a mountain, with another village still higher up on another peak.  These are Taormina and Castelmoro, former Greek cities perched on top of the world with gorgeous views of the Sicilian coastline, the mainland coast of Italy 12 miles to the north across the Mediterranean, and Mt. Etna to the south.  The only ancient road between Messina and Siracusa climbed up the mountain and through Taormina, letting the city collect a tariff on all the goods that passed through.

Mt. Etna smoking in the distance

We reached our hotel in Taormina, overlooking the sea far below, in time for a walk down to the beach hundreds of feet and steps down the mountainside.  The little cove on the water is rocky rather than sandy, with perfectly clear turquoise water.  Nearby is a tiny island that you can reach by walking through the water for about 50 feet at low tide.  At high tide, you can still walk, but the water is waist deep.  An Englishwoman who was in love with one of Queen Victoria’s sons owned the island and moved to Taormina after the queen banished her from England.  She didn't mope for long, however, as she married the town’s nobleman mayor.

Englishwoman's island below Taormina

Sunset from our balcony was lovely as we watched a glowing white cruise ship glide into the bay in the setting sun.  Taormina is a major tourist attraction, very popular with cruise passengers, and everyone else who travels to Sicily.

Today we had a wonderful guide in Taormina, which was unsurprisingly filled with busloads of tourists from the cruise ship.  But, she showed us fascinating ruins and homes and piazzas off the tourist track.  Taormina is small, but is geared to tourists, with dozens of shops selling everything from junk to Italian high fashion.

Byzantine mosaic under an archway

In small piazzas and courtyards, families have created their personal decorations, many welcoming symbols, like the pine cone.  Others show the heads of a Moorish man or woman with a Spanish woman or man to demonstrate the importance of tolerance among different cultures.  This must have been the sentiment before the Inquisition, but it seems to be back.

this family likes cats

The highlight of the town’s past is the Greek theater, later modified by the Romans.  The Greeks actually cut their theaters in Sicily out of the limestone, carving the seats rather than building them with stones from the quarry.  The Romans tried to add another side to the theater to make a coliseum, but didn’t have enough room, so they added a wall on the sea side and raised the seats about 20 feet higher.

welcoming pine cone and masks of Moorish man and

Spanish woman, a sign of tolerance of other cultures

While the Greeks carved their stones to fit against one another perfectly, the Romans learned to make cement with volcanic ash and lime.  They also made bricks in kilns.  So, they added to the size of the theater with bricks, set in place with cement and then lined with marble.  Virtually no marble remains today, cannibalized by the Normans and Spanish for their own buildings. Taormina’s theater also has spectacular views to the Mediterranean, stretching far to the south along the rugged Sicilian coastline.

Greek theater with Roman additions

Castelmoro, high above Taorminia

After our tour, Don and I climbed to Castelmoro, about 1400 feet above Taormina, up very steep steps and pathways.  It took about an hour up and 35 minutes down and helped to make up for the pasta lunch we enjoyed.

Gem of Sicily--Siracusa

Siracusa's Piazza Duomo at dusk

Once the capital of ancient Greece, Siracusa calls itself the Greek part of Sicily.  It is a small city of about 75,000 inhabitants, with a wonderful city center on the island of Ortigia, where the Greeks formed their first town.  The nearby archaeological site is Greek and Roman, with a huge quarry which is the source of the beautiful limestone blocks that were used to build the temples, theaters and major buildings of the Greek and Roman eras.  Later the Spanish removed the stones to build their own structures.

Looking across bay at new areas of Siracusa

late Baroque palace in Piazza Duomo

Ortigia is a short distance from the mainland, maybe 100 yards, and is still the heart of Siracusa.  We stayed in this wonderful area, crammed with tiny alleys, too many cars trying to find a place to park, beautiful neo-classical and late Baroque buildings, people strolling through the piazzas and streets, and the magnificent Piazza Duomo, site of Siracusa’s remarkable cathedral.

outer wall of cathedral, built between Greek columns

The cathedral was first a Greek temple, then a Byzantine church, next a mosque, and later a Norman church.  Greek temples had the huge columns we are used to seeing, supporting long open arcades, with a building inside where only the priests were allowed to enter to worship the gods.  The Byzantines filled in the spaces between the huge columns of the Greek temple with walls for their church.  They carved archways into the walls of the inner temple to create side naves.  Normans added onto the structure with their own arches high above the floor of the church.  The church walls are probably what saved the cathedral from collapse in earthquakes. 

Greek columns incorporated into cathedral

So, today, you can see the wonderful Doric Greek columns in the walls of the cathedral, holding up the Renaissance roof, with gorgeous Byzantine arches dividing the spaces and Norman windows above it all.  This cathedral represents Sicily’s history of conquest and civilization.  Nearby, in a lovely neo-classical former convent, the archbishop reigns over the declining number of faithful people.

Greek quarry with caves cut by slaves

The quarry in Siracusa’s archaeological park provides a story of ingenuity and sadness.  The ingenuity of the Greeks in extracting and moving the enormous stones, not to mention actually carving them perfectly and putting them into place, is remarkable.  But, the sadness of a place where so many thousands of prisoners and slaves worked themselves to death under the most horrific conditions is beyond imagining.  It permeates the caves where they were forced to live and work and the beautiful garden that now fills the valley they made with their labor.

Dionysus ear, cave cut for quarry

The Greeks looked for water courses in the limestone, where the stone was softer.  They began their excavations of the quarry downward from there, eventually creating a series of large caves.  To cut out the blocks of stone, they drilled holes into the rock, pounded wood into the holes, then filled them with water.  When the wood expanded with the water, it caused big cracks in the rock which then could be broken off in giant blocks of stone.  These stones were carefully chiseled so that each one fit perfectly with the ones above, below and to each side, and hauled to the construction site by oxcarts on stone wheels (or, I’m sure, often by hundreds of slaves).

sole remaining column that supported the rock "roof" covering

the quarry, with remains of farmhouse on the top

Until the 1693 earthquake, famous in Sicily for its massive destruction, the quarry was roofed over with solid rock, held up by huge columns of limestone left by the Greeks to support the rock roof.  Farmers continued to live and farm on the limestone “roof” until it collapsed in the earthquake.  The lone remaining column still has the remnants of a farmhouse on its narrow top.

One of the enormous caves created by the excavations is called Dionysus Ear because it is shaped a bit like an ear, but mainly because this tyrannical ruler was reported to have listened in on the conversations of slaves working below from a tunnel near the top of the cave.  He wanted to know about the plots against him so he could eliminate them and their plotters before they came to fruition.

looking to the Mediterranean from the Greek theater,

being prepared for the summer season of Greek plays

Nearby is the Greek theater, now being prepared for the summer season of Greek plays performed here.  So, it’s not the time to see the beauty of the theater, but its shape, a hemisphere that overlooked the Mediterranean in ancient days, is a work of art. 

Roman amphitheater

Later, the Romans built an enormous altar, where reportedly 400 bulls could be sacrificed at once (the meat then cooked and distributed to the masses watching the slaughter).  And next to that, one of the largest coliseums in the Roman world where blood also flowed in contests of men against men and men against animals.  When the Byzantines arrived, they put a stop to the bloodfests, but were not necessarily any less cruel themselves, all in the name of religion.

Vendicari, a wildlife refuge, and Marzamemi, a fishing village

15th century Spanish watch tower, Vendicari

We left our hotel near Ragusa, Eremo della Giubiliana, reluctantly.  It is an old monastery where Benedictine monks lived in what was then a very isolated area, so is really a hermitage.  The owners have restored it beautifully.  They even have an airstrip next to 5 stone cottages they built.  We much preferred the monastery to the cottages.

young flamingos at Vendicari Nature Reserve

This morning, we visited the Vendicari Nature Reserve.  It is a pretty marshland area behind a long and beautiful beach.  There are flamingos, many kinds of ducks, herons, storks and other water birds in the lagoons and marshes.  In the 15^th century, the Spanish had a watch tower on a rocky point and, later, a tuna processing factory occupied the spot.  The fisherman would “herd” the tuna into a channel and then into cages and tubs where they would spear them before processing and packaging them.  Quite interesting to see how they managed the tuna in shallow waters.

ruined farmhouse in the Vendicari Reserve

old fishermen's houses in Marzamemi

We went on to Marzamemi, a charming old fishing village that is now quite a tourist attraction for Italians, American bicycling tours and European groups.  The central piazza is unusual.  It does have the customary church, but is surrounded by small stone fishermen’s houses rather than the typical large villas of the wealthy.  Today the houses are shops and restaurants, many with terraces overlooking the Mediterranean.

old fishermen's houses, now a restaurant in Marzamemi

There is a small local industry that makes delicious pates and spreads out of tuna and local fish.  We tasted half a dozen of these on small rounds of toasts.  If I came here on vacation, I would buy their jars of spreads and eat just those for my meals.  These spreads are fish roe, tuna, mackerel, sundried tomatoes, olives, of course, sometimes by themselves and sometimes mixed together.  The shop is packed with these delicacies which are very enticing.  If I didn't have just carry-on luggage, I'd take a supply home.

sunset over Siracusa's big harbor

On to Siracusa where we are staying in a rather funky hotel with a perfect location, on the island of Ortigia, the old center of Siracusa, home to decaying villas and palaces, a beautiful, renovated cathedral and Piazza Duomo, and a reconstructed castle that is off limits to all but military personnel.  The site is gorgeous, with clear turquoise water all around.  There are huge cut stones in the water off the sea wall which I assume were part of an ancient city wall.  Sunset over the bay was soft and lovely.

World Heritage Towns of Ragusa Ibla and Modica

Roman doorway in Ragusa Ibla

In the Ragusa region are 3 UNESCO World Heritage Towns, Ragusa Ibla (lower town), Modica (both upper and lower towns) and Scicli (a small and charming town, with a pretty central piazza and not very many tourists, unlike Ragusa Ibla and Modica).  These towns began in the deep river valleys that are common in Sicily and today also occupy the steep sides of the valleys and the ridgetops.

flood water line (dark line in wall) 

In 1693, a huge earthquake destroyed most of the buildings in all 3 towns.  The citizens rebuilt them, but Modica and Scicli were again destroyed in a terrible flood in 1902, a wall of water 30 feet high resulting from 2 swollen rivers coming together in the center of Modica and continuing on down the narrow valley to overwhelm Scicli.  I took a photo of the high water line marked on one of the old buildings.

Baroque church facade in Ragusa Ibla

Again, the towns were rebuilt, not always with great architecture.  But, many of the Baroque churches of the early 18th century were restored, though many more are abandoned and decaying. There are also Baroque, neoclassical and even art deco villas from the last several centuries.  Some are still occupied by the descendants of the families who built them.  Others remain abandoned, waiting for someone with lots of money to restore them to their earlier splendor.

Modica's old Jewish quarter and upper city

If you love Baroque architecture and decoration, these are the towns for you, particularly if you love Baroque churches.  If these aren't for you, I would skip Ragusa Ibla, but spend some time in both Modica and Scicli which are charming and give you a good picture of Sicily's architectural and artistic history.  Then, even more important, if you're a chocolate lover, spend some time in Modica's chocolate shops learning about how they make their very unique chocolate (see below).

neoclassical buildings in Modica

You reach the valley floors down very steep and winding roads, with lots of hairpin turns.  These don't deter the Sicilian drivers, who seem to think a double line is just a suggestion for a quick glance to see if a huge truck is hurtling towards you before you pass on a blind curve.  Since we're driving, I'm particularly irritated by the drivers in the big black cars that nip my rear bumper even when there is no place for me to go on the narrow roads and no opportunity for them to pass.

So, back to chocolate.  Modica is known for its cool manufacturing process of Sicilian chocolate, which is very different from the smooth, buttery chocolates we know from Northern Europe (and now the US).  I love the Sicilian chocolate, which is grainy (I'll explain why), while Don prefers the smoother varieties we usually eat.

model showing old method of blending chocolate and sugar

Modica's chocolate is, as I said, made in a cool process.  While most dark chocolates are made by heating the chocolate to a high temperature so it melts and adding butter or oil, the Modica chocolate is not melted before making the candy (dare I use that word?).  A wonderful woman in one of the chocolate factories explained the process to us.

The cocoa fruit ranges from about the size of a small papaya to the size of a very large one.  The small fruits contain about 30 beans.  It takes 1000 beans to make a kilo of bitter chocolate. Originally, the plant came from Central America, but was taken to Africa (Ivory Coast and Ghana, among other places) and South America, where it thrived and still produces excellent cocoa.

When removed from the fruit, the bean is white and tasteless.  It is fermented for 15 days before being roasted.  For Sicilian chocolate, the roasted bean is ground, usually between 2 stones.  Next, the chocolatier heats the ground chocolate (very bitter) to 104 degrees (as opposed to melting it at about 170 degrees) until it becomes a thick paste, which is stored in limestone caves in the cliffs surrounding Modica until they need it for making the chocolates we eat.  No oils are added to this chocolate paste, so it's just pure chocolate.

Ragusa Ibla alleyway

Sugar crystals are mixed into the paste, today by a large electric mixer, but until about 12 years ago, by hand with what looks like a rolling pin on a curved, grooved stone.  This mixes the sugar evenly throughout the chocolate paste.  Because the paste is cool, the sugar doesn't melt into the mixture, which gives these bars their grainy texture.

The sugared paste next goes into a small mold, which one shakes to smooth out the bar, before being refrigerated.  The final step is to remove the bar from the mold and package it.  In Modica today, you can get chocolate bars in at least 30 flavors, from fruits to spices, and with different percentages of chocolate. I think they are divine and sampled just about every flavor before buying what I prefer, 70% cocoa without any added flavoring.

Astonishing Agrigento and Stunning Castelo del Casale

Temple of Concordia at sunset

The view from our hotel window in Agrigento was breathtaking, the gorgeous Greek Temple of Concordia.  But, Agrigento has so much more in its Valley of the Temples, where we stayed in a beautifully renovated villa turned hotel.  Dinner on the terrace under a nearly full moon showed us the magic of these ruins at night and made us eager for a tour yesterday with, happily, a terrific guide.

Concordia at night

I think I'm finally getting Sicily's ancient history straight.  Virtually all the temples were built by the Greeks during their two plus centuries in charge.  The Carthaginians tended to destroy much of what the Greeks built, particularly by fire.  The Romans sometimes rearranged the temples more to their liking, but kept them mostly intact, adding their markets, amphitheaters and homes around the temples.  Norman conquerors turned a couple of still-standing temples into churches.  Most of the destruction resulted from massive earthquakes that often rock this island. 

Temple of Hercules

The Temple of Concordia survived because the Normans built a church with its walls spanning the Greek columns, thereby giving the structure enough strength to withstand the later earthquakes.  A later king hated what he saw and ordered the temple returned to its earlier condition, which still stands, with some help, today.

stone with cable channel

We began our tour of the Valley of the Temples, as most tourists do, at the top, with the partially reconstructed Temple of Juno. 

tombs along the city wall

Continuing down the ridge top (the valley is actually off to one side of the temple ridge and was where the citizens lived and farmed), the ancient city walls protect the site from invasion by sea. They are filled with catacombs, now empty of their occupants.  Near the bottom of the ridge are temples that are just a jumble of collapsed columns and walls, perhaps to be partially rebuilt someday.

Greek statue waiting for new head

Archaeologists found a couple of Greek statues.  Our guide told us that the Greeks made "flexible" statues--the head and arms could be replaced each time the ruler changed, with the newcomers features in place of his predecessor.

The stones the Greeks used came from quarries several miles away in the limestone mountains above the valley.  Slaves, of course, built the temples.  One can only imagine how many died from exhaustion or horrific accident.  It had to be thousands.  Many of the stones have either holes in which large wood pins were inserted to carry or roll the stones.  Others have channels that were used to hold cables that helped in the transport and lifting of the stones.  The slaves used pulleys to lift the stones into place after they were cut perfectly to fit the stones below, beside and above them, with no mortar used at all.

mosaic of hapless elephant being taken to Sicily

Leaving Agrigento, we visited the beautiful Villa Romano del Casale, with its incredibly mosaics.  The villa may have been the home of a noble family.  It was preserved because a huge landslide covered the entire area, entombing the villa in the process.  Farmers found some remains of the villa when they were tilling the ground, which brought archaeologists in to excavate and preserve the building and mosaics.

children's chariot races

It's quite a large villa, with a complete Roman bath, public rooms, many bedrooms and the family's quarters.  Each room had a mosaic floor except for the basilica (meeting room), which is marble.  We go a little more detail than we needed from our guide, but it was quite fascinating to see the scenes in mosaics of African animals being loaded onto ships for transport across the Mediterranean to Sicily, family gatherings and young women athletes.

women athletes in competition