Mary's Musings and More: SICILY - Part Two: SYRACUSE PROVINCE

We have several local guides and experts on our program, as well as our group leader, Enrico, who has been leading tours of Sicily for over 20 years. Enrico is with us the entire tour, and provides us with a wealth of information about Sicily, as well as practical suggestions.

Enrico suggested we pick up a map of Ortigia from the hotel desk, so we could explore the city during free time on our own. We didn't waste any time on this, and set our alarm for 6:00 am Friday morning (Oct. 6.) We ventured outdoors and had the glorious city to ourselves.

Alone on the Piazza del Duomo at 6:30 am we view the moon.


Twenty minutes later, the sun rises over the Ioanian Sea.

We walked the perimeter of the island, about 3 km. It was fun to pass by the open market where the vendors were starting to set up their displays.

Putting out the swordfish, and sweeping the pavement.

We met our local guide, Lucia Iacono, at the hotel lobby after breakfast. Lucia led us on a two-hour walking tour of Ortigia, which included the duomo (of course) as well as the Fonte Aretus, a fresh water spring, which is the symbol of Syracuse.

Lucia explained the history of this duomo, (1754) with its rich Baroque facade.

Fonte Aretusa.

We also viewed the Fontaine d'Artemis or the Fountain of Diane, which is in the center of town. We couldn't help but walk by "Diane" at least a couple of times daily on our excursions.

Fountain of Diane, Ortigia.

After Lucia's tour, we had time on our own until 2:15 p.m. Gerry, mom and I walked up and down some of the interesting streets, and eventually worked our way over to the open market where we had lunch at the sandwich shop Caseificio Borderi. It has become world famous. (Check out the videos in the link and you will see why.)

We loaded our coach bus for the 20-minute ride to the Greek Theater of Syracuse, which dates back to 474 B.C. We were given a 90-minute guided tour. This 15,000 capacity theater is considered one of the most important theaters of the ancient world.

This well-preserved theater is still used for performances of classical works.

One cannot argue with the view from the top of the theater.

Later in the evening, our group walked 10 minutes from our hotel to Il Tempio di Atena for a seafood dinner. Our first course was spaghetti with clams. The dinner entree was succulent sea bass, with colossal shrimp and salad. Dessert was a lemon sorbet. It was another gourmet dining experience.

We're off to a great start! The white wine is also tasty.

The sea bass does taste as good as it looks.

We were treated to a striking view of the moon reflecting over the sea, on our post-dinner walk back to our hotel. The perfect ending to a fabulous day.

I pause and reflect on the reflection.

Saturday, October 7, was a full-day excursion. We took the coach to Buscemi, a small village town on a hill at 2,500 feet above sea level. A local guide met us and led us on the exploration of the town. It was a step back in time, to learn how Sicilian life was a century ago, before farming communities like Buscemi were depopulated by emigration.

We arrive in Buscemi.

A group of local young volunteers intervened in 1988 to try and preserve their cultural heritage. Their idea was to document the rural culture. They did not create a traditional museum. Instead, they displayed artifacts in their authentic contexts, structured in several "museum-units" or houses throughout the small town. Until the 1960s, a family of 4 lived in the agricultural day-laborer's house, a room of just 12 square feet.

The day-laborer's house.

In the dish-repairer's shop, we saw the tools used to mend ceramic and terracotta plates and jugs.

The drill used to repair any broken dishes.

An ancient wine press.

I especially enjoyed the room of popular art, where we saw some terra-cotta pottery, elaborate wall hangings made of wheat shaft, lanterns adorned with colorful pasta of various shapes and sizes, and an authentic, colorful Sicilian cart from yester-year.

Terra-cotta pottery, decorated with beans and grains.

This wall hanging took several years to complete. It was incredible to see.

Would you like to have this lantern decorated with pasta in your house?

Or, perhaps take this cart to the market?

We ate lunch at an agriturismo (farm restaurant) in the hills near Buscemi, called Agriturismo Giannavi, where we were fed another multi-course meal which featured local produce and wine. Their melt-in-your-mouth fresh ricotta with tomato-jam was out of this world. Too bad I devoured it before I thought to take a picture. Oh well. At least I snapped a photo of my plate of antipasto.

Who needs pasta when you have this antipasto?

Our dessert platter. The ricotta filling hits the sweet spot!

After lunch we had time to walk around the agriturismo and also relax on the porch and enjoy the views.

Relaxing with my mother after lunch on a gorgeous day.

We returned to Ortigia in the late afternoon. At 6:30 pm we walked a block to a puppet museum, "Opera dei Pupi", where we were given a 30-minute tour of the museum, which featured hundreds of puppets.

A fine collection of puppets.

Afterward, we were treated to a one-hour puppet show, called, "Olimpa, A New Hope." How often does one see an authentic puppet show? Much more entertaining than TV!

Sunday, October 8, was our final full day in Syracuse / Ortigia. Gerry and I took a short sunrise stroll near the waterfront before breakfast. After breakfast, we met local guide Lucia at the Museo Archeologico in Syracuse where we were given a guided tour. Lucia pointed out the highlights of the museum. Similar to the Smithsonian, it would take days to thoroughly see the vast collection of this well-organized museum.

Highlighted pieces pieces included Venus Landolina, a marble statue from the 2nd Century A.D., and the Testa di Laganello, which dates back to 700 B.C.

Who cares if Venus Landolina is missing her head and right arm?

Not a bad face for a 2700-year-old gal.

But my favorite hands down, was the terra-cotta frieze of Medusa, "Gorgon from the Temple of Athena," (dated 570 to 550 B.C.)

Medusa, with her lolling tongue. Pretty scary.

After the museum, we visited the catacombe di San Giovanni. No photos were allowed here, but it was fun to explore these ancient caves.

We ate lunch at agriturismo Case Damma, on the outskirts of Syracuse, a working farm which dates back to the 15th Century. Before we dined, our host Carmelo showed us his personal museum on the premises.

An old vat for making ricotta cheese.

Carmelo has several olive trees on his premises. The olives are being harvested this time of year, and are a very lucrative part of his agriturismo.

This olive tree, over 1,000 years old, is still producing.

Our group leader Enrico had been telling us about the wonderful food at Case Damma for days. Unfortunately, I have no food photos, but I do have memories of the fabulous lunch of an antipasto sampler, homemade pasta with ricotta and meat sauce, sausage with oranges, mixed salad, pastries and expresso. We drank bottomless glasses of wine with the lunch.

Stuffed, we boarded the bus to Noto, the finest Baroque town in Sicily. Sicilians refer to Noto as a garden of stone. It has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The monumental gateway, Porta Reale, (1838) is the entrance to Noto. The original Noto was destroyed by an earthquake in 1693, but was rebuilt in the Baroque style.

The grand entrance to the Baroque town, Noto.

It leads to Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Noto's stately main thoroughfare, where one can join the hundreds of other pedestrians who want to view the beautiful buildings such as St. Nicholas Cathedral, and the Santa Chiara church.