Sicily

[Melcombe]

The matter is settled.

It has taken weeks, no, months of intricate negotiation with Her Indoors on a scale that would rival the Congress of Vienna. Care of (my daughter’s) lop-eared rabbit is also now provided for and work colleagues have been alerted that the usual flow of inane communications will remain unread as usual – so they’ll hardly miss me.

We are going on holiday next month. To Sicily.

Arranging holidays in this household is normally such a monumental undertaking that we can only manage one holiday a year. The experience is likewise such an effort of booking, insuring and organising hotels that once is enough. All potential candidates for visiting / staying must :

(a) Rate with excellence on Tripadvisor;
(b) Have attractive names that my wife does not find too disconcertingly foreign;
(c) Do not display photographs on their websites that suggest either over-commercialisation / obsession with portion-control – or worse, are taken in a ‘funny’ light. (I can’t be more specific on this attribute, but I have been trying to find out during the last 24 years of marriage).

I have checked for climate with positive results. You’d think being English, I’d readily cope with rain for most of the year but actually I find that I need sunshine more as I get older. I shall be packing a fair amount of linen plus my old Panama.

I am also intending to read Norman Lewis’s “The Honoured Society” as prep. Last year I read “Naples ’44” as a prelude to a trip to Naples via Paestum. I kept visualising the advances of the Allies through the towns he so graphically describes – I can heartily recommend the experience of taking historical accounts as travel guides; Lewis’s writing is really quite compelling.

Having got this far with the planning, I really would appreciate any guidance I can gather from the wisdom of LL’ers as to where to go and what to see. I'm not particularly inclined towards marinating in suncream on the beach and much prefer archaeology and landscape. We’re flying to/from Catania and expecting to head south (Syracuse) rather than west (Palermo-wards) but the hire car’s unlimited mileage beckons, so I'm open to suggestion.

Any pointers?

[couch]

Dear Melcombe,

Congratulations on completing the battle plan for your vacation, which sounds an achievement little short of that for Operation Husky. Since you appear to enjoy literary preparation to increase your appreciation of the trip, have you read Lampedusa's The Leopard? And/or seen Visconti's remarkable film? The book is inevitably superior, and conveniently concise. The restored movie is magnificent in its own way, and quite long. I'm sure Michael will have much to add, but I thought a reminder of this deeply Sicilian historical novel might not come amiss. Have a wonderful trip!

[Frederic Leighton]

Dear Melcombe,

Congratulations for managing to set time apart and arrange everything for what will certainly be a most wonderful trip! Out of the main track, Caltagirone, with centuries of tradition in ceramics making, is well worth a visit. The Val di Noto offers great examples of baroque architecture. The Necropolis of Pantalica is a very magic place and I still have wonderful memories of a good walk there followed by a swim in the cool waters of the Anapo river. Good reads will include Giacomo da Lentini and the Sicilian School of poetry, whose massive impact on the birth of the Italian language and literature is less known (compared to Dante and Petrarca). One of my favourite wines, Passito di Pantelleria, comes from the tiny island 60 miles off Sicily, also famous for the production of capers; a bit far for a visit, but I wouldn't forget my daily little glass of passito after dinner. Have a great time!

[Screaminmarlon]

Good reads will include Giacomo da Lentini and the Sicilian School of poetry, whose massive impact on the birth of the Italian language and literature is less known (compared to Dante and Petrarca).

Oh, having read that, I had an epiphany, many years ago, of the early days in Lyceum (after Gymnasium), with Ser Blacatz Lamentation by Sordello.
Might I add that Sicilian cuisine is second to none, even if a bit over the top?
Have a nice holiday
M.

[hectorm]

Dear Melcombe,
Goethe wrote: "To have visited Italy without visiting Sicily, is not to have visited Italy, since Sicily is the explanation to it all". I suspect that he has a point and I would recommend that you read his Italian Journey before embarking on you trip.
On a strictly personal note, I would strongly recommend that you invest a few hours hiking up to the top crater rim of Mount Etna. It's a short drive from Catania to the guided tour sites inside the park, and then a combination of cable car, 4x4 and trekking (you can make it as easy or strenuous as you want through this combinations) as you enter a landscape from another world. Absolutely astounding! And if you faced your trip canceled midway up because of an eruption, then much better. When or where would you have another chance of climbing to the top of an active volcano?
I find this side trip a perfect complement to all the archeological sites, churches, nero d'avola and arancini that you will be undertaking.

[Rob O]

May I recommend you watch "Francesco's Italy" part 4? I enjoyed the series recently. Francesco da Mosto is a Venice-based Italian architect and historian. This is not an academic journey - far from it - more of an emotional excursion into Sicily, the land of his ancestors. Francesco is lovely person, traversing the country in a beautiful Alfa Romeo Spider, opining on local food, architecture, history and anecdote. He also climbs Mt. Etna with a guide, as Hectorm mentions a must-do if you have the energy.

Francesco desperately needs a new tweed jacket but I doubt that's a priority for him. He politely rebutted Giorgio Armani's sartorial advice in an earlier episode when visiting Milan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX9R4cdkRBw

[kamil]

Great food is one of the strongest associations I have with Catania, where I had spent several holidays, intensively exploring local restaurants and trattorias in addition to other activities. I will gladly share my experience if you're interested.

[Aristide]

I would imagine that Mr. Alden would be an invaluable resource also.

[msefton9]

You are absolutely right to want to go to Syracuse. But it would be a mistake not to try to go to Palermo as well, if only for a day or so. I would head to Palermo in preference to continuing south to Noto or Ragusa, which are both pretty soulless places. I haven't had much luck with hotels in Sicily. The only one I can recommend unreservedly is the San Domenico Palace in Taormina. It is a mediaeval monastery, on the top of a cliff, converted into a hotel. It is expensive, though. If you go to Syracuse, then you should obviously stay in one of the hotels on Ortygia; but I have no particular suggestion which one. In terms of restaurants, though, I am on slightly stronger ground. If you make it to Palermo, then have lunch at the Antica Focacceria San Francesco. They have tables outside in a square. They serve unashamedly precise and traditional Sicilian food. (You will notice, incidentally, a carabinieri van parked outside the restaurant. Apparently, the owner gave evidence in a mafia trial about a decade ago, and the carabinieri have been stationed there permanently ever since.) You should go into Catania for a day, if you can. It was rebuilt in the 17th century after Etna destroyed it, and it was rebuilt using the lava, so it is place like no other: streets of baroque buildings, all built out of jet black lava. There is a tremendous fish market and, at the side of the market, a tremendous restaurant: the Osteria Antica Marina. You won't regret going there for lunch, I promise. Just get there early, because it fills up quickly. In Ortygia, again by the side of the fish market, there is a place called Ristorante l'Ancora. It may not rate that highly on tripadvisor, but whoever under-rates it is simnply wrong. Ignore them. It is an excellent place. Also by the side of the fish market in Ortygia is the best delicatessen you will ever visit: I Sapori dei Gusti Smarriti (translation: 'the flavours of lost tastes'). The owner was one of the instigators of the Slow Food Movement, and sells the very best produce from across the Island. Finally: release your inner child, and have that most traditional of Sicilian breakfasts: a brioche sandwich, with ice-cream as the filling, and an espresso granita on the side.

[Screaminmarlon]

that most traditional of Sicilian breakfasts: a brioche sandwich, with ice-cream as the filling, and an espresso granita on the side.

You might want to try the Iris for breakfast: you'll be stunned

[alden]

I have often told my friends that it takes a good month to begin to see Sicily. So a travel plan depends a good deal on how much time you have at your disposition.

September: Begin preparations for the olive harvest. Weather is grand, not too hot, the ocean is inviting and the beaches empty. Four months of blissful earthly existence to follow till the first heavy rains and change of temperatures in late December or early January. A perfect time to visit one of the most beautiful places on earth: The Aeolian Islands.

So I would start by heading to the Aeolians. Head north and stop by tourist clogged Taormina, The San Domenico Palace, for a day, no more. Then take the Fiumefreddo exit and head towards Randazzo and check in to the Parco Statella. http://www.parcostatella.com/ You will traverse the great wine country of Etna in doing so. Stop in Passopisciaro and visit a winery or two. You could stay the month here and be very happy you did. But push on!

From there you will take the route north into the Nebrodi mountains to visit lovely towns overlooking Etna and the sea. Then you will head down the mountain to Milazzo where you will leave your car and take the aliscafi to the island of Salina where you will check into Il Gelso and visit the islands of Lipari, Vulcano, Panarea etc. http://www.ilgelsovacanze.com/. You may never get up the courage to leave here. But if you have a will of steel you will return to Milazzo and follow the coastal route to Palermo stopping in for a night and a glorious meal at l’Antica Filanda. This restaurant is rated in the top fifteen on the island. Ten of the other top rated places are in and around Ragusa.

Palermo, a must see for its marketplace, beautiful architecture, Monreale etc. Get a copy of “The Blue Book” for Sicily. It is the best guide by far. From Palermo follow the route to Trapani. In September there is the International Couscous Festival. Cooks from all over the world cooking Couscous including the local favorite al pesce.

Trapani is the launch point for a visit of the lovely Egadi islands. But if you have been to the Aeolians you will not need to stop here so head down the coast to Marsala, a cute coastal town with great vineyards all around it. Drink the local wine of Nino Baracco or DiBartoli. There is a comfy Best Western in the center of town.

From Marsala you are a short drive from a remarkable place, the ruins at Selinunte. Not to be missed. Magic. On the way see the island of Mothia and its salt flats and the Phoenician ruins around the Whitaker museum.

From Selinunte you have a long drive along the coast to the Valley of the Temples at Agrigento.

I expect you did not leave Salina, so all of this has been purely academic.

Cheers

PS Msefton9's advice above is spot on. I often do my morning shopping at the market in Siracusa and then stop by L'Ancora for lunch.

I am not sure how useful TripAdvisor is for Italy in general. There are too many people who are too easily made happy and others who just do not understand the real splendors.

[Melcombe]

Thanks to you all for your very helpful replies - I shall digest them over the few weeks before the trip.

Despite never having been to Sicily before, I hope that my instincts prove me right : I have been told so many things about the place that are - to me - totally encouraging.

Over the last decade I have come to realise that Italy and the Italians are very much suited to my ideas of the perfect travel destination. By that I mean somewhere that allows the occasional visitor, rather than the permanent resident to pick up easily on its best attributes - rather than having to work on them (like trying to develop an appreciation of French customer service).

Im hoping that Sicily will be 'accessible' in that sense - the most heartening comment I also heard today from a colleague was that he found the place 'underdeveloped'. Yes please!

My idea of travel is to see the sights but also to see real life too - so anywhere where it is easy to step off the tourist trail is preferred. My only regret is that my Italian is very limited : I developed the ability to complain fluently in French at an early age...

I shall report back in due course.

[alden]

Melcombe

Rest assured, the Sicilians you will come into contact with are very easy going, generous and friendly people. The island is pretty much virgin in terms of tourism, compared to other parts of Italy, with only a few spots getting any real attention. It will seem like you have traveled back in time in some areas. And that is very relaxing for some reason. A friend of mine and fellow LL member once wrote that "Sicily is the Italy I always dreamt of but never found." That really does sum it up well. I too have been a constant visitor to Italy my whole life. I discovered Sicily after having seen everything else. I am so very glad I did.

Cheers

[Sammyo77]

Dining in Palermo: Osteria dei Vespri is very good but my favourite place to eat is Santandrea.

[uppercase]

Yes, I would like to spend a month in Sicily too, then go to the aeolian islands and then on to morocco.
Sounds ideal.
A complete change. New food. New people. New ideas and attitudes.