We left the environs of Noto on Tuesday around 10:30am and at noon we arrived at our next destination, the amazing "Monaci Delle Terre Nere" on the slopes of Mount Etna. Monaci is simply amazing!!! Not only are the views just astounding but the food is excellent (best we have had yet in Sicily), the staff friendly and attentive, the buildings cool (an old monastery which houses the ancient wine press etc) and the tranquility of the place inspiring. The only thing not going our way was the weather as Tuesday was over cast all day. After checking in and enjoying a welcome drink, our host told us that Mount Etna had just started erupting again and that we might get a view of lava if we were lucky. Wow. We settled into our amazing suite ("Limpido") located about a five minute walk from the main building and relaxed for a bit before having a light lunch (salad and vegetarian pasta).
We then relaxed in our suite for a few hours before heading back to the main building for aperitifs and snacks at 6pm. They laid out a groaning table of cheeses, salamis, nuts, honey and crackers. We looked at each other with wide eyes and decided that the next day we would skimp on lunch to wait for the 6pm snacks. At 8:30pm it was time for dinner which was the best we have had to date in Sicily; Lisa had a wonderful peace of beef while Christos had the best tuna ever! We skipped dessert as we were just stuffed, wandered back to our suite and chatted about how we should have just come here for the whole trip! Of course we were just kidding as we love to see lots of different places and things but truly for those who come to Sicily, Monaci is not to be missed. While we did not see any lava or smoke (the skies were still overcast) we did hear some thundering sounds that may well have been Etna welcoming us. After a little iPad TV of "The Americans" (special thanks to Davey and Shazz for the recommendation) we got to sleep around 11:30pm, our budding homesickness much diminished!
Wednesday on Mount Etna started bright and sunny and we enjoyed an amazing breakfast of freshly squeezed blood orange juice, cheese, bread, fruits, preserves and of course cappuccino before heading off to visit the local town of Zafferena. At Zafferena we did a little shopping (Lisa bought a new bag) and wandered about until lunch time when we shared a calzone (or Sicilian pizza) that was quite good before heading back to Monaci in the early afternoon. By this time the weather had changed to being slightly overcast but still gorgeous. Back at Monaci we lounged by the pool reading until 4pm when we did a yoga class! A new thing for Christos and something he has to be careful doing as he has a slight back problem. We both enjoyed the class and decided we wanted to do it again the next day. Then it was time for a little more relaxation before 6pm cheese and wine. We played a little "Kingdom Builder" on the iPad from 7pm to 8pm while sitting on our lawn soaking in the amazing view. We also saw a snake! It was about three feet long and crossed our path when we were returning from snack time. It was interesting to see the snake print it left in the dirt as it crossed our path. Dinner was once again excellent, we both had the beef; which was good but not as good as the nigh before (different cut). All the guests for dinner were sitting outside and the weather turned once more; to a solid rain! We were sheltered under an umbrella and thus were the last holdouts but eventually we followed everyone else and went inside. Fortunately the rain stopped before dinner ended and we walked back to our suite on soggy ground but with no rain falling on us. Once more we watched an episode of "The Americans" before falling asleep.
Our final full day in Sicily started once more with sunshine and a wonderful breakfast. We decided to wander the grounds of Monaci, trying to get a better glimpse of Mt. Etna and visiting the wonderful gardens where Monaci produces vegetables for its kitchen. We were so happy without holiday we just had to jump for joy ... more than once!
Shortly before noon we hopped on the car and drove to the Benanti winery in the nearby town of Viagrande for a tasting of its vintages.
Although the tour got off to a rocky start as our guide was busy with another group it ended up being a great experience and we discovered that the Etna grape, Nerello Mascalese was much to our liking; six bottles are coming home with us.
After a wonderful tasting and lunch we finally hopped back in the car around 4pm and returned to Monaci where we relaxed as the sun set, sipping wine and playing "Kingdom Builder".
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