Sicily - Noto (or thereabouts)

We left Modica Friday morning and decided, at Christos' insistence, to head back to Caltagirone to try once more for some ceramic shopping and touring. Arriving around noon we did not have much time to shop as everything closes around 1:30pm but that did not deter us as we found a lovely little shop and loaded up on bowls to take home.

The shop was just off the famous main stairs of Caltagirone; the stairs are famous as they are all tiled on the vertical face and present quite a beautiful view when seen from their base. We also stopped in at a local deli and bought meats, bread, olives and marinated mushrooms for lunch. Christos prepared two sandwiches on the road as we headed out for the two hour drive to Noto from Caltagirone; one proscuitto and one salami and we were in no need of olives or mushrooms (which we saved for a later date). Arriving at "Masseria degli Ulivi" around 5pm we noted its quaint charm and peaceful quiet, something we have been looking forward to as both Mandranova (near the highway) and Casa Talia (in the heart of Modica) were a bit loud. We checked out the lovely grounds (olive trees abound) and then rested until dinner at 9pm. We were a bit worried as the hotel is some 8km from Noto and if the restaurant was no good we had few other options. Fortunately, the restaurant is excellent! Christos had a tasty octopus carpaccio while Lisa had gnocchi for appetizers followed by veal (Christos) and mixed grill (Lisa) which were both excellent. We also enjoyed the bottle of Nero D'Avola wine in the room which we thought quite good but turned out to be just the hotel's house wine! After dinner we drifted off to sleep watching "The Americans" on the iPad; a new series for us.

The next morning it was off to Syracuse (or Siracusa as the Italians say), one of the first Ancient Greek colonies in Sicily and a town filled to the brim with sights to see! We arrived before noon and headed to Ortigia, an island that was once the heart of ancient Siracusa that is now linked to the main city by bridge. Our first stop was the ruins of the Temple of Apollo and while not much is left today, one could see the various stages of use from the Greeks, to the Byzantines to the late medieval; each adding a little of its own to the building. Adjacent to the temple is the local market which was in full swing when we arrived.

The market is primarily food oriented, although one can get underwear as well there. We strolled along looking at the stalls piled high with fruit and vegetables, local products such as lemoncella and olive oil but most appealing were the fishmonger stalls. The fish were all as fresh as can be with eyes as black as coal and no "fishy" smell at all.
We watched a fishmonger chop up a massive tuna in sight of the head of a swordfish.

It all looked so wonderful and we yearned for the days gone by when we could have brought such fine victuals back to Elifthiria for Sally to cook up. Lisa lamented our choice of domicile as fresh fish in Toronto is as rare as an honest politician. Next it was time to visit the church of Santa Lucia that houses a Caravaggio painting ("Martyrdom of Santa Lucia") that although not his best work (he rushed to get it done in time for a festival) still exhibits his amazing talent and is lovely to gaze upon. Then it was off to the Duomo next door which was quite amazing as it incorporates the ancient columns of the Temple of Athena from 2500 years ago!
With its massive stone blocks, the towering columns and the warm glow of the stained glass the gravitas of the place was quite astounding. We then stopped off for a glass (well two actually) of white wine at a local trattoria where we ended up purchasing some fine white wine before making the trek to the archeological museum. The museum houses a fine collection of Sicilian artifacts from the most ancient times (mostly grave goods dating back to 3000BC) through to the Greco-Roman era (lots of votive offerings, vases etc). The highlight is a roman era sarcophagus of supreme workmanship.

We then drove back to Masseria degli Ulivi and chilled until dinner, which was once more quite good (lamb for Christos, fettuccine with rabbit ragout for Lisa).

The next day was a Sunday and as such, we opted to just relax at the hotel as not much is open in Italy on Sundays. The day was spent lounging by the pool, reading and playing kingdom builder. Once more dinner was delicious; Christos had the squid ink pasta while Lisa had the lamb that Christos enjoyed the previous evening.

For our final day near Noto, we opted for a day trip in to Noto to see the Baroque architecture. We arrived before noon and spent about three hours in Noto. Lisa purchased an expensive but appropriate t-shirt (it says "beautiful shoes are my Prozac") and we also bought some pottery, a small painting, some postcards of old Sicily maps and two bottles of Noto DOC wine (both Nero D'Avola, a grape we have come to quite enjoy). Then it was time for a trip to Noto Antica, the old town hat was destroyed in the earthquake of 1693 (it had been inhabited since the 400s). We only saw one other group there and we quickly lost them as they wimped out soon after entering the ruins (he macro of the group was wearing totally inappropriate shoes for exploration). We spent about an hour and a half in the blazing sun wandering over the ruins visiting an old church, the castle, a palace and a hospital.

Quite a fun excursion for us. Christos also picked up some broken pottery shards that is likely older than Canada!

Four our final night at Masseria, we both opted to dine on the excellent fettuccine with rabbit ragout, washed down with a bottle of "Carthago" Nero D'Avola wine. Christos had an excellent potatoes and leek soup to start while Lisa had the yummy gnocchi. All the pasta at Masseria is made daily and it really makes a difference! After dinner it was time to watch a little more of "The Americans" before lumbering into sleep with thoughts of our next and final destination in Sicily; Mount Etna!!!!