Bombastic Sicily

29/01/2025 — Catania

Arrived in Catania, 40€ taxi but a very nice hotel.

30/01/2025 — Catania → Ortigia

Best cannolo ever (both for the shell and the ricotta). Piazza del Duomo with the little elephant. Fish market (a bit deserted). Giardini Bellini (Villa Bellini) very pretty with a view of snow-capped Etna and the flowerbeds changing daily.

Then we tried to reach the sea. The road is apparently a dump. After seeing the port, we headed back towards the center to a market where a famous Sicilian singer (Pino) was playing, preparing for the Sant'Agata festival. We bought some slightly disappointing strawberries, then went to Euronics but didn't buy a charger for me.

After gathering some food, we stopped to eat in front of Castello Ursino. We then headed to the Monastero dei Benedettini which we discovered was the humanities university. The students there were chilling out.

On the way back to the hotel, we also peeked at the Roman amphitheater. After grabbing our backpacks, we took the bus to the car rental. After a quick cassata stop at the entrepreneurs' bar and a small scare arriving at a deserted rental place, we managed to pick up the car, a beautiful Aygo X, blue in my opinion, eggplant according to Leo.

Next stop, Ortigia, also known as the little island in front of Syracuse. After parking the car, we grabbed a sandwich to give us the strength to walk the 500 meters that separated us from our hotel Vicolo IV (or VI). We liked Daniele's sandwich (with horse meat) so much that we went back for a triple for dinner.

Vicolo IV was decent, it didn't get much light and lacked a window, but we had everything we needed: a TV with Sky to watch Masterchef. Breakfast was a bit meager, but that's probably Leo's fault for actually booking for the wrong day.

31/01/2025 — Ortigia · Siracusa · Noto · Modica · Scicli · Marina di Ragusa

As soon as we woke up, a little tour of Ortigia, a fabulous stop on our little trip. We'd even say, the most beautiful place (Leo comments: "top place"). Walking around, we saw the Fonte Aretusa, the sea, and the castle, the Baroque church. Overall, it reminds me of old Gallipoli. We then moved to Syracuse to see Caravaggio's painting: The Burial of Saint Lucy. A kind, and slightly sexist, gentleman explained the whole story of Saint Lucy, patron saint of the blind and Syracuse. He even gave us the saint's sweat (Leo comments: a very important relic that he then lost). Caravaggio is a must-see: we could easily steal that painting ourselves.

We got back in the eggplant and headed towards Noto. Our arrival here started with a drama. Parking under pressure, Leo scratched the bumper. This can only mean one thing: our rental won't cost just those few 55 euros anymore, but we'll know more about that in a few hours. Despite the minor mishap, we visited the charming Noto, immersing ourselves in the stories of the Ferragnez and visiting the church where Fedez almost ditched Chiara.

Lunch break: a panozzo stuffed with ham and onion and a Sicilian cannolo (the worst ever). Note: in Noto, you need to be athletic, there's a lot of uphill walking and it's tiring. When you get to the top, there's nothing.

Next stop Modica. Modica Cathedral is blue and very charming despite the renovation work. Of course, chocolate was a must, which Leo loved but I'm not a big fan (Leo comments: "Sciascia was a big fan"). Lots of uphill here too, but it was worth it. In particular, on the way down, sneaking into the garden of a social worker school, the thief Leo grabbed a delicious orange.

Back in the eggplant, we went to Scicli. In an attempt to find a breathtaking sunset view, we almost delivered the final blow to the car. Be careful, Google Maps in Sicily is a bit scatterbrained and wanted us to take the direct route, a deadly gravel road. Once we found the right path, we reached the top, where Leo spotted our accommodation for the night: Relais Chiaromonte. A very nice place lost in the countryside between Modica and Marina di Ragusa that must cost an arm and a leg in summer. For dinner, we went down to Marina di Ragusa where we ate top-notch fish at Baqqalà.

01/02/2025 — Agrigento · Scala dei Turchi · Marsala

After breakfast, we headed to Agrigento with the main stop being "Valle dei Templi," a very fascinating place. We particularly liked the Telamons and the Girgentana goats. It's incredible to think that until a few years ago it was a place of illegal building: practically Matteo Messina Denaro and his buddies, about whom we learned from a podcast during our hours in the car, had a villa with the Temple of Concordia in their private garden (joking :).

We then headed towards Agrigento city to fact-check the news about the road without manholes covered for Mattarella's visit and to grab a bite. Probably not one of our favorite stops but we devoured several typical sweets at Cuspidi bar. P.S. we confirm that the manholes are visible again.

Next stop Scala dei Turchi, a breathtaking place but completely unappreciated and, as reported by a sign at the entrance from the early 2000s, still under seizure.

With our not-so-reassuring podcast in the background, we got lost on the magnificent Sicilian roads. Guys, there's really something to be scared of! After two hours among fields and illegal dumps, we arrived in Marsala, which I've dubbed the Sicilian Lecce. With everyone dressed up for Saturday night, the atmosphere was vibrant and fun. As usual, we went for a gourmet restaurant: we stopped at a bakery for various kinds of focaccia and walked through the city center streets.

02/02/2025 — Trapani · Erice · Palermo

After a night's rest at the Baitan hotel (a bit scary), we set off for Trapani, with a breakfast stop at Oasi Bar, a truly excellent place full of locals (practically all of Marsala was there).

The day wasn't the best but that didn't stop us, and we arrived in Trapani to visit its center. Similar concept to Ortigia but less historically and scenically charming. After buying some not-so-great mandarins and almost leaving my leg on a rock, we continued towards Erice. The sun didn't smile on us, and when we arrived in Erice, we were enveloped in fog. The town, probably very populated in summer, appears deserted in winter, so much so that we couldn't find anything to fill Leo's grumbling stomach.

After scrounging up some food in Val d'Erice, we headed towards Palermo. It was on this stretch of road that we finished the book on Prada, a pleasant and smooth read.

Google Maps' behavior hadn't improved, so much so that it sent us directly into the heart of Ballarò, through narrow streets and dangers around every corner. Again, our Schumacher saved the eggplant. A forced stop, stuck between the narrow streets of Palermo, where we decided on our destination for the night: the Grande Hotel Artemide. We arrived safely at the hotel shortly after. A brief stop, where Leo, in a prolonged bathroom session, organized the entire afternoon itinerary. We headed to one of the places we most recommend in Palermo: the Convento di Santa Caterina. In addition to the rich church, you can visit the interior of the convent, its terraces (with a top view), and the rooms where, until 2014, cloistered nuns resided. Many details are striking, such as the niches from which the nuns watched the Eucharistic celebration from above without being seen by their respective families, or some objects like the wheel for passing goods and the wax baby Jesus figures that each nun inherited from the previous one.

Don't miss the nuns' pastry shop inside the convent to taste some traditional Sicilian delicacies. We highly recommend the "trionfo di gola," it's delicious.

At dusk, we went to Palermo Cathedral, beautiful outside but a bit bare inside (Leo comments: "a true gem of cultural contamination between Arab and Norman"). The last stop of the evening before a characteristic dinner was the new tourist port, which impressed us with its modernity: it felt more like being in Dubai than Palermo. With a beer in my belly, we watched the pleasant fountain show at 7 PM.

Dinner at Sciapò, certainly not a luxurious place but where we tasted real traditional dishes with excellent value for money. Sciapò. Thirsty, we took a digestive stroll to a Famila supermarket on Palermo's most fashionable street, where we admired and commented on the Prada window displays to give shape to the outfits just described in our book, and where we peeked at the Teatro di Palermo.

03/02/2025 — Palermo

As soon as we woke up, I did my best on a mission that had been tormenting us the whole trip. Then we headed to the Vucciria market, which seems to be completely closed in winter. Walking and walking, we arrived at Ballarò, a historic and much livelier market. Third stop: Palazzo Reale dei Normanni. A stop in the gardens where we got some sun, and then immediately set off for one of the spookiest places in all of Sicily: the Catacombe dei Cappuccini. I think Leo will have trouble sleeping tonight, and Rosalia Lombardo, the best-preserved mummy in the world, might disturb his dreams.

Walking quickly, we returned to the seaside to taste a local sandwich: Pani ca' Meusa, the spleen sandwich. Unfortunately, we're not big fans, but the second delight of the day, the iris, we enjoyed very much. Last ride in the eggplant to return to base camp, Catania. Only today did we discover that the highway is free.