Piazza Armerina, Sicily, Sicilia

On the way from Palermo we drove fast over a bridge (a road on stilts) about 28 km long. With the wind and the heavy rain, it was a touch terrifying. The sun shone briefly as we hit Piazza Armerina, an old inland town in the mountains of central Italy, with about 23,000 inhabitants. Its history dates back to C7th BC , with Roman, Middle Ages and Norman architectural evidence. We ate the best pasta ever (pasta fresca from Nonna Maria) at Ristorante Teatro. Then the rain came down again.

Catania, Sicilia, Sicily

Any day in Catania involves a traffic jam of some description. "Molto traffico!" Saturdays are often worse than others. It took quite a while to navigate the narrow streets, all of course with cars , vans and trucks parked at all angles, all over the place, sticking out to block the streets, and with much honking of horns/claxions. Finally we reached the equally noisy fish market. An experience not to be missed.
Today we also saw evidence of at least 6 weddings. And to make the traffic even worse it was Saint Rita's day, with many women dressed to please or remember her, in simple black long dresses with a white top. At first we thought those in these costumes may have been in a choir. Later we noticed young girls were wearing the outfits also. Most carrying a long-stemmed red rose. Still later at the Castel Ursino we met a family with a sleeping baby a few months old, in pram, dressed as Saint Rita. Without a rose.

Rome

My limo and driver were at Fiumicino airport to pick me up and drive (quickly) to my modest hotel, not far from Termini stazione, and on the second floor. My room is about 3m x 4m, with a single bed, plus wardrobe and ensuite.... but every possible thing I could need, including marble tiled floor, HD TV, desk, lights with functining globes, hot water etc.

I took the #40 bus from Termini to my favourite spot in all Rome, the Pantheon. I got off near the Vittorio Emanuele bridge, and wandered the old windey streets, pedestraians only (sort of), eventually reaching Piazza Navona. Unfortunately Bernini's fountain covered by white safety boarding as it's being restored. After a gelato, a side street leads to the Pantheon. It was raining lightly all afternoon. I put on my attractive blue plastic raincoat from the $1 shop, immediately identifying myself as a straniera: no Italian woman would reduce herself to such comfortable practical attire. Not "una bella figura".

The Pantheon exterior is presently half covered in scaffolding, but the half that can still be seen is grand and somewhat awe inspiring. No charge to enter today.... lots of people, some there obviously to evade the rain. With the large round hole in the roof, of course the rain came in, so a largish space in the middle of the floor was cordoned off, and for the first time I noticed small holes in parts of the floor for drainage, amomgst the beautiful mosaics. Raphael's tomb, Vittorio Emmanuel's grand tomb, and the fabulous ceiling with the light and shadows making it look even more spectacular... will put a few photos up on the blog when I get a chance.. not able to now, sitting in my hotel room without correct facilities.

Getting to Italy

My georgeous daughter made pasta and turned it into ravioli - filled with pumpkin and sweet potato, with a delicate sauce of sage and butter - for me and my family for Mothers' Day. A wondeful relaxing lunch in their back garden before I left for Italy in the evening.

Yes, it's a long way from Melbourne to Rome. One just has to accept it'll take about 24hours, and make the best of it. Emirates did a very good limo pickup to get me to the airport, and they provide a pleasant lounge in Dubai with champagne and whatever else I wanted to eat. My way of passing the time en route is to watch movies: On the first leg I watched 3: When In Rome... probably the worst film I have ever seen, followed by Lovely Bones - where a 14 year old girl was killed by a creepy sociopath , then Invictus which was great: Mandela and the South African rugby coach. From Dubai to Rome I watched a film whose actual name I have already forgotten... a legal one based on a real situation where the husband was found guilty of attempting to murder his rich but painfully drug addicted wife, and a law professor got a group of friends and students together to make a case to overturn the judge's decision. The second film was September Issue: let's just say I'm pleased I didnt pay to see it at the cinema last year. The best part was oggling Ms Wintours elegant simple clothes... dresses and heels daily. The main information I was seeking wasn't forthcoming: With all those racks of beautiful clothes, what happens to them? Does anyone who works at Vogue USA have to buy clothes? Ever? And the most "real" person in the movie was Grace... loved her.

An international news item on the screen at one stage informed us that UK passengers had again been forced to stop flying due to more Iclandic volcano ash. At Dubai, all flights, including those to and from Frankfurt were operating. No worries there.

The olives

About 10 days ago my family picked our olives. Big fat black olives. They are now soaking in strongly salted water, changed every day or two. But will they be ready to put into store in olive oil before I leave for Italy?? The extra virgin olive oil, with rosemary from our garden, is ready and waiting. Seasons the exact opposite here in Australia compared to Italy of course: over there olives are harvested in October.

Where is Alghero?

Alghero
Alghero, an ancient town in the North-West of Sardegna , has a facinating archaeological heritage and very rich history. We find evidence dating back to prehistoric times, although it's now sometimes referred to as "Little Barcelona" - no help in guessing why. We're booked into a fabulous hotel in a spectacular position right on the ocean .
Will be there in a few days!

Italian travels 2010

This is our newest blog.... getting ready to fly off to Italy this week.

First stop will be Rome, then the next day, a short flight of only about one hour, to Alghero, a small town in the north of one of Italy's 2 big islands of Sardinia/Sardegna.

Come join us on this 6 week journey!

Ciao, Mardie