Spain, Sicily, and Italy 2019 and 2023: March 2023

Sunday, March 26, 2023

Six Days in Palazzolo Acreide

We have spent the last six days in Palazzolo Acreide, and we are sadly leaving tomorrow. Everyone we've met has been super friendly, and the restaurants are top-notch. Palazzolo is part of a large UNESCO World Heritage region in Southeast Sicily called the Val di Noto. The entire region was destroyed by an earthquake in 1693, then rebuilt in the Baroque style in the 1700s and 1800s.

Our apartment, owned by Nonno Pippo, has been excellent. Although Palazzolo is very hilly, it has been an easy walk to stores, cafes, restaurants, and the main piazza. Here is a photo of our apartment, street parking, and views from the Juliette balcony up and down the street....

The arrow points to our apartment...

On street parking...don't park in the yellow!

Our kitchen and lounge...

The building directly across from our apartment...

Looking down the street...

Looking up the street, over old terra cotta roofs...

The main piazza in town is Piazza del Popolo. We walked there every day, often just to sit and people watch. The church of San Sebastiano presides over the piazza with great Baroque majesty....

Some views around the main piazza....

Several cafes on the main piazza...

Beautiful loggia on the side of the Municipal building...

Crazy balcony overlooking the piazza...

Old fabric shop with great sign...

Random photos of places and things around Palazzolo that caught our eye....

Great little Ape owned by the community. Are they going to post that 30kph sign?
Nobody in Sicily drives 30kph (about 18mph!)

Building with variety of faces on the corbels...

Ceramic tile sign of the city...

Fountain built into a wall...

Incredible Baroque church that happened to be catching some rays...

Yet another amazing church facade...

One of our favorite restaurants in Palazzolo was Taverna di Bacco....

Homemade bread made from an ancient grain, delicious!

Chris admiring Joe's Sicilian 15 euro haircut, that he got from this guy...

Luigi the barber, what a character!

That sums up our stay in Palazzolo Acreide. From your well groomed and well fed travelers, Joe and Chris.

Click on any image to enlarge.

Siracusa, Ortigia, Marzamemi 2023

We had a wonderful three-day stay in Siracusa at the Caportigia Boutique Hotel. It was a bit of a splurge for us, but totally worth the price. Here a couple photos of our room, a junior suite, and the roof terrace, which was amazing at night...

The hotel was just a ten minute walk into Ortigia. As you crossed the bridge onto the island of Ortigia, you were greeted by a a great little harbor, and the ruins of the Temple of Apollo.

A short distance beyond the Apollo ruins is the Fountain of Diana....

The Piazza Duomo is one of the prettiest squares in all of Italy. The Duomo was built as a Greek Temple nearly five centuries B.C., it later became a Byzantine Church, a Mosque under Arab domination in the ninth century, and a church again in the 12th century under Norman rule....

All this sightseeing deserves a break....

At the very southern tip of Ortigia is an old fortress....

A view of the east side of the island, and two happy travelers...

A few photos from the cute little fishing village of Marzamemi, somewhat deserted this time of year....

From Marzamemi we are off to Palazzolo Acreide for six days. We have never been there, so it should be interesting....

From your always discovering new places travelers, Joe and Chris....

Click on any photo to enlarge.

Saturday, March 18, 2023

2023 Reflections on The Lemon Tree, Taormina, Mt. Etna and Benanti

We returned to The Lemon Tree in 2023, a place we love and have been many times. It was great to see Karen and Diego again, as well as John and Kate, and Phil. Joe's brother Rich and his wife Cindy joined us for a few days, and we had some fun adventures together. The views from The Lemon Tree are stunning....