Kontiland....Sicily in Miniature

   While hunting for a shortcut between Savoca and Forza d'Agro, we discovered Kontiland, a wonderful tourist attraction that is the result of the passion of one man, Mr. Giuseppe Lo Conti.  Located in the borgo of Rina, it is a collection of the most famous monuments and structures of Sicily recreated in miniature scale.  The models are set on a series of terraces and viewing them is a pleasure.  When we arrived, we were met by Mr. Lo Conti's son Oscar, who had such such pride in the collection.  He guided us through the park, explaining each model in detail.  The visit was great fun and educational, and is highly recommended.  There is even a restaurant on the property. 

   All of the structures are built to a scale of between 1/20th to 1/50th of the original building, and each one is made from the same materials as the original. 

   Here are some photos....

Chris and Oscar....

San Giovanni degli Eremiti in Palermo....

The Lighthouse at Capo d'Orlando....

Oscar explaining details to Chris....

Duomo of Messina....

Campanile in Messina with many moving parts....

Torre Saracena in Santa Teresa di Riva....

Greek Theater in Taormina....

Oscar at the Greek Theater...

La Cuba in Castiglione di Sicilia....

The Castle of the Ventimiglia in Castelbuono....

Salt Flats and Windmill in Trapani....

Leonforte in Enna....

....Detail of Leonforte, with working water spouts....

Chiesa San Martino in Randazzo....

Ponte dei Saraceni near Adrano....

Water under the bridge....

Torre di Federico II in Enna....

Church of San Sebastiano in Caltanissetta....

San Sebastiano....

Temple of Concordia in Agrigento....

Torre Civica in Sommatino....

Modern Church of Madonna delle Lacrime in Siracusa....

....Shaped like a flower from above....

Oscar explaining Noto Cathedral....

Amazing detail...

Beautifully detailed model....

The Lighthouse of Licata....

Joe, the "head" of the three-legged symbol of Sicily...

Kontiland ad....

   Kontiland is a bit off the beaten path, but a fun and educational adventure....

   Click on any photo to enlarge....

The Lemon Tree, Our Home Away From Home....

   This is our sixth winter at The Lemon Tree....or is it the seventh?  We've lost track, but it doesn't matter, The Lemon Tree is our winter home-away-from-home.  The views are spectacular....sunrise to sunset, sheep on the hillside and road....Taormina and Castelmola to Mt. Etna, Giardini Naxos to the Ionian Sea and Calabria beyond.  The first photo shows our terrace....all of the other photos below were taken from our terrace and balcony....

Our second floor terrace....

Sunrise over the Ionian Sea....

A ray of light on the water....

A sunrise with a smile....

Hazy sunrise with fishing trawler....

Castelmola, Taormina, and the Sea from our terrace....

Castelmola and Taormina....

Castelmola and Taormina in afternoon light....

A light shines on Castelmola....

Rainbows after a storm....

The hillside bathed in unusual pink light after a storm....

Sheep in the field....

....and on the road.... 

Volcano Mt. Etna in morning light....

....and at sunset....

Giardini Naxos beach and harbor from our side balcony....

Ultra-light aircraft ....

Using zoom....

Ancient Greek Theater in Taormina....using zoon....

Full moon over the Sea, blue lights in the olive tree....

 
        Around The Lemon Tree....

Our second-floor terrace....

The whole villa....

Antique wheel from a Sicilian Cart....

Flowers in bloom, and Castelmola in the distance....

Flowers and blue skies....

Iris in bloom....

Molly....

This way....

Yes, there really is a Lemon Tree....

   Some favorite memories from 2019....

A mountain of delicious local blood oranges...cost about $6....

A giant Aperol Spritz....

Breakfasts on the sun-drenched terrace....

Coffee every morning made in the old Moka pot....

....And Karen and Diego's olive oil....

Pizza at La Vela with John, Karen, Kate, Diego, and Saro....

A tight squeeze on a narrow bridge...and a hand gesture from the green car....

An outing to the Gole Alcantara Natural Park....

Beautiful park where the river gushes through gorge....

Sightseeing path along the gorge....

At Gole Alcantara....

Our first car, had to turn it in due to a flat tire....

Our second car....may need an oil change....

Yes, there was some work...here at Saro's restaurant, with Saro, Diego, and John....

The first of two new kitchens at The Lemon Tree....

....With a custom-built wine bottle rack....

The second new kitchen....also with custom-built wine bottle rack....

Tempting fate on the back of Diego's scooter....

Sheep....

A sea of sheep....

....And horses in the road....

Good thing they put the horse before the cart....

On the back road to nowhere, this lady had the best oranges....

Were invited to Alessandra and Giuseppe's house for dinner twice.  Both dinners were amazing....

View from Trattoria Anni '60 in Forza d'Agro....delicious lunch...

Bar Vitelli in Savoca....in a famous scene from the Godfather movie....

Crashing waves in Giardini Naxos harbor....

Our wine tasting group at Vini Gambino on the slopes of Mt. Etna....

At our big pizza party in Forza d'Agro, this restored 1960 Autobianchi showed up....

A trip to Agira for the Motor Expo....

The amazing mechanical clock tower at the Cathedral of Messina....

Lions roar, roosters crow, and Saints parade around....

Zodiac clock on the bell tower....

Beautiful ceiling in the Cathedral....

The Naxos "Temple" in the harbor....

      
    It's been a wonderful four weeks here at The Lemon Tree....great weather, good food, fun times...    
   ....To Diego and Karen, to John and Kate and Tommy, to Saro and Debbie, to Paola, to Giuseppe and Alessandra....we say Cheers, Salute, Cin Cin, and Cent'Anni....see you in September....

   Touch any photo to enlarge....