5 weeks in Italy

While planning our trip to Sicilia, Villa Romana del Casale just outside of Piazza Armerina was a must see.  A UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of 53 in Italy , the mosaics covering the floor of this expansive villa were very well preserved due to a landslide which engulfed the entire complex.  We day tripped over from Caltagirone , about a 45 minute drive through the Sicilian countryside, following signage and "The Google" to arrive just ahead of about 3 other cars and a tour bus.  The villa is a one story complex full of beautiful Roman mosaics from the 4th century, easily reached, toured in about 90 minutes, and therefore high on the list of tour groups.  We knew this going in but when somebody got their camera briefly tangled in Kathie's hair her buttons were definitely pushed.  The villa's mosaics were crafted meticulously and were truly remarkable, its hard to fathom how much effort went into designing, preparing the materials, composing and ex...

After looking at pictures like these  for 2 years our visit to Caltagirone was as anticipated as any city on our list for this 5 week adventure.  We booked a place very near Scala di Santa Maria del Monte for 3 nights as a base for visiting, shopping, and a day trip to Piazza Armerina.  The small town feel and charm was also evident in the B&B rates, although not the nicest place we stayed it was convenient and adequate with excellent WiFi, that counts for something right? We really enjoyed the town, visited the Ceramics Museum, took a tour on a Piaggio around town, and purchased several, ok lots like a cool wine pitcher, a wall clock, a nice fruit bowl, a desk clock for work (which is inevitably headed my way) and some gifts and other things, most of which are being shipped home.  It was really cool to watch some items in process, we had the chance to observe one gentleman in his shop mold and shaping the clay, and on a separate day we watched four ladies pai...

The Valle dei Templi in Agrigento was a must see on this trip, a place of great archaeological treasure that we had bypassed in our last adventure here for a variety of reasons.  When visiting the Valley of the Temples one of the first things you'll notice is that it's not a valley, more of a ridge that runs between two rivers and overlooks the southern Sicilian coast.  We parked at the top of the park, near the Temple of Juno, and walked down the ridge, which required walking back up when done.  There is a service, 3Euro/person, to ride in a golf cart one way, and while it was pretty hot we walked both ways, much to the chagrin of my lady; we should have packed a second bottle of water. The temple of Juno was only partially intact, as were most of the temples within the park. I will admit that takes away some of the awe for me, however the beauty of the structures as they exist, against the deep blue sky and backdrop of the sea, are lovely. Temple of Conc...

The Parco Archeological Segesta might be my favorite singular place in Italy.  The temple, with its simplistic doric columns and solid structure sit majestically on a rugged hillside with a lovely view of Sicily's rural southwest.  The structure though complete, and never was, allows you to imagine the life of the people 2500 years ago, working so hard to construct a building so central to their life and community.  The park itself is easy to reach yet far enough away that the crowds are slight to manageable, giving time for thought and reflection, space for unencumbered photos and talk, and not interfering with other's visit.  It truly is a beautiful place. Sitting high atop Mount Barbaro is the second jewel of this archaeological park, the theater with it's breathtaking panorama.  The theater is only about a third to half the size it was, the stones were used for other things as well as deterioration through the last 2500 y...