SICILY

After overnighting in Rome we caught an early flight to Palermo and took a cab to our hotel. Being a total bonehead, I left the list of our hotels at home and had to call California to find out where we were staying.

The first thing that struck us was the way people drive. They stop right in the middle of the street leave their cars. Then there*s the parking . . . not one centimeter is left open and you*ll see cars on sidewalks, blocking other cars, driven in nose first, parked backwards, you name it. We were totally stunned. Our wonderful guide, Sergio, said that stoplights are just a *suggestion* and are ignored more than they*re obeyed. Surprisingly, they have very few accidents.

We checked into our beautiful hotel and wandered around the magnificent grounds. At 1:30 we met up with our fellow travelmates and went on a tour of Palermo.

Later on we went to Monreale to see it*s beautiful Norman cathedral which is covered in some of the most magnificent mosaics I*ve ever seen. Most of the tiles are inlaid with gold and the sight is breathtaking. Built in the 12th century, it took 16 years to complete the mosaics and they used 4 tons of gold.

We went to a seafood restaurant for dinner and we couldn*t believe all the food they served. The *appetizer* consisted of tray upon tray of different kinds of fish (anchovies, sardines, snails, prawns, fish cakes, squid, herring, octopus, lobsters, and others I can*t remember). Then came the pasta course, then came the main course, then came another course, then came dessert. I*m full just thinking about it.

The next day we wend our way to Segesta and walk up a loooong, steeeeeep path to the beautiful ruins dating back to 400 BC. There was a Roman house, an amphitheater and a Doric Greek Temple with its 36 columns completely intact. The temple is somewhat of a mystery because it*s different than any other. Most temples had a center room which was off limits to the citizens. In it would be a statue of the god for which the temple was built but there is no inner room here. Therefore, the purpose of the structure in unknown.

We were trying to decide between several trips to Italy and Dave said he didn*t want to take this one because it included cooking instruction which he thought was stupid. Well, today is the day for our lesson. I do not cook . . . if frozen dinners were not invented, we would starve so this was going to be an adventure. We got to Regaleali and are ushered into a large commercial kitchen and everyone is given an apron. I was shocked that Dave even put his on but was even more shocked when he was the first one called on to cook and he did it . . . egads!!! He chopped some mint and herbs and was so magnificent, I wept.

I dodged the bullet for a while then Sergio spotted me cowering in a corner and had me chop some wild asparagus. I finished as soon as I could and enjoyed watching others ply their talents. Then, horror upon horrors, Sergio had me do something really hard and very responsible. I had to carefully put vast quantities of sliced eggplant in a pan of bubbling, boiling, hot grease. Yikes!!! Not only that, I had to turn them and, when finished, take them out. Oh, the inhumanity. It was so hard, I even had an assistant. I*m still tired just thinking about it.

After our labors, we were sent on a killer hike (and I thought this was a vacation) where we saw horses, sheep, birds, cows, etc. As we dragged ourselves back, panting and gasping, it was time to eat the fruits of our labor and we have a very enjoyable meal. Everyone survived.

After lunch we head to Agrigento's Valley of the Temples. Our hotel, an 18th century villa is the only lodging inside the archeological zone. Our room has a view of the beautiful Temple of Concordia which dates back to 440 BC.

This morning we drive to a spot where we take a hike down to a beach along the Mediterranean Sea which was very enjoyable. I wish I could say the same for the uphill walk back. I HATE walking hills . . . nay, I detest walking up hills . . .

This afternoon we go to an archeological museum and then to the Valley of the Temples. Our guide told us about the temples and how they all have a sacrificial altar which is always to the east. On the feast day of the temple's god, the doors are opened at dawn and the sun's rays shine on the statue in the inner chamber of the temple. This would have been a thrilling sight to the people of the city, and sacrifices are made at the altar. We then walked to the other five temples throughout the valley.

One thing that struck me was the city was abandoned because of malaria and the people moved to higher ground. What surprised me was they would know that still water was the cause of the disease. People in medieval days had no idea what brought the plague and these people were almost 2,000 years earlier.

Along the way we made a side trip to a recently discovered villa (Citta' di Piazza Armerina which has some amazing mosaic floors throughout the building. No one knows who built or lived there.

Day 5 brings us to Taormina, a coastal village overlooking the Ionian Sea. We drive up and up and up and up to our hotel in Castelmola at the top of Taormina. From our beautiful terrace, we have a perfect view of Mt. Etna. We have this day to explore the town which was a bit touristy for my tastes and not much to do but shop . . . me no like to shop. We just wandered and saw several brides.

Today we drive to the port of Milazzo to catch a hydrofoil to Lipari, one of the seven Aeolian Islands (http://www.initaly.com/regions/sicily/aeolian.htm). We visited a very interesting museum which showed the history of the island. Especially interesting was the display of all the items found from ancient shipwrecks. Afterwards we drive up to the Geophysical Observatory where volcanic activity of the islands is monitored. One interesting thing is every 20 minutes smoke comes out of Stromboli's volcano. From here we walk down (thank goodness) a coastal path which I really enjoyed.

Today it is raining and nasty out but we carry on and head for Mt. Etna. Unfortunately, the weather doesn't cooperate so we are unable to go very high. We do stop by a lava flow that wiped out all the shops and restaurants in its path. After two years you can still see smoke coming from the lava. We have a huge lunch (so, what else is new) and take a walk down to the village of Linguaglossa. The name means "Where the lava stops" (or something like that). One eruption of Mt. Etna, the lava was flowing right to the village. Everyone went to church and prayed for the lava to stop and spare them and, that's exactly what happened.

This morning we have free time so we went to the third century Greek theater in Taormina before being driven to Cantania for our flight home.

We really enjoyed our trip and are glad we went, but enjoy Tuscany much more which we feel embodies the feeling of Italy much more.

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