By Marian F.

Okay, I admit that has been a while since I have posted. I am so sorry, it has been a hectic January, oofda! And by January I mean January and February. How did this happen!?!  First, my parents came even though it was a bumpy ride getting here in regards to getting COVID tests. When will this hell be over? Ugh! So, they were here for three wonderful weeks. We did so much! We hiked in Cinque Terre, explored Florence, had a train breakdown on the way to Siena, hiked some more, and then took a spontaneous trip to Sicily! I know I am missing something, but it was all wonderful…and exhausting. 

And while they were here I was offered a freelance job! Now I write science lessons all day and I get to learn so much! It’s like writing mini science reports and I am a huge science nerd. I have a B.S. in biology after all.  The downside to all of this is that I have been putting this blog in last place, and that makes me so sad! No more, I say!

I miss freely expressing myself and sharing adventures along with the ups and downs of being an American expat. Do you ever just feel like screaming from the rooftops? Writing in your journal? Maybe just spilling everything to your friend? For me, you guys are my friends and this is my rooftop. I have never enjoyed journaling, but here we are. 

Okay, okay, I don’t spill everything–what’s the fun in that? We need a little mystery in life after all. Here is something that is probably no secret to regular readers: I MISS HOME!! Don’t get me wrong, Italy is great–it’s Italy, after all. I have slowly been adjusting and trying to implement my new year’s resolutions, which helps, but at the end of the day, I still miss my family. I have an 8-month nephew that I have yet to meet, and I HATE that. So my next big goal is to make it home. I will try to sort out this residency business and go, just for a visit, I promise! That bit is for Andrew, as he will probably worry that I won’t come back. 

Parents visited, got new job…what else?? Oh yeah, we went to SICILY!!! It was crazy. I was, as usual, looking at airfare to random places on skyscanner.com, it’s one of my travel addictions. Well, I clicked on Catania, and Woah! 10-euro tickets round trip!? Immediately I announced this to my parents and asked if they wanted to go. My mom was a quick yes, it took a little convincing with my dad as he is a little apprehensive in regards to volcanoes. In the end, he came around and I was even able to pry Andrew away from work which was a victory for me. 

With our friends available to watch Wally, I booked the tickets so that we would have 3 nearly full days on the island. Not a long time by any means, we only got to see a bite-size portion, but it was completely worth it. I am going to tell you all about it…

Day 1: Pisa-Sicily

It was early, really early, 0430 early in the morning when that cruel chime of the alarm woke me up. My alarm is way too loud. We were soon at the train station to ride the tram to the airport…we thought. Turns out that the damn thing doesn’t even run until 0600. How dumb is it that a self-running tram shuts down for six hours!? The icing on top? We bought tickets before learning that little fact, of course, the ticket machine doesn’t close down.

This meant we had to walk.  Luckily the airport isn’t too far, but it was still annoying. So we made it to the airport, got on the plane, and landed in Catania, Sicily. We did it! Then we took a bus to the train station where we got coffee from a cart where my mom thought the baristas looked like mafia guys. That is what they do, serve coffee, obviously. 

Our first two nights or I should say our only two nights were going to be in Taormina and our last day would be exploring Syracuse. So we took the train to Taormina. It was a beautiful, seaside-filled ride. We oohed and ahhed. Taormina is a small tourist town that other bloggers raved about so I took their word that it would be a safe and pleasant place to spend the majority of our time. It is practically in Mount Etna’s shadow–something I found really cool. 

The Taormina train station was a filming location in The Godfather.  It wasn’t hard to see why, as it’s beautiful. With white and black checkered tile floors and arched ceilings, it was one of the prettiest stations I have visited. The station has a small tabacchi and cafe to enjoy while waiting for your train or the bus.

I guess you could technically walk up to the main city center, but I do not recommend it. The roads are steep and narrow. It would be quite dangerous in my opinion. There is the option to take the bus. You buy your tickets inside the tabacchi. We opted to take a taxi up the cliffside to wander the town before heading to our apartment. The cost was 15 Euro. We had packed light to avoid baggage charges on RyanAir (the European equivalent of Sprit or Frontier). This meant it was easy to get around in the city center. 

The city center offers a nice promenade between classy, high-end stores sprinkled with tourist shops. As you get to the midsection of the street you come upon a beautiful piazza that allows for outstanding views of the sea and surrounding hillsides. There is a charming cathedral that faces out to the sea as well. 

We had a hankering for a coffee and pastry as we hadn’t eaten much since leaving early in the morning. There is a restaurant/cafe in the piazza, but the prices reflect the views. High. So we continued our search. At the very end of the promenade, we found a bar filled with locals which was a positive sign. We sat down and enjoyed the warm sun, caffeinated beverages, and pastry. This was my first chance to try a Sicilian cannolo. It was really sweet. A bit too sweet for my tastes.  I had a better one the next day. 

*conollo = 1 *Conolli = more than 1

Nearby there was a shop selling arancini, a delicious deep-fried ball of rice, cheese, and filling. They are one of Andrew’s favorite Italian street foods so we had to stop. We have a similar shop in Pisa called Etna Street Food, and he said these gave them a run for their money. I wasn’t surprised as we were in the shadow of Mount Etna itself. 

I had read about a nice garden near the center so we headed in that direction. It was not a disappointment. It was filled with pathways. More scrumptious views. We even came across some aviaries, one of which homed two tropical birds, perhaps parrots. Florence Trevelyan had designed the gardens. She was a Scottish woman who owned several parcels of land in the area including a small island. If you have the chance, I highly recommend it. 

After exploring we headed to the cable car. Well, guess what, in January it doesn’t run. Even with a schedule in the window, it didn’t move and the windows stayed dark. The apartment we rented was at the bottom of the hill, about a mile away. Luckily, we found a way to walk down. 

I had found the apartment on booking.com. It was a recent posting, so the price sold me. It was so worth the gamble of it being good or a flop. Even if just for the views! 

Here we go again:  traveling in January is super affordable, but you end up paying in other ways. One way is an inconvenience. All of the reviews of the area where we were staying had mentioned restaurants and a little market. Those were all closed for the season. So Andrew, Dad, and I contemplated on what to do. We had seen a market up in the city center and by chance, a bus stopped where we were standing. One bit of luck! 

We found the market, bought some pasta and cookies. The essentials. And trudged back down the hill to join Mom at the apartment and start the long process of boiling pasta on a hotplate. 

Day 2: Taormina and a Very Steep Hike

We awoke to a beautiful sunrise over the sea. Many photos were taken. It was lovely. 

There is a small island right off the coast that you can cross to via a sandbar. It is properly named Isola Bella. It was once owned by Florence Trevelyan (the woman who designed the garden I mentioned above) and eventually became the property of the city. It is a maze of pathways, stone walls, greenery, and uniqueness. It was really fun to explore the nooks and crannies. The pool, empty, was surrounded by plants and made me wish for a warm summer day and for it to be filled with crystal clear water. 

Then we headed back up to the center to find some breakfast. Calazione. Dad had become partial to the cornetto integrale (whole grain croissant) filled with marmalade. 

I had found a hike that you can do up to a neighboring village. I got turned around, a bit lost. I really don’t know why I always end up being the navigator. I just end up getting lost. Eventually, we found a set of stairs to avoid the switchbacks of narrow roads. So many stairs! Up we went. And Up. I think it just got steeper. Castelmola sits on top of a “hill” like the snowcap of a mountain. It is a quaint little village where you can continue your climb to a vista view of the sea and Mount Etna.

Mount Etna almost always has its head in the clouds, literally. Rarely did we see its summit. I hope to go back and see more of the mountain and see the fields of pistachio trees that grow in its volcanic soil. 

We mulled over the idea of getting lunch at the pricey bar/restaurant and decided to head down the hill. The bus runs infrequently and it was a long wait. We were getting hungry. We headed back down on foot. Oh boy was it easier to go down, maybe not on the knees, but on the lungs. 

We sat down, ate some arancini, and discussed what venture we would take next. Mom chose Chiesa Madonna della Rocca. We didn’t know, but it was going to mean more stairs. It’s a nice church, but it was closed to the public. Did I mention the stairs? Hello, leg day! 

Back in the apartment, we enjoyed another dinner of pasta and pesto. The next day we were heading to Syracuse. 

Day 3: Taormina – Syracuse – Pisa

It took some searching, but we found a cab service that would pick us up and bring us to the train station. It was really convenient, but we paid for that. It was 25 euros for a ten-minute drive! The driver spoke English and was really kind, but that’s a lot of dough. Oh well. 

At the station, we grabbed some coffee and a snack while waiting for the train. We are always early, maybe too early. It’s better than being late, right? 

We hopped on the train and settled in for the two-hour ride to Syracuse. The cost was less than ten euros per person. 

Ugh, rain. We had been pretty lucky with the weather up until this point. 

When you exit the Syracuse train station it really doesn’t look like an appealing city. What city does? Pisa even looks blah, Florence is meh, and Rome is just ugh. 

More rain.  Luckily, as we walked toward the older part of the city, the rain began to seem romantic, the way it shone on the golden stones of the old buildings and piazzas.

We wanted to go to the outdoor market on the small island next to the main city. The island is named Ortygia. There are three bridges that connect it to the rest of Syracuse. Every day other than Sunday there is an open-air market filled with fresh fish, vegetables, fruit, olives, and so much more. It wasn’t very active with the rain during our visit. We come away with some olives, pecans, and dates. Yum. 

The rain began to slow and then stopped.  We continued to explore the island. This is where the duomo of Syracuse is located. It has a large and pleasant piazza in front of it. After exploring the area we headed to the end of the island where the citadel/castle is located. We decided not to go in and save the money for a later adventure. 

After a much-needed coffee and pastry, we walked to the Archeological Park. I had been looking forward to this as it was supposed to be filled with ancient ruins. The rumors were true! 

The tickets are a bit hefty at first glance. $19. You can see why we passed up the citadel as budget travelers. If you are a history fan or just like old things made out of stone, then it’s worth it. The trails are well marked and there is a plaque to show you the best paths to take based on your time frame. 

One downside was the lack of informational plaques. We couldn’t learn a lot about what we were looking at. I had learned more from the internet before we arrived. It is still worth it. 

The ear of Dionysis is a really cool rock formation and after that, you get to see a Greek amphitheater. It is ancient and beautiful from all angles. There is a Roman theater as well. I found that it resembled a miniature colosseum. You will learn more about these in the following post. I promise! 

It was getting late and we were hungry. We walked back to Ortygia and found some delicious arancini. Mom and dad got vegan ones while Andrew and I indulged in cacio e pepe ones. Then it was time to head to the train station. Back to the airport. Back to Pisa. Back to our beds. 

It was a frickin awesome trip. Even with only three days, we really packed in all we could. I can’t wait to go back! 

Here’s to the next Italian adventure!