Modica, Sicily

Guest writer, our brother-in-law Bill and his wife, Stefano's sister, Genevieve.

Grazie mille to our brother-in-law Bill for this guest post.  Bill and Gen joined us for a week in Sicily exploring the baroque towns of Modica, Noto, Scicli and Ragusa.  

I'll hand the keyboard over to Bill.

It was wonderful to be met at the airport in Catania by Jenny and Stefano, and whisked away in their hire car.  Stefano quickly demonstrated how he had adapted to Mediterranean road protocol with panache, and Jenny's unambiguous and very audible relief at being able to retreat to a back seat is an unforgivable slight on his driving.

We drove towards Siracusa and arrived there an hour or so later in time for lunch.  Avoiding the obvious tourist traps at the waterfront, the well-tuned Jenny/Stefano radar detected the Basirico Ristorante up a side street. And what a gem it turned out to be. Delicious food, with complimentary entrees and dessert.  We remain puzzled as to why we were the only table of diners, a pattern which continued throughout our week in Sicily and which bore no reflection at all on the standard of the food we enjoyed.

We couldn't linger long in Siracusa as we needed to get to Modica, our 'home-base' for five of our seven nights in Sicily.  So after a short stroll we were again on the road.

Modica set a pattern for Sicilian towns given UNESCO heritage endorsement - grotty on the outskirts but with an original and vibrant town centre.

When we eventually found our apartment, it came as no surprise that we had initially missed our street "Vico Medica", as it turned out to be an alleyway marginally narrower than the car.  

Stefano was prepared to attempt entry but we were spotted by a Grandpa on a balcony, who turned out to be the owner.  Within seconds we were surrounded by Grandpa, his daughter Christina, her English-speaking friend Lorenzo and his unnamed acquaintance.

Our little street was just past the red awnings. Blink and you would miss it. We did, several times.

We were then treated to an entertaining hour-long induction to the apartment by Lorenzo, with support from Christina. It was recently renovated, very spacious and quite magnificently decorated and furnished in traditional Sicilian style.  It had been vacant for many years until restored to its former glory, though maybe not with UNESCO money.

The old town centre of Modica, where we stayed, is divided by multiple steep valleys and ravines, and is a mish-mash of roads choked with traffic, narrow streets, alleyways, steps going to all points of the compass, and most of the buildings give an impression of old age and gentle decay.

Lorenzo scribbled out points of interest on a town map, and recommended restaurants and lookouts offering superb views but which, he said, were only accessible by car. For Stefano that simply represented a challenge, so we conquered them in due course, mounting narrow steps unknown to most tourists except perhaps Australians, or New Zealanders. And the views were superb.

Christina volunteered to give us a guided tour of the town one evening, which turned out to be in her little car. Before you could say "grazie", the others had snared the back seat and Yours Truly was in the front, watching stone walls flash pass centimetres away, dogs and cats scattering in all directions and elderly Modicans mouthing curses behind us. (Slight exaggeration, Christina drove like the expert native that she was and Modica sparkled at night.)

Cristina very kindly took us on a whirlwind tour of Modica by night.  Beautiful views in all directions.

According to a guidebook, Modica has 29 churches, which may seem slightly excessive for a town of more than 50,000 people, but not all churches seem to be in active service. The centrepiece, Chiesa San Giorgio, is a truly imposing piece of confection from the outside, and the interior is awe-inspiring.

What I liked most about Modica were the small local shops, some on the main roads, but many tucked away in the back alleys. While there were supermarkets, it seemed that people still enjoy strolling to their local shops, having a chat and buying small quantities of fresh food daily.  Along our street where there was a specialty bread shop, a tiny shop selling fresh fruit and vegetables, and a shop next to it selling cured meats and cheeses typical of Modica.  Down the next block was a tabacchi, which is supposed to sell stamps, but in our experience, never do.  

Our favourite local shop was the gelateria with a unique serving of flavours displayed on the bonnet of an old Fiat 500. Fortunately it was located immediately under our apartment so most evenings we ventured downstairs for dessert, enjoying our cups and cones at a table on the footpath, watching the world go by.  

And finally, Modica was an excellent spot from which to explore the surrounding area.  

Dopo Modica siamo andati a Noto, Scicli e Agrigento.

Where we stayed:
We were the first guests in this spacious, partially renovated and very clean apartment which was listed on AirBnB.  CLICK HERE

Sicily snaps - Palermo, Trapani and Taormina

Pretoria Fountain, Palermo 

Our plan to take a slow journey home through Italy dropped to a snail-like pace when we arrived in Sicily.  Although it is only a third the size of Tasmania, the population of 5 million and there being so much to see made it seem much bigger.

Map of Sicily from HERE

It is impossible to do justice to our meandering around the Mediterranean's largest island so instead, here are some happy snaps and observations from our first two weeks in Sicily.  

Palermo

We arrived in Palermo refreshed and ready to see the sights after a relaxing overnight 'cruise' from Naples.  The city appeared sparkling and pristine as we walked up from the port into the main part of Palermo.

Palermo cathedral

Palazzo Reale

Then the other side of Palermo became apparent. After turning the corner and strolling away from the magnificent Palazzo Reale, suddenly the streets were littered, the buildings crumbling and footpaths became almost impossible to negotiate.

Ballar market in Palermo

But we enjoyed staying in this authentic working-class neighbourhood.  Although it was dirty, and slightly scary, the people were friendly and the food was just as we'd been told - fresher and even more delicious than in the north.   

Easter Sunday best.

We quickly developed three food obsessions during our stay in Palermo:

Involtini di pesce spada 

Sweet ricotta cannolini

Caponata. Image from HERE.

After exploring the sights of Palermo we hired a car and drove to Trapani in the south-west corner of Sicily.

Trapani port.

Trapani is a sleepy fishing town which remains closely connected to its Arabic past through its distinctive food and interesting architecture.  In Hosteria San Pietro we ate the local favourites of couscous and spicy vegetables.  In this small corner of Sicily the Arabic couscous, not pasta, is often served as a main meal.

Local restaurant famous for its Arabic influenced food.

During our five days in Trapani we took several day trips to nearby towns. Erice is a medieval fortress town set high on a mountain overlooking Trapani.  It is easy to reach by car, or cablecar from the outskirts of Trapani.  It reminded us of the hilltop towns in Tuscany, but was much quieter.  

Erice

View from Erice 

Another short drive from Trapani is the small city of Marsala which is famous for the sweet dessert wine produced in this region.  

Main square of Marsala

The scenery between Trapani and Marsala is unusually beautiful as the road runs beside the low, salt pans which are dotted with windmills that were built during the middle ages.  Salt production in this area dates back much further in time.  

These days the open flat water beyond the saltpans has become a haven for kitesurfers.

Our favourite day trip from Trapani was to the ruins of Segesta.  This "Greek temple" appeared from nowhere as we rounded a bend along a small country road.  There is no town and few facilities at Segesta but the ruins are fascinating and well signposted with descriptions in English and Italian.  

After our busy week in Trapani, we drove back across the top of Sicily, skirting Palermo, before driving south through the surprisingly green hills of the empty inland to the popular resort town of Taormina.  

The drive into Taormina will live in our memories, and not in a good way!  

Nightmare road near Taormina.

Beaches of Taormina below the old town.

View of Taormina from near our apartment

Our apartment in Taormina was perched on a cliff behind the town.  Once we arrived, after being rescued by the apartment owner on his vespa as the zigzaging narrow roads had totally confused us, and our google maps app, we left the car in the garage for a few days while we all recovered. 

The view from our balcony in Taormina was stunning and hard to leave after our unforgettable arrival.  But apart from lounging on our balcony enjoying spectacular views of the coast we also hiked up to Castel Molla and caught a glimpse of Mount Etna.

This is why we preferred walking up to Castel Molla. 

Spectacular views from Castel Molla

 Stefano enjoyed a solo drive up to Mount Etna before we left Taormina.

Two weeks on the road convinced us that Sicily has it all - beaches, snow, hill top mountain towns, magnificent Greek ruins and delicious food.  So we decided to extend our stay.  

We swapped hire cars in Catania, collected Stefano's sister and brother-in-law and began the next stage of our Sicilian adventure.  

Andiamo a Modica con la nostra famiglia, Gen e Bill.

How we travelled:

Tirrenia Ferries - CLICK HERE

We caught the overnight ferry from Naples to Palermo with Tirrenia ferries.  The twin berth cabin was spotlessly clean and the journey was very comfortable as we left Naples at 8pm and arrived in Palermo around 7.30am after sleeping for most of the journey.  120Euros one way for two people.

Car hire - Palermo airport to Catania airport

Our small hire car sourced through Economy Car Rentals .   No problems at all.

Where we stayed:

Palermo - Columna Apartment AirBnB CLICK HERE

On the edge of the city in a fairly run down area this was a clean, comfortable, reasonably priced apartment.  

Trapani - Casa per vacanza AirBnB CLICK HERE

Right in the centre of the old town we enjoyed staying in this spacious one bedroom apartment. Again it was clean, comfortable, spacious and reasonably priced.

Taormina - Awesome view AirBnB CLICK HERE

This huge apartment with large terrace is one of our favourites.  It is difficult to reach as it is set into the hillside over looking the town, but once we arrived we loved everything about staying in this beautiful spot.  An easy walk downhill into town, a more challenging walk home at night after dinner!

Where we ate:
Palermo:
Capello Pasticceria CLICK HERE.
Worth making the trip to the edge of Palermo just beyond Palazzo Reale for the most delicious cannolini.

Trapani:
Hosteria San Pietro CLICK HERE
Everywhere we ate was fabulous but the food at this tiny restaurant was unusually delicious. Bookings are essential.

Anacapri, a top spot

Capri, known as a resort for the rich and famous, seemed an unlikely destination for two people travelling with their tiny wardrobes of three t-shirts, two pairs of jeans and a shoe collection encompassing thongs (flip-flops), trainers, 'dressy' desert boots and the essential puffer jacket.

Capri port with the town Capri spreading over the hill behind.

But, when we read about the other Capri, Anacapri, the little village on the top of the island where B&Bs, not luxury hotels, are the main accommodation on offer, and walking, not clubbing, is the activity of choice, we thought it might be a lovely spot for a short spring break after the hectic pace of Naples.  And, our limited clothing choices might be less noticeable than down the mountain in the other Capri.

From the port we caught a local bus which zig-zagged its way up and over the steep escarpment of the island mountain to Anacapri, where we found gentler slopes of vineyards, orchards and olive groves going down to the sea.

Anacapri

Though it is also a tourist spot, albeit a second cousin to Capri town, Anacapri has managed to maintain its local village feel.  In the evenings when we were there, the locals took their usual passaggiata before dinner through almost empty little streets as most of the tourists had left for the night.  

During our three days we enjoyed some spectacular walks.

From the famous Villa San Michele, we took the path, which was mostly a series of stairs, down all the way to the port.  Definitely the best way to see the dramatic views of this beautiful little island.

Then once we reached the port we caught the funicular for a short ride up to the town of Capri.

Capri

Its streets are scented with their own fragrance, and even the stalls selling lemon granita look as though they come from the pages of Vogue Living. 

The town was in spring cleaning mode with workmen everywhere preparing for the opening of the summer season.   We stopped for a quick photo and then walked through the town down to the other side of the island, Marina Piccola.

Marina Piccola

More spectacular views and a delicious Caprese salad, as you do on the Isle of Capri.  

Wherever we walked from Anacapri it was always down. Luckily the buses traverse the island so sometimes, rather than climb back up, we enjoyed sitting in the sunshine while we waited for the next bus.  

On our second day we walked down the slopes from Anacapri to the furthest end of the island, Faro di Punta Carena.  In summer, this is the only place on Capri where the sun shines all day so it is a very popular swimming spot. At this time, although the water was sparkling and the sun was shining it was too chilly for us to swim. 

We had the place to ourselves, apart from the workmen preparing the concrete terraces for the rows of deckchairs that will be filled in the summer ready for the many who want to perfect la bronzata.

Walking back up to Anacapri there were reminders of spring everywhere with wildflowers and blossoms dotting the pathways and stairs.

A highlight of our stay was dinner at the Trattoria da Mamma Govanna, only a short walk out of town.  They had just reopened for the summer season but already the restaurant was half full. The freshest of fish cooked and served perfectly.  Could just be the best fish we've eaten in Italy. 

After a pleasant few days of walking in the sunshine, we took the ferry back to Naples and that evening we crossed our fingers hoping that the sea would be calm for our overnight ferry to Palermo.

It would be our first cruise, of only one night. Rather than catch the train from Naples to Palermo we decided that an overnight ferry trip arriving in Palermo at 8am after a good night's sleep would be the most comfortable way to travel. Speriamo!

Where we stayed:

There are lots of B&Bs in Anacapri but not many were open when we arrived in Anacapri.  We stayed in B&B that was okay but we wouldn't recommend it.   

Holiday apartment rentals in late March were difficult to find.  

Where we ate:

Trattoria da Mamma Giovanna

Via Chiusarano, 6

Anacapri

salvatorevisalli@libero.it

They offer a shuttle bus service for guests staying in Anacapri.  

It has a lovely verandah where we enjoyed the best baked whole fish we've eaten in Italy.  Moderate prices.  

Marina Piccola is the little bay where we enjoyed a delicious Caprese salad and fresh pizza but unfortunately we forgot to take a card from the pizza bar. 

If you can avoid eating at the port, do so.  We had another Caprese salad while waiting for the ferry and it was ordinary and expensive.  Silly us.

Guardando l'ora di passare un mese in Sicilia.