Sicily - Giardini Naxos, Christmas Day 2012

Christmas in Giardini Naxos on the Island of Sicily

On Christmas eve we all received invitations from the Director of Camper Lagani to attend a celebratory drink of Champagne and snacks in the garden from 11:00 onwards on Christmas Day. The entire contingent of motorhomers, numbering about 40, duly pitched up and it was a wonderful affair with Italians, British, Germans and some others mingling and enjoying the wonderful sunny weather near the slopes of Mount Etna.
At midday, after the 'garden party', we needed to kill some time before our 13:30 table booking so decided to sit out the hour at Cynthia and Martin's motorhome. Ian brought out a bottle of champers and the party continued with snacks on the side.

Campsite boss opening the champers

Six Brits enjoying some bubbly

The plans for a lunch on Christmas Day was made in good time, with two of our contingent of fellow motorhomers from England taking it upon themselves to source a good restaurant and book a table. The streets of Giardini was walked end to end several times and eventually a place was found. Restaurant Nettuno was chosen - and what a find it proved to be!

Ristorante Nettuno da Siciliano

 

Being a sunny day of 18C we walked the 1km (not that I know what we would've done had it rained) to the restaurant, along the seafront. The restaurant was ready for us, lovely corner table, slick service with vino arriving soon. The venue was well supported with another table of 20 people and some with couples. It was an all afternoon lunch and we only left at 17:00 with dusk falling, arriving back at Camper Lagani after dark.
A wonderful lunch shared and enjoyed with wonderful people - way to go!

 

Giardini seafront

 

Six Brits enjoying lunch

Six Brits sharing the 'conto'

The 5 course lunch:-

A mixed starter platter
- Mussels gratinee, Assorted focaccia, Smoked salmon, Capunata (eggplant), Fried broccoli

Fritto Misto
- Bits of Seafood fried in a batter e.g. squid and bacalao

Pasta
- Tagliatelle Ragout
- Carnaroli with brocolli

Meat
- Roast pork with potatos and Involtini (roll ups of various veg)

Dolci (Dessert)
- Ricotta Mousse with Orange honey
- 3 varieties of Panettone

- All food arrived in large dishes / portions whereby you served yourself by passing it around.
- 2 x Sicilian white wine and 2 x Sicilian red wine.

Cost 40 Euro pp incl. of service charge.

Sicily - Giardini Naxos, Christmas period 2012

THE FESTIVE SEASON - SICILY 2012

It will be our first Christmas away from England since 2002. However, there is no lack of a Christmas atmosphere here at the Camper site in Giardini on the east coast of Sicily. Many motorhomes are decorated with lights, poinsettia flowers, little trees, cyclamen plants etc. Some have resorted to grouping plants together thereby creating areas of colour in the Camper site.

Entrance to Camper Lagani

All lit up

Plants clustered together for effect - Fifi beyond

 

View from our dinette

 

I also find the festive season to be a time of reflection and of thinking back on the year gone by. The things you did and those you hope still to do. I seldom get bogged down on what I should have done and what I didn't do. Joan and I both live and plan for tomorrow and focus on what lies ahead, it is a case of 'how will we' and not 'why didn't we'.

For dreaming and planning ahead, for quantifying tomorrow and next week there is no place like the openness and endless horizons when walking on a beach. It also has a beauty all of its own and can be a wonderful place to sit and think - and sometimes just to sit.

 

Looking south towards Catania

Fisherman and cargo vessel

Cormorants

A moody sky

This Christmas promises to be different, because of different surroundings, yet familiar because everyone is celebrating it in the same time honoured way. There are about half a dozen nationalities here, most numerous Italians, then Germans, Brits, Belgian and Danish. Six of us Brits have booked a table at a local Sicilian restaurant for Christmas Day lunch - Sicilian style, however that pans out!

Sicily - Breakfast at Tiffany's?

Breakfast at Tiffany's? Nah, not quite, but the quality of the setting with a view of a volcano, fresh grapes in early December (remember its winter), all on your own patio with a bit of sunshine to brighten things up! And how much does all the seemingly poshness cost .... ? Answer at the bottom of the page.

Breakfast on the patio

Fresh grapes

 

A passing visitor from the Italian Navy

The passing visitor above? Yes, there is the odd helicopter flying over and this one made for a good capture - an Italian Navy Agusta Bell AB212. Made Marius' day!

Ah yes, the cost - all in for less than £10 per day in low season and only if the Godfather likes you.

Sicily - Giardini Naxos(1)

Giardini Naxos and its bay - in the shadow of Mt Etna

The history of this town has its origins in Greek mythology and goes back many centuries, starting off as the most ancient of Greek colonies on Sicily, in 735BC. The story is complicated and not all agree as to how things unfolded or what the time line was, suffice to say the Greek name of Naxos has remained as a reminder to its beginnings.
Giardini Naxos used to be a quiet fishing village until the 1970s when visitors from mainland Italy and eventually tourists from all around Europe started frequenting the area. The beautiful bay is fronted by good swimming beaches, a promenade along the coast and a host of hotels, hostelries, restaurants and pizzerias to cater for all budgets and tastes. It has become a destination in its own right and is the resort of choice when travelling to Sicily. Visiting now, as we are, finds it much quieter and certainly with a local feel to it; there is no mistaking who lives here and who visits here. Our first week was spent getting to know our immediate surrounds by going for daily walks to the promenade, the local 'supermercatos' and 'alimentaris' for groceries.
The town still has an active fishing port and also utilises the soft beach sand to simply pull and heave the smaller boats onto the sand. It makes for a very colourful display and a photographers joy on a good sunny day.

Looking north along the beach ....

.... and west towards Mt Etna ....

.... east towards Cape Taormina ....

.... south towards the harbour wall.

 

We came across these two columns on our walkabouts, but they are new and not from the days when this was a Greek colony and is only decorative, placed as they are in two busy pedestrian areas of town - still a nice touch!

 

After one week here we are starting to get a feel for the place, although we have only done what can easily be done on foot. The bicycles haven't even been taken out of the 'garage' yet. We have been to the nearest supermercato (smallish but only 200 yards down the road) for essentials twice and once to a nice big one about a mile away. All very handy!

Opposite 'Camper Lagani' is the area which used to be the central point of Grecian Naxos, now a protected area for the archaeological remains of that era. I hope to post more detail at a later stage. So there is much to see and explore in the weeks to come. Weeks? - yes we will probably spend the festive season of 2012 here in Giardini Naxos, on the east coast of Sicily halfway between Messina and Catania, near the slopes of the brooding colossus of Mount Etna.

 

What a setting for a New Year's eve fireworks display, if you know what I mean?!