We have made the turnaround in Sicily and from here onwards we start the journey back to England, aiming to be there by the end of March. Snow is still falling north of Rome nearer the Alps, so there is no rush yet. The plan is to make for Messina (Sicily) and the ferry port, cross back onto the Italian mainland and then head north and west to the French border, entering France at the French Riviera. Judging and juggling the weather will determine when we head north on the French motorways towards Calais for the ferry crossing to Dover.
Poppies have come up near our campsite and we are not sure whether this is an early onset of Spring.
Camping Sabbiadoro, our site just north of Avola is quiet and has pleasant surroundings both in terms of pitches and bits of garden, with the owner doing quite a bit of gardening himself.
We enjoyed the privacy of the hedges on both sides
A good mix of sun and shade all day long
Laptop and iPad on the table and Joan chatting to the neighbours
The benefits of low season, no crowding - peace and quiet
This campsite also has a well cared for Cacti garden and standing next to it gives you a wonderful view of the sea - Cacti and sea together.
It all speaks for itself, we often wandered down to the sea and back past the Cacti, flowers and ferns. The grounds were freshly raked, birds chirping in the trees, no screaming kids and no dog mess.
Marius derived much pleasure photographing this interestingly displayed F-104S Starfighter of the Italian Air Force 3km from the campsite. Twice he cycled there on separate days and took upwards of 40 pictures of this airplane. He submitted three edited copies and had them accepted onto an aviation website he is a member of. Trying to explain that to any non-aviation type is futile.
F-104S Starfighter