Tuesday 26 February 2013

Sicily - Avola (Syracuse)

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



Tuesday 19 February 2013

Sicily - Punta Braccetto and surrounds

Staying for five weeks at Camping Scarabeo, near Santa Croce Camerina, was the third time we stayed for more than one month in one place. Remember the reason? To escape the worst of the European winter e.g. snow, ice and below zero temperatures. All three places naturally were in southern Italy / Sicily which is where we said we would spend the winter of 2012/13. Punta Braccetto and Camping Scarabeo was a good choice.

The following will be a selection of random pictures of our surroundings and places we saw around Punta Braccetto / Santa Croce Camerina.

Entrance to 'Scarabeo camping'

Our second pitch, on the seafront. We moved nearer the sea for the second half of our stay at Scarabeo. Wonderful view but windy at times.  

View from the ruins on Punta Braccetto with Fifi on the right

The variety, shapes and (un)finished states of many houses always amazed us. We often had the impression that owners did as they pleased when it came to what you did and how you did it.

Almost like a film set from a cowboy movie

Cottage with more wall than house, although this one was sturdily built.

You could paint it in the colours of the Italian flag - red, white and green.

The Tsunami bar was located next to the open air church ....

The empty streets of Punta Secca. Like ghost towns with nothing and nobody around. We wondered about security of property in the circumstances.

Memorial honouring the sacrifice of the British and American Forces during the liberation of Sicily in WW2, next to Punta Secca harbour.

Statue of Madonna and Child overlooking Punta Secca harbour

Some rural traditions could be seen, such as this shepherd with his flock of sheep and sheep dog.

Waiting to go down the road

Beautiful interior of the theatre in Vittoria

Honouring the Fallen of the Fatherland in Vittoria

Town square in Vittoria with the theatre in the left background
 
Breakfast stop at Marina Ragusa on our way to Syracuse after saying goodbye to Camping Scarabeo

Our thanks and appreciation, once again, to Angela and her staff for five wonderful weeks spent near the southern tip of Sicily. This southern tip is in fact slightly more south than the northernmost tip of Africa and about as far south as you can get away from the European winter, whilst still remaining in the EU.

Sunday 17 February 2013

Sicily - Valley of Temples (Agrigento)

The 'Valley' of Temples is actually a misnomer, because the Temples as you see them today are all on a ridge to the south of Agrigento. The area has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the major attractions to Sicily, it is indeed a national monument of Italy.
They are considered to be of the best examples of 'Greater Greece' art and architecture outside of Greece itself. This was evident in the international mix of visitors on the day we were there. It was luckily a heavily overcast day with threatening rain which limited the amount of people walking about - read good photographic opportunities! There is nothing worse when visiting tourist sites than watching the vanity of those queueing and then posing in front of monuments wanting their pictures taken. Did they come to see ancient architecture or themselves? Which begs the question why did they come at all? And don't even get me going on those who climb and sit on statues and monuments ....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valle_dei_Templi

Below is a sample of some of the seven temples which can be seen, we spent three hours here but you could spend a whole day if you really wanted to get stuck into the history and archaeology of the site.

Temple of Juno used for wedding celebrations (east side)

Temple of Juno; north side (Agrigento side)

View towards the Med

Temple of Concordia. This is the best preserved and was turned into a church in 6AD. The significance of the bronze male is unknown to me.

Temple of Concordia from the east side. The olive tree is about 300 years old and perspex windows gives you a look at the roots; see the two windows in the ground to the right of the tree.

Temple of Heracles, the most ancient in the valley, was destroyed by an earthquake.

This stone objet d'art can be seen in the grounds of the former residence of Alexander Hardcastle, soldier and archaeologist, who spent a private fortune trying to find the remains of the theatre of Akragas (Grecian Agrigento). He died in 1933, impoverished in a mental asylum in Agrigento.

This was a wonderful day out, first to see the Almond Blossom Festival in Agrigento and then the afternoon in the Valley of Temples. Music, folk dancing, colourful parade and then some ancient archaeology to top it off. Thank you to Angela and team from Camping Scarabea who organised it all.

Tuesday 12 February 2013

Sicily - Agrigento Festival

Mandorlo In Fiore Fest (Almond Blossom Festival) Agrigento, Sicily

It was an early start to the day's activities at 07:30 when we boarded the chartered coach to Agrigento. The weather was bright with clouds that at times seemed water laden, but thankfully held firm over Agrigento where the annual Almond Blossom Festival with bands, folk dancers and a parade of various nationalities in traditional dress took place. The festival is held annually in the first week of February when the first of the Almond blossoms appear. It was to be a day of colour and music in the city itself and ending with a separate visit to the Valley of Temples nearby.
The festival dates back to 1934 and grew rapidly from a local gathering to international participation. The entry of Italy into the Second World War in 1941 interrupted the annual festival and resumption only occurred in 1948. It is a major highlight on the social calender of annual events in Sicily and attendance is highly recommended.

Almond blossom

Almond grove with Agrigento in the background

Balloon seller ahead of the parade

The Bersaglieri (Marksmen) is a Corps within the Italian Army dating back to 1836. They are known for their fast pace (a jog) on parade and their feathered hats when wearing ceremonial uniform. They play their trumpets "fanfara" on the jog and seemingly without effort, testimony to their fitness. This was a pleasure to watch!
 

As above



Participants from Castello near Venice


From Syracuse in southern Sicily

As above

From Peru, South America

From Columbia, South America. The wind was a bit cold on the bosoms of those ladies, apart from the dress tops that kept slipping down as they danced ....


A bevy of bottoms

They watched from motorcycles ....
 
.... and brought horse drawn buggies.

A day of fun and colour. Well organised and good crowd management. For those wanting coffee and snacks or a proper pasta and pizza lunch, no problem, there were outlets suiting all pockets.
It lacked none of the Italian character and 'theatre' that they can so readily conjure up, it seems to come naturally with few inhibitions about what they say and the body language that goes with it.