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.

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.

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!

 

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

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.

Sicily - Weather and Sea (Pictorial)

There are few if anything that can show changes and mood swings as coastal weather can. Anybody who has ever spent time living near to, as I have, or in present times as we are now, camping / motorhoming next to the sea, will testify to the unpredictability of coastal weather.

Southern Sicily and the Mediterranean is no different and don't be fooled by the belief that the Med is a sea and not an ocean and therefor is without wind and stormy weather. It may be less stormy than the Atlantic for example, but is has 'weather' big time! It probably has more good weather than bad, borne out by the myriad of ports large and small all over its coastline of southern Europe and northern Africa, used for leisure, fishing, commerce and trade and the cruise line industry.

 

From a photographic point of view it is a gem and will provide happy snappers and serious photographers and everybody in between, wonderful memories. Below is a selection of shots taken over the last month during our stay at Punta Braccetto in southern Sicily.

 

A classic Med winter sunset over the ruins at Punta Braccetto

Same view with approaching cloud bank from the southwest

Looking southeast at heavy weather

Remains of hailstones at the beach viewpoint

A washed out beach after heavy rain - looking west

Same as above - looking east

The normal state of the beach

The normal activity late afternoon on many a day

Five motorhomes and eight Brits spending the winter in southern Sicily

I wonder why?

Sicily - Ragusa Ibla (Inferior & Superior)

Ragusa Ibla is a small city in southern Sicily of 75,000 people built on a limestone hill between two deep valleys. It has city status because of the Cathedral of Saint Giovanni Battista. It has a long history dating back to the 2nd Millennium BC and has seen various rulers from Arabs to Romans until conquered by the Normans in the 11th Century. It became part of the Kingdom of Sicily which in turn was incorporated into the Italian Republic by Giuseppe Garibaldi. Ragusa Ibla is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The city is an amalgamation of two parts, Ragusa Inferiore and Ragusa Superiore, the lower town and the upper town or as some would have it the old town and the new town. Much was destroyed in an earthquake in 1693 but as much was rebuilt in the new town in the Baroque style so prevalent in Sicily and Italy.
We spent a good few hours walking the narrow streets and alleyways and found the city an intriguing mix of style, character and that unique Italian decadence providing shabbiness and class all in one. I could easily go for a second visit and would recommend it as a destination in Sicily. You need not walk around all day either, there are numerous cafes and even a two star Michelin restaurant to cater for all needs. You will also notice from these pictures the lack of people in the streets - it was low season and photographic opportunities without the hordes were easily come by.

The 'lower town' taken from inside the minibus. The small houses appear set into the limestone cliff.

Cathedral and lower town

Piazza Duomo (Cathedral Square)

The 'upper town'

Entrance to a home in upper town Ragusa

View west towards the old town and viaduct crossing the valley

Pastel coloured roof tiles and washing line - so Italian!

View from the public gardens to the upper town

 

Main entrance to the public gardens (Giardini Iblei)

Monument to fallen Italian soldiers of WW1. The inscription reads Pro Patria but whatever was mounted on the pedestal is no longer there. Some 600,000 Italian soldiers died in WW1. I saw no mention of WW2.

 

Fountain in Giardini Iblei

 

Portal to the old Cathedral of San Giorgio. The church was destroyed in the 1693 earthquake but the portal was restored showing the Knight slaying the Dragon. The new Cathedral was built more towards the centre of town near the top of the hill. 



How to get where you're going in Ragusa? Easy, just follow the signs!