FUN-travel: Taormina to Ragusa, Sicily

November 9, 2013 by  

Day 40 – Friday, October 25 –Taormina to Ragusa, Sicily – full sun – high 75 – low 59

What I LIKE

  • 7:30 – really good, hot, strong cappuccinoGiardini Naxos, Italy 2013 6
  • 10:00 – Paolo calls official registration office in Giardini-Naxos
  • shows us how to go there
  • Chris’ dad was born there
  • 10:30 – check out – no charge for any food!
  • this is one of the best places we ever stayed! service off the charts!
  • 10:50 – drive to Giardini-Naxos
  • 11:20 – arrive Ufficio Anagrate
  • taken back to archives – metal cabinet w/ledgers
  • 1916 – page w/Nov 15th births
  • makes us a copy to take
  • no charge!
  • 12:40 – drive through town to Archaeological Park – $2 Euro pp
  • nice walk to stretch legs
  • 1:15 – drive to Siracusa
  • **2:10 – arrive & drive around
  • find huge park w/greek ruins
Giardini Naxos, Italy 2013 5

Giardini-Naxos

  •  2:50 – lunch @only place we find w/parking
  • Pizzeria Don Chisciotte – order 4 cheese pizza – turns out its 4 items – ham, olives, mushrooms & peas – diet coke – $8.50 Euro – pretty bad
  • 3:20 – drive to Noto
  • ***4:15 – arrive
  • 1:45 – finally get to old city – JTC!

    Noto, Italy 2013 7

    Noto

  • wish we would have come here to eat
  • nice sidewalk cafes
  • +5:00 – head to Ragusa
  • 6:30 – arrive Hotel Villa Del Lauro
  • free parking on street (more like an alley if you ask me)
  • Domenico checks us in
  • ask for room on 1st floor – he says not as nice as 2nd floor room
  • he is so right
  • beautiful big room w/french doors to patio
  • overlooking big grass yard w/swimming pool
  • ++carries our bags up for us
  • was originally a palace
  • free mini bar – water, beer, snacks – JLT!
  • 8:30 – short walk to new town
  • +++9:00 – dinner @ Konza – mixed salad w/olives, carrot, mozzarella, capers, tomatoes, corn – tagliatelle w/mushroom & sausage – pretty good – 2009 Baglio Caruana, Vilucchio cab/merlot – $19 Euro
  • 10:05 – walk back
  • internet & email works here! (hotspot is the provider I don’t like)
  • 11:45 – night night

JTC – just too cute!
JLT – just love that!

1 Noto, Italy

Noto

What I DON’T LIKE

  • *pretty disappointing – not much to see
  • can’t find city center for lunch options
  • put  piazza in GPS but nothing there
  • ***once again – crazy one way streets – no clear signs to old city center
  • +GPS wants to take us on back roads – don’t want to do that!
  • more confusing road signs
  • ++no elevator (3 story)
  • +++couldn’t find recommended ones on map

FUN-fact – The theatre in Siracusa is one of the largest ever built by the ancient Greeks: it has 67 rows, divided into nine sections with eight aisles. Taormina’s is the second largest of its kind in Sicily.

Noto, Italy 2013 2

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