FUN-travel: Terrasini, Sicily – Last Full Day

November 15, 2013 by · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Terrasini, Sicily – Last Full Day 

Day 43 – Monday, October 28 – Terrasini, Sicily – Full Day – full sun – high 75 – low 59

2 Teressini, Italy

Downtown Terrasini

What I LIKE

  • *7:30 – get up7 Segesta, Italy
  • **10:30 – walk to piazza & town center
  • scope out dinner ops
  • notice clock tower & time is one hour earlier
  • buy stamp for Cinzia’s bday card (Nov 2nd)
  • 2nd clock in town reads same thing – hmmm what is going on?
  • Chris says “they just never changed it for DST”
  • 11:50 – drive to airport (have early flight & don’t want any surprises)
  • 12:20 – drive south to Castellamare del Golfo for lunch @ Soho lounge
  • got rave reviews on TA
  • ***Pierpaolo highly recommended going to San Vito lo Capo
  • 12:55 arrive – GPS worked perfectly!
  • Lunch – spaghetti w/olive oil, garlic & fresh clams VG! – caponata salad
  • OMG – clock across from Soho Lounge reads 1 hour earlier too!
  • it pays to be observant! we assume we went across a time zone
  • +1:20 – arrive Segesta – magnificent sitting high on the hill – $6 Euro pp
  • 1:50 – head back
1 Teressini, Italy

Terrasini

  •  ++2:30 – need gas
  • 2:40 – GPS finds one that is open
  • 2:50 – back to hotel
  • room happy hour w/carafe wine – $12Euro
4 Segesta, Italy

Segesta

  • discussion ensues on what to do for the 24 hrs we’re in London tomorrow – I suggest dinner & a play – Chris says the big storm that hit affected the train service – but not a problem “we’ll just get a limo!” NOT! dinner & a play would be his worst nightmare – good for a lot of laughs!
  • 7:45 – walk to dinner

    24 Monreale, Italy

    “The Locals”

  • 8:00 – arrive Arabesque – on 1st floor under Caza Manzella B&B – pizza w/olives, bell pepper, onion pepperoni – mixed salad – Planeta Burdese 2006 $30 Euro not on wine menu VG – & 2nd best pizza on trip!
  • 11:30 – time for night night

What I DON’T LIKE

  • *5:30 – wake up
  • **pretty small & not much to see
  • ***too far on small, narrow windy roads through mountains – had enough of that!
  • +totally missed the amphitheatre – another example of poor signage & why you should have your guide book with you and not in the hotel room!
  • ++1st station not open

FUN-fact – Segesta is one of the most well preserved Doric Temples in the world.

FUN-travel: Ragusa to Terrasini, Sicily

November 15, 2013 by · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Ragusa to Terrasini, Sicily 

Day 42 – Sunday, October 27 – Ragusa to Terrasini, Sicily – full sun – high 75 – low 59

3 Agrigento, Italy

Valley of the Temples

What I LIKE

18 Monreale, Italy

Monreale

  • *7:35 – lukewarm cappuccino
  • **8:30 – checkout
  • 8:50 – hit the road
  • 9:45 – 2nd gas station has no attendant but people filling up
  • nice man shows us how to put money in & get gas out
  • ***10:45 – arrive Gela w/gas station open
  • good hot cappuccino too!
  • full of locals – clearly the place to be on a Sunday morning
  • 12:10 – arrive Agrigento & Valley of Temples – $10 Euro pp
  • +1:15 – lunch @ restaurant there – 1 slice pizza, 1 cold pasta salad, 1 diet coke – $15 Euro
  • 1:45 – drive to Monreale
  • rolling hills – green & brown – rocky mountains in distance
  • lots of small Quonset hut like green house growing zucchini & vineyards dot the landscape
  • ++3:30 – arrive Monreale – big beautiful church on top of grand hill just outside of Palermo & free!
  • 4:00 – beer & cappuccino break
  • +++4:15 – off to Terrasini/Cinisi for Palm Beach Hotel – only 20 miles
  • 5:05 – finally arrive – Giancarlo (front desk) very nice & helpful – carries our bags up
  • internet works & they have CNN!
  •  5:30 – down for bottle of wine (only have carafes) – $12 Euro for liter Nero d’ Avola – not bad
12 Agrigento, Italy

Valley of the Temples

  • 7:50 – walk 2 blocks to restaurant recommended by Giancarlo – Primafila
  • #1 TA rated plus have Michelin sign
  • 8:00 – arrive
  • staff eating dinner outside family style – tell us 10 mins
  • 8:15 – menu arrives
  • order Adènzia  2009 Christo di Campobello di Licata – syrah, cab, nero d’avola blend $18 Euro – tri color salad, mozzarella balls, iceberg, tomato – risotto w/veggies – fresh pasta (like really long macaroni)  w/fish (typical/local dish) – tastes fishy $53 Euro
7 Agrigento, Italy

Valley of the Temples

What I DON’T LIKE

  • *no breakfast or server – have to go down to lobby – person on duty doesn’t speak English or know how to make a cappuccino
  • **no one to help w/the bags26 Monreale, Italy
  • need gas and no stations open
  • 9:30 – go to self serve – won’t take credit card
  • put in $10 Euro & no gas!
  • miss turn & detour out of our way – road signs not clear
  • ***take credit card inside but attendant outside has to put money in to get gas
  • +the worst & most expensive so far!
  • ++outside & terraces closed on Sunday afternoon
  • +++once again GPS is confused – turn around & stop for directions – didn’t go far enough
  • elevator is broken
  • missed the eruption of Mt. Etna on the 26th  – left Taormina one day too early!
Mt. Etna 2013

Mt. Etna – What We Missed!

FUN-fact – The Valley of the Temples is a large sacred area on the south side of the ancient city where seven monumental Greek temples in the Doric style were constructed during the 6th and 5th centuries BC. Now excavated and partially restored, they constitute some of the largest and best-preserved ancient Greek buildings outside of Greece itself. They are listed as a World Heritage Site.
More FF – The Monreale church is a national monument of Italy and one of the most important attractions of Sicily. The impressive glass mosaics covering the interior make this church so splendid.

FUN-photos: Rimini to Palermo, Italy

November 11, 2013 by · Comments Off on FUN-photos: Rimini to Palermo, Italy 

We arrived in Rimini the afternoon of October 15th. We were there for the TTG Incontri Travel & Tourism Industry Show where Susan spoke. On the morning of the 19th we picked up another car and headed south with our first stop in San Marino and then on to Sorrento for 3 days where we visited Capri, the Blue Grotto, Pompeii & Herculaneum. We continued south along the Amalfi Coast with stops in Positano & Amalfi and spent the night in Tropea. We drove to Villa San Giovanni where we picked up the ferry to Sicily. Our first stop there was Taormina for 2 days, then off to Ragusa for 2 days with stops on the way in Giardini-Naxos, Siracusa & Noto. Our last 2 nights were spent in Terrasini, a small seaside town next to the airport since we had a very early flight out on the 29th. We stopped and saw the Greek ruins in Agrigento & Segesta as well as seeing the fabulous church in Monreale on the outskirts of Palermo.

If you click on the first picture it will allow you to create a slide show. And it turns out they are in ascending order (in other words, the first is actually the last) So if you click the back arrow you will see them in order. Enjoy!