On the night of June 1, we boarded the Trenitalia Inter-City Notte for the 12 hour train ride to Siracusa in Sicily. We had booked a two-person sleeper cabin, it was compact but comfortable. Yes, the train lurched as I took the photo...
We awoke early the next morning at Villa San Giovanni, at the very end of Italy's toe, where the train was disassembled to be loaded onto a ferry, and then reassembled in Messina on the island of Sicily, to continue on to Siracusa.
Mount Etna greeted us with a rather large eruption with plenty of grey smoke as we rode by...
As we walk away from the train, we notice some Canadian content:
From Siracusa, we walked onto Ortigia, a small nearby island. It would turn out to be our favourite place of the whole trip. Very few vehicles, many small narrow lanes, ruins, a daily farmers' market, plenty of restaurants, and a fabulous wide piazza with two churches and an awesome ambience, especially after dark. It was busy but not crowded, touristy but no aggressive vendors. We loved it and if you are ever in Sicily, make sure you include a day or two in delightful Ortigia.
Piazza del Duomo, photo taken in front of our B&B:
The Piazza, our B&B behind the building lit in blue on the left...
We enjoyed the market...and as you'd expect on a island next to an island...lots of fish...
Not to mention cannoli! After all, Sicily is home to cannoli. Maybe this one is a two-hander...
Our B&B, Il Duomo, was a charming place to stay, in a terrific location, with a quaint entrance,
Sadly, hot water in our room was difficult to come by, ruining its appeal...so we changed hotels upon our return to Ortigia a few days later.
The next leg of our trip would involve renting a car in Ortigia and driving for about 2 hours through the Sicilian countryside to Ragusa, which was nearly as enjoyable as Ortigia...
.JPG)
I am doing this exact same trip in June. I'm wondering how did you find Roma Termini at night? Did you feel safe? Great blog!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry, just noticed your question. We never felt threatened anywhere in Italy but then we weren't out at late hours in urban areas. Stick to busy well lit streets at night and always be aware of your surroundings, as you would anywhere. Glad you enjoyed my blog.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog 😁
ReplyDeleteGood tips will go to Sicily this summer, appreciate your blog!
ReplyDeleteThat's great! Glad I can help, have a terrific time in Sicilia!
ReplyDelete