Sicily, Italy

April 2015

Click here to enlarge photos of Sicily

Despite numerous visits to Italy over the past few years, I had never been to Sicily and with an available week around Easter, it seemed the right time to go. We stayed at the Gatwick Travelodge on Saturday March 28th which made for a comfortable drive to leave the car and check in with British Airways for the 10am flight. Because of Easter, the flights to Sicily were very expensive. I’d come across a BA sale with flights to Bari in Southern Italy. It would mean driving across Italy from one coast to the other and a ferry ride, but it was an excuse for another road trip.

We arrived in Bari at 11.45am and looked around the airport for the ‘Firefly’ car hire stand. It didn’t exist but someone said we had to walk down to the car park where the car hire cars were kept. Someone there said their office was off site and that a bus would come past every so often to pick up customers. While I was trying to hunt down the bus stop, someone drove up and asked Wendy if she wanted ‘Firefly’. Result. We were driven off the airport to an industrial park. At the reception, there was no record of my booking with www.rentalcars.com. When the guy called Rental Cars to find out why, they told him that my final payment by credit card had been refused and the reservation cancelled. They said they had sent an email the previous day to tell me. They hadn’t, which is why I knew nothing about it. If I had, I would have sorted it out before I left. (Postscript – I never got back my £19 deposit – they said it was my fault the credit card didn’t work. I will and would advise you to avoid this company like the plague). Nevertheless, Firefly did manage to find a Fiat for us at the agreed price with Rental Cars. Because it was Sicily, I took the unprecedented step to get additional car insurance in case of scrapes.

All this messing about meant that we didn’t really get going until about 1.45pm on the Sunday afternoon and we had a long way to drive. We found the ring road and the virtually deserted SS100 down to Taranto and then the attractive coastal road SS106 heading south. On my map, we could head west and join the E45 Auto Route which would take us down to Villa San Giovanni to catch the ferry to Sicily. It was a roasting hot day. En route we found an Auchan, got Euros, food and drink. But we never saw the road heading west and ended up following the coastal road round to Crotone. Every town seemed to be gridlocked and it took an age. At Catanzaro, I found another road heading west. Nothing was well signposted or there were diversion signs with no clues where to go. Even when I found the Auto Route, there were road repairs and I missed the tiny sign for the southern route and ended up driving 15km north to the next junction just to turn round and head south. It was a gruelling journey.

Once on the Auto Route and going in the right direction, we made good time, passing through a series of tunnels. We rolled into Villa San Giovanni around 9.30pm, found the ferry port, bought a ferry ticket and we on the next ferry within 20 minutes. The 40 minute crossing was spent in the café looking out at the nightlights both on the mainland and in Sicily. “Only 3km of water separate the island from the mainland but the historical and cultural gulf is much wider than that.” (Rough Guide)

We disembarked at Messina. I had booked a hotel at Taormina, supposedly 25 miles south down the east coast. I thought there would be obvious traffic signs once you left the ferry port. There was nothing and we drove around looking for any sign. I eventually saw a tiny one saying ‘South’ which took us through back streets and didn’t look right. Eventually, I found the A18 Auto Route and thought well it will cost us but we will get out of here. What a relief.

Motoring south on a virtually empty road, we turned off at an exit north of Taormina. I knew our hotel was on the coastal road next to the sea and once we found the SS114, it was just a matter of following it through a couple of resorts, around some hills and there it was. We arrived at the Hotel Isola Bella at 12.30am. It had taken a lot longer than I planned but we were in Sicily on the first night ready to start our adventure.

“Off the toe of the Italian peninsula in the far south, the sun baked island of Sicily has wonderful surprises in store for visitors. Active volcanoes light up the night sky, and windswept uplands punctuated by riots of wildflowers contrast with picture-postcard Mediterranean fishing villages. Imposing ancient temples and fortresses left by waves of occupiers vie for attention with glorious beaches on distant islands “ (Eyewitness) while Lonely Persons Guide said “Seductively beautiful and perfectly placed in the heart of the Mediterranean Sicily has been luring passers-by since the time of legends.”

Sicily is the largest region of Italy (nearly 1000 sq. miles) and the third most highly populated with more than five million inhabitants. The terrain is mostly hilly – the plains and plateaus make up only 14 percent of the total land area.

Sicily history can be traced back more than 3000 years and dominated by many different invaders – Greeks, romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans and Spanish. Each succeeding culture left its mark on the island. This is especially evident with the architecture- Greek, the medieval period of Byzantine, Arab and Norman and the flowering of Baroque in the 17th & 18th centuries.

The next morning (Monday March 30th), we had a wonderful view of the bay containing the Isola Bella Island. Wendy thought it was one of the most mesmerising views from a hotel that she had ever seen so at least the long drive had been worth it. The sun was up and it was warm. Taormina (pop 11,100) is Sicily’s most popular summer tourist resort. and the old town was spectacularly perched on the side of a mountain above our hotel. Eyewitness called it “The pearl of the Ionian coast.”

After breakfast, we headed down the coast to spend the day exploring Mt Etna, which was completely covered in snow. Lonely Persons guide said “Sicily’s varied landscape makes a dramatic first impression. The smoking hulk of Etna produces a juxtapositioning of sea, volcano and mountains.” Not that the volcano was smoking today. With sweeping views over the Gulf of Naxos, Mount Etna, Europe’s largest active volcano, dominates the whole of eastern Sicily. Its major eruptions were in 1381 and 1669, while the most recent were in 2001 and 2002.

Today Mt Etna was covered in snow and it looked stunning. As we climbed up through the trees we came across thick black lava fields which stood out starkly against the white snow. The breakdown of volcanic material in the valley below Mt Etna has resulted in very fertile land which supports almonds, olives, grapes, citrus fruit and vegetables.

We spent the day pottering around the slopes, just following twisting hairpin roads to see where they went and then headed for the towns at the base of the western edge of the volcano. Randazzo, built of lava stone 2500ft above sea level was the best of these. It is the closest town to the craters of Mt Etna, but has never been covered. The narrow side streets had examples of medieval architecture and the skyline was dominated by the Santa Maria basilica built in 1239.

Returning to the snowy slopes we finally came across the Funivia dell’Etna cable car which was closed so there was no chance of getting up to the craters. The wind howled around. It was a lovely way to spend our first day on the island.

Coming back to our hotel, the coastal towns were gridlocked with rush hour traffic. The traffic jams were my least favourite part of Sicily. The towns had not been designed for the volume of cars. Drivers would just charge out of side streets with no warning or turn off with no indication. Pedestrians would walk into the road without looking. It was like a real life game of ‘Grand Theft Auto’.

That evening, we climbed up to the old town of Taormina which looked very attractive with various building spot lit. It was impossible to park in the cramped centre and find somewhere to eat so we returned to our hotel area and found a restaurant. The service was so slow that after an hour of waiting, we abandoned the meal and was apologised to by the owner who let us off the wine that we had drank. It was a good job we had plenty of road food in the bedroom.

On the Tuesday morning (March 31st), we checked out of the Hotel Isola Bella (recommended). It had been a lovely stay. We returned to the old town of Taormina for views over the coast (looking down on our hotel and the island) and across to Mount Etna whose white peak stood out in today’s clear blue skies.

To avoid a repetition of the gridlocked coastal towns, we joined the A18 Auto Route and bypassed the major city of Catania and headed straight for Syracuse. The Lonely Persons Guide said “More than any other city, Syracuse encapsulates Sicily’s timeless beauty. Ancient Greek ruins rise out of lush citrus orchards, café tables spill onto dazzling baroque piazzas, and medieval lanes lead down to the sparkling blue sea.”

In its heyday, Syracuse was the largest city in the ancient world. The old centre called Ortegia was a stronghold until the end of the 19th century. Linked to the mainland by the Umbertino Bridge, it separates the city’s two harbours. The entire mini peninsula is framed with beautiful houses and walls that look out on the sea.

Ortegia was a lovely area, a tangled maze of atmospheric alleyways and refined piazzas. The central square, Piazza del Duomo, is one of Sicily’s most spectacular. Syracuse’s showpiece square is a masterpiece in baroque town planning. It is a long rectangular piazza flanked by flamboyant former palaces. It also contained the city’s cathedral. Originally a temple, then a Christian church, a Muslim mosque and finally with its columned façade (1753), a glorious example of Sicilian Baroque religious architecture. Recommended.

It was another roasting day and despite being tempted by a boat trip around the harbour, after lovely Italian ice cream we pushed onto Noto. Outside Syracuse, there were more road works and no diversion signs. We found ourselves idyllic country lanes flooded by colourful spring flowers and large cactuses but alas no idea where we were. We nearly ended back in Syracuse on back roads.

Located less than 40km south of Syracuse, Noto has one of Sicily’s most beautiful historic centres. Throughout the 18th century following the terrible earthquake of 1693, the ruined town became an enormous construction site run by prominent architects. Today Noto’s magnificent Baroque architecture is unique in Sicily.

Entering the traffic free old town via the regal arch called Porta Reale, the piece de resistence was Corco Vittorio Emanuele, the heart of the town and an elegantly manicured walkway flanked by thrilling baroque palaces and churches built of Iblean limestone. It was especially stunning in the early evening when the lovely red-gold buildings seem to glow with a soft inner light.

The Catedral of San Nocolo, surrounded by a series of elegant palaces, had a monumental staircase of three flights leading up to it. Following the collapse of the Dome, the Cathedral was scrubbed clean of centuries of dirt and reopened in 2007...Opposite the Cathedral was the Palazzo Ducezio (1746) with a lovely columned façade interspersed with round arches. It now houses the Town Hall.

Like Ortegia, Noto was stunning. Both were UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Baroque architecture seemed timeless. We ambled around the main avenue which was still full of tourists even late in the day. Where to stay? Wendy’s smartphone had internet connection and we were able to access www.hotels.com and find a cheap room. But where was it? We had pulled over at the edge of town to doing the online booking. As we set off, I forgot I was parked by the edge of a sharp kerb and our front tyre exploded. Unpacking the boot, I found a jack and spare tyre and set about changing it. As I did so, the phone rang. It was the hotel. They had messed up and there was no room available but they had a better room for the same prices. When could we get there? There was the slight hiccup of a tyre replacement (which was sorted in 20 mins of so) and then the fact we didn’t have a map of the town. I followed my nose and headed for the road that looped the old centre and completely by accident, found the original hotel we had booked. A woman was waiting in her car. She told us to follow her. We ended up in the old town just behind the Cathedral.

Set back in an old courtyard was a small hidden residence. We were given a lovely room. I couldn’t believe we were so close to the Cathedral That evening we returned to the Corco Vittorio Emanuele main avenue. The old buildings looked splendid at night lit up by spotlights. The avenue was virtually deserted except for around the theatre which had an opera on. Next to then theatre, we found a cosy family run trattoria and had a lovely meal.

The following morning, I got up at 6am and explored the old town. It was deserted apart from a few locals off to work. I was able to get great photos of all the buildings with no one in front. Three nuns crossed the road and headed for the Cathedral.

Wednesday April 1st. After breakfast and check out, we left Noto and looked for a garage to get the type replaced. Fortunately, there was one on the edge of town that did it immediately. It cost 100 Euros (Sicilian tourist prices?) but at least we were set for the rest of the road trip. We could have visited another hill town like Noto at Ragusa, but wanted to push on to Agrigento. This week it was more a case of getting a flavour of Sicily by doing major sights around the island rather than extensive coverage of similar sights.

As it was, there was no direct road and we followed our nose and ended up on a minor coastal road driving past mile after mile of plastic greenhouses where market gardening was taking place. It was slow going and even when we picked up the main road (SS115); it was a case of following lines of traffic.

Arriving at Agricentro around 2pm, the marvellous looking ancient temples stood on a cliff edge overlooking the road. Founded in 581BC, at one time, the fourth largest city (Akragas) in the world had 200,000 people. Now as a UNESCO listed “Valley of the Temples”, it is home to Sicily’s most impressive Greek ruins and boasts the best preserved Doric temples outside Greece.

The Eastern Zone had all the main temples (dedicated to Olympian Zeus, Heracles, Concord and Hera), though there was also a western Zone with minor ruins. We would spend four hours exploring the Eastern Zone and it was a fabulous experience. Entering the grounds full of olive trees and cacti, we first came across the Temple of Castor and Pollux whose fours surviving columns were restored in the 19th century.

Onto the Temple of Heracles built in the 6th Century BC and oldest temple on site, whose eight columns (of the original 38) were restored in 1924. The old city walls had a series of Byzantine tombs built into them.

The Tempio della Concordia (Temple of Concord) has survived virtually intact since it was constructed in 430BC. One reason was it was converted to a Christian church in the 6th century AD. But it was also built on a layer of soft clay that acts like a shock absorber and protected it from earthquake tremors. It was restored to its original classical form in 1748 and looked stunning. Nearby was a gnarled 800 year old olive tree.

The final Tempio di Hera (Temple of Hera) at the far end of the complex was built in the 5th Century BC and was perched on the edge of the ridge. This is the first one we had seen from the road. Much of the colonnade remains intact. Hard to believe but it was restored in roman times. Agricentro is a lovely site to visit. Recommended.

Rather than stay in the rather non-descript modern town of Agricentro which lay on a hill above the ruins, we decided to head to Sciacca up the coast. Following the SS115, we made good progress but it was dark when we entered the town. Wendy found a cheap apartment on hotels.com but we didn’t have a map of the town. So she tried her online sat nav. This was a bit emotional to start with because firstly it was dark so we couldn’t see the road names that were being spouted out and sometimes it didn’t keep up with us. We went round in circles through back streets, but somehow we found the apartment which was up a narrow cul-de- sac. The owner was expecting us.

When he opened the door to show us, we couldn’t believe it. It opened into a vast lounge/kitchen area and had 3 bedrooms and two bathrooms. All to ourselves. Although it was late (10.30pm), we had no food so I went exploring in the car. I ended up following a one way system into the centre of town and then realised I had no map to get back. I followed my nose and found the bridge back out to our neighbourhood and then hunted around there.

I found a pizza restaurant that did takeaways. The pizzas seemed cheap and I ordered a ‘tablet’ with lots of toppings. I was a little taken back when a metre long box appeared. The pizza was about a foot thick as well. Fortunately, we had ice cold beers to wash it down.

The apartment was so nice that we decided to spend a second night there and have a ‘quiet day’ (April 2nd) of minimal driving. Sciacca was originally a thermal resort and still retains a spa as well as much of its medieval layout which divided the town into quarters.

Our first sight just outside town was Castello Incantado, the ‘Enchanted Castle’. I had stumbled across this in the guidebook while looking for things to do in the area. It was a multi-layered park festooned with thousands of sculptured heads. Filippo Bentivegna (1888-1967), was a local artist who used sculpture to exorcise the memories of an unhappy sojourn to the USA in the early twentieth century He fell in love with a woman who was also being chased by another man. This man beat up Filippo so badly that he fled the USA, came back to Sicily and bought some land. For the next 50 years, he just carved stone heads. Each head is supposed to represent one of his memories. It was a strange place with all these heads staring at you. There were a couple of cave complexes where he had dug out the stone. I doubt this place is on most tourists’ itinerary in Sicily, but it was unique and I’d never seen anything like this before anywhere.

After visiting a windswept coast and beach, we parked up in downtown Sciacca for a walkabout. The main road was the Corso Vittorio Emanuele though apart from the small Piazza Duomo with its 1656 church, it was nothing special. The Gran Caffe Scandaglia was a nice square overlooking the harbour. Much of the town was closed for its siesta. We also climbed up through the narrow alleyways of the old town which was based on a hill.

Caltabellotta is only 19km northeast of Sciacca but is famous for its location up a near vertical hill. We followed a lovely rural route, past a field of solar panels. The hilltop village loomed in the distance situated at 949m above sea level. It didn’t help that the main road was blocked off due to road works. This meant I had to use the narrow lanes through the old town which were so steep that our little Fiat was struggling. More problems arose when cars coming the other way had to squeeze past in tiny courtyards. Somehow we made it up to the top and a ruined Norman castle for some wonderful panoramic views. Back in Sciacca, we raided the supermarket for a feast of goodies and cooked a wonderful meal that evening. I was still eating the pizza for breakfast!

Friday April 3rd and we were running out of time. There was a hilltop town on the western coast called Erice which the guidebooks raved about. It was a diversion from heading directly to the northern coast, but we were able to take advantage of some Auto Routes to get there pretty rapidly.

Erice watches over the port city of Trapani, 750m above sea level. It was a lovely walled medieval town with stern looking forts and churches with sweeping views of the valley below. The first major sites were the old Norman cathedral built in 1312 and next door a separate 28m high Campanile. We then explored the narrow wall hugging, creeping hillside cobbled stoned alleyways and secret courtyards. The town had been turned into a twinky tourist town but was enjoyable enough to explore today with not too many visitors. But once you’ve snooped around and got some photos, it was just more of the same. The one highlight for Wendy was the funicular (cable car) that run from Trapani to Erice. Most people catch it in Trapani for a visit to Erice, but we did it the other way around, descending to Trapani and then coming back up. It took about 15 minutes each way and there were some great views over the west coast.

Returning to the Auto Route, we headed north to Palermo. This sprawling city is the Sicilian regional capital and with a 650,000 population, the fifth largest city in Italy. We didn’t have any aspirations to see anything here and stayed on the Auto Route which went right through the heart of the city. The traffic jams started but were moving slowly and as we left the city centre, the traffic started to thin out again. I must admit that the more I travel, the larger cities have little interest to me. You get lazy and think do I want to negotiate this place with a car to see what? Another cathedral? It is the smaller intimate places that seem to appeal more as I get older.

The Tyrrhenian Coast is a coastal stretch between Palermo and Messina. It is a wonderful route to follow on the Auto Route which burrows in and out of the mountain range. We seemed to enter tunnels every few minutes. Originally, I had intended to visit Caccamo which is a picturesquely perched Norman castle. But in typical Sicilian fashion, there was no signed turn off and we missed it.

I had read that Cefalu, 70km east from the capital was “The finest resort on the long Tyrrhenian coast” (Rough Guide) and that “The squares, streets and churches of this medieval town are so postcard-pretty.” (Lonely Persons) and this seemed the ideal place to stay the night. But when we arrived, the town was heaving with Good Friday tourists. There was no parking available, the streets were gridlocked and it was a nightmare. We found the beach area and took a quick look. Its long sandy beach had a dramatic setting under a crag known as La Rocca. The honey hewed stone buildings and narrow alleyways glistened in the late afternoon sun. The mighty cathedral (1131) still dominated the skyline. Its great twin towers reared up above the flat roofs of the medieval quarter with the whole structure framed by the looming cliff and mountain scenery behind. But today was not the day to see it.

We pushed on and decided to try a quieter place. We pulled off into Sant Agata di Militello which was also a popular resort town but not on the scale of Cefalu. It was so sleepy in comparison. Ceramic artists seem to have flocked here. We found a guest house on a backstreet just off the main strip and parked outside. The owner told us that there would be a religious procession that evening setting off from the cathedral.

We walked to the palm studded promenade and a gridded town centre which was pedestrianised. It seemed mostly locals out on the streets. A small crowd started to congregate outside the church. Inside a service was taking place. The procession was due to start at 8pm. Wendy fancied a drink while we waited. The bar near the church had tables outside in a prime view to watch the start of the procession. She ordered a red wine. The owner had to open a new bottle and thought well I might as well have one too. Then Wendy indicated that ‘we’ll take the bottle.’ My mouth dropped when 25 Euros was rung up on the till. For someone that usually paus about 4 Euros for a bottle, this was the most expensive bottle of wine I had ever bought. We laughed it off and sat outside. As it was the owner must have been so impressed he bought a selection of tapas for us to nibble on which eased the pain in my wallet.

The procession formed. There were a couple of 4-5ft tall religious deities on wooden platforms that were hoisted onto the shoulders of both men and women. A couple of men were dressed in official police uniform in front and in front of them was a priest. And off they went to walk up and down the grid of streets. Any idea of having a steak dinner had been removed by the wine incident. This town was a lovely place to spend a night. Recommended.

Saturday April 4th arrived and we had a long drive ahead of us. After breakfast we were off to finish off the Tyrrhenian Coast and reach Messina. The tunnels continued. The Auto Route along this entire coast was a toll road. We racked up around £7 of tolls over the two days but it saved so much time.

In Messina, we followed signs to the port and found a ticket office inside a shop. I bought a ticket which was a Euro less than before. Someone tried to give us directions. We thought it strange rather than just driving into a waiting queue that we ended up back on a main road and saw another sign to the port. We passed the ticket office and sat in line waiting for the next ferry. As I looked at our ticket and then the ferry boat, I realised that we had bought a ticket for a rival company.

As you wait in line, a ticket inspector comes past every car and scans your ticket into a machine. When he saw ours, he confirmed my doubts. ‘Different company. You must go back to the train station about 3km away.” I nodded and pointed at the exit route when we started moving.

A ferry arrived and unloaded. Then our two lines of traffic started to board. Our ticket inspector was far behind us. So rather than taking the exit route, I drove onto the ferry. “Thanks to you, I’m a stowaway” wailed Wendy. I was convinced that no one was any the wiser and once on, from the previous trip, no one checked you as you got off. So we left Sicily as criminals but drove onto the mainland at Villa San Giovanni.

The return trip to Bari was much easier this time. We found the E45 Auto Route and motored north, we found the turn off for the SS106 and negotiated miles of road works and headed north on the familiar road. Rather than drive directly to Bari, I had discovered a strange place called Matera known as "la Città Sotterranea" (the Subterranean City), which I felt would be a good place to stay, we didn’t arrive until 5pm under overcast skies and it was still busy with Easter weekend tourists. Wikipedia said “Matera is one of the most interesting, unusual and memorable tourist destinations in Italy. In the remote southern region of Basilicata, still little-visited by foreign travellers. It is a town famous for its extensive cave-dwelling districts, the ‘Sassi’ (Sassi di Matera" meaning "stones of Matera"). The caves of Matera had been inhabited for centuries; some humble and some smarter residences, but by the early twentieth-century the area poverty stricken. In the 1950s, the locals were moved out of the caves into the new town above. In 1993 the town was made a UNESCO World Heritage site, for being "the most outstanding, intact example of a troglodyte settlement in the Mediterranean region, perfectly adapted to its terrain and ecosystem". Ever since, Matera has become steadily more popular as an off-the-beaten-track tourist destination. More and more old cave-houses are being converted into comfortable modern dwellings, B&BS and restaurants. Matera was the one of the filming locations for Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ, with shots showing the Sassi and the gorge below.

From a distance, as you approach the Sassi, it looked like a gigantic human termite hill with houses and staircases carved out of the white, greyish rock. “Haunting and beautiful, the Sassi sprawled below the rim of a yawning ravine like a giant nativity scene”. (Lonely Persons Guide). I must admit that it was a very unique place and completely unexpected in Italy. Today we only had time to spend a couple of hours getting a general impression of the place. When Wendy went to a toilet in a pizzeria, she came out to report that the restaurant was carved into the hill. We did try finding somewhere to stay but everything was full. I’d like to return here for a full day’s exploration one day. Recommended.

We pushed on to the next town Altamura which was gridlocked with traffic in pouring rain. We couldn’t work out why the streets were so busy. Popping into a hotel, we found it full. ‘Everything in town is full’ the receptionist told us. ‘Why? What is in this town? “Easter” she replied. She suggested we head to Gravina in Puglia up the road “Maybe they have rooms.” So we did and found another gridlocked main street in the pouring rain. We looked for hotels and saw nothing but signs to hotels. We kept going and entered an old city gate.

Spotting a tall narrow guesthouse called ‘The Four Fountains’ (because guess what was outside), we climbed the stairs. The friendly staff laughed when we asked for a room. ‘Just one night?’ Yes. They had a room left. As long as we were gone in the morning because it was reserved for Sunday. No problem. We were even able to park in a lovely piazza (with a hotel pass) around the corner. This place looked lovely. I ran out to explore it as the darkness fell.

The Cathedral around the corner was built by the Normans in Romanesque style in the 11-12th centuries. It was destroyed by fires and earthquakes in the mid-15th century and later rebuilt. A nearby church had skeletons on the outside which used to be fashionable a couple of centuries back.

That evening, recommended by the hotel, we ate at Mama Mia’s restaurant which had a fabulous view over the gorge and the old cave houses which were lit up by spotlights. Like Matera, Gravina had originally started as a cave town. At the restaurant we order ‘a series of local delicacies’ followed by a mixed grill. When the first dish arrived, I thought this is a little small. What I didn’t realise was that 8 more dishes were to follow. There were meat, fish, local mushrooms, vegetables. The plates just kept coming, we wondered how we’d fit in a mixed grill, but fortunately it was a modest platter of steak, pork and lamb. It was a wonderful meal to end the trip off with and we were glad we’d had the luck to stay in Gravina rather than Matera.

Sunday April 5th. Our flight was leaving at 12.30pm. We were around an hour from Bari. What could possibly go wrong? I got up to wander around the old town and get some photos. Then we had a lovely breakfast of fresh croissants before packing to fly home. I unfortunately had to leave the large traffic sign “Area Volcanic” that we had found on Mt Etna. It was too big for the suitcase. We set off for Bari. Traffic was light but slow driving locals. We tried to find the SS16 ring road and signs to the airport. This took longer than expected. We had a map to get back to Fire Fly but I had to double back through side streets to find the exit we needed. Italian Industrial estates all look bland and the same, and nothing seemed familiar from last Sunday. We drove around looking for someone to ask but there was no one. Then I spotted a building I recognised and found the firefly compound. We arrived at 11am bang on time.

The receptionist checked the car, but the two more couples arrived back with cars who were then processed. Meanwhile the Firefly driver was still at the airport and did not come back. It was 11.30am and we were now getting a little panicky, One hour until take off. We had to demand to be taken to the airport. The receptionist had to lock up the office and we all boarded a minibus. I assumed we would be dropped by the Departures door, but we were dropped at the car rental car park. I had to jog carrying two suitcases, sweating like Rolf Harris in a playground up to the terminal, then ascend to the first floor and find the BA check in. We made it and then once through security ended up waiting 20 minutes at the departure gate. Doh!

Final thoughts on Sicily: Sicily surprised me. It had some fabulous sights and we only just hit a few. I could have easily spent another three days there filling in the gaps. Mount Etna in the snow looked stunning but it would be nice to climb it in the summer. Travelling is slow going on the local roads but the Auto Routes are useful to cover distances faster. The driving in Sicily is challenging in the towns. The locals seem to have no highway code. You have to have eyes in the back of your head. I don’t know how we didn’t have an accident. But my parents tried doing Sicily using public transport a few years back and they said it was very hard – so you should rent a car and take your chances. We found the cuisine lovely, the accommodation very affordable (especially if you booked it last minute) and met some lovely people Recommended.