The port of Licata offered us a good location from which to do some road exploration of Sicily. We hired a 'large car' which turned out to be a tiny Fiat Punto, barely big enough for the five of us, however that was the car for the next two days. A lot more grunt and at least some suspension would have been an improvement!
Agrigento to the west was our first destination, not only because we wanted to see the wonderful Valley of the Temples but also because we needed to track down a customs and immigration office. At this point we were illegal immigrants! The highway had taken us through richly cultivated land, lots of glass houses (made of plastic these days), netted vineyards, wind farms and solar farms. Before long we arrived at the archeological site for the ancient town of Akragas, originally settled in 581BC by the Greeks. In 210BC the Romans conquered and called it Agrigentum and encouraged trade and farming. In the 7th century the old city site was moved up the adjacent escarpment, where the modern city stands. Despite its best efforts, the city fell to the Saracens (Arabs) in 9th century and named the city Girgent. Later the Italians called the city Girgenti and only recently has the city been called Agrigenti.
Agrigenti is Unesco World Heritage listed. It is a complex of temples and old city walls from Akragas. Despite the name of Valley of the Temples, the five Doric Temples stand along a ridge, designed to be visible from all around and a beacon to welcome homecoming sailors. In varying states of ruin, the temples give a tantalising glimpse of what must have been a luxurious city of Magna Graecia.
We then headed down the escarpment towards the sea to locate the customs office...not so easy! While Garth and Peter hassled with the various personnel, the rest of us had a delicious salad panini and cannoli (just the most yummy Sicilian delicacy!). When the boys reappeared some time later, the news was grim....we were to immediately return to Licata and find an official who would be waiting for us. After another round of officialdom, all passports were stamped.
By now it was 18:00 and we had accommodation booked a good 2.5 hours drive away! Off we went towards the east coast on a superb freeway all the way to Siracusa. The carriageway was two lanes in each direction and elevated high above the land on massive concrete pylons, except when a hill line got in the way, which necessitated drilling long tunnels through the rock. We were impressed by the freeway engineering and it made sense that the production of crops and safety of animals were both advantaged by the elevation. We arrived at our wonderful 'Nostos' B&B in the centre of town around 20:30 and after a shower, managed a not so special pasta/pizza meal, before crashing for the night.
Next morning, our host served a delightful breakfast before we headed out to explore the old town known once as Ortiga, which was the most powerful cit-state of Magna Graecia, rivalling even Athens in power. It was the largest fortified city of the Greek world, containing half a million people and commanding a great fleet. Siracusa controlled Sicily and the western Mediterranean and enjoyed some 200 years of prosperity until a quarrel with Rome arose. At the time Archimedes was a Siracusan resident and he devised huge catapults and it is said, a system of mirrors and lenses which concentrated the sun's rays on the Roman ships, setting them on fire. The scientist was killed by a Roman soldier, despite strict orders to capture his genius alive. The one square kilometre island was joined to the mainland originally by a causeway, but today there is a short bridge crossing a canal.
Ortygia is said to be the spiritual and physical heart of the city. Porto Piccolo is the inner harbour where Trilogy had been moored recently and we wandered the many narrow streets enjoying the mix of architectural influences from the Greek, Norman, Aragonese and baroque epochs. The highlights of the visit were the Piazza Del Duomo, once the Acropolis of the Greek city, which is now surrounded by baroque limestone mansions. The cathedral's lofty façade dominates the vista, with the original 5th century BC Doric columns visible both inside and outside the cathedral. Even more fascinating inside, is the altar by Siculi built in 8th century BC, the only surviving evidence of the island's first settlers.
Housed in the Palazzo Bellomo is the Regional Museum of Medievil and Modern Art, there is yet another Caravaggio artwork. This time we viewed 'The Burial of St Lucy' painted in 1609, the first work painted by Caravaggio after he fled Malta. As we had the pleasure of seeing two Caravaggio's in Malta, it was apparent to us that there was not quite the same high finish to the work. Caravaggio utilised the same dark background which has little adornment and this time in the foreground was St Lucy's body prostrate between two strongly built grave diggers. A shaft of light passes from the right side and crosses the shoulder muscles of the men and the chin of St Lucy's lifeless body. There is a crowd of saddened onlookers, one depicted with a splash of red cloth and a bishop is visible to the side, complete with miter and crook, behind one grave digger. It is a very large work (I think Caravaggio only did large!) and is displayed in its own large room. Now that's honouring of an artist!
After a quick cup of coffee, it was back on the road to travel north to Mt Etna, which loomed large and could be seen from every direction. The views were wonderful as we chugged in the Punto without aircon up the steep incline, stopping for a late lunch along the way. Very fragrant yellow flowering bushes filled the air with scent and from a distance was reminiscent of the Australian landscape when wattle is in bloom. By the time we reached the cable car it was 16:00, so we quickly arranged tickets and ascended to 2500 metres. There a heavy duty large Mercedes Benz truck met us and we drove to 3000 metres, where a guide took us on a walk in the stunning landscape around Bocca Nuova, a new crater formed since the October 2002. The volcano is made up of four summit craters and is surrounded by over 200 major and minor cones dotting the volcanoes flanks. Mt Etna is Europe's largest live volcano and one of the world's most active. The guide said that on average every 20 days there was a significant explosion. The current full height of Mt Etna is 3323 metres, but that elevation is only visited by volcanologists.
Tired after another big day, we settled for some delicious hot chocolates after descending the steep volcanic slopes in the truck. Homeward bound, we followed a secondary somewhat cratered road back to Licata to find Trilogy safely waiting. After a good stretch and a freshen up, we chose to eat again at a memorable family trattoria called La Lampusa, where the only communication was in Italian but the 'surprise' meals were truly delicious. Our gracious mama waitress and her little son were the perfect hosts. The pasta was to die for and the carpaccio entrees were delicate and delicious, flavours like we've never tasted before!