Sicily: for the third time....always said there are only four places (so far) that I would go back to; Azores, Spain, Turkey & Sicily. And Sicily definitely more than once. Will always remember my first brioche, up in Joe's ancestral home town of Termini on the north coast, filled with café gelato - and for breakfast!. And how many Arancini? I am salivating just writing the name! And such good wine for such little cost. I am writing this blog in a café in Licata with a very large glass of vino blanco...only 2 Euros. The Paolo Calli is an incredibly fine wine.
Did I mention history? Greeks (who came in the 7th century BC!) with their Valley of Temples just to our west (much better than Greek temples in Greece!), Carthaginians, and of course the Romans (this was their battleground during the First Punic War). Moors, Normans, etc., etc. I could go on and on (please someone ask me to!).
The Sicilians, in order to better defend themselves, lived on the hill tops. And who has more hill tops than Sicily? Not many. What a site travelling by motorcycle along winding roads from hill top town to hill top town.
The only wrinkle in our plans so far is the fact that one of our favourite performers is coming to the Marina di Cala del Sole....our marina right here in Licata!! The only Sicilian stop for Fabio Contacto this year!! And we are scheduled for a crew change in Malta on that very day, May 10th ! Crew is beside herself! (Fabio is on our top ten musician list- not just the Italiano top ten!)
The weather here has been fine, cool at night and wonderful during the day for hiking. Did the big hike up the hill to the old fort (Forte de Angelo). Incredible view overlooking the marina with a gigantic cemetery in the foreground. And who has more elaborate cemeteries than the Sicilians? Joe was able to get his entire Sicilian family tree from one photograph at the Termini graveyard!
Yesterday was wet so we spent the day on boat projects. More locker clean-outs, a bilge clean-out and a forward electrical substation to properly wire the forward windlass battery to the macerator and washdown pumps. Was even able to wire up a LED light in the dark and gloomy anchor locker.
Ciao!