Sunday 13th September 2026

Woke around 0600. Managed to doze back off again eventually. Got up around 0900. Aki feeling better. We weren't hungry enough to consider breakfast, but decided to go in search of caffeine. I guided her down to the kiosk I'd visited yesterday. We were very taken with our coffee cups...Aki had Elvis on hers, I had Ray Charles. Took our empty cups back to the kiosk and sang some Elvis songs to the owner, who was so chuffed with us he gave us an espresso cup with Ray Charles on it...nice souvenir! 

We walked up countless steps...200 odd I should think, to gain views back across the old town perched on the hilltop opposite. We were astonished to be overtaken by a bunch of lycra clad cyclists on a hairpin bend...hard work in this heat! Made our way back to the digs and packed our bags...our hosts had given us the OK to leave our bags in our room until ready to depart after lunch. Wandered into the piazza and on down to the ornamental gardens, where we happened upon Kim and Shelly outside a little chapel, seeking shade beneath the trees. 

We wandered back into the town centre to find lunch, and ended up at the trattoria we'd eaten at last night...the staff recognised us and guided us to a table. More bruschetta and burrata was ordered...making for an excellent lunch! Wended our way back to the digs and picked up our luggage...met the others at the car, and we set off for Catania Airport...we were due to drop off the car, and say farewell to Shelly, who was to fly back to London. The drive was pretty dull, slowed by the fact that the road was down to one lane, though it looked as though a massive road widening project was underway for about the whole trek from Ragusa to Catania...didn't look like the job was likely to finish this side of 2040! 

Had to stop at a petrol station to fill up the tank...took a local to assist us with the weird automated sales system, but got there in the end. Somehow we managed to find the appropriate drop-off point, and successfully handed the keys over...a small dent and scratch above the nearside rear wheel arch were noticed, and would have cost us £700...luckily we'd taken up the offer for random scratch insurance when picking the car up last week!!! 

Walked across to the terminal and said our farewells to Shelly, then piled into a taxi to take us into central Catania...the driver was a bit of a character who kept whistling very loudly, and shouting "Over the top!!!!" at regular intervals. He dropped us outside Kim's accommodation... we walked around the corner to ours, in a five storey block, the ground floor facade of which was covered in graffiti, and let ourselves in. 

We were intercepted by a chap who claimed to be our hostess's brother, who accompanied us up to the rooms...we worried that we were being scammed, but he knew the door codes, and deposited us in our room without mishap. Rested up before hooking up with Kim to go in search of dinner. Made our way about five minutes northward to an interesting eatery mentioned in my mini guide. It was very good. I enjoyed an etna spritz into the bargain. Walked Kim back to her digs, and retired for the night...

Saturday 12th September 2026

Woke around 0400. Couldn’t get back to sleep…the fridge kept making noises, then the street cleaners came round to clean the piazza…twice! Managed to doze for an hour or so before rising…breakfasted in the lounge with half a dozen fellow guests. Finished packing and checked out. Walked our luggage through the streets…not too busy this morning. Hooked up with Shelly and Kim at the car park. Drove out to the Parco Archaelogico to take a gander at the enormous Greek theatre…it had 67 rows of seats carved perfectly out of the hillside, and could seat 15,000!!! Gobsmacking!!! 

Returned to the car as we were suffering in the oppressive heat. Took to the road once more and headed southwest for the hilltop city of Ragusa…rebuilt after being all but destroyed in the 1693 earthquake. Hair raising drive through painfully narrow, steep streets, dodging wandering pedestrians. Shelly got stuck on a very tight 90 degree left turn…you could see the paint marks on the walls from dozens of previous scrapes. Luckily a local jumped out of the car behind and guided her round…there was evidently a technique! 

Parked up and found our hotels…we were literally just around the corner from Kim and Shelly, in a refurbished Baroque villa that had been very tastefully split into rooms. Aki was very impressed. We rested up before venturing out...walked downhill to Via Marketa and met up with Shelly and Kim for lunch at a great little cafe in the old market hall...the units were being slowly refurbished with new uses moving in, including a puppet theatre.

Walked back up to the digs for a rest. Aki feeling under the weather, so left her having a lie down, and walked down to a kiosk I'd noticed on the drive in. Had a gelato and took in the views, before wending my way back uphill. Walked into the main piazza to take a look at the duomo...there was a wedding going on. 

Met up with Shelly and Kim for a drink before finding a trattoria for dinner...luckily we'd booked a table, as the place was evidently very popular. The food was simple, and very tasty...really enjoyed my chicken stew. The bruschetta with burrata was great too. Wandered back to our digs for a badly needed shower and bed...

Friday 11th September 2026

Woke around 0700. Dozed on until 0900. Hauled ourselves out of bed and joined a couple of fellow guests at breakfast…it was much better than we’ve been used to. Cappuccino was good too. The hostess came to introduce herself as Floriana…very bouncy 50 year old with a warm smile…she gave me my passport back and said she loved Reading!…she'd enjoyed the rock festival 1996! 

Aki still feeling under the weather, so I ventured out into the heat alone. Walked along the south-western esplanade…sussed a couple of eateries for later…and ended up at the 12th Century fort that sits on the southern tip of the island. Paid to get in, and had a wander around...I was intrigued to come across a display case with what looked like several ceramic manifestations of fruit...only to discover that they were in fact very early hand grenades. The term grenade comes from the fact that they looked vaguely like pomegranites ("grenita" in Italian). 

Headed back toward the B'nB...Aki rang to ask me to get her some rehydration salts from a pharmacy...tracked a nearby establishment down, only to find it closed for siesta. Enjoyed a nougat gelato in Via Roma on my way back to the B'nB. Rested up for a bit. Aki feeling better, so we headed out to visit the cathedral, of especial interest as it was built on the site of a Greek temple, the columns of which are embedded into the current structure. Also happened upon a chapel to city's patron saint, Santa Lucia, and one of her feet in a glass case! 

Came out of the Duomo to see a couple of large planes going over…headed for the bay where they are picking up water to drop on a wildfire on the mainland! It looks to be on our route to Ragusa tomorrow! Walked to the pharmacy…Aki picked up some saline rehydration sachets, at great expense. Wandered slowly back to the accommodation for a lie down before heading out for dinner. 

The firefighting planes were still looping round to pick up seawater. We sat and had a drink at a little bar and watched them going overhead, then made our way to a seafront restaurant for dinner. Aki not feeling too hungry, so we ate conservatively...my shrimp carpaccio and pasta starter was great. The main courses a bit dull...and a little pricier than last night's venue. 

Walked back to Piazza Archimede...fortunately no busker playing this evening, so got off to a decent night's sleep for a change!

Thursday 10th September 2026

Slow to rise. Ventured out into the town centre to use our breakfast vouchers, which entitled us to spend E3.50 each at a very nice little cafe on the main drag. Sat outside and enjoyed a large croissant filled with pistachio cream! Wandered down to take a look at a church interior...Shelly and Kim had got there ahead of us, and warned us that there was a bloke in there who offered them a little tour in return for a donation. 

When we got there, sure enough he was hanging about the entrance...we explained that we had no cash, and despite telling us that the tour was free, stomped off in a huff! We guided ourselves around, then headed back up hill to the digs. Got packed and checked out. Next stop, Syracuse...or to be more precise, the Ortigia archipelago adjoining the city. Shelly did a good job of barging her way through the city traffic, and we parked up in a large single-storey parking lot on the northern fringe of the 'island'. Traffic is restricted in the narrow streets of the island, so we had to park up and walk to our destinations...Kim and Shelly were stopping at a hotel on the eastern side of the island, with sea views...we headed inland for Piazza Archimede. 

Had to lug our suitcases down a narrow back alley for half the length of the island...came out onto the piazza...took a while to locate our accommodation, but got in and settled ourselves. I had a feeling I'd moved the parking ticket off of the dashboard in the car, so had to wander back to the car park to ensure all was correctly in place! Met Aki for granita at a little cafe in the back alleyway we'd come down earlier. Very refreshing! Had a wander about...walked through Piazza Duomo to the sea front and the Fontana Aretusa, a large freshwater spring right on the seafront, and where Lord Nelson had moored up to take on fresh water on his way to the Battle of the Nile! 

Later, we walked across to Kim and Shelly's hotel on the eastern esplanade. Met them, in the company of their friends Judy and Tony, on the roof terrace and enjoyed a drink and a chat. Then we all went in search of dinner. Judy is vegetarian, so I guided the gang down the Via Roma to a vegan restaurant, but it was very noisy...a lot of restaurants seem to like blaring out music through loud speakers. We headed back to Piazza Archimede, to a small pavement venue that Tony and Judy had been to the night before. 

It was OK...nothing to write home about. We enjoyed the company, and the waiter was very chummy. Halfway through dinner, a busker turned up and set himself up against the fontana in the middle of the piazza...he was way too loud! It rather spoiled the evening. Unfortunately for Aki and I, he carried on until midnight...so we had to listen to him droning on as we lay in bed trying to get to sleep!

Wednesday 9th September 2026

Alarm at 0800. Got up and abluted. Descended to the basement for a disappointing breakfast…Kim and Shelly were already halfway through their repast. Kim then headed off to the gym! We returned to our room to pack. Checked out around 1000. I took on driving duty, and drove us south, through Piazza Armenia, to Villa Romana. 

Had a little local difficulty trying to get the gate into the car park to obey instructions…fortunately an Italian got out of the car behind and contacted the Helpdesk on the gate apparatus. Walked down to the villa in the midday sun. We were relieved to find that the bulk of the excavations were under cover, and the raised walkways guided us round the surprisingly large complex of baths, latrines, servants quarters, courtyards, accommodation and basilica. The whole place had been graced with floor mosaics, some in patterns, some more like vast paintings. It was breath-taking stuff. The ‘Bikini Girls’ didn’t disappoint! I was also taken with the depiction of what looked suspiciously like Rod Hull and Emu! 

We wandered back to the stalls near the car park and sat with some lunch…Aki and I enjoyed a generously sized focaccia. Then it was back to the car…Shelly drove us to the intriguing town of Grammichele…we stopped to wander around the hexagonal town square, the result of a revolutionary town planning project to re-build after the devastating 1693 earthquake. There's a statue of the main man at one edge of the piazza. 

We drove on to Palazzolo Acreide, to the east, another hilltown. Nicolette met us outside the accommodation, and directed Shelly to a parking space. Got ourselves rested, then wandered up to the town square for a drink. Aki followed a bit later...and managed to get herself lost in the back streets somehow. I went back to look for her, but could see no sign of her...when I got back to the street cafe, she was of course sat with the girls having a drink! We went in search of dinner...ended up at a nice little restaurant set in an old high-ceilinged vault. 

Then it was back to the B'nB for a shower and bed. Sleep was delayed, however, by some very noisy fellow guests, laughing and yelping downstairs, before they mounted the stairs and got out on the rooftop terrace above us! They didn't shut up until around midnight!

Tuesday 8th September 2026

Alarm at 0730. Hauled ourselves out of bed and made tea. Packed and abluted. Met Kim and Shelly downstairs struggling with the key box. Horatio had turned up on time with his taxi. We stopped briefly around the corner so Aki could pick up some car sickness tablets. Horatio dropped us at the airport and we found the car hire place…Shelly and I signed up as drivers. Picked up our car…a Skoda Kamiq masquerading as a small coupe but with just enough luggage space in the boot. Shelly drove us to our first pit stop…we found the local cafe in a small, nondescript village off the road to Agrigento. Enjoyed coffee and croissants, then headed for Cammarata. 

Shelly loves driving off piste…so we took the long way round, via rocky single track byways across the top of a mountain…she had put a trattoria into the satnav…unbelievably, there it suddenly was…Felici’s. And very popular it was too…there must have been 200 odd diners in there, all having driven up from the opposite direction on the narrow tarmacadamed road from the town. 

We were ushered to a table and presented with a prix fixe menu at €30 a head. I’ve never seen so much food! Prosciutto, ham, sausage, ricotta, tripe, black beans…and that was just the first course! Then came cannelloni, risotto, pasta shapes in tomato sauce, followed by grilled meats, and finally a large bowl of sundry fruits!!! We got nowhere near finishing each course…and when we enquired where the waste went, were told by our jolly hostess that it went to feed the pigs!!! 

We somehow managed to waddle to the car, and set off for Enna via the Agrigento road. We swapped drivers in a lay-by north of Agrigento, and I drove us the rest of the way into Enna. I stuck to the speed limits…which meant I was consistently overtaken by cars, vans, lorries and motorbikes! No one seems to take any notice of road signage in this country! 

Satnav guided me through town, a hilltop conurbation...and we managed to get parked outside the Hotel Sicilia to the east of the town centre. None of us were remotely hungry after over overwhelming lunch...we took a walk to the castle on the eastern flank of the town. The views across the countryside to north, east, and south, were breathtaking. We watched the sun set over the buildings to the west, then wandered down to one of the piazzas for a drink before retiring for the night...

Monday 7th September 2026

Reasonable night’s sleep. Got up and made tea before abluting. Walked into the city centre to meet up with Shelly and Kim for coffee at 0930. Half the cafes were closed. Walked across town, zigzagging our way to the Norman Palace near the west gate, where we met up with Anya outside the ticket office. Tony and Judy, Kim’s and Shelly's chums from north London, were in the queue. 

We filed in, glad to get the benefit of some air conditioning! Shelly and Judy were forced to wear the in house robes to cover shoulders before entering the Palatine Chapel. Judy managed to rip hers just getting into it. We queued for the Palatine Chapel…commissioned in the mid 12th Century by the Norman ruler, Roger II…the multicoloured mosaic walls, with lots of gold leaf, were stunning, beneath an intricate honeycomb ceiling. Managed an ice-cream break in the cafe, courtesy of the very generous Tony, before meandering through the Royal Apartments. Parts of that wing are evidently used by local government for meetings and assemblies. 

Ventured back out into the midday sun, Tony and Judy having taken their leave to head for Messina. Found a nice little Sicilian restaurant for lunch...I had stuffed rolled sardines. Ambled across the square to take a look inside the cathedral. It's huge, and include the sarcophagi of Roger II himself, and a couple of family members. There's also a magnificent chapel dedicated to Santa Rosalia, the patron saint of the city...lots of intricate silverware; somewhere inside of which there's a bit of her foot or something. 

Guided the girls back to the accommodation via La Capo, which was evidently winding down. Had a rest before heading out for dinner. Had arranged to meet Shelly in Garibaldi Gardens, as someone had mentioned there were plenty of eateries in square around the garden. Zigzagged our way across town once more, taking in Lampedusa's birthplace, now a block of well-heeled apartments. Bumped into Shelly come back the other way...she hadn't been very impressed with the eateries near the square. Aki and I decided to soldier on to take a look at the magnificent banyan trees in the Gardens, and take a peek at the final residence of Lampedusa...not much to see...another big, dark stuccoed block near the sea. 

Walked back toward town and hooked up with Shelly, Kim, and Anja at a very nice little restaurant in a quiet piazza. Still too full from Sunday's jaunt to contemplate ending the meal with a tiramisu! Zigzagged our way back to our rooms, suitably exhausted!