Category Archives: Sicily

Vale la Pena

Posted on April 5, 2012 by msraaka

Talking with Giulio, the cheese maker in Sant’Ambrogio, Sicily In Italian, the expression, Vale la Pena means, literally, it’s worth the pain. But the general meaning is, it’s worth it. Learning a second language is definitely worthwhile—especially if it’s Italian, … Continue reading →

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Sicily Side Trips

Posted on April 1, 2012 by msraaka

Thanks to Carmelina, who operates Sicilian Experience, we had one of our best excursions yet, on the back roads of Sicily. She told us about an Art Hotel, where the owner, Antonio Presti, had commissioned well-known contemporary artists to create … Continue reading →

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Staying in a Sicilian Village

Posted on March 30, 2012 by msraaka

Sant’Ambrogio in Sicily For this second trip to Sicily, we decided to stay in a small village for a week. We found Sant’Ambrogio through a website called Sicilian Experience. The idea is to give people a better sense of this … Continue reading →

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Staying in an Agriturismo

Posted on March 26, 2012 by msraaka

When traveling in Italy there are many choices for where to stay. We’ve found that it’s less stressful and more economical to stay in one place for a week at a time. We like to find an apartment or an … Continue reading →

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Driving inSicily

Posted on March 25, 2012 by msraaka

The autostrada near Cefalù An American driving in Sicily is a brave person—no doubt. Besides the aggressive or crazy drivers, depending on your point of view, you have the challenge of road conditions and signage. There are some very nice … Continue reading →

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Why We Keep Coming Back

Posted on March 20, 2012 by msraaka

Agrigento I have to post this out of order because of yesterday’s experience near Agrigento. . . Today’s adventure explains why we are drawn to Italy. We decided to take the two and one-half hour trip to Agrigento, an amazing … Continue reading →

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Ortygia

Posted on March 20, 2012 by msraaka

The Apollonian Our good friends, Lynn and Ruth Shuster have joined us to explore Sicily. After we picked them up from the Catania airport, we drove south to the picturesque island of Ortygia, which is connected to the city of … Continue reading →

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Taormina

Posted on March 18, 2012 by msraaka

Piazza del Duomo in Taormina Another easy side trip from Catania is the trendy town of Taormina. With the return of Sicily’s sunny weather, we had a perfect day to ride the train there. Depending on which train you get, … Continue reading →

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Mt. Etna

Posted on March 18, 2012 by msraaka

View from the CircumEtnea Train Mt. Etna & Nearby We got an early start and took the small train that circles around most of Mt. Etna—the CircumEtnea (FCE). It was only one train car that could hold about 30 people … Continue reading →

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First Stop in Sicily

Posted on March 17, 2012 by msraaka

Catania We used EasyJet to fly from Milan to Sicily. It’s about a 2 hour flight and the price is right. EasyJet is similar to Allegiant Air or Ryan Air in Europe. It’s a no frills airline, but it provides … Continue reading →

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