September 20-21
The drive from Caltagirone to Ragusa was quite mountainous, but new roads that are pillar supported for miles, makes them straighter and less hilly since they don't have to hug the countours of the land. There must be some EU funding for these raised superhighways. Lots of olives and grapes in what is a generally hot and dry climate.
The Cathedral of San Giovanni Battista (St. John the Babtist) in Ragusa.
The lower part of the city, Ibla, also has hills, and the duomo is in the top if the central hill.
The Baroque Duomo of Ragusa-Ibla--the Basilica of San Giorgio. After the trek up the hill to the Duomo, we had lunch in the square in front of the church. 
Interior of the Duomo in Ragusa-Ibla.
The destination for September 20-21 was a small beach town, Cava d'Aliga, close to Scicli. Two nights here, with some beach and pool time. The Bed and Breskfast is excellent; modern , and with the same warm hospitality we've found throughout Sicily. Today was a record high...37 C or about 100 F. Both the Mediterranean and the pool were refreshing.
This is the piazza where we had dinner on Sunday...next to this Baroque church.
Our B and B for two nights near Scicli.
On both Saturday and Sunday evening we went to nearby Scicli for dinner. A small town nestled next to a mountain, and a beautiful UNESCO site, also boasts several Baroque churches. On Saturday night, it seemed as if the whole town was filling the streets and squares. We found out why: Miss Scicli was chosen and crowned this last day of summer.
Tonight, Sunday, we had dinner in one of the town's piazzas. For the primi piatti we had linguini with bottarga; absolutely delicious! The mixed seafood grill was the secondi--swordfish, bass, calimari, and gamberi. We tried a new red wine with dinner--a frappato. It's a light Sicilian grape/wine; we all enjoyed it. We had discovered an excellent gelateria on Saturday evening, so we returned tonight for a cono con due gusti (two flavors): carob and ricotta with figs. Alas, no photos of the food.
Thus endeth today's blog.
Ciao, David
Was there a nice shoulder for cyclists on the new roads? Even with a shoulder, it sounds like the heat would make cycling difficult, although the promise of good gelato always helps.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, the new roads did't look very bike friendly. They're like riding on a bridge for 10-15 miles at a time...no shoulder at all, and the guardrail doesn't give you any room on the right side. However, we did see weekend cyclists on small country roads...roads with very little traffic. The interior is very hilly! David (from Washington, D.C.)
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