On our penultimate day in Sicily some bright spark suggested we walk (hike?) from the old town to the new to see the main cathedral and views from the top of the hill.
Well….that required go down, across and up.
(If viewing on a phone or tablet tap the photo to see the full picture).
Once we got there the view was worth the effort.
The climb was not over as it continued on, gasp, a street that could accommodate two vehicles side by side. Quite a change from our side of the hill.
The cathedral was, as usual, impressive in its architecture and murals.
The working pipe organ with over 3,000 pipes is so large it is spread over two areas of the church. Made in Bergamo and electrified in 1966 one can only imagine the sounds it can create.
At 12 noon, with so many churches (50) in such a limited area, when every bell in the town hammers out the time, it is a cacophony of sound that drowns out conversation.
Our good fortune with the weather continued with alternating cloudy and sunny skies but fortunately, no rain.
We finished our tour of Ragusa by taking a tourist tram on a circular route through the old town. It didn’t show us anything new except we didn’t have to walk! (Closing in on 190,000 steps for the holiday)!
A final wander around the city gardens with its views down the valley and it was time to leave.
We decided it would be more interesting to take the country route back to Catania versus the motorway. We started by following this car out of town.
It’s hard to describe the roads and hills and curves and blind corners in the countryside. Imagine a cottage road albeit paved or the very rural roads in Ireland. After a solid hour of twisting, turning and applying the brake (all from the back seat) we could finally exhale – although the scenery was quite beautiful. Double kudos to Doug for handling all the driving.
Back in Catania for one last night before a flight to Rome at a ridiculously early hour and then on to Canada.
Puglia and Sicily has been an extraordinary experience. Two thumbs up to everyone we met and everything we did and everything we saw. Hopefully you enjoyed our ride.
Our next adventure is already booked. It’s off to South Africa in April 2027 for golf, wine and safaris. Stay tuned. Cheers.
