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We awoke to another beautiful morning, ready for breakfast and another day of activities. The breakfast that greeted us was awesome. There were several kinds of quiche, fresh fruit, yogurt, granola, two kinds of juices, and any kind of coffee or tea you may want.

I neglected to mention that yesterday, Giuseppe, our driver for the day, took us to some nearby ruins. They date from centuries ago. It was an opportunity to get to know the other members of our group and enjoy the beauty of the area.

Today, we went to the town of Arpino, the land of olives about 45 minutes away, where we visited a traditional family-owned olive oil mill. We were schooled on the making of extra virgin olive oil by Vincenzo, whose family has been manufacturing oil for along time. He said they are a small producer with 20,000 olive trees. He, and a large contingency of others, hand-trim the trees after harvesting in the fall so they produce the most olives per tree. The care and love shows.

Afterward, we had a light lunch at the mill, made by his mother. Everything was fresh and delicious, like a farro salad, lupini beans, bruschetta with tomato sauce, polenta, grilled onions, and cheese. Vincenzo showed us how to test the freshness of the oil by taking a small sip and swishing it your mouth to get a grassy flavor and then sniffing it to feel the spiciness in the back of your throat. He also said that olive oil should be kept in metal or dark glass containers, not in plastic, to maintain freshness. Oh well… so much for buying olive oil at Costco in giant plastic bottles. I may have to switch to smaller glass bottles of oil.

We returned to Casa Gregorio to relax until 4:30, when we had our first class. Today, we made cookies and desserts with Luca. We each have a work station with aprons. The names of the cookies/treats are posted on the chalk board and we have a QR code to download all the recipes.

It is amazing how many treats you can make with the same dough. It just takes some finesse.

We had a break afterwards to have a glass of wine until dinner. Then, we were treated to a wonderful risotto, followed by a meat loaf roll, and finally, the completed cannoli. You want to eat everything in the first course, but then you wouldn’t have any room for the second course! Fortunately, there is always room for cannoli!

Tomorrow, we head to the local farmer’s market to experience how the locals buy fish, fruit and vegetables, but more importantly, share the local gossip! We have a few stops, and then return to make antipasti for dinner.

We arrived very early into Rome from Naples to await our driver and the other participants for our seven day cooking adventure. Due to some miscommunication, we finally were connected and met Nicki and Tim from the Cincinnati area, Barbara from upstate NY, Jean Marie from Manhattan, Sue and her neighbor Lori from outside of Philadelphia. They all seemed very friendly and it was immediately obvious that wewould be a good group.

In a little over an hour, and we arrived at Casa Gregorio in the small town of Castro dei Volsci, on top of a mountain between Rome and Naples. The views are spectacular, the breezes welcoming, and the staff attentive. We went to our rooms (20, I believe), and the room was gorgeous overlooking the valley below. According to Giuseppe, we had his favorite room. All the rooms have different names. Ours is Saffron, and the colors reflected that. We also are the only room that has a shower and a whirlpool tub!

We got settled and then met for a little walk around the small medieval town center. After only a short time together, you would have thought we came as a group of old friends. The small church is unadorned but charming. There is a lookout point over the valley that provides a splendid view of the area below.

Casa Gregorio was established in 2012 for North Americans to learn about Italian cuisine in a communal, friendly environment. According to the itinerary, every day has a tour, lunch, a cooking class in the Casa and then a wonderful dinner including what we made in class. Luca, the chef, is not only adorable, but very knowledgeable, considering he has not had formal training.

He is capably supported by Dayana, Sara, Antonietta, Carolina, Letizia, and others, who keep things on track, even with our rowdy bunch. There are several kitchens in the Casa, and I am drooling at how gorgeous and functional they are. We had an early dinner in the large dining room.

We started with an amazing first course of pasta with a light sauce that was bursting with flavor. Of course, there was plenty of wine! The second was a lightly dressed plate of salad greens and a chicken roll filled with cheese and ham. Although gorgeous, we could only eat one of the rolls. And, for dessert an incredible ricotta pie.

It was a long day and after enjoying our new companions at Casa Gregorio and eating an amazing meal, it was time to get some rest. Tomorrow, we have a full day with a tour of an olive oil mill and tasting, lunch, and our first cooking class.

Today, we are going to one of the most beautiful areas near Naples. Our guide, Luigi, picked us up at our hotel and off we went to pick up two more people at the port. As I mentioned yesterday, the port area is a sea of humanity, waiting for tour buses or guides. Poor Luigi went to the meeting area but he couldn’t find them. Even phone calls to them were unsuccessful. Ultimately, even the tour company couldn’t locate them. That meant that we had a private tour with Luigi, who happens to be a trained archeologist! It seems that leading tours pays more than being a professor in Italy. That is very sad.

We made our way to Sorrento, the least expensive town on the coast, according to Luigi. It was charming and quite crowded with groups following someone with an umbrella. We were happy that we were not among them. We had an hour to explore the town, which promotes the most popular item of the area, lemons. Everything is lemon-oriented, with most shops selling bags, soaps, hats, towels, and lots of ceramics depicting lemons. I enjoy the citrus aroma of lemons, which is a good thing.

From here, we went to Positano, the high end of the area. Celebrities come here, renting homes for as much as €$30k a night! It has a small beach, with access via many, many steps. The narrow road from one town to another is frightening, especially when you encounter the large buses or tourists who rent cars thinking they will have a place to park and try to squeeze past oncoming cars and vans. Luigi told us that two people die per day on this winding road, mainly those on motorcycles, bikes, or pedestrians who maneuver between vehicles because there are no sidewalks! The switchbacks are very tight, so you have to pay extra attention as you view the houses and hotels hanging on the side of the mountains.

We walked down to the black sand beach. It was quite small, but crowded. That is supposedly the reason that people flock here. I noticed that the prices of clothing and souvenirs were much higher than in other places. And, people pay the higher price for the perceived exclusivity.

There is no crime here but some celebrities come with an entourage of bodyguards (even 20) and practically shut down the town (think Kim Kardashian), even though she was told it was unnecessary. There were many unhappy locals. Sophia Loren’s house, perched on the side of the mountain, just sold for €$2m. Sounds like a good buy until you consider that it may be 50 or 60 steps to the house!

From Positano, we drove to Amalfi. It was filled with tourists. Luigi said that after the second week of June, when the Italian schools are closed for the summer, the crowds will be double or more. There also is a beach, larger than the other, but the sand is more like black gravel. Still, it was wall-to-wall people in the water and sunbathing. 

There was gelato stand after gelato stand, some four or five in a row. Besides gelato, they serve a lemon sorbetto (sorbet slushy) in a hollowed out giant lemon with whipped cream on top. It definitely was a unique treat at only “€$10” each. We passed it up. 

We finally got some lunch and it was delicious at a local restaurant. We shared bruschetta topped with chopped tomatoes, fresh ricotta, and an anchovy. We followed this with a delicious ravioli filled with ricotta and sausage, covered in a yummy red sauce and a swath of pesto. It was just the right size to share. As we walked back to our meeting spot, the tourist crowds seemed to explode.

It was time to head back to Naples. Luigi was engaging and knowledgeable. No need for dinner later, we were still full from lunch. But, we had another very early morning flight, meaning we had to set our alarm for 3:00 AM to make our 6:40 flight (again) to Rome, where we were to meet our driver for our six day cooking class at Casa Gregorio. Our Ajijic friends went to the class last week and they are very well-traveled and discriminating. They couldn’t say enough good things about the experience. We are looking forward to the fun! Now, to bed…

We flew from Palermo to Naples on the 50-minute flight.  Our hotel is across from the main bus station, which was perfectly located. We took a shared taxi ($5 Euros each instead of a taxi at $35 or 40 Euros) from the airport to our hotel. Since our flight was at 6:40 AM, with a pickup at 4:00, we couldn’t check in at the hotel. We decided that we should get some laundry done and found a self-service laundromat nearby. An hour later, everything was ready. We took our bags with the clean clothes to the hotel and decided to pursue checking out the city until we could check in.

Being adventurous, we decided to take the subway to the port area to see if we could find some fish for lunch. Actually, navigating the subway system wasn’t too bad. Only three stops away, we had a short walk to the water, just in time to see three giant cruise ships expelling thousands of travelers who were being transported by giant buses for their day of touring the city, Mt. Vesuvius, or the Amalfi Coast. In our minds, following a tour guide with a tall sign in a group of forty or more, while wearing an earpiece or something dangling around our necks, would be torture.

There was a castle near the port, Castel Nuovo, that was very impressive… also crowded with tourists. We continued toward the water to check out the restaurants. Sadly, the one we chose had mediocre food at best and our cod selection was heavily breaded and tasteless. As we walked back to the subway, we saw some stunning buildings, like the Archeological Museum, the Piazza del Plebiscito featuring the Royal Palace, and the Palazzo Reale, just opposite the Piazza. These buildings are works of art in themselves. We did not have the time to visit any of them, but found the area one we will not soon forget.

After getting settled in our hotel room and relaxing, we decided that a taste of a “typical” Neapolitan pizza was in order. I put it in quotes because each part of Naples has its own idea of what pizza should be. No thin, crispy crust here. Because it was considered street food, a round pizza is folded twice into a wedge with layers of ingredients you can hold in your hand. Each bite feels like an entire meal. And, no pepperoni here. The closest thing to pepperoni is spicy salami, cut into strips. We tried it in our pizza, which was also covered in mozzarella and ricotta. For us, it was inedible. And, if you want a mixed green salad, you had better like arugula or iceberg lettuce. There were no other vegetables in the salad. So, even if Neapolitan cuisine didn’t suit us, it only made looking forward to our upcoming week of cooking classes even better!

Tomorrow, we scheduled a tour of Sorrento, Positano and Amalfi. It is supposed to be one of the most beautiful areas in Italy. Until then…

The drive to Palermo was easy. We arrived in the late PM and relaxed in our hotel until we ventured out for a light dinner. Our hotel, Politeama, sits directly across from Teatro Politeama Garibaldi, an impressive structure that mainly hosts concerts. The sculpture on top is stunning, and even more stunning at night.

In the morning, we met Renata, our guide for the two-hour tour of the highlights of the city. One of the most famous is the opera house, Teatro Massimo, which is beautiful. They host opera and ballet performances. Sometimes, they have tours of the interior, but we were unable to schedule the tour this time. As you can see, it is a unique blend of styles. In 1864, there was a competition to design an opera house that would be the second largest in Italy, second only to the one in Naples and the third largest in Europe at the time. It was ultimately completed in 1890.

We walked through the market and visited the Palermo Cathedral that went through many iterations, depending on who was in power at the time. Its heritage ranges from the Arab-Norman-Byzantine style to the Gothic and Baroque styles. There was much discussion that it once was used as a mosque, with no other evidence than a plaque on is one column with Arabic writing. The other unique aspect is how beautiful it is inside. You can’t help but marvel at the construction and design.

Our walk continued to the intersection of the main street with the corners of each building depicting various figures, called Quattro Canti. It is very famous, as evidenced by the many tourists taking pictures of the four buildings. It is considered the center of the historic quarter of the city.

At the end of the tour, we walked the main street, enjoyed a granita, a famous treat similar to a slushy, that is sometimes served with a brioche bun (but I can’t figure out why). This dessert is second only to gelato, which is ubiquitous in Italy.

We made a reservation at our hotel’s rooftop bar for a glass of Prosecco and a bird’s eye view of the city. It would be an early night to pack and get picked up at 4:00 AM for our 6:40 flight to Rome. Boy, we hate these early flights but it is hard to turn down a $33 flight and take a later one at $159 per person!

It was a sad time leaving Sicily but one we will remember always. I anyone wants to go on a great tour, consider using Sicily Activities through Tourradar. They have excellent guides, use good hotels, and are very responsive with any of your questions. Tell Massimo that I recommended them. Off to Naples…

It was another gorgeous day as we boarded our van to go to Agrigento, about two hours away from Syracusa. The Valley of the Temples is the sight of three amazing Greek temples, among the world’s most significant and one especially in excellent shape. The Temple of Concordia (harmony) rivals Athen’s Parthenon. It is missing the roof but has its columns in tact. The remnants of the Temple of Juno and of Heracles, gives you a glimpse of the many conquerors of Sicily. Each conquering civilization put their unique spin on the architecture and details. For example, the Romans modified the original Greek temples and then the Christians added arches to conform to the designs of the day.

The temples have six Doric columns on the east and west sides and either thirteen or sixteen columns on the north and south sides. Inside, there are three chambers with a statue of the god or goddess being honored. The entrance always faces east to welcome the sunrise. In front of the temple is an altar where animals are sacrificed to the gods. No people were sacrificed (that we know of!).

The grounds are filled with almond trees, pistachio trees, olive trees, and prickly pear cactus. The cactus plants surround the other trees so animals cannot get to the nut and olive trees. It makes sense. We also saw very unique goats with horns that curved in ways we have never seen before.

After seeing the ruins, it was on to a very nice restaurant in Agregento before our two hour drive to Palermo. The food was quite different in here. One person in our group had lamb chops, Jim had a pasta dish with broccoli and ham, and Caroline and I had a beef roll-up with potatoes.

We arrived in Palermo in the late afternoon, ready to eat another meal. Our hotel is just opposite the Teatro Massimo, a venue used for concerts.
Sent from my iPad

I have had difficulty adding some of the many photos I took in Noto and Marzamemi, but will try to create another entry just with the photos… Fingers crossed.

In the meantime, after breakfast, we met Giovanni, our guide the first days in Taormina, this morning and went to Ortigia. There, we wandered the market a bit to see the incredible display of fruit, vegetables, fish, spices, clothing, hats, and jewelry. We then got an in-depth tour of the important areas of the town.

First, we saw the Greek Theatre, which was fairly small compared to the one in Taormina, but dates from the 6th century B.C. We walked to Via Cavour, the heart of the island and then to the Archimede Fountain, where there is an amazing sculpture of Santa Lucia. We got there before a horde of tourists crowded around.

We walked the Duomo Square, with its impressive Byzantine and Norman architecture, and ended at the enchanting Arethusa Fountain, a papyrus-fringed natural spring replete with several species of huge ducks, a nest filled with duck eggs that will yield a dozen or more babies pretty soon, and several species of fish. It is a serene spot and overlooks the sea.

Time for lunch. We took our guide’s suggestion and ate at a popular spot in the market where the locals eat. Sad to say, but the food was mainly sandwiches or charcuterie boards and not what we enjoyed. Oh well…

We returned to our hotel for a siesta and then walked back to Ortigia to visit the ancient mikvah located in the former Jewish Quarter. There is no Jewish presence in Sicily any longer when, after 1492, the Jews were expelled by Queen Isabella and King of Spain during their reign over Italy. From the guide at the mikveh, we learned that it was discovered about 39 years ago by a woman who bought the building. During excavation for renovations, they found an underground natural spring bath used by Jewish women to purify the body after she had her period or got married.

Fifty-six steps take you down to the underground cave where five baths are located. They were hidden by over a meter of mud, which took 100 truckloads to remove. Although not used any longer, they date back to between 500-600 A.D. and still have spring water that feeds them. The 56 steps down from the main floor take you to a very different time and place.

After our less than delightful lunch, we walked the narrow, curved streets and alleys and found an amazing place for a light dinner. We would definitely recommend Cortile Verga on Via della Maestranza 33, a hidden gem of a restaurant in a courtyard. They don’t offer pasta, since everywhere else already does, but instead have a variety of tapas, edamame, a huge selection of drinks, beer, and wines, and excellent service.

We had three kinds of tapas, a bowl of steamed edamame, and then a dessert that will live in our brains (and probably elsewhere on the body) for a long time. It was a great end to a fun day.

Tomorrow, we leave here and head to Agrigento and the Temple Valley to visit archeological sites, have lunch, and then wend our way to our final destination in Sicily, Palermo.

Today turned out to be quite momentous. As we left Taormina and were passing Mt. Etna, we noticed that there was a huge plume of black dust and ash. The volcano was ERUPTING! This was not uncommon, but since we were there yesterday and were able to go up the mountain, we felt fortunate that we had done it because the visitors there today had to run for their lives. We didn’t see any lava, but we were told that there was a lava flow and ultimately a collapse of the east crater. The towns below must have had a dusting of ash to remind them of the power of the volcano.

Further information came from many news outlets of the eruption. We took some pictures from the van as we passed by and then saw the photos online. We could have been there to see it in person. Happily, we were not there today.

Our travels today took us to Noto, one of the venues for the filming of The White Lotus. The town is blindingly white because all the buildings are made of white limestone. The Baroque style and detail on most of the buildings is quite unique. We just missed the annual flower festival held about a week ago, where one of the streets is covered in various flowers to create paintings for the three days of the festival. I believe this is the 70th year and every year it gets more spectacular. Ajijic friends were there to witness the creativity and confirmed that it was wonderful to see.

We enjoyed the crowds of Italians on holiday and were told that tomorrow, things will return to normal and be much quieter. The two hours there were sufficient, so we moved on to the coastal town of Marzamemi. This village was a hub of activity for tuna fisherman, but not so much now. However, the restaurants still focus on seafood and we had our fill for our lunch.

After lunch, we made our way to Syracusa (Syracuse), a town on the Mediterranean, whose history is newer than Ortigia, the island connected by three bridges that dates back to 500 A.D. or possibly earlier. The island, although small, is the southern-most part of Italy and was conquered by the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Normans, Spanish, and Arabs. There are influences of each of the cultures everywhere. There is a unique doric Greek temple, unique in that the simple columns are made of one piece of stone, rather than layers of stone you see elsewhere.

Everywhere, there is renovation. At one time, the island was not the safest place to be, but once tourists found it, everything changed. It is now a magnet for tourists from all over Europe and beyond. There are restaurants and cafes on every street, and in hidden courtyards. It is difficult not to be drawn in to sit and have a coffee, a drink (think Aperol Spritz, the national drink I believe), a local beer, or a gelato.

However, we made it to our hotel just across from Ortigia in Syracusa, and fell blissfully asleep. Tomorrow, a tour of Ortigia in the morning and an afternoon to explore on our own.