Tokyo and the Kanto
Region of Japan
story and photos by Ted and Judy van der Veen
 It was a classic case of wish fulfillment when my friend Sandra asked if I wanted to travel to Sicily. I was there once in 1983 for a day trip to Mt. Etna, but years later realized not making more time for the island had been a big mistake - Sicily is famous for having some of the best preserved ruins of classical Greek and Roman periods. Although Sicily was our primary destination, we used my RCI timeshare privileges to include a week in Calabria within Sila National Park www.parcosila.it. With the timeshare fixed for mid-June, I could book an early June Air Canada flight using Aeroplan one year in advance. For 60,000 points and C$188 I flew Toronto-Munich-Rome with a very short stopover, while the return flight was direct. We prepaid a medium-sized Hertz rental car from Canada for 17 days ($799) arranged by Andrι Burtaire at European Cars Service, www.european-cars.net. (A favourite tip of ours from this magazine.)
Driving more than 4,500 km, most of it on the island, we couldn't get over how magical it was. Our Sicily route took us along the north coast past Cefalu towards Palermo to the Greek ruins at Segesta and Agrigento; to the wine region near Sambuca and Roman mosaics at Plaza Armerini; then to the hilltop town of Enna, and down to the south coast beaches and continuing along the south-western base of Mt. Etna to re-cross onto the mainland.
Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean (25,426 sq km) separated from the Italian peninsula by the Strait of Messina. Palermo is the regional capital and famous Mt. Etna, rising in the centre of a volcanic area of Sicily, is the highest active volcano in Europe at 3,323 metres. The island is bounded by the Tyrrhenian Sea to the north, the Ionian to the east and the Sicilian Sea to the south-west. Historically, Sicily was a Greek colony so the architectural heritage is visible in places such as Syracuse, Gela, Segesta, Agrigento and Selinunte, while Roman remnants can be seen at Taormina, Syracuse, Tindari, Solunto, Eloro and Patti.
As well, there are Norman, Arab-Byzantine, Gothic, Catalonian and Baroque influences. Information is plentiful through travel books, tourist offices and online resources, including www.italiantourism.com. We used the Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide - Sicily as a general guide and a useful website was www.bestofsicily.com.
Although Sicily is said to be sparsely populated, large villages and towns dot the coastal drive and inland the towns invariably were built on the rugged mountains in the area or spread out in some deep valleys. Streets are narrow, signs minimal and locals stop and park everywhere and anywhere. However, the roads are very well maintained, people friendly and nobody minds helping out in a pinch (like lifting your car up to angle it through some narrow city passageway we shouldn't have been in!). Roads off the main arteries are picturesque but can make driving a challenge.
Anyone who dislikes heights, winding roads, tunnels, hairpins turns and lots of traffic will not enjoy driving here. But we were okay with getting lost and the resultant adventures. (Ever gone down the wrong way on a one-way street and stopped right in front of the carabinieri or local police? They smiled indulgently at our mistake, then directed traffic to make sure we got going in the right direction.)
We did our sightseeing early in the day and by late afternoon found overnight accommodation in small hotels without any pre-booking. We avoided large cities like Palermo, Syracuse and Taormina and instead marvelled at the sea, mountainous terrain and variety of wildflowers, vegetation, fruits and other crops in the rural areas, wondering how on earth those tractors stayed on the mountainside while plowing the fields.
On the north coast, we stayed at the Hotel delle Palme in the small coastal town of Falcone (80, www.hoteldellepalme.net). We continued on the built-up coast to Santo Stefano di Camastra, a town well-known for its hand-painted ceramics. Small shops line its streets, offering pots, vases, plates and ceramic trinkets. Farther on we checked into a hotel on the outskirts of Cefalu - Hotel al Pescatore (60 www.hotelalpescatore.it). Our room had a lovely balcony and the breakfast was great. Cefalu boasts a sandy beach, stretching alongside the town, but its main attraction is the Duomo, a fine example of a two-towered Norman cathedral whose interior is decorated with mosaics dating back to 1138.
A massive rock crag called the Rocca is the site of the ruins of the Tempio di Diana. Cefalu is an attractive, medieval town with narrow, winding streets. While Sandra walked into town, I drove to Madonie National Park, www.parcodellemadonie.it where a fully-equipped 18 hole golf course is located (www.lemadoniegolf.com) complete with olive, lemon, orange and carob trees! After golf we met up in the evening, for a pizza dinner downtown at Fazio Maria Antonietta, Corso Ruggero.
 Traffic near Palermo was absolutely brutal and we missed a few key southbound exits that would have made getting to the Greek ruins at Segesta easier. But it was well worth the trip. Segesta (entry fee 6) has what is probably the world's best preserved Doric temple, built in the late 5th century BC. The ruins are located on a steep slope at the top of Monte Bΰrbaro, 305 metres above sea level, with spectacular views over the valley towards the Gulf of Castellamare. The ruins themselves are not roped off and it's a thrill to wander freely among the 36 Doric columns that are still standing. A small gift shop is on site as well as an outdoor flea market.
We continued southeast through small hilltop villages until we arrived at Sambuca di Sicilia www.agrigento-sicilia.it, a small town founded by Arab emir, Zabut, immediately after the arrival of the Arabs in Sicily about 830 A.D. Today Sambuca has an entire Saracen neighborhood, tower and fortress. Recently archaeologists have discovered the remains of a Greek settlement not too far from here whose settlers probably brought the first grapevines. Sambuca's wines have always been known in Sicily for their quality and wine lovers come here from Palermo and other Sicilian cities to buy wine and follow the Terre Sicane Wine Route.
We found a lovely B&B in the countryside, the Don Giovanni Hotel, www.dongiovannihotel.it, where they sell their own award-winning wines which we promptly sampled to select which to bring home. Our room was tastefully furnished (80) and opened up into a charming stone courtyard.
Wishing we had more than just a quick stop to photograph the cliffs at Sciacca, an old and picturesque coastal fishing port between Selinunte and Agrigento, we drove on to Agrigento famous for its immense archaeological site, Valle dei Templi (Valley of the Temples, 8 www.valleyofthetemples.com) which contains the largest collection of ancient Greek ruins outside Greece. In Doric style, constructed in the 6th-5th century BC they are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Excavated and partially restored, the temples are said to be especially stunning at night when they're floodlit. It was a hot, sunny day but nothing would stop us from walking the site for several hours and we still didn't cover it all.
Leaving the coast, we headed north to the mountaintop city of Enna, almost in the centre of Sicily at about 1,000 metres above sea-level. The views of the interior and valley below, all the way to Mt. Etna, were spectacular and the town historically unique as being the only important city of ancient Sicily established by indigenous people, the Siculi, from whom the name "Sicily" is derived. We stayed in the town centre at the Grande Hotel Sicilia (91, www.hotelsiciliaenna.it ) which was a great base from which to wander around this lovely place. The evening was spent at Ristorante Centrale (www.ristorantecentrale.net) where we dined al fresco.
Next morning, we drove to the town of Piazza Armerini with its UNESCO Heritage site Villa Romana del Casale (3 www.villaromanadelcasale.net). We got in just before the tour buses started arriving. The site contains over 3,500 square metres of mosaic floor, the largest and most complete collection of Roman mosaic work in the world. The mosaics were developed by master craftsmen in the middle of the 4th century AD and provide a snapshot of life as a noble in Sicily.
Travelling south to the coast, we were surprised by the ugliness of the petrochemical refineries and the smell of oil that polluted the air on the outskirts of Gela. It is supposed to be an important town in Greek Sicily with some interesting ruins, but it was not a place we investigated. Instead we drove on to Scoglitti (www.scoglitti.com) and Donnalucata (www.ragusa.net).
What a treat to swim in the sea when nobody else is daring to be in the water except those two crazy Canadians! Fishing, farming and, recently, tourism, have been the main resources of these small, picturesque villages endowed with large and beautiful beaches of white, fine sand. We left the coast and drove north east planning to stay at Modica (www.valdinoto.com), the "city of 100 churches", designated a UNESCO heritage site for its late Baroque art and architecture.
However, from our vantage point on its famous bridge that overlooks the city it looked so huge and populated we kept going. In this area we had the most difficulty finding accommodations until we were near the east coast, near Lentini, which lies on gentle foothills of vineyards and orchards. We found the Casa Dello Scirocco (80, www.casadelloscirocco.it), where rooms are scattered within citrus groves on an 18th century farm estate. It also has a restaurant and swimming pool along with other sports and play areas for families.
Our route, continuing along the western base of Mt. Etna, was picturesque, going by the towns of Paterno, Bronte and Randazzo. A great shopping place was at Antichi Vinai Winery www.antichivinai.it in Passopisciaro where the Gangemi family has been devoting itself for four generations to vine-growing and to the improvement of the native Sicilian species of vine from volcanic soils of Etna. It wasn't far from there to the port city of Messina.
We were sad to leave the island and cross back into Italy's mainland but vowed to return and spend even more time exploring. There is so much to see and such a variety of activities that can be undertaken in a slower pace than is generally found in the rest of Italy. The people were unfailingly hospitable and helpful at every turn. Early June had perfect weather and was not crowded - in fact empty. We were often the only people in a restaurant and one of few at the hotels. It was just a wonderful trip, so if you are interested in Sicily, start planning for it now and enjoy your vacation. You won't regret it.
Getting there and a few other details ...
The peace of Sicily was a far cry from the busy airport area outside Rome. (We immediately hit highway construction on the southbound A1 autostrada toll road - 12 to our exit.) Traffic was fast and fierce, not thinning out until well after Naples and Salerno where it becomes the A3 (without toll charge). Our first overnight was off the A3 at Polla, a small town of about 5,000.
The Forum Motel (Autostrada A3, tel: 0975-391323) had comfortable, clean rooms including breakfast for 60. Just a short walk away was Pizzeria Donato where we were served by the cheerful and attentive owners. A meal consisting of pasta, salad, veal, bread and wine for only 25 was delicious and the 4 wine particularly good. (All prices are for two people; ATM's worked with no problems.) In the town we were able to stock up on snacks, water, cheese, fresh vegetables and fruit from any of the small grocery shops where owners provided free samples of anything we looked at.
Everywhere we found friendliness mixed with curiosity about where we were from, why we were here, and where were we going. We attempted to speak Italian whenever possible (I studied it in high school and brushed up with language CDs; Sandra took an introductory course at university) and locals had some basic English as well as help from anyone within earshot.
Next day we drove through coastal towns with the Tyrrhenian Sea in view and had a nice lunch at Mary's Restaurant near Diamante until a traffic slowdown rerouted us back to A3 which continues to Villa San Giovanni, from whence the ferry to Sicily leaves.
We stopped at one of the many booths for a return ticket on the Caronte & Tourist ferry (45 www.carontetourist.it). Reservations are not necessary as the connection between Sicily and the mainland happens 168 times day, 24/7 and the crossing takes about 15 minutes.
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