Good-by to Palermo today. A driver takes me to the airport at 2:30pm. At breakfast I said good-byes to the remaining tour members. We all agreed we couldn’t have asked for a better group of 9 people. So what to do until 2pm? Today is Pasquetta, the little Easter, which calls for more celebration. Music …
The Sicily tour is over now, and I’m on my own. Yea! I like the freedom and tend to meet many more people without a group. On leaving the grand hotel this afternoon, right away I met Mustacciolo Carolina and her family who were having a little barbecue for Easter in front of their hole-in-the-wall …
The enormous Grand Hotel Piazza Borsa, located in Palermo’s historic center, used to be the palatial home of an aristocratic family. With many uses over the centuries, it’s now a big hotel. Although wifi is not available in the rooms, it’s a pleasure to hang out in this spacious loggia area to access the internet. …
Before leaving the Hotel Carmine, I took a photo of its dining room, which each day provides freshly-baked cakes and other goodies for breakfast. This hotel’s location places you right in the center of Marsala’s historic district, next to the Convento di Carmine, a lovely setting. Segesta is located is an impressive spot on a …
Yesterday Gaspare, the receptionist here at the Hotel Carmine, offered to give me a ride to the Florio wine cellar. On the way, I asked about his job. He’s actually an art history teacher with a Master’s Degree in Tourism. Such a charming and intelligent young man, but he needed an advanced degree to get …
Marsala is very close to Africa at the westernmost point of Sicily. It was founded by Carthage (a city-state located in what is now in Tunisia) and was first called Lilybaeum, a name similar to Libya. When the Arabs took over, they called the town Mars el-Allah (“Harbour of Allah”). So came the name Marsala. …
This morning I saw out my window an early riser jogging by as the sun rose over the water. At breakfast one of the Tex-Mex women, Yolanda, who takes a photo of each and every dish at every meal, was dipping her tea bag into her cup of water. Frank, the professor of Indian history, …
Today it looked like rain, so we took umbrellas to the Siracusa archeological park. Fortunately it didn’t spoil our tour of the Greek and Roman ruins. Our guide, Laura, explained the history behind the stones before us. Here she is in front of what’s called the Ear of Demosthenes, a huge cave hand-carved by slaves …