Becky joining us was an excuse to rent a car and explore the south east corner of Sicily. First on the list was Etna, which dominates a large part of the east coast. When you have driven to the highest car park, you can take cable cars higher up the mountain, (Etna is a ski resort in winter), then 4 wheel drive buses up close to the active crater.
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| Etna from the coast |
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| Dad and daughter on the town quay in Syracuse |
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| Becky near the summit of Etna |
In the south east of Sicily there are a number of town which were destroyed by earthquake in 1693, and rebuilt in an opulent Baroque style. In 2001, eight towns were selected by UNESCO as World Heritage sites. The most spectacular is Noto.
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| Becky in the bell tower at Noto |
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| Noto Cathedral and public buildings from the bell tower of the former nunnery. |
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| Several of the wide staircases in Noto have been given this rather amusing treatment (clue, the people on the staircase are real) |
A part of the south east coast, which includes sandy beaches and salt marches has been designated a nature reserve.
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| Mother and daughter cooling their toes after exploring a part of the nature reserve. |
We drove Becky to the airport on Sunday then went south again to visit another of the UNESCO designated towns, Ragusa Ibla, our last day before taking Cara Mara to the southern tip of Sicily to the tiny town of Porto di Marzamemi.
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| Ragusa Ibla was largely abandoned in favour a new town Ragusa Superiore. Recent renovation of its narrow Baroque style buildings on the medieval street plan has made it a lovely place to wander. (When we returned to our car in a suspiciously empty multi-storey car park we found there was no way to pay, and so no way to leave. Ooops!) |
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