Villa Romano del Casale, this grand residence outside of Piazza Armerina, was covered by a mud slide way back and the splendid floor mosaics are just about in perfect condition.
They tell a great deal about Roman life.
A little bit of fishing…
…a jaunt in Africa for some wild animals to ship home…
Leaving Noto, we drove through the towns of Ispica, and Scicli.
Spying a courtyard palazzo garden in Ispica, we sneaked in to discover more ideas for the back yard. Wayne and Sue will have to provide a few more citrus.
While arching my neck to view the fine ceiling of another church in Ispica, a woman gave me a tour of the treasures of the church, a Caravaggio school painting and a large gold and silver chest which is used in the grand Easter parade through the town. In her halting English and our horrible Italian we were able to somehow communicate and she took us on a walk to another church to view the grand gallery, built on the model of Bernini’s colonnade in St. Peter’s square. These towns have a lot to offer.
It was hot when we returned to the car. Hot enough to dry tomato paste.
Scicli
Coffee, cold drinks, a gelato and a wander hugging the shady edges of the Scicli streets past more palaces and grand municipal buildings.
Ragusa, Sicily
The apartment in Ragusa had a fine view of the old town rebuilt on the medieval streets after the earthquake. But we were on one hill and it was on another.
The first set of stairs beside our apartment and Ragusa Ibla in the distance. A fine public garden is down the distant hill behind the cathedral!
Stairs led down then up through the town. One night, a bearded man in black stopped us from descending.
“We are filming. You cannot pass,” he said pointing to another narrow lane. Over his shoulder further down the stairs, we could see a woman sitting in a chair. A cameraman pointed a big lens at her, others were shining big torches and a man was holding a long stick with a furry possum duct taped to the end. This he held very close to the woman’s face.
The man in black sent us down the stairs beside this palazzo.The same palazzo in the evening.
I told him we could be in the film but he said we would need money. When I told him he could pay us, he laughed. I was serious. The tour through these wonderful architectural towns was sending us Baroque!
Ragusa Cathedral
Although there are tourists here, it is less hectic than other places. We wandered the streets, poked our heads into the fifty churches in the town, climbed to the panoramic viewing points, ate Sicilian pastries, sampled the fine local drops, slipped into the local bookshop, bought a t-shirt and sampled the gelato.
In towns in Sicily, we find posters advertising funerals and services for the anniversaries of deaths. We practise our Italian reading them.
My arty shot for you to scratch your head over.
It was late by the time we climbed the hill again. The film makers were still at it and this time a large crowd had gathered to respectfully watch the stars eat a meal at an outside cafe. The possum still hovered over their table. I hoped it was not like the millions of pigeons that perch on buildings here!
Ragusa Ibla. Just a few hundred steps to go to reach home.
One last sneak look outside the window, and that was enough for another day.
The book took us south past Catania into the towns devastated by an earthquake in 1693. Reconstructed from the glowing local limestone, the towns we passed through, Ferla, Palazollo Acreide, Noto, Ispica, Scicli and Ragusa all have outstanding examples of Baroque architecture. Two nights in Noto and another two in Ragusa gave us good time to check out the coastal tuna town of Marzamemi and the others mentioned on the drive.
The 100 km drive from Noto to Ragusa.
Noto
We arrived around sun down in Noto and walked the short distance to the main street which is entered through this impressive arch.
Church of San DomenicoCorso Vittorio Emanuele is the main shopping street in the old town of Noto.
At this hour, around 7:30, the street was coming alive with nomads like us, families walking and restaurants setting up.
Men sat on benches lining the street and piazzas. They spoke loudly gesturing like conductors, stared at pretty women as they passed and wondered what accent the man in the black hat was using to say, “Buongiorno,” anytime our eyes met.
In this light, the buildings were impressive and we returned the following day for some close ups and a tour of Palazzo Nicolaci, the home of a Prince and tuna baron.
A courtyard view of Palazzo Nicolaci, Noto, Sicily.The mermaid balcony Palazzo Nicolaci.
The helpful woman at the ticket office explained the rooms we were to visit. The entertainment room, she said , was painted to improve the acoustics. She said the Gods Neptune and Apollo represented Sicilian men who saw themselves as Gods.
The painted entertainment room in Piazza Nicolosi.
“Do Sicilian men still consider themselves Gods?” I asked with the hint of a smile.
She grinned, nodded slowly and with brows raised, looked knowingly at Sharon. She joined her in a silent but expressive conversation of nods, head tilts, grins and sideways glances while I was left to suffer the consequences of my ill-considered question.
Palazzo Nicolosi
The rooms were sparsely decorated but interesting all the same.
We gained access to the balconies which are supported by richly decorated brackets.
Mermaid balcony
Though we’d seen many fine examples in all the towns we visited, the horses, lions and mermaids of this palazzo were the standouts. The balcony railings on these palazzos were also interesting in that they were shaped to allow the women’s dresses of the time to fit their curves.
We never need much of an excuse to climb a set of stairs, but artists in Noto take the pain away.
We enjoyed our two days in Noto. Knowing nothing of a place and discovering it is a gem is the best part of a road trip.
