Author: Diane

I researched these bags and purchased based on their roll-ability and packability in cubes. Well I’ve re-named them Humpty Dumpty. My bags may have had center of gravity issues. When I pulled it, it would roll over uncontrollably. That’s not what I want to do this whole trip so now I have Luigi. He’s an italian guy with sexy wheels and can lead the dance we call travel with ease. He’s sleek and modern and rolls with just my pinky.

I’ve got a pattern of trying to reduce baggage so we don’t have to check it but both in England and Sicily I’ve failed. Now we have two new suitcases to show for it and yes, the elephant in the room is the bidet. We have to google how to use it properly.

In 30 minutes we meet our tour guide and group. Andiamo! That’s let’s go in Italian. Chao!

~Diane

We passed this place walking around on our first day here but do you think we could find it again? Lord knows we tried. Ended up at another place where the pizza was round not oblong.

Round I guess is less efficient but what does it matter really when it comes to pizza. The drinks have no ice but they chill the glasses and the bottled coke so it doesn’t matter.

A good pizza has it all from crust to top. We’re looking for the perfect piece and we may have just found it. One dilemma we’ve never encountered in all our pizza tasting….cutting it. Don’t know why they served it not cut but that did t stop us from figuring it out. The extra ingredient is the crust that you can actually taste. This pizza had it all. It didn’t need to be anything other than a beautiful arrangement of the finest ingredients, then cooked in the perfect oven for the perfect time and there you go. On the top and the bottom cooked to its full glory.

Meats prepared and stuffed with every conceivable delicious thing rolled up and breaded to be fried. It’s beautiful, so diverse and delicious. Sicilians brought these to America and big box stores erased them. The meats are farm raised, vegetables so fresh and cheeses all have a different taste because of its origin. Our food pales in comparison. And this is everywhere. Btw, momma, the teens will still hang out at McCafe McDonalds cause it’s cheap. So sad when they live in a land of plenty and flavor.

Only half of the cheese case

In Spinnatos grocery in the back is a cafe where fresh food is prepared. We had a sandwich prochutti ham, mozzarella cheese with lettuce and tomato on a beautiful focaccia bread. Also an arichini with ham and cheese. And to chase it all down a latte maciatto served with a chocolate biscotti cookie round. Melts in your mouth. We are happy.

We saw the smoke leaving the airport up ahead of us. The closer we got to our hotel the closer the fire was. It looked like it must have been goi g for close to twenty or thirty minutes when we passed by it. Roads yet to be closed off and people pouring out into the street taking pictures. I could see flames inside on the top floor. If you look down the street where the ladder is leaning against the building, we took this from outside our hotel on the street.

We are taken back by the geological landscape. Beautiful, green mountainous crop ups of terrain with a Florida flora feel and look. Caribbean blue Mediterranean water. Beautiful from the highway. Resisting taking pics with all the telephone poles and wires everywhere.

The drive from the airport to here revealed a working man’s town, graffiti on buildings lining the streets and the ever present motorbikes zipping in and out of fast moving cars. Off in the distance we saw smoke and the closer we got to it, the more I wanted to ask, Is that where we’re staying?

We could see the flames inside the building on the top floor. Not a 1/4 mile later we stopped at our hotel. Garabaldi Hotel, entrance from the side with stairs hugging the building. Go down into the basement floor and once signed in, up to our room. Quiet except for the helicopters overhead filming the building fire practically overhead and the alley with the Italians shouting back and forth and the italian rap music.

We slept this afternoon after a day and a half of travel. Pinch me we’re here.