The 12 best day trips from Catania, Sicily

Living near Catania or just making it your home base for a holiday in Sicily? Great news: the world is your oyster. Day trips from Catania can take you to some of the best Sicily has to offer!

Well, at 33 weeks pregnant (read: huh? what? how? AHHHHH) our travel plans are officially done until the Newbie makes his grand appearance.

Cue me getting sad about the “end of an era” while Chris looks on, puzzled. 

Anyway, since we’ve got no plans (yet?) to leave our island before July, it got me thinking again about all the great places there are in our part of Sicily. I might be biased, but I especially like our area since we are a relatively short jaunt from what I’d consider to be some of the best places to visit in Sicily. While I wouldn’t personally want to live in the big city, there are a ton of great day trips from Catania — or really the entire province of Catania — that make this part of Sicily a great base for exploring the island.

So, whether you are lucky enough to be living here or just planning a Sicilian holiday, I wanted to share some of our favorite day trips. Obviously this list isn’t exhaustive — there really is a ton to do over here, guys! — but they are all ones we’ve done and enjoyed. Happy traveling!

Related post: Top 10 reasons you should plan a family holiday in Sicily!

Our favorite day trips from Catania

1. Siracusa/Ortigia

Driving distance from Catania: about 50 minutes

It was a tough choice, trying to decide whether to place Siracusa or Taormina first when it comes to the best day trips from Catania; they are about equidistant from the city and both AWESOME. But for whatever reason, Siracusa just has a little something extra that I love.

Siracusa, once one of the most powerful cities of the ancient world, is a place steeped in history (and the place where Fiona once smacked Owen with an ice cream cone on Mother’s Day). I’ve written about it extensively in this post, so you’ll find more details there. If you are going to Siracusa, my first advice would be to drive across one of two bridges to the island of Ortigia, where you’ll find the heart of this area. It’s also, apparently, the birth place of one or both of the twin Greek gods Artemis and Apollo. (I have questions about logistics if only one of them was born there, however).

I would suggest making your way through the Ortigia farmer’s market, stopping to take a look at the Temple of Apollo and then head toward the Duomo di Siracusa, which is well worth stepping inside. If you are going with kids, the Castello Maniace is a fun stop as well, plus it is right on the sea so you can definitely stop and look for fish! I’d also highly suggest taking a 1-hour boat tour around the island, which will include looking at various sea caves.

If you are interested in history, Siracusa’s archaeological park is absolutely worth a visit as well; you’ll want to set aside at least a couple hours for this.

Restaurant recommendation for Ortigia: La Volpe e L’Uva, a pizza place right across from the Duomo. We’ve been there several times and love it!

2. Taormina

Driving distance from Catania: 50 minutes

Taormina is probably one of the best-known spots in Sicily, and that’s for a reason: it is gorgeous. Its location only about an hour to the north of Sicily’s largest airport also makes it an excellent option for a day trip from Catania — though if you have the time, an overnight here would be a lot of fun.

Topping the must-see list for Taormina has to be its ancient Greek theater, which dates back to the third century BC. Not only is the theater in amazing shape — they still have concerts there! — but the views from it are incredible.

You’ll also want to stroll down the Corso Umberto I to take a peak in the fancy shops (for my Chicago people, this is like Taormina’s Michigan Avenue) until you hit the Piazza IX Aprile. Basically, if I said the word “Sicily” to you, this piazza is what your brain would come up with as the mental picture. There’s usually even an accordion player hanging out there, for crying out loud! Stop and grab a gelato or cocktail here, and enjoy some incredible views and ambiance.

Don’t miss visiting the city’s public gardens, the Villa Communale, if you can help it. This is a beautiful place to walk around, visit some exotic birds and (yes, again) take in the views. I’d also say the experience is enhanced by grabbing a couple cannoli from nearby Roberto’s as well!

If you are looking for some beach time, you can also visit Taormina’s beaches near the iconic Isola Bella. However, I will note that these aren’t particularly my favorite for visiting with kids because they are pretty rocky (we’ll get to some better ones at the end here). But if you are there on a hot day and the water looks tempting — go for it!

Eating, to me, is a big part of visiting Taormina and there are a lot of great options. Here’s a few of our restaurant recommendations:

For granita: Bam Bar. Seriously, don’t miss going here. Don’t bail if there’s a line. Don’t think you can get something just as good elsewhere. It is far and away the best granita we’ve had on Sicily. Also, don’t forget cream and brioche. I don’t care if I sound bossy, just do this! *CLOSED ON MONDAY, be warned. NEW REPORT: Bam Bar closed until March 1!! 

For cannoli: Laboratorio Pasticceria Roberto. Hands down, the best cannoli. I don’t even like cannoli that much, unless it is from Roberto’s. Then I eat them all.

For cheap eats: Da Cristina. Fabulous pizza, arancini and more, available for takeaway at a very reasonable price.

For a cocktail: Timoleone Cafe. This cute little garden cocktail bar is tucked away near the ancient Greek theater and is just the nicest little stop. We usually wait here while guests tour the theater, as we’ve been a few times now.

For a laugh: Bar Turrisi. A penis-themed bar near Taormina’s Castelmola area. I haven’t been yet, but the pictures from there are hilarious.

For a sit-down meal: Ristorante Granduca Taormina. A little on the pricey side, but delicious.

3. Mount Etna

Driving distance from Catania: It depends, but about 1 hour to Etna Sud

You can’t visit eastern Sicily without admiring our volcano. I’m pretty sure that’s like, a law. You just can’t.

Mount Etna is far and away the largest volcano in Italy (Vesuvius, you are a pipsqueak compared to our lady Etna!) and the second largest in Europe. It is also one of the most active volcanoes in the world, as it is nearly always smoking. We’ve been treated to  eruptions several times since arriving here in October 2016, and it is always thrilling.

So you have many options for visiting Etna, depending on your preferred budget and physical activity level. We’re cheap, so thus far we’ve limited ourselves to doing free activities, hiking on Etna and going up to Etna Sud (the highest point you can drive to on our side) to see the two large craters, the Silvestri Crateri. Our favorite hike is to the Val del Bove, pictured below, which takes about 90 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the person. If you want to do that one, here is a pin for the start of the trail.

At Etna Sud, you’ll find several restaurants and souvenir shops, but the main reason we go is to see the Silvestri Crateri. Seeing these gives you the “feel” of hiking and the chance to admire the mountain from high up, but without the massive effort of hiking or expense of going to the tippy top. 

For those willing to spend some money, there are plenty of options for fun ways to see more of Mount Etna on a variety of tours. We know people who have toured Mount Etna on quad bikes or donkeys, and most recently some friends of ours have been trying to organize us to do an Etna hike with alpacas.(That one, however, will have to wait until this baby is out!).

If you’d like to go to the top of Mount Etna, you can drive to Etna Sud and take the funicular up higher, followed by a jeep ride to the summit. We’ve never done this because it is around 60 euro a person and the days we might have splurged it was cloudy, but I understand it is worth doing at least once.

If skiing on an active volcano is on your bucket list, you may be able to do that as well, provided you come at the right time of year. The people I know who have skied on Etna went to Etna Nord (the other side of the mountain); if you are interested check out STAR Nord. A good friend just went there recently and says that she’s also taken her children there for sledding! (Hi, Leigh Ann!)

Restaurant suggestion for Etna Sud: Rifugio Sapienza. Easy place to grab a pizza or some pasta after wearing yourselves out on the mountain.

4. Agrigento

Driving distance from Catania: 2 hours

I’ll be honest, Agrigento almost didn’t make it on to the list as a possible day trip from Catania just because of its location: it’ll take you a two hours of driving to make it there. However, I’m told non-crazy people consider that to be a perfectly normal distance for a day trip and, on balance, it is such a unique place that I’d say it is worth the effort to go even if you only have a day.*

*Note: we actually have done this in a day trip and all the driving wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected, but an overnight is still my personal preference.

The reason that Agrigento is worth a day trip despite the distance is simple: the Valley of the Temples. As my mother-in-law noted when she was here, this is a dumb name as the temples are actually located on a ridge. But if you can ignore that bit of weirdness, you’ll be treated to some of the best-preserved Greek temples outside of Greece itself.

I’ve written about Agrigento at length before (see this post about our weekend in Agrigento), so I won’t go on much other than to say it is pretty incredible. If you are a history buff, you won’t want to miss this. However, I strongly recommend against going in the heat of summer, as it is likely to be hot as hell. Spring, fall and winter are your best bets for Agrigento.

This city can absolutely work as a day trip from Catania, but if you have time I recommend doing an overnight there so you can take advantage of seeing the nearby Scala dei Turchi as well. If you do, I’d consider looking at the B&B Villa Carlotta Resort. It was comfortable, very affordable (I think we paid 100 euro for a two-bedroom “family room”) and had a great breakfast and a pool. And puppies to play with! Though I suppose that last one probably isn’t a permanent feature.

5. Modica

Driving distance from Catania: 1 hour and 30 minutes

We took a weekend trip to the next three towns on my list shortly after we arrived in Sicily, and loved each one. UNESCO World Heritage site Modica, however, gets a special mention — and a recent return visit when my in-laws were in town in November 2018 — because of its reputation as a chocolate town. Here you can find a unique variety of chocolate that dates back to the Aztecs, as conveyed to Sicily by the Spanish. If you want to visit, I’d suggest booking a chocolate tour at Antica Dolceria Bonajuto. And bring your wallet, because you are going to end up buying way too much chocolate. (Unless, I guess, you are one of those weirdos with that thing — what’s it called? Self control?)

Read more about our weekend in Modica here. 

After that, I’d suggest wandering the city to take in its famous Baroque architecture and (what else?) more chocolate samples at every shop you take. Don’t forget to get some hot chocolate!

Recommended restaurants: Osteria Dei Sapori-Perduti OR A Putia Ro’Vinu. Both delicious!

6. Noto

Driving distance from Catania: 1 hour, 5 minutes

We’ve got another World Heritage Site here — and this feels like a good time to mention that if you only have a few days, visiting Modica, Noto and Ragusa over the course of a couple of them can be an efficient way to see a lot.

The town of Noto is magnificent, in part because so much of it was destroyed by a devastating 1693 earthquake and, I have to say, they did a bang-up job on reconstruction. Noto has been dubbed “The Stone Garden,” you can cruise down the city’s main drag and see an incredible collection of beautiful Baroque architecture. Check out the Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, Chiesa di San Domenico and Noto Cathedral.

Restaurant recommendation: Absolutely go to Trattoria al Buco! We had a phenomenal meal there one Sunday shortly after we arrived and I’m still dreaming about it.

7. Ragusa

Driving distance from Catania: About 1 hour and 25 minutes

The last of our three favorite towns in the Val di Noto (all UNESCO World Heritage towns!) is the capital of the province of Ragusa, helpfully also named Ragusa. If you are out this way, I’d definitely say it is worth a stop here because it is just a lovely little town. But I’d suggest bringing as small a car as possible — read why here.

Ragusa is divided into two parts, Ragusa Ibla (the old town) and Ragusa Superiore (the upper part of the city). The showstopper in Ragusa will be — you can’t possibly be shocked by this at this point, right? — the Duomo di Ragusa, the Cattedrale di San Giovanni Battista. Like the cathedral in Modica, this one was designed by master architect Rosario Gagliardi and is considered one of his best works. Definitely consider popping in, if you aren’t sick of churches by now.

Once you’ve made it to the piazza in front of the Duomo, you’re going to need to stop and get some wine-flavored ice cream, a signature dish here. We got ours at Gelati DiVini right on the square and it was phenomenal and WEIRD. I didn’t necessarily have high expectations of wine-flavored ice cream, but the moscato I got somehow tasted simultaneously like a) wine, b) ice cream and c) delicious. Yes, please.

We took the tourist train around Ragusa; these are pretty much ubiquitous in all the towns here, but we particularly liked this one. If you are in Ragusa with kids, friends of ours also highly recommend a stop at the Gardino Ibleo, an incredible city park with playground equipment, paths and (of course) great views. This is on our list to see when we go back sometime!

Restaurant recommendations: Obviously, hit Gelati DiVini for wine ice cream! But if you are looking for a more substantial meal, our other very smart friends (hi Amanda!) recommend grabbing sausage, cheese, limoncello and wine at Enoteco Il Barocco.

8. Caltagirone

Driving distance: 1 hour 

If you love shopping and gorgeous pottery, you’re going to want to head inland to Caltagirone. We’ve been here quite a few times now, and every time I come home with more colorful pottery. YOLO, I guess!

The main thing you are going to want to see is the Scala di Santa Maria del Monte, an enormous 142-step showstopper of a staircase in which each step is decorated with the city’s signature painted tiles. 

As you’re walking up the stairs, you’ll find tons of little pottery shops that you can pop into for a look. (There’s also a pottery museum in Caltagirone, but I always figure shopping is basically the same … right?). I always end up taking something home because I just can’t help myself.

A few times of year, Caltagirone will have festivals where they decorate the staircase with elaborate displays of flowers and candles. I haven’t been during one of those times, but it looks magnificent! Also, if you come around Christmas-time, there will be a lot of elaborate creche displays at all the (many) local churches. We haven’t made it out for that, but friends have told me it is neat.

At the top of the stairs you’ll find the church of Santa Maria del Monte, which is worth a pop in (and is free).

By the way, if you are looking for a laugh feel free to read about that one time we almost ran over Caltagirone’s most famous monument.

9. Alcantara Gorge

Driving time from Catania: 50 minutes

If you are looking to take in more of Sicily’s natural beauty, Alcantara Gorge makes for an excellent spot for hiking, lounging and even body surfing. I’ve written about all that Alcantara Gorge has to offer before, so check that post out if you are interested in a few more specifics.

But to summarize: the gorge is made up of these incredible basalt columns that were formed about 8,000 years ago when lava flow from Etna met cold river water, causing it to crystallize into various shapes and crack in some places. The columns are surprisingly smooth to the touch.

We visited the Alcantara Gorge Botanical and Geological Park in the height of summer, which was a perfect time for trying to body surf through the gorge because the water is incredibly, insanely cold. Chris, my cold-weather guy, wouldn’t even do it because the water was so frigid (also because he felt body surfing without pads was stupid because they offer tours that specifically require helmets, and he figures that’s for a reason). That makes it one of those rare places that we consider better to visit during the summer — UNLESS, that is, you want to hike. I really wish we’d done this, to be honest, because some of the paths laid out appear to take you to cool views. But at the time, it was too damn hot for anything but getting in the water.

Hot tip: wear some water shoes. Flip flops and going barefoot are both terrible ideas. SERIOUSLY.

10. Aci Castello/Aci Trezza

I’m going to lump two of the “Aci” towns here together,  as I think they’d be convenient to do on the same day if you are only here on holiday and don’t have a few years to thoroughly explore Sicily. (Also a fun fact, we used to live up in the “Aci” area before our move last summer!).

Aci Castello is home to the Castello Normanno, where the kids and I explored just last year. I wrote about the Castello Normanno in this post, so feel free to check that out for more information and photos. Like many castles in the area, it is just neat looking because it is perched on a cliff overlooking the sea. All the better for defending, right?

Aci Trezza, meanwhile, is a small but charming seaside town that we love for just walking around and especially dining. Like fresh seafood? Yeah, this is your place.

You may or may not know that according to the myths, the cyclops of Homer’s Odyssey actually lived inside Mount Etna. After Odysseus and those of his men who were not immediately eaten managed to blind Polyphemus and escape by boat, they unwisely taunted the cyclops and he blindly picked up some boulders and started chucking them in the direction of the taunting. THESE are those stones.

Restaurant recommendation: One of our favorite places to take guests is Le Muse, especially when we get an outdoor table. Last time we went, they brought fresh fish to the table so my dad could personally select his victim. Afterwards, we usually grab a cocktail at Mythos Bar.

11. Enna

Driving distance from Catania: about 1 hour and 15 minutes

After two years in Sicily, we finally visited the inland town of Enna just last November. It was cute and an excellent choice for a little low-key exploring, particularly if you are in Sicily for the long haul. For us, the top priority was seeing Enna’s own castle, which is perched at the very highest part of a town that is already on a hill.

The Castello di Lombardia is one of the oldest castles in Sicily and one of the largest medieval castles in all of Italy. Castles have stood on this particular site for thousands of years, no doubt because it makes an excellent vantage point to watch for enemies (good time to remind you that Sicily has been conquered by different groups approximately a zillion times in the past few thousand years). This particular iteration of the castle dates back to about the 10th century.

This castle charges no admission, which also makes it an attractive stop for a day trip. It’ll take you quite a while to explore the grounds and peak into various areas, though there aren’t a lot of “displays” outside of one spot that shows off some period costumes and information about castle history.

You’ll want to climb the highest tower of the castle. It’s a lot of somewhat alarming steps, but it is worth it so that you can get views like THESE.

At the foot of the castle, near the exit, you’ll find a statue commemorating Euno, a slave who “2,000 years before Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves” (according to the plaque I recently had to translate since my Italian sucks) led a bold slave uprising in Enna against the Roman Empire. From what I understand, this was the beginning of the First Servile War against the empire, which ran from 135 to 132 BC. The last and most famous of the three slave revolts in this period was led by Spartacus.

After seeing the castle, it’s a short walk to the Duomo di Enna (there’s always a duomo, isn’t there?). Like a surprising number of churches we’ve stumbled across in Sicily, it doesn’t look like that much on the outside, then you walk in and BAM! Opulence.

I’m including this picture from the church just because Mary’s fed-up face (and belly) are currently speaking to me on a deep level.

Restaurant recommendation: Meimuna! Located super close to the castle, this restaurant is both convenient and absolutely delicious. As a bonus, they make pizzas during lunch time (not common in Sicily). Yes, please. Check out this post if you are looking for even more options for where to eat in Enna!

12. THE BEACH

Well, I realize listing “the beach” isn’t terrible specific, but any list of day trips from Catania would be remiss without including some beach suggestions. I mean, if you are here during summer that’s what you want most, right?

We’ve been to a fair number of beaches out here now, but at this point we’ve pretty much narrowed it down to three favorites. Which one we go to depends on our mood of the day. All of these are to the south of Catania, as we much prefer the sandy beaches there to rockier versions to the north of us.

For amenities: Fontane Bianche. We love the convenience of going to lidos because you rent a chair and are pretty well set for the day. If you don’t feel like packing a lunch or a bunch of drinks, you can just buy them on site for pretty reasonable prices. We’ve spent a lot of happy hours here!

For a basic beach: Cassibile Nature Reserve. This one isn’t a lido, so you won’t pay to get on the beach, but will need to bring your own chairs, blanket, sun shade, snacks, etc. Parking will set you back about 15 euro as of last summer, but you can park very close to the beach so it is convenient. (Here is a pin for the turn to get to parking, it is easy to fly past so be careful). We like this one if we are into a more low-key and low-cost beach trip. There are also cliffs you can jump off into the sea, if you are less concerned with your own mortality than we are.

For a splurge: Lido San Lorenzo Plus. I actually had to look up the name of this place, as we just call it “fancy beach.” This one is a definite splurge, especially in summer, and if you are coming toward the end of July or in August you’ll want to make sure you get reservations ahead of time. It is pretty expensive, but there is also an app that  you can use to have food and drinks delivered straight to your chair (when it is working, otherwise you have to flag a waiter). There are also a couple of on-site dining options. Plus, you can rent a bed like this:

Note: One of our favorite beaches is actually in Cefalu, a northern Sicily town little more than two hours away. I just can’t seem to bring myself to consider it a day trip from Catania though, even if it is practically the same distance as Agrigento. Spending a day baking in the sun on the beach, then driving home for two hours? Not for me, guys. But check out this post if you are of hardier stock and I am.

So, that about wraps this up! Friends who live here, what are some of your favorite day trips from Catania? Any recommendations to add for any of these cities? I’d love to hear them!

The post Must-see Sicily: Best day trips from Catania first appeared on Babies With Backpacks.

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10 reasons to plan a family holiday in Sicily

It’s been more than 18 months since we moved to Sicily, but I remain astonished by how much this island has to offer. Despite having spent a considerable amount of time daydreaming about possible vacation destinations in the years before moving here, the thought of planning a family holiday in Sicily never crossed my mind. I’m betting a lot of people looking for that perfect family vacation destination are in the same boat, but – no worries, folks – I’m here to help.

So, why plan a family holiday in Sicily? Because there is something for everyone at every age. We’re talking beaches, mountains, hiking, dining, relaxing, history, outdoor sports and much more. To top it off? It’s budget-friendly. Can’t beat that!

10 Reasons to Choose a Family Holiday in Sicily

1. It’s all about that beach.

Sicily boasts what I firmly believe are some of the most gorgeous beaches in the world. They vary considerably depending on your location — rocky in some areas, sandy in others, and with black sand in places on the Aeolian Islands — but just about everywhere you go you’ll find that warm, gemstone-colored Mediterranean Sea.

On the eastern coast you’ll find rocky beaches near Taormina, while you’ll want to venture just south of Siracusa to Fontane Bianche, San Lorenzo or Avola for some sand. On the west coast, San Vito Lo Capo and Favignana Island are the places to go. To the north, try one of Sicilians’ favorite summer spots, the town of Cefalu. We spent two weekends in Cefalu last summer;  if you go, we’d suggest staying at the Royal Sea House.

2. History buffs will love a family holiday in Sicily

Sicily has a rich and tumultuous history of being claimed throughout the centuries by the dominant forces of the era. At various points it was under the control of the Greeks, the Romans, the Arabs and the Normans (to name a few), and its cities reflect this fascinating mix. For instance, in  70 BC, the Roman orator Cicero referred to the Sicilian city of Siracusa as “the greatest Greek city and the most beautiful of them all.” If you visit Siracusa today you can walk past an ancient temple to Apollo (who was believed to be born there) and into the iconic Duomo di Siracusa, a structure built on the site of a Greek temple, repurposed as a church, transitioned into a mosque and ultimately changed back into a church.

History lovers can visit ancient structures like the Temple of Concordia in Agrigento’s Valley of the Temples, or enormous Greek and Roman theaters in Taormina and Siracusa. Those who are interested in more recent history can tour sights relevant to the Allied Invasion of Sicily in 1943.

3. Sicily is home to one of Europe’s largest volcanoes

Mount Vesuvius might be the best-known of Italy’s three volcanoes, but it is dwarfed by Sicily’s Mount Etna, which is 2-and-a-half times larger. Mount Etna also happens to be one of the most active volcanoes in the world and is almost constantly smoking, with occasional visible lava. According to Greek mythology, Hephaestus’ forges were located within Mount Etna’s depths. Polyphemus, the Cyclops blinded by Odysseus in the Odyssey, also hailed from Etna and the rocks he chucked at the escaping hero can now be found in the stunning seaside town of Aci Trezza.

It’s been almost a year and a half, and I still haven’t tired of gazing at Mount Etna. If you opt for a family holiday in Sicily, I’d suggest taking the opportunity to visit Etna, either on a tour or solo. We’ve enjoyed hiking on Mount Etna several times, but if hiking isn’t necessarily your speed there are cable cars that can take you up the mountain or various tours (include by mountain bike or quad!) to get you to the top. Every member of the family is bound to get a thrill out of seeing Etna smoke, picking up chunks of lava rock and learning about eruptions of years past.

4. There are plenty of ways to spend time outdoors on a family holiday to Sicily

If laying on a beach isn’t necessarily your speed, there’s plenty of other opportunities for fun in the sun! Across this country you’ll find places to fish, rent boats, go horseback riding or simply enjoy dining al fresco and people-watching. Mount Etna is a natural choice to hike, but in Sicily you’ll find plenty of other places to walk as well, with varying level of difficulty for the kids. Parco Monte Serra in Viagrande is a nice place to take a walk, check out a butterfly house or try your land at land-tubing. The Alcantara Gorge (Gole Alcantara) is also a fabulous place to cool off in the summer, albeit better suited for older children rather than toddlers.

I’d also suggest checking out local farmer’s markets while in Sicily, especially if you are with kids. Spotting fresh-caught fish, still-living crabs and all the fruit they can eat is always amusing for my crew, and a good place to pick up a snack as well. Try the Catania fish market (every morning except Sunday) or the Siracusa market near Apollo’s Temple.

5. The food is incredible.

Seafood. Pasta. Arancini. Granita. And did I say pasta yet?

Sicilian food is both delicious and, in many ways, different than you’ll find anywhere else in Italy. While you’re on your family holiday in Sicily, you’ll want to be sure to try some of the island’s specialties, such as arancini — fried rice balls flavored with fillings like ragu, spinach, pistacchio — and pasta al Norma, noodles with a tomato-based sauce with eggplant and salted ricotta. Anything with pistachio is always a good bet, whether it is on a cannoli or a pizza. I personally never pass up a ravioli con pistacchio. As you might expect on an island, fresh seafood is a big deal here as well — you can get fabulous options in restaurants or even just on the side of the road.

Kids and adults will love granita, a Sicilian frozen specialty best described as being somewhere between Italian ice and a slushie in consistency, served almost exclusively in the warmer months. Common flavors are fruit when in season, pistachio, coffee, almond and chocolate. I recommend raspberry or lemon. Top it with panna (cream) and eat it with a brioche. Here’s a secret: the best granita is in eastern Sicily, and the best granita in eastern Sicily is at Taormina’s Bam Bar. Don’t miss it!

6. The wine is cheap, delicious and plentiful

Need I say much more than the headline, here? Volcanoes make for fertile soil, and that soil grows some delicious grapes. We aren’t wine experts by any means, but we’ve found the house wines here to by typically very tasty and very cheap. If you are spending a family holiday in Sicily (or any holiday), I’d suggest checking out an winery/agriturismo for a combined wine tasting and expansive, farm-to-table meal that lasts hours. Murgo Winery or Gambino Winery are both great choices for this. We love Sunday lunch at Murgo, where there is plenty of room for the kids to run around while the adults sample wine.

7. Family holidays in Sicily are cheap(ish).

Finding a European holiday that isn’t going to bust your budget is always tricky, but if you are looking to spend time in western Europe, Sicily is going to be a cost-effective choice — particularly if you travel any time other than July and August. We’ve had several friends come visit here after being elsewhere in Europe, and they always remark upon how much cheaper everything is on this island. Prices can be somewhat higher at tourist-heavy locations, but in general you can expect to pay less than 1 euro for an espresso in a cafe, or about 5 euro for a “individual” cheese pizza that is more than enough for two kids.

8. Sicily is family friendly.

Walking around Sicily with kids is basically like being a celebrity. People are plenty nice to me when I’m alone, but Sicily with kids? Whole different ball game. Cashiers and waiters regularly hand my kids special treats when we are out and about, and everyone from the teenagers to the little old nonni (grandfathers) ends up smiling at them, patting their head or trying to talk to them. Usually this is accompanied by them commenting on them being bionde (blondes). Women I’ve met with newborns tell me wait staff will frequently offer to hold the baby while they eat.

Sicilians also have a remarkably indulgent attitude toward children. Unlike some places we’ve been (I’m looking at you, Paris), they seem to expect kids to, well, behave like kids. Everything is always va bene. 

9. Sicily is (somewhat) off the beaten track

Don’t love waiting in lines at every attraction? Consider a family holiday in Sicily. While I certainly would never claim there are no tourists – Sicily is a hotspot for European beach-seekers in July and August – most of the year you won’t be fighting the crowds to get into local attractions. As a result, the place has a more authentic feel and prices to match.

10. The people are the best

Sicilians are an incredibly warm and welcoming people (albeit fiery when you get them worked up, ha!). I’ve never yet had a problem that people weren’t immediately coming to my aid. When my car wouldn’t start and I was stranded at the park? About 12 different people rallied to try jumping it and helped me get a new battery. When I was lost in a sea of incomprehensible Italian at the post office? Someone patiently came over to help me translate. And I’ve already talked about how they like to indulge my children!

While there are certainly jerks everywhere and Sicily is no exception, we’ve found the vast majority of Sicilians to be exceptionally kind. And that’s something you can’t put a price on.

Planning a family holiday in Sicily: the bottom line

Whether you are looking for a relaxing beach holiday, an active, outdoorsy vacation or a journey through historic sites, chances are Sicily has something for you. It has an old-world, almost exotic feel to it — hello, sheep in the road! — but at the same time it has the modern comforts you crave. Such as a phone app that lets you order food and drinks to be delivered to you beach chair. What more can you ask for?

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Butterflies, hiking, donkeys and … land tubing? Our visit to Parco Monte Serra in Viagrande, Sicily.

Sicily is gorgeous this time of year, full of flowers and greenery everywhere. It also isn’t oppressively hot AND hardly anything is on fire!  Basically, it’s the perfect time to be outside, so we’ve been celebrating by trying to do that as much as possible. This past week, that meant a visit to Parco Monte Serra.

Parco Monte Serra is a roughly 75-acre reserve around an “ancient horseshoe-shaped volcanic crater,” according to its website. It is located in Viagrande, a town about 25 minutes from Catania (and 35 from Marinai, for my local people). It makes an excellent outing with kids for an afternoon, whether you are interested in hiking, biking, visiting some butterflies or land tubing/skiing (more on that last one in a minute).

Viagrande’s Volcano Museum is also right next to the park.

Getting to Parco Monte Serra

I’d suggest putting Casa Delle Farfalle into your GPS for driving purposes. I tried just “Parco Monte Serra,” but Google tried to send me somewhere weird. Once you get there, you’ll drive up a fairly steep hill, pull into a parking lot on the left and pay a guy 2 euro when he approaches you (this might not happen until the end if you are there early). You can walk to everything from there.

Hiking at Parco Monte Serra 

We didn’t actually head to Parco Monte Serra with a specific plan to hike, but my kids spotted a few stairs that led to a path and then more stairs and … one thing led to another. It was too gorgeous not to continue! 

Most of the path was well-marked, and seemed to go all over the place. We ended up opting to start climbing some stairs we found, which led us up one of the big hills. This part was a touch rough in places, but nothing a 5.5- and 3.5-year-old couldn’t handle. The main thing is keeping a tight hold on them in places where there is a bit of a drop-off. And also making sure you don’t fall off yourself if you also happen to be a clumsy adult like me.

The higher we got, the more incredible the view became. And that was even with it not being a particularly clear day. One days when the mountain view is unobstructed, I’m sure it is even more beautiful.

We didn’t reach the absolute highest point we could because Owen needed to turn around, but that didn’t stop Fiona from trying to continue the hike solo. ‘It’ll just take a SECOND,’ she says as she tries to rush away from me atop what is basically a mountain. This kid is honestly trying to kill me!

We took what seemed to be a more indirect route toward the top of the hill. As we were leaving, we spotted *the* stairs that people talk about in Parco Monte Serra, which we missed on the way in. Um. I wish I’d gotten a better picture because they looked fairly intimidating from a distance — just straight up the hill! We’ll have to tackle them one of these days though, because why not?

Apparently there are also places where you can bike at Parco Monte Serra, which would be a nice outing one of these days since the idea of riding a bike on Sicilian roads terrifies me.

Land tubing/skiing at Parco Monte Serra

So, before Parco Monte Serra I had no idea this was even a thing. Land tubing. It is exactly like snow tubing, but instead of snow there is just some mesh stuff covering the hill. Pretty smart considering only Mount Etna gets any real snow around here.

Basically, the attendant wets the bottom of the rubber inner tube with something that appeared to be soapy water, you plop down in the middle and boom — down the mountain you go. It looked fast enough to be fun, but not fast enough to make you think you are hurtling to your death. Which seems like the right mix to me, honestly.

At the end of the ride, there was a kind of moving walkway to help you get back up the hill. Pretty slick!

To ride, children must be 4 years old and must go independently, as sitting on a parent’s lap is not allowed. While it has a large sign proclaiming that it is open all year round, it seems to be limited to the morning hours. We were there on a Saturday and it closed for riposo (about 1:30 p.m.), and we were told it wouldn’t open again until Sunday morning.

You also seem to be able to land ski (!!) on the slope there, if the website is to be believed. I’d certainly like to see that, though I doubt I’d be any less awful at land skiing than I was at regular skiing.

Butterfly House (Casa delle Farfalle) at Parco Monte Serra

Ah, the Casa Delle Farfalle. If you are visiting Parco Monte Serre with kids, checking out the Butterfly House is an excellent idea. I think even babies would get a kick out of seeing all the butterflies fluttering around.

We didn’t visit this time, but I’ve written about the Casa Delle Farfalle before. We had a great time on our visit last fall, where a small group of us received a brief tour from one of the guides.

Admission is 5 euro for adults, 3.50 for children older than 4 and free for those younger. They also had a couple package deals; one adult and two kids, for instance, was 10 euro. The Casa Delle Farfalle does close for riposo, so I’d suggest getting there in the morning before the last admission at 12:30.

Playground, picnics and (maybe) a petting zoo at Parco Monte Serra

If you are headed to the Parco Monte Serra with kids, there is a small playground right in front of the butterfly house that you can check out. It seemed a bit lame to me compared to our favorite parks in Pedara and Aci Bonaccorsi, but it has swings, slides and some jungle-gym equipment to climb on. Naturally, this was Fi’s favorite part.

If you are going to Parco Monte Serre with kids, I’d suggest packing a picnic! There are a ton of picnic tables all around where you could sit and have a nice lunch. You can also reserve areas of the park for parties — we saw several parties while we were there on a Saturday morning.

There is also a mini-farm on the property, where you can see a donkey, goats, chicken, geese, etc. I’m not sure whether it is meant to be a petting zoo or is used for demonstrations or anything, but we popped on through while we were there as well.

Overall, if you are looking for somewhere to hike or for an outing with the kids, I’d highly recommend checking our this place!

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Aci Castello castle: Castello Normanno

A visit to the Castello Normanno in Aci Castello, Sicily, is a worthwhile day trip if you are in the area. While the “museum” it houses is underwhelming, the medieval structure that gave the town of Aci Castello its name makes for an interesting place to explore with kids.

So, Aci Castello. It isn’t all that far from our house — quite near a town we really like, Aci Trezza —  and I’ve been meaning to take the kids there for ages to see the Aci Castello castle. Since “castello” just means “castle” in Italian, it seems a safe bet that the Castello Normanno is pretty important to the town’s history.

First things first: hours of operation for the Aci Castello castle. To be honest, one reason I’ve been putting off a visit to Castello Normanno was because I didn’t have real reliable information on when it was open and I didn’t want to be annoyed if we drove there and it wasn’t. Yes, I could have called but … I’m a bit phobic about trying to make phone calls in Italian. Shrug.

Anyway, fear not — here are the hours of operation for the Castello Normanno, at least as of April 19, 2018:

The Castello Normanno (Norman Castle) sits on a rocky bit of land that juts out into the sea. According to some signage we saw at the castle, the land that the castle sits on was connected to the mainland by a volcanic eruption in 1169. I have a few questions about that, but not a lot of answers.

The exact date of the Aci Castello castle’s construction is apparently unknown, but the Normans invaded Sicily in 1060 and it is called the “Castello Normanno” so — probably a safe bet that it is in the neighborhood of 1,000 years old.

The Castello Normanno houses a civic museum, but I can’t say it’s much to write home about. A few period costumes, a large collections of crystals, rocks and shells and what appeared to be some sort of display about evolution? Don’t expect a whole lot if you go on that front.

However, what made the trip worth it was just exploring the ruins of the castle itself. It’s no secret that we love castles (see here and here and here!), and this one — while quite modest — was fun to walk around.

The views from the Castello Normanno were fantastic, worth a visit just on their own.

The castle also contained a small botanical garden in what I guess would have been a courtyard back in the day.

All told, I’d say we spent maybe 40 minutes exploring the castle and walking around. Owie and Fi enjoyed finding every nook and cranny of the place, and also pretending to be royalty. Afterward, we swung down some stairs to the base of the castle to look at tide pools (pictured above) and then it was GELATO TIME.

The town of Aci Castello was very cute, but be warned that the streets are quite tight. I take my van just about anywhere in Sicily without much issue, but I was extremely glad to be driving our small island beater instead this day. Around the castle are several cute ice cream/granita shops, and a couple restaurants that seemed to be open for lunch. Enjoy!

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Orange picking in our own little patch of Sicily, as a matter of fact!

Since we first set foot in our Sicily house, we’ve admired the many gorgeous fruit trees in our yard (and we always seem to find more tucked away). There are apples, lemons, pomegranates, plums, plus a ton of kiwis. But the prettiest of them all are the orange trees in our yard.

Except since we’ve gotten here, that’s about all they’ve been to us. Pretty. Every time we’ve tried the fruit, it’s been kind of gross. Until yesterday! On a whim, Chris grabbed one of the mandarin oranges off the tree and to our immense surprise, it was delicious. The regular oranges? A little tart, but tasty as well. Go figure! I wonder if we’ve just been picking them at the wrong time, or if perhaps last year was a bad season for them. Either way, we got to picking some of our oranges this weekend.

We’ve been meaning to take the kids on a orange-picking adventure here in Sicily sometime, but somehow have missed out on various excursions for one reason or another. This was much easier than going to a farm, ha!

Afterwards the kids decided to wash their fruit …

And then the juicing could begin.

I wouldn’t really describe these as blood oranges, but a couple had some tinges of red! Lovely.

This juicer leaves a lot of pulp, which the kids don’t love. So now we run it through a mesh strainer.

We were all pleased with the results! Especially Fiona, it seems.

Before and after.

We also tried one of these weird lemons that are so common here in Sicily. I’m not actually sure what they are called (which is sad after more than a year here in Sicily), but our landlord tells me you are supposed to put them in salad.

The outer rind (not sure you are actually supposed to eat it or what?) was weirdly over-sweet.

The inside? Not so much.

We may have further research to do on how to eat these!

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Picture Frame Hill in Pedara.

Just popping by to say hey! We had a busy weekend over here as far as trip planning went after realizing how few options were available in one of our destinations even months out, which prompted some minor panic-booking. I’ll get into that some other day though! In the meantime, I just wanted to drop by with a few pictures from a short hike we did this afternoon to Picture Frame Hill in Pedara with some sweet friends.

Most of my friends have already done this hike in Pedara. Rhe official name of this area is undoubtedly something Italian, but we call it Picture Frame Hill. Bet you can’t guess why?

Picture Frame Hill is a short, easy hike in Pedara, a town near us. (Much less strenuous than the Asino trail on Etna!)  It was perfect for the kids because while a bit of a steep hill in the beginning, it was paved in that area and easy enough for them to negotiate. Guard rails along a lot of it helped too, especially when Fiona decided to run downhill and basically lost control of herself. She ended up grabbing the rail and holding on while the rest of her body tried to keep moving … which as I type I realize probably sounds pretty awful but was kind of hilarious at the time. Um. I guess you’ll have to just take my word on that.

I wish it had been a bit less cloudy, but the view was still pretty. We definitely plan to go back on a prettier day soon!

There was also a small “park” nearby. I use this term loosely, for obvious reasons. There actually is a really nice new park in Pedara, Parco dei Sorrisi, which you should definitely visit if you are at Sigonella. Preferably after doing the Picture Frame Hill hike!

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Hey all! It’s been ages, so sorry about that. I’ve spent most of the last couple of weeks working my butt off on a bunch of assignments all due at once, and fighting The Plague in our house. It seems like we’ve all been sick off and on for ages, and the last couple of weeks have been no exception. We got to take Fiona to the ER room Saturday morning because she woke up sobbing about her ear hurting, so that replaced this weekend’s planned excursion. C’est la vie! (She’s feeling much better now, by the way)

That said, it hasn’t been all lame the last couple of weeks. Last weekend we visited a honey farm (well, sort of) in Zafferana, a town about 25 minutes away from us that is known for its honey. According to something Chris just read in our Lonely Planet Sicily, Zafferana produces “up to 35 percent of Italy’s honey.” Whoa.

We visited Oro D’Etna in Zafferana and highly recommend the place. We just showed up and one of the employees took us around, showing us one of the smaller beehives on site and explaining to the kids how they get they honey out. Since we were the only ones there, they were able to ask plenty of questions! We tried a whole bunch of different honey flavors, made from bees who hung out with different varieties of flowers/plants, I guess?. (We ended up buying the chestnut honey). They also had some blended honeys, and we ended up taking some forest berry and strawberry flavored ones home with us. I don’t even want to talk about how quickly we are going through our supply.

She said that this little on-site box is home to 45,000 bees, and that in the rest of their hives there are usually 90,000. Those numbers seem enormous to the point that I’m wondering if she didn’t misspeak (though her English was excellent), but what do I look like, a bee-expert? So yeah, no idea. 

Oro D’Etna also had a variety of other products, and we ended up sampling basically everything. “We” being Chris, Fiona and I, of course, as Owen is a bit more suspicious about absolutely everything. Oro D’Etna also produces a lot of flavored olive oil (we look home some chili-flavored, obviously) and some wine and various liquors. We bought some pistachio liquor that we have been pouring over vanilla ice cream and it is Top. Notch.

Fiona’s favorite was the Etna pesto, which she put on approximately 20 chunks of bread while we were there. My favorite was the pistachio pesto, which we ran out of on Day Two. Whoops.

Anyway, good trip overall — we’ll be back soon to stock up!

Chris and I also had a nice date night at a new spot we’ve been meaning to try, a local spot called La Caverna del Masto Birraio (The Brewer’s Cave). It was a craft brewery with what turned out to be mostly American-ish food, like burgers, pulled pork and chicken wings. The food was decent if unremarkable, but the building itself was very cool and cave-y as you can see. It was definitely a busy spot on Friday, we came in right at 8 and it filled up quite fast.

Later in the evening, they had live music going in the back. 

We tried a couple of their beers and enjoyed the red ale, Aci Re Ale, a lot. There was also huge outdoor area that looked like it would be really fun in the summer, so we’re definitely planning on heading back sometime then.

Per usual, people were showing up with their babies and small children to start dinner at the time we had finished scarfing ours down. How does anyone stand to eat so late?! Waiting until 8 p.m. on the rare occasions we go out these days always seems rough enough on us 5:30 p.m. eaters.

That about does it for news around here, EXCEPT that we did register Owen for kindergarten this fall. How is it that time already?

And for those of you who have been asking, it has been quite warm here. This morning was about the coldest lately, maybe upper 40s when we left for school, but by mid-day it was in the low 60s again. And that’s pretty much how it’s been all winter thus far, definitely different from our frosty, extremely rainy winter last year. I’m not complaining! Here’s hoping that this year is normal, and last year was the outlier.

In contrast to last year, when I swear there was snow constantly from late October until the mountain started erupting in February and March, there is very little left up there right now. That is actually a bit of a bummer because we’d signed up for a sledding trip on Etna a few weeks ago, but it ended up being canceled for lack of snow. We plan to go up there if it ever snows enough up there again, but if not it is hard to be too sad about it when the weather has been so mild. Sorry, Chicago people!

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Must-see Sicily: Siracusa and Ortigia

Siracusa is one of my favorites towns in Sicily, but it recently occurred to me that I’ve not posted nearly enough about it or Ortigia (though you can find some information here and here). It also seems like a good way to kick off a new series I’d like to do on the best places to visit in our beautiful Sicily. So — let’s talk some absolute must-see Sicily: Siracusa and Ortigia!

I would also like to note that while this doesn’t necessarily have any historical significance, this town is where a 2-year-old Fiona stabbed her brother in the head with an ice cream cone on Mother’s Day 2017. Hands down one of the funniest damn things I’ve ever seen in my life.

Visiting Siracusa: some basic information

Why go to Siracusa? Siracusa is a quintessential Sicilian town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and — at least in my opinion — one of the prettiest ones Sicily has to offer. It has something for everything, whether you are interested in history, eating, boating or just soaking in the scenery. It is also less than an hour from the Catania airport and is an excellent jumping off point for a bunch of other cities on the eastern and southern parts of Sicily, including some of our favorite beaches: Fontane Bianche, Cassabile and the “fancy beach” in Noto.

Where to park near Siracusa or Ortigia: For the archaeological park, you’ll see a lot of options quite near the entrance where you can park for a few euro. In Ortigia, I’d suggest Parcheggio Talete near the seaside.

Where to stay on your Siracusa holiday: Siracusa is a good day trip for us, but if you are visiting from further away it also makes a great spot to stop for at least a night. Two days in Siracusa would be even better! I’d recommend staying in a hotel or apartment on Ortigia; the island is small enough that you can walk everywhere easily and prices are quite reasonable. Check out this one as a possibility — good location and great reviews.

Where to eat in the city: La Volpe e L’Uva (The Fox and the Grape). Hands down, my favorite place to eat in Siracusa! They have pizza around the clock — most restaurants in Sicily don’t have pizza until evening — and everything I’ve had there has been delicious. The restaurant is right on the main piazza in Ortigia, directly across from Duomo di Siracusa. Sit outside under the umbrellas, have some wine and eat everything.  I recommend ordering the The Fox and the Grape pizza. (It’s Chris’ philosophy that if a restaurant gave a particular dish its name, it’s the one to order. In this case, he was definitely right!) 

What to do in Siracusa/Ortigia: Everything! But let’s get into that some more below.

What to do in Siracusa and Ortigia

1. Visit Siracusa’s archaeological park (Parco Archeologico Della Neoplis)  to see its 5th century Greek theater, Roman theater and the Orecchio di Dionisio, the “Ear of Dionysius.” The orecchio is a limestone cave that looks like an ear, you can walk in (and if you are my kids, you shout loudly). It’s 10 euro to get in, and definitely worth a visit if you are interested in history! We were there shortly after we arrived in Sicily in October 2016 (hence why my kids look like babies in these pictures!).

2. See the Duomo di Siracusa. For this, you need to head to the island of Ortigia, the heart of Siracusa and my favorite place in the city. Siracusa was once among the most powerful and populous cities in the world, but it has changed hands many, many times over the centuries. The Duomo di Siracusa reflects this heritage. The exterior is the lovely Baroque style that we see frequently on the east side of Sicily as a result of the 1693 earthquake that destroyed so many buildings in this area. On the inside, however, you find elements from its varied past, which included being built on the site of a Temple of Athena in the 7th Century, being turned into a mosque by the Moors, and then going back to being a church after the Norman conquest. It’s fascinating to see where the original stone columns from its earliest days meet more the more opulent and (comparatively) modern gilded additions. Outside the church you’ll also find the gorgeous piazza: I’d recommend taking a stop there to having some gelato, granite or dine at La Volpe e L’Uva.

3. Visit the Castello Maniace. This castle (I’d almost describe it more as a fort? It was also used as a prison in the 15th century.) dates back to the 1230s and was built by Frederick II, Holy Roman Empire on the island of Ortigia’s promontory. It isn’t furnished/restored inside like some castles we’ve been in, but it is still fun to check out, especially with kids. Ours particularly enjoyed peering out windows or over the walls to look at the sea. 

Here’s a fun fact I literally just read on the Siracusa tourism website: “In 1448, after a splendid banquet held in the halls of the Castle, Captain Giovanni Ventimiglia had all the guests killed, accused of treason.” How very Game of Thrones. 

4. Visit the Tempio di Apollo. According to legend, the goddess Leto gave birth to one or both of her twins — Apollo and Artemis — on the island of Ortigia. Appropriately enough then, today you can see a temple dedicated to Apollo that dates back to about 570 BC (excavated  in the late 1930s). If you walk from the Parcheggio Talete through the farmer’s market (see next), you’ll run right into it.

5. Take in the sounds, smells and flavors of the Ortigia farmer’s market. If you park at Parcheggio Talete as I suggest, you’ll basically cross the street and walk right into the farmer’s market. You’ll see fresh fish (still wiggling, sometimes!), fruits and veggies, spices, nuts and all manner of clothing, bags, accessories and more. I suggest picking up some fruit to munch on as you walk around. Right at the end of the market (in the direction of the sea, not the temple), you’ll also probably see a long line of people waiting for the famous “sandwich guy” of Ortigia to make them a gigantic sandwich. I’ve actually never had one of his massive creations, but apparently people wait for ages to be able to get one of his. I’ll report back after I try it out some day.

6. Stop by the Fountain of Diana. As you walk toward the center of Ortigia and the Duomo di Siracusa, you’re bound to pass the Piazza Archimedes and there you’ll run into this fountain depicting the goddess of the hunt, Diana/Artemis. It was created in the early 1900s.

7. Take a boat ride. Update: I’ve actually done this now! When our friends visited in October, we took the opportunity to take a roughly 1-hour boat ride around the island of Ortigia. It was roughly a one-hour ride and we loved it, especially stopping in the sea caves. One note: this particular boat didn’t have life jackets for the kids, which freaked me out a bit. If you are of a similar disposition, definitely verify the life jackets before you get on.

 This is actually one activity that I haven’t had a chance to try yet, unfortunately. However, I have friends who have gone and really enjoyed the opportunity to see Ortigia and the sea caves in the surrounding area from the water. You’ll see these advertised everywhere as you drive over one of the two bridges that links Ortigia with the rest of Siracusa.

8. Visit underground attractions. Despite visiting at least three times so far, this is one we haven’t managed to do yet but I plan to. Right next to the Duomo is the entrance to the Hypogeum, an series of underground tunnels created by both natural cisterns and stone quarrying. During World War II, these tunnels were used as air raid shelters. There are also apparently catacombs below the city of Siracusa; the catacombs of San Giovanni are located near the archeological park and are available to see via guided tour. Given Owen’s strong interest in the Catacombs in Paris, we’ll have to make a plan to visit this one soon!

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Ah yes, it’s been too long since we had a ridiculous Sicily driving story, hasn’t?

(Though the rabbit incident should have been enough to fill my driving-stories quota for like a year and a half).

Caltagirone is a city in central Sicily (about an hour from Sigonella) that is known for its gorgeous painted pottery. Chris and I took the kids there in March. Its biggest attraction is an enormous 142-step staircase on which each step is decorated with its trademark painted ceramic pottery.

Beautiful, right?

Yeah, we almost ran it over. Almost. 

At worst, I’d say we nudged it.

Backing up — my friend Amanda and I decided to head to Caltagirone for  some Christmas shopping this morning while our kids were in school. Amanda graciously offered to drive her small SUV, which is most likely the reason I am at home writing this right now instead of still stuck inside my minivan in a situation like this:

Though actually we did have a random Sicilian of our own to help us. Lucky for Amanda, Aziz and I that Sicilians are so helpful!

Anyway, I was navigating and blindly following our Google Maps directions to the general direction of the staircase. We didn’t realize that we were being led (through numerous small streets) to the top of the stairs until we looked right and bam! There it was. Like, right there.

So, locals told us we couldn’t park up there so we decided to uh, just figure out how to get to the bottom. Which was fine! Admittedly we had to stop a few times to pull in mirrors and I at least held my breath through quite a few suuuuper tight turns, but all was fine.

Until we looked ahead and sticking out into the narrow roadway … a stoop. Or what we thought was a stoop. Until we got closer and realized it was the bottom of the fucking staircase.

So I got out of the car in an effort to help Amanda thread the needle and avoid smashing the stairs. Turns out I suck though, so Random Guy across the street started shouting instructions instead and we all found that a much better strategy. We made it out having just, I’d say, nudged the stairs. And then basically dissolved into hysterics.

The fabulous Amanda and her daughter Maggie! Arms stretched for scale. On the bottom right, the stair we nudged. Fortunately, this one didn’t have ceramics on it, like the one directly above.

Anyway, we had a fabulous and super quick visit. I finished up a bunch of Christmas shopping at Ceramiche Artigianali di Salvatore Gurreri and also got a quick tutorial from an employee there.

Gorgeous, no? But I’m not telling what came home with me!

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For whatever reason with my family, we always seem to have various mishaps while traveling. Get a group of us together and invariably we’ll end up with a slew of “remember that time in Pisa …” or “remember that time with the crowded train …” as a springboard into a story of misadventure from our family lore.

Even still, Tuesday was one for the ages.

Where I thought we’d be at 2 p.m. on Tuesday: at my house, eating some lunch and watching Moana while doing laundry.

Where we actually were at 2 p.m. on Tuesday: the home of a stranger, lamenting my lack of Italian skills, but eating at a feast that included pasta, vegetables the stranger (Pino!) and my dad picked from the garden ten minutes before, and rabbit he’d shot on his farm.

Again: I am overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers! The world seems like a pretty jacked up place lately, but it is a relief to know there are still good people out there.

So, let’s back up.

My parents came to town Sunday after finishing their month-long traveling adventure in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, Germany and Italy. My brother-in-law Brett, who met us in Germany for Oktoberfest, has also been visiting us in Sicily since we got back. We had decided to take the crowd to Cefalu for some beach time Sunday and Monday (it was great, by the way!), then Tuesday morning Chris and Brett left early to catch a plane for Rome, where they are spending a couple days before Brett’s flight home. That left me, my parents and the kids to drive the van home Tuesday later in the day after we explored some more and packed up.

As we were heading out of town, we passed a gas station. I looked at my dash, noticed I needed gas fairly soon and decided I’d better stop at the next one we spotted. We were going on a major highway, so no problem, right?*

Wrong. So wrong.

On the way to Cefalu, we’d stopped at Taormina for a while and thus took a longer route along the (highly populated) coast. On the way back we planned to take the quicker route down the middle of the island and over.

So, we were on the lookout from the beginning for a gas station but it didn’t immediately become a huge issue until we’d gone miles and miles and miles without seeing one. Getting nervous, we decided we needed to get off at one of the exits on the theory that surely, surely there will be a gas station somewhere. Nope, waste of gas trying one area and realizing there was nothing there. Next, decided to get back on the highway and keep driving but things were getting critical. Finally, Google informed me there was a middle-of-nowhere gas station only about five kilometers away. Sold.

Except that GPS just led us to a farm. And then informed us we could walk the rest of the way. Our car hadn’t actually spluttered to a stop, but the range had been on 0 for quite some time and we knew we didn’t have much left, so we decided to ask whoever lived there where this mythical gas station was.

So, my Italian continues to be very poor. The farmer, Pino, spoke Italian and Dutch only. We had Google Translate but it honestly isn’t as helpful as it could be a lot of the time (a post on that to follow) and we were struggling with communication. Finally I remembered my fabulous and fluent friend Brooke, who I was able to call on messenger. To my immense relief, she was available and talked to Pino for us – who informed us that the “gas station” we were looking for only had fuel for scooters and that the nearest real gas station was about 15 kilometers away. Uphill. His opinion? There was no chance we’d make it. Since we hadn’t the slightest idea where it even was, we tended to agree.

So, this is where Pino is especially amazing. First he was trying to convince us he could mix some of his diesel with oil and put it in the car, since he didn’t have benzina (we declined). Our next plan was to call our roadside assistance through insurance, but Pino said it would take hours to get to the middle of nowhere and that they would charge a fortune and insist on towing us. He insisted that his son would be there in an hour and a half and either bring us some benzina or drive us to get it. With few other options – and a fear that if we tried to drive back to the highway we’d actually run out of gas somewhere less friendly – we decided to wait.

And then he offered to make us spaghetti. I was in a state of complete nervous panic at this point, but the kids hadn’t eaten and well … it was almost 2 p.m.

So, we explored a little bit while Pino (with help from my dad to go pick some vegetables straight from the garden!) got to work. He either rebuffed my offers to help or didn’t understand my offer because “aiutare” is a hard word for me to pronounce.

In the meantime, we mostly explored the farm (he had chickens, sheep, pigs and a gorgeous bay horse named Farfellina) and played with his rambunctious puppies, while I fought anxiety-induced nausea and apologized profusely to my parents for getting us into this situation. Owen and I also rehearsed what he would say to very politely refuse the spaghetti because – as most of you know – he doesn’t eat pasta and we were worried about offending Pino.

Turns out, we didn’t need to worry because we were served an epic meal and even my picky Owen found something to eat!

First course: pasta with marinara sauce, plus chunks of cheese; Fiona devoured the first and Owen ate cheese.

Second course: bread, roasted bell peppers straight from the garden, a tomato/oil salad straight from the garden, and a platter of meat that we didn’t immediately recognize. Eventually, Pino pointed and said “coniglio” (hey! A word I recognize!) and mimicked shooting. My dad later told us he was pretty sure he was telling us to look out for pellets in the meat because he’s used a shotgun?

Anyway, to my very great surprise it was after we clarified what we were eating that Owen piped up that he wanted some rabbit. We pulled some off the bone for him and – shockingly — he devoured it and said it was great (Pino seemed tickled!). Fiona ate it too. I was actually the only one who didn’t, not because I was opposed but because I was still fighting some really bad nausea (lame!). Our only contribution was a couple bottles of wine that we’d had in the car, and he ended up serving his own wine anyway. Ooops!

Anyway, we used my extremely limited Italian, Google translate and sign language to do our best to carry on conversation with Pino and learned he had two sons, had lived on this farm since childhood, enjoys painting, and loves to cook for his friends. He ribbed me a bit for having been in Sicily for almost a year and not having learned more Italian, which ok, fair point. Later we learned that one of his side businesses is roasting pigs for parties; if anyone I know in Sicily ever needs a hog let me know and I’ll give you his contact information!

Photo courtesy of Pino

So, about three hours passed. Eventually, one of Pino’s sons, Roberto, arrived with a couple liters of benzina to funnel into our tank and (after a bunch of back-and-forth with Brooke on the line to negotiate what happened next) the son agreed to drive back into town so that we could follow him to the service station.

And thank goodness, because I don’t think we could have ever actually found our way there ourselves. Roberto drove on the craziest back roads and through puddles and what seemed like craters before we actually made it to the town, which highlighted pretty well how in the middle of freaking nowhere we had ended up. Added to the fact that my tank is so enormous that the couple liters we’d put in actually didn’t move the range from “0” and it was a somewhat nerve-wracking drive!

We caused a bit of a scene at the gas station as Roberto and Maria (unclear on relationship there — she came along for the ride and was very sweet!) told the story to a couple of attendants who ended up laughing pretty hard as Roberto (I believe) explained exactly how deep in the country we’d ended up. And then they couldn’t believe how much gas the van would take, and kept asking me if I was sure I wanted to fill it up entirely. HELL YEAH I DO!

In total, the day’s finances worked out like this:

Gas purchased on the economy: 116 euro

Lunch/rescue square: 20 euro and two cheap bottles of wine. (We tried to convince them to take more but they wouldn’t hear of it.)

Lesson learned and a story to tell: priceless.

Us and Pino and Maria 

*Chris, later: “Didn’t you notice the sign that said it was the last gas station for 67 kilometers?” NOPE. Sure as hell did not.

The post Exploring our island: The one where we run out of gas and eat rabbit first appeared on Babies With Backpacks.

The post Exploring our island: The one where we run out of gas and eat rabbit appeared first on Babies With Backpacks.

Agrigento is one of Sicily’s biggest tourist attractions, and this weekend we finally made it out to visit! We really enjoyed our visit (less than 2.5 hours from our house, so an easy trip) though straight off the bat, I have two recommendations:

1. Don’t go in summer

2. Definitely go some other time

To be fair, friends did try to warn me about the heat. (Repeatedly). But, eh, this was the weekend I wanted to go somewhere so …

So Agrigento has been occupied for thousands of years, and hundreds of thousands of people were living in then-Greek city — called Akragas at that time — as early as 580 BC. We traveled there specifically to see the Valley of the Temples, which has the remains of seven Greek temples, including one of the best preserved in the world. Also noteworthy: it is located on a ridge, not a valley.

If you are planning to visit, there is a convenient parking lot right near the Temple of Juno on the east side. We paid 30 euro to enter, which included the temples and the Garden of Kolymbethra (which we didn’t end up going to be because again — HOT). First stop was the Temple of Juno.

This is called the Temple of Juno, but apparently it probably wasn’t actually sacred to Juno/Hera. 

From there, parts of the old defensive walls lined the ridge between the various temples. Pretty views! It seemed like it would be pretty well protected from invaders, but apparently not THAT well protected because Akragas was sacked by the Carthiginians in 406 BC. Some of the stone in the Temple of Juno is now reddish, and this is supposedly because it was burned at this time.

It was a bit of a walk to the second temple; probably not actually that far (my phone put us at 3.5 miles for the entire visit) but because of the heat it seemed a farther. Fiona refused to ride in the carrier so our party was a bit slower moving to accommodate her as well. There WAS a small shuttle van you could ride for 3 euro each, but we figured we were fine on the way there and then it turned out to only go one way — at least, as far as we could tell. 

Although I’ve mentioned before that we prefer to use a carrier rather than a stroller, this is actually a place where you could probably get away with a stroller without too much trouble. The steps would be annoying at the Temple of Juno, but most other places was pretty much fine.

The next temple was the show-stopper, one of the best preserved Doric temples in the world. The Temple of Concordia (again, that name comes from a Latin inscription and is probabaly not accurate) was amazingly well preserved, quite different from others we’ve seen in Sicily. It likely owes its survival to being consecrated as a Christian church at some point; perhaps those early Christians figured tearing it down would be a waste of a perfectly lovely building?

There aren’t a ton of places to grab food in the Valley of the Temples (I’d suggest bringing your own drinks and snacks), but there is a small cafe near this temple. We got gelato there on the way back, and drinks since we’d powered through the many bottles of water and gatorade we’d hauled in.

At first glance, I thought these were just modern reproductions. Turns out they are Roman and date back to about the 5th century AD. 

Temple “of Heracles” — again, probably not really. But a temple anyway! Obviously in rather less impressive shape than Concordia. 

There were quite a lot of other spots — including the ruins of the massive Temple of Zeus and an area used as burial site for early Christians — but I won’t bore you with every detail. Suffice it to say that we were very impressed, but also very hot and after more than two hours of walking we were ready to hit the road. If it has been less hot, we probably would have stayed longer and possibly even considered a tour. The signage was good and in English, but having a tour guide to ask questions could have been nice.

By the time we escaped left, it was late enough that we could check into our rooms at the B&B Villa Carlotta Resort, only about 10 minutes away from the Valle dei Templi. I found this place on hotels.com and selected it because it had good reviews, free breakfast and wifi and a pool, all for 111 euro. We were not disappointed! The room we booked was the “family room,” which had one bedroom room in the middle with an enormous bathroom on one side and a secondary bedroom for the kids on the other. It worked out perfectly for our family because the kids could go to sleep while Chris and I stayed up, but without the added cost of actually getting two rooms. The breakfast the next day was excellent as well, and we ended up sitting on the patio outside for more than an hour Sunday, enjoying the day and chatting with another couple.

The most important feature though? PUPPIES! There were puppies! All four of us were pretty pumped to play with them. 

Table before my kids got hardboiled egg yolks and shells all over it. 

The diving board was also a crowd pleaser! And oh man, it felt amazing to jump in there after sweating all morning at the temples.

On Sunday, our intent was to visit the Turkish Steps (Scala dei Turchi) and then find a good beach spot nearby and swim for a while. However, the water was rough and there were red flags out in the morning, so swimming was a no-go. It might not have been the best spot anyway, as it seemed like there was a lot of seaweed near the shore. The water looked gorgeous from a distance though.

The Steps  were worth a visit even without getting to swim. Just beautiful! The cliff is made of a white rock called marl, and it does look somewhat like a staircase and can be climbed. The name comes from the fact that the town, Realmonte, was a port. According to legend, the “Turks” (Saracen pirates/Moors) could park their boats here, climb the “steps” and raid the village. How true this is, I couldn’t tell you.

We climbed on it a bit, though it was a bit slippery so we didn’t go up too far.

All in all, it was a great weekend! And for my Sicily friends, I’d highly recommend checking it out sometime soon because it is an easy drive and worth a weekend trip! … in the autumn.

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Cliff note’s version: Lido San Lorenzo = awesome (and spendy). They deliver food and drinks to your chair!

Long version:

My friend Annie and I loaded up the kids Tuesday for a trip to a beach she’d visited before, Lido San Lorenzo. It is located near Noto (a town we visited last November), south of a nature preserve called Riserva Naturale Orientata Oasi Faunistica di Vendicari (long enough title, eh?). It was about an hour and 20 minutes or so to get there, so a bit longer than our usual spots Cassibile and Fontane Bianche.

So, my first impression of this beach was FANCY.

We only went for the beach, but I guess there is a spa as well? Plus a bunch of other activities, according to their website. There is a restaurant, a pizzeria and a self-service type tavola calda situation as well. Annie luckily knew to call ahead a reserve chairs from the first time she visited, so she did that early in the week (if you are planning to go, she said there was one front desk person who spoke English). I believe our two sunbeds + umbrella cost 30 euro for the day, plus another 6 euro for the kids’ admission.

We could have rented a big bed like this, but it would have been 60 euro. Even bigger ones (that fit four) were 100 euro, though prices are different at different time of the summer (August is peak).

The water here was as beautiful as Cassibile, but with chairs and amenities like Fontane Bianche (but better). Once you get there, you can download their app and use it to order drinks and (after 12:30/1) food that is delivered to your chair. Surprisingly promptly, I might add. We got a couple rounds of cocktails, plus pizzas that turned out to be both really tasty and a bargain at only 4 to 5 euro each.

The water was great and so was the aperol spritz, so it should come as no surprise that we ended up staying most of the day. Owen and I never wanted to leave the water!

I would definitely suggest this as a good splurge sometime. The extra 20 to 30 minutes compared to Cassibile isn’t the best (and obviously it is a bit more expensive than other beaches) but if you are making a whole day of it those aren’t a big deal. It felt seriously luxurious to just be able to summon drinks and food to our table with the press of a button (ok, Annie had that app so I wasn’t even doing the pressing, ha!). And almost relaxing? Like, as close to relaxing as you can get when on a beach with two little kids. Splurge. Worthy.

I also wanted to give a quick shout out to our new favorite pool destination — sorry, Alphio’s! We are loving the Hotel Sigonella Inn in Motta Sant’Anastasia! I’d actually read about this place on another blog from 2011 before we’d gotten here, but once I arrived I’d heard that it had been shut down or that it was open but sketchy. After some friends tried it out and said it was great, we decided to go ourselves. Sig Inn, where have you been all our lives?! Only complaint is that getting a spot there was a pain the last time, though I attribute that mostly to it being August and a lot of people here are off for most of the month. Anyway, it is 3 euro per seat but if they don’t have chairs you can put your stuff on the deck for free. One warning: the deck is insanely slippery. All three of us have hit the deck at least once.

It has a great baby pool that sort of overhangs the main pool, which is pretty cool looking. It is only a couple feet deep in there, but quite a large space so pretty perfect for when we go with friends and want the crew contained so we can chat for more than 30 seconds.

People jump off this ledge into the pool, which makes me laugh because it feels like something you’d get yelled at for in the States. 

There is also a SWIM UP BAR (!) that I’m hoping to visit with friends next week once my kids are in school.

BUT, the thing my kids love most is this:

Diving board, baby! They were nervous the first day and wanted me to “catch them,” but now they are absolutely obsessed with jumping off it. Constantly.

Oh, don’t mind Fiona. Just doing something unexpected and TERRIFYING here, per usual. 

If you haven’t been, check it out! I’m hoping we have at least a few more weeks before they decide it is fall and close up shop.

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The post Exploring our island: “Fancy beach” and our new favorite pool spot appeared first on Babies With Backpacks.

Well, this post is about a week overdue — it’s been a crazy week trying to finish a bunch of assignments and get ready for Fiona’s birthday party — so just pretend you are reading this last Sunday, k?

Anyway, on Friday (Aug. 18) the kids and I went to the Feste Medievali (medieval festival) in Motta Sant’Anastasia! There are tons of festivals around Sicily during the summer, honestly you could go to one just about any weekend. However, we haven’t been to many at all because they tend to start really late, at least by our standards. I’d heard a lot of great things about this one though, so I decided I’d take them despite it not even starting until after bedtime. Chris wasn’t interested, so he stayed home.

So Motta is the town near base where we lived the first six weeks of being in Sicily. First off, Motta is cuter than I remember! We didn’t really walk around much because Fiona was younger and I didn’t have the carrier yet, plus no sidewalks. We also never really explored the area near the Castello di Motta, which turned out to be full of cute little alleys and great views that Owen kept insisting we stop to look at.

Can you blame him?

We had plenty of time to wander around because while the fest didn’t start until 8:30 p.m., we’d heard that we needed to get there by 7 to be able to find a place to park. That was definitely decent advice because we found a good place to park, but I think next year if we go we’ll probably go later and just park further away because an hour and a half was a long time to kill. Alternatively, we could have waited to eat dinner and had a meal in Motta while we were waiting.

These look like scared faces, but apparently they are “cute faces.”

Volcano in the background.

Castello di Motta Sant’Anastasia 

The festival is a pretty big deal in Motta — it runs more than a week and overlaps with Ferragosta, an Italian holiday that falls on Aug. 15 and also marks the Feast of the Assumption. The fest was much larger than I realized, stretching out a long ways between the castle and down the street for probably a kilometer at least?

Castello at night 

Once the festival (finally, ha) got started, the kids got some food and I got some wine. This giant pork sandwich and a glass of wine for 5 euro!

One of the booths selling food. Apparently there was a really good soup here too, which seems like a weird choice because a) August and b) festival. But whatever! There were some picnic tables by the food stalls, though they filled quickly as time went on. 

He was a big fan.

Early on in the fest I somehow lost my damn mind and impulsively bought the kids WOODEN SWORDS. I know, I know. I have literally no idea why I would have done that, and it wasn’t 10 seconds after I handed them to them that I couldn’t even remember why I had decided to do it.

Another fun bonus was that about 20 minutes in I ended up carrying Fiona’s sword for her because she was “tired.” They were super thrilled at first though! 

The feste included people and musicians parading around, though I think it is possible that we might have seen people practicing rather than the actual parade since the groups were fairly disjointed. That’s what we thought also at Carnivale in Acireale though, so possibly it is just Sicily!

We parked ourselves for a while by the castello to watch various performances, including an acrobat and these dudes throwing flags.

Our intent was to hang out longer in our spot by the castle because we really wanted to see fire jugglers and figured they’d show up there, but unfortunately the kids started complaining that it was “too loud” with the drumming. I was a little bummed, but what can you do? Have gelato, that’s what.

Honestly the festival was really just getting started by the time we left a little before 10. I saw people arriving with their babies and young children when mine were exhausted and ready to go home, but from what we’ve seen everyone seems to stay up late here, even the kiddos! Next year when the kids are older (and we haven’t already spent an hour and a half wandering Motta before it even starts) we’ll maybe stay longer.

Worth it just for Fiona’s face in this picture! 

The post Exploring our island: Feste Medievali first appeared on Babies With Backpacks.

The post Exploring our island: Feste Medievali appeared first on Babies With Backpacks.

Must-see Sicily: Alcantara Gorge

The Alcantara Gorge. Guys, this is some must-see Sicily!

So the first thing we saw as we walked up to the Alcantara Gorge riverbank was someone losing one of their shoes, and totally failing in her half-hearted attempt to save it.

We laughed. Because we’re jerks.

Approximately five seconds later, the first of my own flipflops was sailing away. As I tried to grab it, the second ripped off and followed. I had been in the river for less than 10 seconds by this point and yes, I totally deserved that. Karma is a bitch.

And so, my first and most important piece of advice if you visit Alcantara Gorge (which you should!): Buy some freaking water shoes.*

Let me repeat that: if you are going to the Alcantara Gorge, BUY THE WATER SHOES.

Anyway, backing up a bit. I’d only recently learned that the Alcantara Gorge existed, and also that it existed about 45 minutes from my house. I immediately made plans for Chris and I to go on one of his Fridays off — sans kids, as I was worried the kids might get swept away.

I didn’t really know what to expect once I got there, but I’d heard there were some short trails near the Alcantara Gorge and a beach where you can hang out by the river. Once we got there, I was pretty impressed as it had a lot more amenities than I was expecting, including maps in English and decent signage. More on that below.

If you are planning a visit to Alcantara Gorge:

Parking: We just entered Alcantara Gorge Botanical and Geological Park into our GPS (Via Nazionale, 5, Motta Camestra, ME 98030) and got there easily. You can park on site for “a donation,” which is what we did, or there are a couple other parking lots right nearby. I’d suggest going early in the day, as we had no problem parking around 10:30 in the morning but as we were leaving I noticed there were a lot more cars. It cost 8 euro each for just lift tickets down to the beach, or 13 euro to see everything. We opted for the see-everything ticket, but shouldn’t have bothered this time.

What to do: Anyway, our my original plan was to hike for a little bit to see the Alcantara Gorge from above by walking around on the trails. Once we got there, it was already so oppressively hot that even though none of the trails were (allegedly) more than one mile, I hastily changed the plan to hiking just to a couple of highlights nearby. Before we had hiked very far though, the plan changed again: to hell with this, we’re going to the beach!

I actually would really like to go back and do a bunch of walking there because it looked really neat, but again … it was really freaking hot. Sig friends, let me know if you want to plan a trip there with me! In say, October.

Anyway, as I mentioned there was an elevator to get down to the riverbank (and up, fortunately, because the stairs would not have been fun). From there, there was a strip of rocky beach where most people dumped their bags and towels. Without shoes, walking on the beach and in the water (also rocky) was pretty ouchy so again — water shoes, people.

This is one of those posts where I’m super frustrated because the photos I have just don’t really do justice to how neat it really looked. But as I was concerned about losing my stuff by leaving it on the riverbank or damaging it by dropping it in a river, I opted to stick with my iPhone camera.

Upstream from us were these basalt columns — the show-stopper of the Alcantara Gorge. According to the explanation on my map, they were formed about 8,000 years ago when lava flow met the cold river water, causing it to basically crystallize into various shapes and crack in some places. The stone was quite smooth to the touch.

The water was cold, cold, cold — my feet definitely went numb pretty quickly. Given that we were mid-Heat Wave Lucifer, however, it felt amazing. To me. Chris wasn’t enthused enough to dive in all the way, but I realllllllly wanted to try drifting along in the current and that is hard to do while standing so ….

In I went.

I think Chris would like to note for the record here that part of his objection was that they actually offer body-rafting excursions at the Alcantara Gorge park, with what he terms “appropriate equipment.” Helmets and wet suits. It was honestly fine though, the water doesn’t take you that fast in the area I was in and at any rate it was mostly too shallow past a certain point to body raft comfortably.

Downstream from the gorge were some boulders that created both some some rapids and some smaller pools of water that a lot of locals (as far as I could tell) were gathered around. Very cool looking.

What else to do at Alcantara Gorge: As I mentioned, the Alcantara Gorge park had a lot more to do than we actually did. Options included the trails with a bunch of different balconies and views of the Gole Alcantara, bike excursions, body rafting, river trekking, a farm, a kids’ splash pad, “glamping” areas, etc. I’ll definitely go back one of these days to look around, and maybe bring the kids if we aren’t going to the river — the current was strong.

As for my shoes, no big loss there. If I had to lose some, I’m glad it was a pair of $1 Old Navy flipflops that I’ve been wearing for at least three years. And I still had the tennis shoes I’d brought for hiking. Let’s just call it a sacrifice to the river gods, I guess.

*After the fact, we realized we could have bought some at the on-site shop where we later had lunch.

The post Exploring our island: Alcantara Gorge first appeared on Babies With Backpacks.

The post Exploring our island: Alcantara Gorge appeared first on Babies With Backpacks.

It’s been scorching hot this summer in Sicily, but we’ve been trying to lean into island living (ok, and beat the heat!) by hitting the beach as often as possible. As I’ve mentioned before, we’ve mostly been going to Fontane Bianche. This past week, however, we tried to branch out a bit more.

Cassibile Beach 

Third time was a charm for getting to this beach at last on Saturday, after our first two plans were scuppered by thunderstorms and sickness. It is actually very close to Fontane Bianche — they are the same exit off the highway — but while Fontane Bianche has had a lot of seaweed in the areas close to shore lately, Cassibile was crystal clear! I seriously can’t get enough of swimming in that blue blue blue water. Also like Fontane Bianche, there is a long stretch where the water is very shallow, which makes it a great place to play safely with the kids. There are also some cliffs you can climb to jump off of, but I ended up chickening out because I didn’t know exactly where I should be jumping. I’ll go with someone who has been next time!

We could park in a lot practically right next to the beach for 15 euro; not cheap, but it was worth it for not having to haul our stuff far. I will admit that we missed the convenience of being on a lido (beach with chairs and umbrellas for rent and usually services like a restaurant and changing rooms and bathrooms). We’d packed a cooler for lunch, but didn’t give enough consideration to how tricky it would be to assemble and eat sandwiches on our towels with two kids who seemed to have a mission to rub sand on every square inch of them. It was otherwise perfect though, so our plan is to buy a couple of chairs and an umbrella of our own to bring next time! I highly recommend this beach.

We had so much fun that day (and were so sandy) that I forgot to take a picture. Sorry!

Bonday Beach Lido at Giardini Naxos 

I’ve been meaning to check out the beaches at Giardini Naxos, a town located just south of Taormina, for a while because our landlord has a house there and has spoke highly of it. It is also only 35 minutes north of us (compared to about an hour to the south of us for Cassibile/Fontane Bianche) so I was hopeful that it might be a good weekday destination when I don’t want to drive far.

Unfortunately, we didn’t love it. It is much more rocky than sandy, and the “sand” was mostly gravel that was painful to walk on. It as a bit like a once-gravel parking lot that hasn’t been redone in a long time– some sand from where the pebbles have been crushed but also small and mediam-sized rocks that could be quite sharp.

It was a hot day so the gravel was also scorching hot — I legit think I burned my feet when I tried to walk on it without sandals at first.

That could have been remedied by wearing water shoes, but the water — while clear and beautiful — dropped off fairly abruptly and was quite deep already only a few yards into it. There also seemed to be somewhat stronger currents, so I had to keep a tight rein on the kids in their floaties.

My kids did LOVE hunting through the rocks to find seaglass, and at one point Owen actually said “this is BETTER than a sandy beach!” because of it. I don’t want to make it sound like a terrible trip, we met up with some friends and had a very nice time and if we we were better prepared with water shoes it would have been less of an issue. We also thought the town was pretty cute and we had a nice lunch after we left the beach. On the whole, however, it just wasn’t as little kid-friend as Cassibile or Fontane Bianche.

They still had fun! Rental for these chairs and the umbrella was 15 euro, by the way. 

A note about parking: because my GPS was on the fritz, I ended up on the opposite side of town from where I was aiming. That side, which has a lot of lidos, had me freaking out because there was virtually no parking to be found. Once I got myself in the place I was supposed to go — further south toward Recanati — the parking became basically easy. If you want to try Bonday Beach Lido (located near the Hilton) I’d suggest parking on Viale Jannuzzo. There was plenty of street parking and you could use a credit card to pay at the machine, 1 euro per hour. From there, it was a fairly quick walk to Bonday.

There are still plenty more beaches I want to try, such as the lidos in Catania, but thus far Fontane Bianche and Cassibile have been our favorites of the ones within driving distance. (We loved Cefalu too, but it is too far to drive for just a day). We have some visitors coming next month and we can’t wait to bring them there!

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