This morning the sky was nearly identical to Crayola’s version of sky blue. The temperature was warm, and we had no plans. It became our morning to go swimming. The pool at the Hapimag resort looks out over the sea. The contrast of the turquoise pool, deep blue sea and sky blue seemed like a painting or fantasy, not reality. … Read More
Italy Day 11 – Termini Imerse and Campofelice di Roccella
Our big activity for the day was scheduled for 5 PM. With a full day ahead of us we headed to Termini Imerse, a city within Palermo. Much of it is industrial, but there’s also an old section that has Roman ruins and what is described as a fantastic museum. The first segment of the way there was a tranquil … Read More
Italy Day 10 – Cefalu
Weather.com forecast rain for today. But what they didn’t say was whether it would be a drizzle or a downpour. I woke up to a slate gray sky and fine mist. That wouldn’t stop us from our plan to tour Palermo. While sipping my morning coffee the rain began, first gentle then steadily increasing to epic proportions. Okay, today would … Read More
Italy Day 9 – Santo Stefano di Camastra and Pollina
On my previous trip to Sicily, I happened upon the town of Santo Sefano di Camastra. It was difficult to miss, it was on the main road heading towards Palermo and along every street in town there were dozens of shops selling locally made ceramics. Today we returned. As we exited the new autostrada, I saw a building surrounded by … Read More
Italy Day 8 – Cefalu, Sicily
We were up and out early this morning, largely because we didn’t trust Ditzy, the GPS. We were scheduled for a food and walking tour of Cefalu. Giving ourselves a lot of time was a good decision because Ditzy misdirected us several times. We finally found a parking lot on our own. Ambra, our guide, is a lovely young local … Read More
Italy Day 7 – Cefalu, Sicily
Kathy and I were both awake for the sunrise show—the sky morphed from pale blue to deep pink to orange. After that, we had a lazy morning–breakfast on our terrace, laundry, drawing (Kathy), writing (me) and both of us reading intermixed with short periods of dozing off. We set off through the resort property towards the beach. Along the way … Read More
Italy Day 6 – Travel to Cefalu, Sicily
Taxi to train station, scurry to buy tickets and find seats while toting luggage, make our way through Malpensa Airport which required taking a bus to the plane, finally climbing the stairs (with luggage) onto our flight and departing Milan. This was the first gray morning we had, so perfect for relocating to a sunnier location. I was hoping to … Read More
Italy Day 5 – Milan
For the past four days Kathy and I have mostly spent our time exploring Milan’s historic sites. Today we did the opposite, looking at modern day Milan, even taking a glimpse into the future. We spent hours at the Trienalle Milano, described as Italy’s foremost institution for design and contemporary culture. I don’t know if it is truly the top museum in … Read More
Italy Day 4 – Milan
Kathy and I made reservations to see Leonardo DaVinci’s Last Supper while we were still at home. We decided to go explore the neighborhood and have lunch nearby prior to our 1:15 reservation time. The refectory of the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, home to DaVinci’s masterpiece, is an upscale residential neighborhood. We admired the beautiful facades and the … Read More
Italy day 3 – Milan
Milan has dozens of tantalizing museums—nearly all are closed on Monday. Instead, we returned to the Duomo. As impressive as the cathedral is from a distance, the exterior is even more remarkable close-up. The walls are embellished with an endless number of magnificent marble sculptures. Passing through the gigantic bronze entrance doors, the size of the cathedral is the first … Read More