Day 22 & 23 – Sicily: Onward to Ortigia
Day 22: Exploring Ortigia
We had to check out of our Airbnb by 10am today (which seems to be the standard time in Sicily) so we woke up at 7am to pack our bags and grab breakfast. We made the final trek up the hill, my calf muscles stronger but sore after making this climb up to town twice a day for 4 days. I was very happy that this would be the final time I had to walk up this steep hill. We walked 5 minutes to Bam Bar for our final granita and brioche breakfast. There was no line and we grabbed a front row table for 2. I plan to try at least one more granita in Ortigia before we leave Sicily but I honestly don’t think anywhere else will beat Bam Bar. We went for one last stroll through the Taormina gardens and then walked back to our car right before 10am.
To exit Taormina, we had no choice but to drive up the steep and narrow hill – a very sketchy experience since it was a one way street and we couldn’t see if a car was coming or not around the first bend. To make this even more difficult, there is a part in the road where the middle is stairs and the car tires need to be aligned to roll up the ramp on either side. The road was so steep it felt like we were going up a rollercoaster. We had to stop halfway up the hill at one point for pedestrians since they were in the middle of the street and when Stelios started the car again we started to roll backwards! AHHHH!! Just as my heart dropped Stelios immediately pumped the brakes. We took a breath, he hit the gas, released the clutch, and successfully got us to the top of the hill. I truly don’t know how these Italians do this every day.
After an hour drive we arrived in Ortigia and luckily were able to check into our Airbnb early. It was a lovely apartment with a rooftop deck overlooking the water. The parking in Ortigia is for residents only so once we got our bags inside we had to drive 5 minutes down the road and park it in a lot, then walk 15 minutes back to the Airbnb. At this point I was getting hungry so I pulled up Google maps and found a Sicilian tapas spot 5 minutes away called Lemon. We grabbed a table outside and shared the grilled fennel, Eggplant Cappnata, Italian Meatballs, Pear & Buffala salad, and pumpkin crostini. We were so hungry that I forgot to take a picture of the last 2 dishes but everything was very fresh and tasty. It was a nice light lunch, but we couldnt help ourselves and ended up sharing 2 desserts: an affogato and chocolate raspberry mousse.
I realize at this point I’ve basically been eating gelato every day since arriving in Italy. I can’t eat ice cream at home so I might as well enjoy it here (and without a stomach ache!) I’ve also fully stopped taking Lactaid with my food and am completely fine. In America, I am lactose intolerant but Europe uses a different pasteurization method (or sometimes doesn’t pasteurize their dairy at all) so I can enjoy all types of food without an upset stomach. The flip side is that it naturally leads me to detest the American food system and the FDA, but that rant is for another time. At least when we get home it will be chilly, so I won’t be craving ice cream every day.
After lunch we walked around Ortigia and saw an artist live painting sunset scenes and we bought a painting from him for 20€. We love local artwork, especially sunset scenes and have 2 from our trip to Santorini. I can’t wait to hang this one up in our kitchen next to it. We continued our stroll through town and stumbled upon the Siracusa cathedral which we were able to enter for 2€ each. The ceiling and the columns were massive. It really makes you wonder how they built something like this back then with less technology than we have today and yet it lasts for centuries. Today we have all of the technology at our fingertips, but buildings aren’t made to last like they used to. I had similar thoughts when we toured the Sagrada Familia, how the newer section was less impressive than the original. Is it because the workers aren’t as skilled or detailed? Technology is great, but it also comes at a cost and I sometimes think that the original craftsmanship and quality is more impressive that some of our technological advancements.
After touring the cathedral the sun was starting to set so we walked down by the harbor. We grabbed a seat at one of the cocktail bars with couches on the water, ordered a glass of wine and sat back to enjoy the sunset. Once the sun went down it got very chilly so I wanted to walk back to the airbnb to change before dinner. We passed through a park with trees that looked like they were from the Avatar movie. It sounded like 100 birds were perched and chirping in the trees but it was dark and we couldn’t see any of them. I swapped my shorts and tank top for a long crochet maxi dress and walked to dinner at La Marregiata.
We didn’t have reservations for tonight but we had passed this restaurant earlier and the menu appealed to us with a mix of seafood and pasta dishes. The waiters barely spoke English which I thought was a good sign that we were about to have an authentic Italian meal, but sadly the food ended up being just mediocre. We ordered the seafood salad, mussels, fish carbonara, and squid ink ravioli but everything tasted sort of bland. Bummer. After dinner we walked around town, but there didn’t seem to be much nightlife so we walked back to our Airbnb for a full night of sleep.
Day 23 – Sicily: Ortigia Sea Caves
I slept until 9am which was much needed. It was our last full day in Sicily, but I was also tired since we’ve been going nonstop since we got here. I also think all of the pasta and gelato is catching up to me and making me feel sluggish. While I am loving how long we’ve been able to be abroad I am very much looking forward to going on a food cleanse when I get home and getting back into my normal workout routine.
We walked to a sandwich shop called Caseificio Borderi, known for their paninos. When we got there, there was the regular deli line for paninos but there was also a stand where one of the workers was selling freshly baked calzone looking breads. He gave us some samples and we bought 2 for 5 euro. Stelios enjoyed the eggplant and ricotta one (the closest thing he could find to Spanakopita in Italy) and I enjoyed the Eggplant one. I wish I knew/remembered what these delicious calzone like sandwiches were. The shell was thin more similar to an empanada, not fluffy like a calzone, and the inside was savory.
After breakfast it was time for our excursion. We had booked a private half day boat tour of Ortigia through Dolci Escursioni that would stop at 2 different sea caves. Our Captain Antonio and his first mate Nino were very nice and welcomed us on board. The boat was definitely older and looked like an old fishing boat that had been converted into a lounge boat with a nice mat to lay on in the front and a long table for eating in the back. There was also a second level with sofas for lounging. It wasn’t the type of boat I would typically search for but we booked this last minute (literally yesterday) so I wasn’t going to complain! Overall it was spacious and as long as we could jump in for a swim and had somewhere to lay out on the boat we were happy. The excursion also included wine/beer and lunch which was much needed after being in the sun and swimming around in the water.
The first cave we stopped at our skipper told us that it connected to a tunnel in a church underground. During World War II people in the village would go to the underground church to escape bombs being dropped by the German planes. I asked if we could swim to it but the skipper didn’t recommend it because there were a lot of Sea Urchins on the shores in this area. So we just jumped in the water for a swim instead.
The second set of caves we were able to jump off the boat and swim to (the skipper said it was a different shoreline and sea urchins don’t live there) It was very cool and luckily the water was crystal clear so we could still be cautious, and watch where we stepped. After checking out the sea caves we swam back to the boat and enjoyed an ice cold bottle of cava that was included in the tour.
Our last stop on the boat was in the bay of Ortigia where the water was calm and mellow like a small lake. This is where we anchored to enjoy a fresh Italian lunch made by Nino the first mate. He told us all of the vegetable appetizers were fresh and from his garden. The eggplant caponata and eggplant parmigiana dishes blew us away. The main course was of course pasta – tagliatelle with tomatoes, olive oil, and basil. While we were eating lunch our skipper told us he is retired and he just does the private tours on the side as a passion. He also has 7 houses and 3 horses – He told us that 3 of the houses he lives in during different parts of the year and he rents out the other 4. He pointed out his “beach house” to us while we were on the boat. Looks like he has an excellent retirement plan set up for himself. By 3:30pm we docked the boat and thanked Antonio and Nino for an excellent day on the water.
On our walk back to the Airbnb we stopped at the sandwich shop from this morning and grabbed a panino to go. We also popped into a hat shop where Stelios bought a Sicilian branded hat. Back at the Airbnb we showered off all of the saltwater and put on comfy clothes to go lounge out on the balcony. We shared the panino and finished the Italian Almond Crema we had purchased in Taormina. I was honestly exhausted from the boat day and also slightly sunburnt so I stayed back and relaxed at the Airbnb while Stelios went for a walk one last time and ended up buying a 2nd hat from the same store. Swimming to the sea caves was definitely the highlight of our day, and I’m happy we booked the boat tour rather than just laying out at one of the local beaches. We were both in bed by 10pm so we could be well rested for our travel day tomorrow.
