Sicily

Hello from Sicily! We made it! Cinque Terre was kind of a bust after being delayed in Milan due to some car troubles, and major traffic. What should have been a 3 hour drive ended up taking us 6 hours and by the time we reached Cinque Terre it was too late to see anything. Then next morning it was pouring down rain, but we were determined to see at least one of the 5 villages that make up Cinque Terre. I wasn’t really that impressed. I guess after seeing Positano two years ago, Cinque Terre isn’t that spectacular. If I were to ever go back, I think I would take the train. The drive is a series of switchbacks and while pretty is not as lovely as the drive along the Amalfi Coast. After leaving Cinque Terre, we headed down to Naples where we caught a ferry to Palermo, Sicily. I wanted to go to the pizza place where the Margharita pizza originated from, but my husband was worried about navigating the streets of Naples and that even if we were lucky enough to find the restaurant that it would be jammed packed with tourist. The ferry ride was smooth. It takes 12 hours from Naples to Sicily. Shortly after pulling out of Naples we passed the island of Capri. It is on my list of places to visit, but I think I will visit there without children. Now we are in Catania! Sicily is really lovely. It is dirty; however, no dirtier than Milan. The traffic on the other hand is crazy. The streets are really narrow and it appears that the traffic signs are just a suggestion. As we drove to Catania we saw Mt. Etna. I don’t think we will be visiting it up close while we are here. It has been smoking from the top and today there were some fires along the north slope of the mountain. Well, it has been a long day. Off to eat dinner. I hear Spaghetti with baby clams calling my name. Hope you are having a great week.

Frank and I on the ferry.

Mt. Vesuvius in the Background