I only have eyes for you...

 We're in a little village located at the base of Mount Etna called Zefferana. Yesterday is kind of a blur for me because we had to get up at 3:30 am to be to the airport at 5:10 for our flight.  We flew in to Catania and then had to wait at the rental agency until a car became available. We got to our B&B around 12:30 but were so tired we had to take a nap. I honestly don't remember much after that--oh yes I do, we drove to a town called Taormina. It has an ancient Greek/Roman amphitheater. I had the best pizza in my whole life at a little pizzeria about a block from the amphitheater. Honest, better than any I've had in Naples which is supposed to be the world champion pizza place. I'm including a photo of part of the theater because it's also a rare capture of Robyn.  I don't think there's another example of her smiling when she was forced to get out of bed that day at 3:30 am.

The theater opened for business in 341 AD. Columns are still standing--but that pales in comparison to what we saw today in Siracusa (Syracuse):  A Greek temple to Apollo build in 587 BC!  It's the oldest Doric temple on earth.

We planned on going up to Etna's crater today but it's been raining and they don't let people up there in inclement weather. Tomorrow's supposed to be worse weather with rain increasing each day until we return to Rome.  Our B&B advertises a triple visual treat: the Ionian Sea, a vinyard, and Mount Etna.  Here's what they looked like most of the day:

So, we drove to Siracusa (where Archimedes lived) and saw the ancient Greek temple and a cathedral that was built on the site of a temple to Athena.  It's dedicated to Santa Lucia who was tortured because she was a Christian. According to legend, her eyes were put out before she was killed. So, many depictions of her have her holding a tray with two eyeballs on it.  Hence, the name of today's post.

My Bucket List Includes Sicily

 I have wanted to go to Sicily since I first learned about Italy and its various cultures.  We're flying down to Sicily on Thursday to see Etna, the world's most active volcano. I opted for full insurance for our rental car in case it melts at the crater.

The cost for a round trip train ticket from Rome to Sicily is 180 euros each for me and Robyn; and it takes 11 hours each way.  We found out we can fly for 145 euros total--an hour each way.  I think part of the reason for the high cost is the train has to be loaded on a ferry for the trip to the island--but I'm not sure.

Robyn knows a lot more about this trip than I do because she spent a long time reading about it in the stairwell yesterday.  I had an appointment with the temple president and so rode my bike to the temple grounds.  Shortly after I left, the guy from Amazon rang our citofono--an early version of Ring doorbells. Visitors have to ring twice: once from the street and then again at our stairwell door. When we answer the phone, we can see who's there; but mostly it's just a nose or a jacket. The first time I took the call it was perplexing. I said, "Pronto" (in Italian you don't say "hello" you say, "ready!") and the guy at the gate said, "Sono (I am) Ah-mah-zone." My mind was racing to think of who I knew named "Ah-mah-zone." It's harder for me to understand Italian over the phone and even more difficult over the doorbell phone.  When I'm on it, I'm in translate/panic mode trying not to waste their time because I don't always know what they're saying.  Suddenly it dawned on me that "Ah-mah-zone" was "Amazon." 

Once we know who's there, we hit the button that allows them inside the first security gate. About 150 feet after that, is the second doorbell/camera.  We generally have to meet them at the bottom of the stairs, so I run as fast as I can to see if I can get there before they ring the second time.

Yesterday, Ahmahzone brought our tour book on Sicily while I was away.  Robyn was still in her jammies, and she tried to replicate my dash down the stairs.  She did very well except for two things: She was in her jammies, and the door closes and locks automatically. Robyn has no pockets in her jammies and hence had no key to get back inside.  She was very happy to see me a couple of hours later. 

I think these messages are more interesting with photos. Robyn wouldn't let me include one of her in yesterday's jammies, so here are a couple of pictures from a medieval village that was mostly ruined by an earthquake. People still live there but many of the buildings are on their way out of this stage of existence. The village of Calcata (pronounced like the Indian Calcutta) is about a 20 minute drive outside of Rome. It's mostly famous for something I won't go in to here; but here are a couple of views I snapped from inside the village.

 

Medlars from Spain!

 I like to try fruit I've never eaten before. Usually it turns out to be a good experience--sometimes I regret it. I'm usually pretty careful. I don't want to eat something new and then look it up on google to read, "A delicious fruit with highly toxic seeds and skin..." 

Today I saw a new variety of something I don't remember ever seeing: Nespole (pronounced 'NES-po-lay). They're about the size of standard apricots.

Contrary to my usually cautious strategy with new fruit, I peeled and tasted one before finding out anything about it.  It was juicy, and quite sour--almost like a lemon in tartness. (A few days later they were all very sweet.)

In English, they're called medlars, or loquats.  I found an article about them from the NY Times describing them as "very sweet" and with lots of seeds.  The article also said they're very fragile and don't travel well so you won't find them far from where they're grown.  The label said these were from Spain--a hop and a skip from here. 

The ones we bought have only one seed each, similar in size to an apricot pit, but very soft.   Perhaps the ones we bought need to ripen a little more before there's any sweetness to report. 

I think we saw a tree of them on our way home from Church on Sunday.  The fruit on them was very green. I'll get a photo of them and update this entry after I take a picture. 

I'm Going To Have To Ask Somebody About This

 We were in Sorrento the week before Easter. As we came out of our hotel on to the street below, this poster greeted us.  I cropped out the text--which explains that a procession for the Thursday before Easter was on the docket for downtown Sorrento. First opportunity I have to ask a Catholic priest about the outfits, I'm going to.  

Impulse Buy

 I've wanted to buy this ever since Robyn pointed it out to me. I've hesitated because I don't particularly like sugary cereals--but this one keeps calling to me because I laugh every time I see the box.

I bought it this morning because I wanted a decent photo I could upload and the store says photos are prohibited.

I have another, slightly disturbing photo--once again noticed by Robyn, that I'll put in my next message because it deserves its own entry.