Homeland of Camille’s great grandparents on her father’s side – June 20 – 23
GETTING THERE IS HALF THE FUN
6 am, June 20 Villa San Giovanni, the toe of the Italian boot. We woke from our sleeper car slumber and watched as they loaded our train in two sections onto a ferry.
WATER HOP
We rode the ferry out past the harbor to where the water changed to sea and across the Straits of Messina to Sicily where they unloaded the train from the ferry and put it back together. It was obvious we were in Italy on this sunny, bright morning because as we watched from the train windows we noticed the expressive way people used their hands when talking, even solo on their cell phones.
HOME FOR FOUR NIGHTS
A little while later we stepped off the train at the Taormini-Giardini station and walked across the street, up these stairs to our new temporary home.
AGON BED AND BREAKFAST
Davide and Lya greeted us with happy smiles and a breakfast of croissants, cappuccino, yogurt, fruit from their garden and the best bread we’d eaten since leaving Lugano. The kitchen and rooms were immaculate and dressed up with cheery art, like this bright lemon panel that Lya hand painted on a door.
PARADISE
It shouldn’t have surprised us how much we would like Sicily. Unlike Florence and Rome, the pace here is more digestible. And it is, after all in the Mediterranean, renowned for its dry air and crystal blue water. But we were surprised and somewhat unprepared for the clarity of the water, the spectacular views, the preponderance of bright flowers and perfect temperature. This was the ideal finale for our two-week European vacation.
PUERTO RICO BEACH CLUB
When one of the other guests told Camille how to get to the beach she said: “Just cross the street and go a little way down and you are in Puerto Rico.” Camille thought it was a turn of a phrase but it turned out that was the actual name of the beach club. To reach the beach, we walked through a tunnel underneath the train tracks.
SERIOUS R&R
With nothing to do and all day to do it, we found ourselves hiking around in the mornings and laying around all afternoon. This bathing suit, bought especially for the trip cost $104. Which is ridiculous. It fit inside a small makeup bag which Camille kept in her backpack for the whole trip, especially in light of the lost luggage fiasco.
REFRESHMENTS
All that laying around is hard work but we kept up our strength with Campari and sodas and panini rusticos, a magnificently straightforward grilled vegetable sandwich on a crusty baguette.
REAL LIFE
We spent a fair amount of time wandering the streets, were captivated by the balcony culture and occasionally had to refuel Bob’s wallet to support our Limoncello and pasta habit.