Holiday in Sicily

I have come back from Sicily, the biggest island in Italy and I am very enthusiast of this travel: cristalline sea, excellent food, ancient greek ruins and lower prices in comparison to Florence.

Everybody is wellcoming and kind. We had nice weather every day.
I visited the greek temples of Selinunte, just above a golden sandy beach, where I lied for hours sunbathing and swimming. This ancient Greek archaelogical site is well conserved, and you can admire the temple of Hera with the original columns and capitels (built in the 600 BC).
I was amazed by the baroque architecture of Noto, a little city at the south-east of Sicily, which is Human Heritage.
I liked the contrasts of Palermo: rich and elegant quarters close to poor and disrupted quarters where you can get lost in some typical old markets such as Ballaro' and Vucciria.
I liked the narrow streets of Siracusa, a city rich of history and culture (I slept in a bed and breakfast just above the temple of Apollo for 60 euros!)
I appreciated the local cuisine: the arancini (small rice balls with meat inside), the cannoli alla siciliana (sweets with ricotta cheese) and the fuata (a tiny pizza with onions).

I strongly recommend you to visit Sicily at least once in your life, but you have to be very patient: roads are quite a disaster, and the concept of time (and puntuality) is relative.

Back from the south of Italy

My holiday week has finished. Yesterday I have come back from the South of Italy, exactly from Apulia.

It's the Region at the edge of the South East of Italy. It takes 8-9 hours to get there by car from Florence, but it's absolutely worth of it. My destination was Salento: the area at the end of Apulia.

Here in the picture you can see Gallipoli.
See on Google Maps.

The sea is as enchanting as the Caribbean sea, the food is excellent and people are friendly and welcoming. The charming landscape together with the variety of things to do, to see and to admire makes this place lovely.

I have been to:

- Ostuni, the "white city".

- Gallipoli on the Ionian sea. The meaning of the name - coming from ancient greek - "callis polis" means beautiful city. To walk in the narrow streets is relaxing and takes you back to the 50s when people in Italy used to seat in the street with kids and talk, laugh and smile to tourists.

- Lecce. The city is famous for its Baroque architecture.

I have swimmed in a pure cristalline water, I have eaten fish and mussels. And some typical food such as "frise" (you can see them in this picture): little pieces of bread with tomatoes and olives).

I have spent days relaxing and sunbathing on delightful beaches.

I really recommend you to spend some days there. It's not expensive and there is still a slow and peaceful rhythm of life.