Mom and Dad make it to Sicily! June 2013

After a long awaited 2.5 years, they made it! Gene and I were thrilled to pick up my parents at the airport and begin showing them around Sicily. We thought the best place to start would be the cafe down the street, Caffe Visconti. We go there at least once a week and during my parents trip it became at least once a day. In the summer the Italians eat granite (pronounced grah-nee-ta) which is a cross between gelato and sorbet. Mom got pistachio and chocolate and Dad got strawberry and chocolate. They also had to have their first cafe! The next day we stopped at the next town over, Aci Castello, to see the castle on our way to dinner in Catania. My parents were introduced to the chaos of the driving and the crowds of people in the city. Our next day was spent in Taormina which is situated on the top of a cliff overlooking the ocean. My parents were super impressed with Taormina and enjoyed walking around the beautiful streets, checking out the Greek Amphitheatre, and drinking espresso all day! Next, we headed to Agriturismo La Pietra Antica on Mt. Etna. An Agriturismo is a farm that has rooms to stay in and very large dinners prepared by foods produced from the farm or somewhere local. They are very cozy and the farm owners are very friendly and accommodating. Our dinner was six delicious courses which had us almost crawling to our rooms to fall asleep after. From there we went golfing on the mountain. Dad was very excited to golf in Sicily and was pleasantly surprised by the conditions of the golf course. Mom came along and enjoyed the scenery and took pictures. 

Our next step of the trip was to show my parents the beautiful island of Favignana. It is part of the Sicilian Egadi Islands. It is my favorite island off Sicily so far, I have to take everyone there. We drove to the West side of Sicily and caught a ferry from Trapani. We stayed at our favorite hotel, Villaggio Cala La Luna and rented bikes. We explored the entire island of beautiful beaches on our bikes. My parents were big time troopers and stood the long bike rides in the heat. We spent most of our time at the beach, Cala Rossa. It is the most beautiful beach with the brightest blue water I have ever seen. After we came back to our house we relaxed for a day to catch up on sleep! We then went to my parent’s favorite city of Sicily, Siracusa. We spent the entire day walking around in the wide open streets (very opposite of Catania). Unfortunately, every trip must come to an end. Out of all the seafood, pasta, and pizza we ate during their trip Mom and Dad picked pizza for their last dinner of the trip. We ate pizza and walked down to the water to eat cannoli’s and watch the waves in Aci Trezza. It was a very busy 9 days packed full of espresso, food, and walking. I think my parents were pleased with Sicily but ready to get home and relax!

enjoying some granite at our favorite cafe down the street

our first stop...Aci Castello

dinner in Catania, Elephant Square

walking the streets of Catania

the Norman Castle in Catania

walking around Taormina

and a little shopping in Taormina...

view from the Greek Amphitheatre in Taormina, Mt. Etna is hidden in the clouds

another stop for a cappuccino

admiring the sights in Taormina

the ride back down from Taormina

golfing on Mt. Etna

Mom getting pictures of the donkey and goat at the agriturismo

enjoying our stay at Agriturismo La Pietra Antica

6 course dinner at La Pietra Antica

view of La Pietra Antica Agriturismo

lots and lots of lava ash from the last eruption a few weeks past

enjoying some dessert at the water in Aci Trezza

Mom and Dad in Aci Trezza

biking around Favignana

walking to dinner in Favignana

the family in Favignana, Cala Rossa

a day in Siracusa

walking the streets of Siracusa

main piazza in Siracusa

last woodfire pizza of the trip... :(

last night by the water in Aci Trezza

enjoying our last night