Journey's end
plus a few miscellaneous photos and last comments
I take a lot of pictures of things that amuse me, that seem unique to a particular location, or that just don't fit into a specific category. Here are a few from our 11 days in Sicily and one from Rome. It's very inexpensive to fly from Catania to Rome, and so we took advantage of that for a two-day visit to the Eternal City before heading home. Others on our tour went to Sorrento or off to see more of Sicily.
Just outside the Valley of the Temples Street sign in Ortigia, warning of angry birds? Waiting for breakfast in Ortigia
There's a cat in this hedge in Erice House decorations in Ortigia One of 20 life-size sculptures in a Trapani church,
important during Easter week
important during Easter week
Encyclopedia as house decoration in Ortigia Roger gets a shave in Taormina A quiet place in a busy city:
Villa Borghese Gardens, Rome
Villa Borghese Gardens, Rome
Last comments
Pomegranate display in Trapani Narrowest street in Taormina Map of Sicily printed on papyrus in Ortigia
We leave you with four images of Sicily: The first is of pomegranates for sale in Trapani. Everywhere in Sicily are sculptures of pinecones which symbolize good fortune, but these piles of pomegranates seemed quite similar--and just as lovely. The second is of the narrowest street in Taormina. Many streets in Sicily are narrow--at least compared to streets in the U.S.--with upper-story balconies often draped with flowers or with drying laundry or even with neighbors chatting, offering a sense of tight-knit communities. The third is a reprinting of a medieval map of Sicily, indicating that the island has been a center of activity and connection for a long time. And the last one below is of a sunset over Trapani, the beautiful and calming end of the day in a beautiful and calming city and island. Here, too, we say "Ciao," not "Arrivederci"--"Ciao" conveying that we will see it all again, both in fond memories and, we believe, in person.