Tag Archives: Overseas Adventure Travel

SICILY & AMALFI COAST #12: MARVELOUS MOSAICS & A WONDERFUL WINERY

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Mosaic is a form of art that has always captured my interest and admiration, so the mosaics we had seen thus far in Sicily greatly inspired me.  Little did I know what I was about to see when we visited the Villa Romana del Casale.  I had read in our itinerary that we would see “…some of the finest examples of Roman mosaics in all of Europe,” but I hadn’t done any further research (very uncharacteristic of me) or seen photos (even more uncharacteristic!), so I didn’t have any expectations.  I’m glad, because, wow, I sure was surprised—in a fabulous way!

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the villa (now in ruins) was constructed in the middle of the fourth century AD as a hunting lodge.  Tragically, the “lodge” was covered by a landslide in the twelfth century, but nearly 800 years later, excavations began to reveal these incredible, well-preserved mosaics.  We were in awe of just how good they looked!  Thanks to the landslide and floods that covered them for centuries, the mosaics were protected from wear and tear.

Nobody knows for sure, but experts hypothesize the villa took about ten years to build, and the mosaics another five years to complete.  The home was built by slaves that had an average life span of about forty years.  (How sad that 25% of their lives were spent building this summer home!)

The facility structure built around the ruins and mosaics was impressive.  Not only was it covered to protect it from the sun, but walkways were built up high so visitors could look down into the rooms of the villa.  We were protected from the sun and had great views and photographic vantage points of each mosaic.

A note about the photos: Due to the natural light coming in, there was a lot of glare on some of the mosaics causing my photos to wash out, giving the mosaics a very faded look.  To show you the details of these incredible works of art I have edited my pictures by increasing the contrast in them. All of the mosaics you will see are from the floors of the rooms, and they appear in the order of our tour through the ruins of the villa.

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)

Looking down on the floor of a walkway.
This photo has been rotated, so you can see the scene right side up, but it is a floor mosaic
Meet the “Bikini Girls”!
The “Bikini Girls” are actually athletes wearing an outfit used in athletic competitions. You GO girls!
I loved the colors of these ornaments sold by a vendor on the way out to our bus after visiting the ruins.

Following our tour of the ruins, we enjoyed lunch at Tenute Senia Winery, a family-run winery currently in its seventh generation.  The two Mortilla sisters inherited the winery from their father.  One of the sisters handled the service of our lunch, and the other introduced herself, “I’m the blah-blah person of the winery!”

Winemaking in Sicily is very much a male-dominated industry, but these two sisters have won numerous awards and recognitions for their wine.

Delicious cannellonis for desert!

In the afternoon, we continued our ride through the countryside to Ragusa, the subject of my next post.

Next up: SICILY & AMALFI COAST #13: RAMBLING AROUND RAGUSA

SICILY & AMALFI COAST #11: VISITING THE VALLEY OF THE TEMPLES & AGRIGENTO

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Located along the southern coast of Sicily, outside of the city of Agrigento, the Valley of the Temples is not a valley at all!  The archaeological and landscape park is located on a ridge overlooking the city.

Extending over 1300 hectares, this UNESCO World Heritage Site includes ruins of the ancient city of Akragas and its surrounding territory.  One of Sicily’s main attractions, the park is the largest archaeological park in Europe and the Mediterranean basin and receives about one million visitors each year.

The Valley includes the remains of seven temples that date back to the 5th century BC.  The Temple of Concordia is the best preserved and was the highlight of our guided walking tour through the park.

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)

The Temple of “Hera” dates back to 450 BC
Temple of Heracles
Temple of Concordia

Surrounding the temples were beautiful century-old olive trees:

Following our visit to the valley, our lunch, which was originally listed as being “at a local restaurant in Agrigento” turned out to be a wonderful surprise!  We were brought instead to the home of Marcello and Rita who grew the vegetables used in the delicious multi-course home-cooked lunch for us.

Home grown and made sundried tomatoes and bruschetta were just a couple of the appetizers to start off our tasty lunch.

After lunch, we were led downstairs to a workshop to see a beautiful collection of “carretti,” Sicilian horse and donkey carts that were made by his father, Raffaele, and to hear the story about them.  His collection is recognized by UNESCO and was stunning!

Our home for the night was at Vecchia Masseria an agriturismo (farm stay).  Incredibly picturesque and charming, this was our favorite accommodation of the trip.  There are hundreds of pictures of the property posted on Trip Advisor, but I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the property, so I can bring you some of my own:

Coming up next: SICILY & AMALFI COAST #12: MARVELOUS MOSAICS & A WONDERFUL WINERY

SICILY & AMALFI COAST #10: SEEING SALT PRODUCTION & MOTORING TO MOZIA

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Marsala, in the Trapani region of Sicily, was where our group headed to visit the Museo del Sale, a semi-working salt museum.  The region has had a tradition of salt production and refining since the 17th century.  We learned about the process and enjoyed a salt tasting.  Unfortunately, the salt pans were lacking the big piles of salt I was hoping to see for some photographic interest, but we had some nice views from the top deck of the museum.

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)

It was a beautiful day for a boat ride and hike, so after visiting the museum, we were taken by boat to tiny San Pantaleo Island to see the Giuseppe Whitaker Museum and the Mozia archaeological park.  The museum houses a wonderful collection of very well-preserved Phoenician artefacts dating from 500-600 BC.

The archaeological site was once the prosperous and powerful Phoenician city of Mozia, founded in the 8th century BC.  Back in the day, it was a thriving trade outpost.  Walking trails lead from the museum out to the site, and since the island is so small, the water views were beautiful.  It was a lovely place to spend the morning and early afternoon; and have a picnic lunch of Sicilian dishes with the group. 

After returning to town, our group walked up to La Vela Ristorante for a cooking class where we learned how to make several Sicilian dishes that we enjoyed for our dinner afterwards.  Divided into small teams, I joined the pasta group, where we learned how to make the noodles.  Thankfully, every group did an outstanding job, because dinner was fabulous!

What a beautiful evening for a stroll back to our hotel…

Next up:  SICILY & AMALFI COAST #11: VISITING THE VALLEY OF THE TEMPLES & AGRIGENTO

SICILY & AMALFI COAST #9: MORE MAZARA

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One of the stops we made on our walking tour of Mazara was at the Museum of the Dancing Satyr.  The museum is housed in the deconsecrated church of Sant’Egidio, which was incredibly ornate, as you will see in the photos below.  What captured our interest wasn’t so much the church, but the story behind the discovery of the bronze Dancing Satyr, believed to date to the 3rd or 2nd century BC.

On March 4, 1998, while Captain “Ciccio” Francesco Adragna, a local fisherman, and his crew were hauling up shrimp, the torso of the sculpture came up along with it.  Seven months prior, while also fishing for shrimp, the leg of the sculpture was entangled in the net and broke off.  Francesco spent the next seven months returning to the area in search of the remaining statue.

After visiting the museum and seeing the statue, which itself was a memorable experience because of the back story, our tour leader (also “Francesco”), escorted us into a theater for a surprise.  Ciccio Francesco came to speak with us about his adventure discovering the sculpture!  After his slide show presentation, we were able to ask questions and learned he and his crew were rewarded 600,000 euros for their discovery.  Of that, 250,000 euros went to the owner of the boat, and he personally took home 60,000 euros.

At 65 years old, Ciccio Francesco retired after 50 years of professionally fishing the waters off Mazara.  He spends some of his retirement time hosting Overseas Adventure Travel groups for lunch at his home, averaging about 200 lunches per year.

We didn’t know this until after his talk, when he showed up as one of the hosts while the 16 of us were divided up into three groups to go to our home-hosted lunch.  Bruce and I, along with three other people, were assigned to Ciccio Francesco, and he drove us to his home.

Joining us for lunch was Francesco’s girlfriend, Angela, her daughter, Lea, and his grandchild, Carlotta, age 7.  Lea, a 26-year-old pharmacist, took the day off from work and joined us so serve as translator.  Her English was impeccable!

Here, then are scenes from the remainder of our day in the Kashah of Mazara:

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)

Church of Sant’Egidio is the location for the Museum of the Dancing Satyr
The Dancing Satyr
Captain “Ciccio” Francesco Adragna
Ciccio, Carlotta, Angela, and Lea in their home for our home-hosted lunch.

More scenes from the day:

The view from our hotel window
Guests from our hotel were stylin’
Stairs leading up to the Kasbah
Norman Arch: The city of Mazara del Vallo, after about three centuries of Islamic domination, was conquered by the Normans in 1072. They surrounded the city with walls and towers as well as a castle. In the 19th century, it was demolished, and this is all that remains.

Cathedral of 1000 Angels

Coming up next: SICILY & AMALFI COAST #10: SEEING SALT PRODUCTION & MOTORING TO MOZIA

SICILY & AMALFI COAST #8: MEANDERING AROUND THE MAZARA KASBAH

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A UNESCO-protected city, Mazara del Vallo (“Mazara”) is unique in several ways.  First, it is Sicily’s most Arabic city and was conquered and controlled by all sorts of group after being founded by the Phoenicians in the 9th century BC.

Currently, 3,000 of the 60,000 residents are Tunisian or other Maghreb Arabs, so the culture is a mix of Sicilian and Arab.  What makes it unique is the peaceful co-existence of Muslim and Christian Faiths.  Add to the historical mix the small Jewish communities that were established centuries ago, it could have been a recipe for disaster.  Instead, there has been religious tolerance in Mazara throughout history and they call themselves, “Citta della Pace” or “City of Peace.”  There is even one street where there was an active church, Jewish temple, and mosque all within steps of each other.

Mazara is an important fishing center of Italy, and the Muslims and Christians work well together with mutual respect, side-by-side, on fishing boats as well as in agriculture, and other industries.  That is unique in this crazy world!

Muslims pray five times a day, and there is no problem that the call of prayer is broadcasted throughout Mazara except in the historic Jewish Quarter.  (Actually, there aren’t many (if any) Jews in Mazara currently, because they were kicked out during the Spanish Inquisition.  There is a small Jewish community in Palermo, however.)

The Kasbah of Mazara is also unique in that its streets are full of colorful wall tiles and tile murals, garage door murals, and pottery.  I was captivated by it all, so I couldn’t stop shooting photos during our walking tour!  I hope you enjoy…

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)

Tiles are missing, but the story of this mural is powerful, because it depicts the Jewish temple, Muslim mosque, and Christian church side-by-side as well as Mazara’s mix of people.
A different take on the same idea.

These are tiles on the walls of the historic Jewish Quarter, depicting symbols of Judiasm.

The gentleman who owns this home did all the tile and artwork himself. He graciously welcomed us into his home for a tour.

These garage door murals were all entered in a contest:

This mural won the contest. This little boy’s father was a fisherman on this boat and died in a storm.

Next up: SICILY & AMALFI COAST #9: MORE MAZARA

SICILY & AMALFI COAST #7: SCENES OF SEGESTA

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Following our tour of Monreale Cathedral, we set off to Segesta, a region that was once home to the ancient Elymians, one of the three indigenous peoples of Sicily. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch at an agriturismo, a traditional Sicilian farmhouse sanctioned for dining and lodging by the Italian government. Wine and olive oil is produced at this farm, so we learned about the process and tasted their products, all while enjoying the spectacular views from their hilltop location.

We had the option after lunch to take the bus back down the hill or to hike the path and enjoy the scenery on foot.  It was a gorgeous day, the wildflowers were in bloom, and the views were beautiful, so I opted for the hike.

Off in the distance, we could see the columns of a well preserved (but unfinished) Doric temple that was believed to be built in the 420s BC. Here, then, are the scenes I captured during this most enjoyable hike:

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)

After regrouping on the bus, we continued our journey overland to Mazara del Vallo, the subject of my next post.

Coming up next: SICILY & AMALFI COAST #8: MEANDERING AROUND THE MAZARA KASBAH.

SICILY & AMALFI COAST #6: THE AMAZING MOSAICS OF MONREALE CATHEDRAL

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“Amazing” doesn’t begin to describe the enormous mosaics inside Monreale Cathedral, in Palermo, Sicily.  One step inside, and we were all in awe. Our local tour guide did a fabulous job detailing the history and explaining the stories depicted in the mosaic scenes throughout the huge cathedral.

Considered one of the greatest examples of Norman architecture, construction of the cathedral began in 1172 and was completed in 1267.  It is just one of many UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Sicily.

The Byzantine-style glass mosaics, totaling 70,000 square feet, were created between the late 12th and the mid-13th centuries by both local and Venetian masters.  These 24 carat gold leaf mosaics are the largest in the world.

The cathedral is incredibly well preserved thanks to it being built on a hill away from the sea and not being a military target.

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)

This is just a part of the cathedral and doesn’t include most of the sides and huge area behind me.
Celling
Floor mosaic

Following our excellent tour, we had time on our own to explore the streets surrounding the cathedral.

Looking up at a very small portion of the cathedral’s exterior
View from outside the cathedral.
This is Trinacaria (meaning 3 points), the symbol of Sicily. It represents the shape of the island, which resembles a triangle. Click here to read more.

In the afternoon, we continued to Segesta, the topic of my next post.

Next up: SICILY & AMALFI COAST #7: SCENES OF SEGESTA

SICILY & AMALFI COAST #5: CHARMING CASTELBUONO

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On a hilltop of the Madonie Mountains lies the small medieval village of Castelbuono. The centerpiece of the town is its castle of the same name, which we visited with our group. Owned by the Ventimiglia family, construction began in 1316 and underwent several changes and additions over the years. Currently, the castle houses the Castelbuono Civic Museum and a chapel.

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)

Ceiling

The village is also known for its working donkeys, used to collect garbage and recycling since the medieval alleys are too narrow for cars. This donkey is 22 years old and has been working with its partner for 18 years.

At Piazza Margherita, the town square, we enjoyed a tasting of locally made panettone, the fruit cake (more like bread) that Italians enjoy at Christmas and other celebrations. Castelbuono panettone is special, because it is made with manna, a sweet sap that comes from nearby ash trees. Not a past fan of panettone, I was a quick convert, because it was right out of the oven and so fresh and moist.

After having time to explore the village on our own, we regrouped for lunch on the patio of Ristorante Nangalaruni, which specializes in dishes with various locally grown mushrooms. The food was fabulous, and the music quite entertaining, especially as performed by the owner’s grandson! He is getting an early start…

Centerpiece display of the mushrooms used in their cooking

Next up: SICILY & AMALFI COAST #6: THE AMAZING MOSAICS OF MONREALE CATHEDRAL

SICILY & THE AMALFI COAST #4: THE SAVAGE SICILIAN MAFIA

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There is so much more to Sicily than the Mafia, but the first thing that comes to mind for many Americans when they think of Sicily is the Mafia.  This is especially true for those who saw “The Godfather” movies.  (I am probably one of the few in the 60’s and older age groups who have not seen any of them.)

Since the Mafia is such a big part of Sicily’s history and current reality, Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) chose the Mafia for its “Controversial Topic” and had guest speakers share their stories and knowledge with us.

This is where it got very interesting.  The first speaker, Gino, was very much against the Mafia, because his father, a tailor, was forced to make suits for Dr. Michele Navarra, the head of the Navarra crime family, in Corleone, Sicily.  (If Gino’s father had refused, there would have been a BIG problem.  When the Mafia says to do something, you do it.)

The second speaker, Angelo, was the son of Bernardo Provenzano, chief of the Sicilian Mafia clan, Corleonesi, who backed mob boss “Lucky” Luciano Leggio in the ambush and murder of Dr. Navarra.  After a failed hit in 1963, Provenzano became a fugitive for 43 years before being captured in 2006.  He died in prison 10 years later.

Meanwhile, Angelo became a tour guide, speaking about the Sicilian Mafia, much to the dismay of Mafia victims, such as Gino.  Check out that link, because the article talks about Angelo being hired in 2015 by Overseas Adventure Travel to speak about the Mafia.  And, by the way, members of the Costra Nostra (Italian for “Mafia”) don’t refer to themselves as “Mafia” because they are “offended” by that term.  (I have so much I could say about that alone!)

So, we now have two men with us, Gino, who despises everything the Mafia represents, and Angelo, the son of a Mafia crime boss (who is not in the Mafia himself).  They are are not only in the same building, but the same room, setting up audiovisual equipment to speak with us.  They were together only briefly for the preparation, but they never looked at each other.  You could cut the tension with a knife.  Not wanting to be obvious (and not even knowing if I was permitted to do so), I shot this quick photo of the two, with our tour leader, Francesco, in the middle:

Angelo, Francesco, and Gino

After Angelo left the room, Gino began his talk.  Corleone, as we learned, became the headquarters of Costra Nostra, because it was a strategic location for the grain trade and is located between two strategic cities.

Corleone wasn’t big enough for two crime families to coexist, so the families of Dr. Navarra and “Lucky” Luciano Liggio went to war.  (At the same time, “Lucky” was also setting up a sister organization in New Orleans, U.S.A., which was more profitable.) If you were in Corleone at the time (or anywhere in Sicily when all hell broke loose), you either decided to leave Sicily or show allegiance to the Mafia.  If you joined, you became a murderer.

In 1958, the war between the two crime families finally ended when Dr. Navarra was murdered and his family was no longer #1 in Sicily.  The war had left 200 dead.

Fast-forward to the 1980’s, 475 Mafia members were arrested and put on trial, resulting in 338 convictions.  The Maxi Trial, which took place in Palermo, lasted for six years and was considered the most significant trial ever against the Sicilian Mafia as well as the biggest trial in world history.

It wasn’t over.  The Mafia retaliated two years later by murdering a Palermo judge and his son, as well as others in the coming years.  It has gone on and on, and the devastation and crime inflicted on innocent people never stops.  In 2007, it was estimated that the total income of illegal Mafia activity was approximately 44 BILLION euros.

Currently, the most influential Mafia is in the Calabria region, in the south of Italy’s mainland. These are some of their criminal activities: protection rackets (protection from theft by non-Mafia, protection from competition, protection of territories), vote buying, smuggling, contract bid rigging, loan sharking; and, of course, murder, when they see fit.

I have only scratched the surface of the Sicilian Mafia, but this gives you an idea.  After listening to Gino, it was fascinating to hear Angelo’s story of what it was like to grow up with his father, the crime boss.  Several of us doubted how he could have grown up with his father being a fugitive crime boss and not understood why they were in hiding, but he was a child at the time and now seemed sincere enough.  Angelo also made it clear that he didn’t support or condone the Mafia in any way.  Still, there was no tolerance for him by Gino, and that was palpable.

Coming up next: SICILY & AMALFI COAST #5: CHARMING CASTELBUONO

SICILY & THE AMALFI COAST #3: PALERMO ON TOUR

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After another day of poking around Palermo on our own and getting adjusted to the seven-hour time difference, our tour with Overseas Adventure Travel began. We met our tour leader, Francesco, and the other fourteen members of our tour group, before setting out on a walking tour of the city. Although Francesco is a Palermo native and knows his city like the back of his hand, Italy requires separate tour leaders and tour guides, each being licensed in a separate classification.  So, our tour guide met us at our hotel and led the group through the city, with Francesco bringing up the rear.

Palermo is the fifth-largest city in Italy, so our walking tour covered just some of the highlights—a few which I wrote about in my previous posts; so, I will skip those and show you what was new for us.

First, a little bit about Sicily and Palermo.  This map highlights the itinerary of our tour in red:

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)

Sicily, located off the peninsula of mainland Italy, is an island of 4.7 million people in the Mediterranean Sea.  First and foremost, although Sicilians are Italian and the island is part of Italy, the locals think of themselves as Sicilians first, and Italians second.  They are very proud to be Sicilian and even have their own dialect, which they speak in addition to Italian.

Another thing Sicilians are clear about: They aren’t fond of northern Italians (and the feelings are mutual), which has its roots dating back to the 1860’s.  Government power, including the police and army, shifted from southern Italy to the north, and economic wealth was (and still is) centered there as well.  The south, including Sicily, is poor, which created a vacuum for the mafia to step in. 

One of the reasons Sicily is poor is because Sicilian government is corrupt.  Politicians get paid more in Sicily than anywhere else in Italy or the rest of Europe.  Basically, they are ripping off the taxpayers, so the politicians and mafia (often the same) are the only Sicilians making out financially.  If you get elected to parliament in Sicily, it’s like winning the lottery.  You would serve a 2-year term but get paid for the rest of your life.  The bottom line is the system doesn’t work for the benefit of the people, only for the politicians.  One example of this is the money distributed to Italy and Sicily by the European Union.  The politicians skim off the top before the rest trickles down in a way that benefits the common Sicilian.

The unemployment rate in Sicily is also steep—38% for the 18-35 age group.  In contrast, it is only 2.9% in Switzerland.  Overall, Italian unemployment is the highest in Sicily and the Calabria region, also located in the south.

It is most difficult to get a job in the private sector, because they will only hire experienced workers.  New college graduates don’t have experience, but they don’t want to work outside of their field of study; so, they won’t work.  Many go on earning additional advanced degrees and live with their parents.

Now, a bit about Palermo: Located in northwest Sicily, it was founded in 735 B.C., and the current population is around 626.000 with its metropolitan area totaling about 1.2 million.  The city is Sicily’s economic and cultural capital, full of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The city has quite a complicated history.  Due to its strategic location in the Mediterranean, it was the victim of a succession of invaders: The Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Normans, Swabians, and French all conquered Palermo at one time or another.  Fast forward to World War II, the city was heavily bombed.  Sheesh!  The poor city couldn’t catch a break.

One of the things I enjoyed about Palermo was the way vehicle traffic was diverted away from the main streets of the old city center until late at night. Pedestrians could walk down the middle of the streets without the noise, pollution, and chaos of traffic.  It didn’t stop the e-bikes and scooters from whizzing past, though, at times nearly colliding with pedestrians stopping to take a photograph or to talk with each other.  I’m guessing that all of us in the group had a close call at one time or another!

Following our walking tour and free time in the afternoon, we regrouped for our “Controversial Topic,” one of OAT’s features on each tour.  I’ll give you one guess as to what that topic would be…  I’ll tell you all about it in my next post!

Meanwhile, here are some photos shot around Palermo:

https://www.teatromassimo.it/

Our group had a private visit at the wonderful Opera Dei Pupi, a family-run puppet theater that has been passed down through the generations:

Our private demonstration and Q&A session with the owner was hilarious!

During my free time, I stumbled upon a street lined with shop after shop of seamstresses sewing table cloths and other items made from bolts of colorful fabrics– many with a lemon motif, which is a symbol of Sicily. There are lemon trees everywhere on this island!

Next up: SICILY & THE AMALFI COAST #4: THE SAVAGE SICILIAN MAFIA