Day 11--Ragusan Farm

 After breakfast we traveled into the countryside of Ragusa.  Our destination was to visit a local farm.  This is part of the Overseas Adventure Travel to feature "a day in the life" experience.

As we arrived at the farm, look what came to greet Bill.  He was very careful where he stepped.  Notice the dry stone walls in the photo.  These are protected by UNESCO so the parcels of the farm are not necessarily connected.  

Salvatore Bussello, the father, and Jessica his daughter invited us into their home.  They had tables and chair set up for our small group of eight.  The mother and son joined us and served a pastry with coffee.

Jessica and her brother spoke some English, but Nunzia was their to translate if they had trouble.  The farm is on 80 acres and has been in the family for three generations.  

The mother had us wash our hands and then lead us into the kitchen.  Here she started showing us how to prepare bread.  She made it look simple.

Here's the pastry she made with ricotta cheese that was freshly made.

Everyone tried making one plus we also made some kind of bread.

Salvatore then showed us how to make a type of provolone cheese.  Jessica and her mother go to the local market to sell it.  

 I had no idea how to make cheese.

Then we were taught how to make ricotta cheese.  While it was cooking, we walked up to the barn.

The son took us to the barn and showed us the cows.  I believe he said they have 45.

Bill and I visited the Shamrock dairy one time and this seemed very primitive after that experience.

When we left the barn, the courtyard area had tables set up for our lunch.  Everyone joined in setting the tables and bringing out the food.  Our bread looked wonderful.

The father called us back into the cheese shed and showed us how to tell when the cheese was done.

Big heavy bowls were passed around with the ricotta in it.  Then some very large bowls were set on the table to spoon off the liquid.  I do eat with my eyes and probably wouldn't have tried if it weren't for offending them, but I must say it was good.  

The meal and "conversation" were delightful.  

We returned to the hotel around four and had time for dinner on own but no one was hungry.  We all met in Gail and Gary's room for wine and snacks.  They had a patio so everyone contributed a bottle of wine and whatever snacks we had.  It was a relaxing fun evening.  Nunzia also joined us.

Turtle Safely.......

Day 10--Sept 26 Old Town Ragusa and Fiat 500 Ride

 I think I've forgotten to mention that during our Sicily adventure all of the hotels have had full breakfasts.  including lots of pastries, fresh fruit, cheeses, salamis, salads and bread to go with the eggs and bacon.  

We left the hotel right after breakfast for a tour of old town Ragusa.  The local guide was wonderful.  Bill took his walking stick as we walked three hours up and down the stone "streets".

There are caves everywhere and the hotel actually has rooms that are caves.

People actually made houses in them.

Our local guide stopped to chat with this lady.  She translated our questions.  She is 95 years old and that's her son next to her.

This man was shaving when we walked by.  

The wife joined him in his man cave.  Our guide is showing us some of his talents.

We were told that  40% of the homes are family  occupied.  There are many homes that have been converted to rentals for tourists.

We went into an exhibition but it took longer to show our white pass and passport than it did to see the exhibits.  They were all modern art and not worth a photo except for this outfit made of pasta.

Our guide sang and had an excellent voice.

As she sang a final tune and we said good bye, Nunzia said she had a small surprise for us.  Of course we all followed her!

She took us to someone's home, which looked exactly like every other house from the outside.

Room after room was filled with beautiful antiques collected from his family.

He played the baby grand piano for us.  I can't believe we were allowed to sit on the furniture.

I have no idea how many rooms he showed us, but I wouldn't have been able to find my way out!

Lunch was on our own, but no one was hungry so we had a wine flavored gelato.  It hit the spot.

Around 5 pm we were taken to a wide spot in the road. 

There were five Fiat 500's.  The owners of the cars all belong to a club.  We were presented with a year's membership to the club.

After introductions, we were divided up into two people per car.  Bill and I got into the 1972 yellow one.  Well I crawled into the back seat and had to put my knee between the seats by the brake.  Bill made a couple of attempts and finally made it into the front seat.  The space between the front and back was less than the length of my cell phone.

And they were off!!!  We were the third car and you wouldn't believe the streets we were on.  It felt like we were in some action movies.

They took a short break to answer questions.  Here's the motor.....

and the fuel goes in here which is also the trunk.  

Nunzia took this group photo of the cars, drivers and our small group.  It was soooooo much fun!

After we left the cars, we had a short walk to our restaurant for dinner.  Of course, Nunzia wanted to know if we wanted to stop for a chocolate tasting.

It was interesting, but after coming off such a high from the Fiat ride, I'm afraid I didn't retain any explanation of the chocolate and how long the tradition was.  

Here's a typical appetizer dish that you get with every meal followed by your entre and dessert.

It was another wonderful day in Sicily.  I especially like the fact that these are typical towns, not tourist destinations.  You don't see many other Americans.

Turtle Safely.........

Day 9--Villa Romana del Casale--Mortilla Winery Tour

 Nunzia was right!  She said we needed to arrive at Villa Romana del Casale when they opened.  She purchased the first tickets for our group.  Anytime we entered a government run attraction we had to show our green pass "vaccination card for US" and a copy of our passport.  We had to wear a mask when we showed our card and passport.  If we were inside we were suppose to wear a mask.

This hunting lodge for the wealthy was constructed in the fourth century AD.  There was a huge landslide in the 12th century.  It wasn't until the 20th century that excavations revealed the lodge.  This villa is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  After we met our local guide, we began our 2 hour tour of the site.

 This huge area was the baths.

Theses mosaics are beautiful.  I've never seen anything like this even in Pompeii or Ephesus, Turkey.

The entire villa is surrounded by a walkway above the rooms.  I know now, why Nunzia wanted to beat the crowds.

 I can't possibly tell you how large this villa was.  Of course, the guide told us the stories of what the mosaics depict.

Each room we saw was more spectacular than the one before.

You were allowed to walk on the mosaics outside.  Imagine walking on something from the 4th century!

After leaving the Villa we had a short ride to Mortilla Winery.  This is where we had a wine tasting along with lunch.  After lunch we had some time to walk through the fields.  The grapes were ripe and they were picking them.

Our next stop was in Ragusa where we stayed for three nights.  We have a beautiful room with a balcony.  You enter the hotel on O floor and we are on the fifth floor.  The fifth floor is where you leave to walk to the town square.  

Nunzia had an orientation walk, to show us places we might want to see.  

Turtle Safely.........

Day 8--Piazza Armerina, Sicily--Valley of the Temples

 Around 8:30 we departed our hotel.  I have to say we have a great group.  Everyone is always on time.  This day we travel overland to Piazza Armerina.  It was a four hour drive but we stopped halfway to visit the Valley of the Temples.  

We were met by a wonderful local guide who has been doing tours since the 70's.

These ruins date back to 510 BC.  Only Rome and Athens were larger during that time.

These sites were on a hilltop overlooking the sea.

 

I had no idea this existed in Sicily.

After this great adventure and discovery we had a 15 minute drive to a private home for lunch.  Unfortunately the bus was stopped by the polizia.  We sat quietly while the police talked with Giuseppe and Nunzia.  After a short stop we were allowed to proceed down the road but were told not to return as they recently changed the weight requirements on the road.

Our itinerary said we would have lunch at a private house in Agrigento.  

Lunch was great and the couple were very friendly.

We were invited downstairs to see something.  It was an antique radio.

And then he opened another door to reveal this.

Bill was impressed with the hand carvings, but the photos don't show the detail.

We were told it takes about a year for him to make one.

One single traveler in our group is demonstrating how well balanced the cart is.

Here's the owner, sorry I forgot his name, showing us the spokes are made.

Bill really enjoyed trying to make a part of the cart.

Nunzia explained all the details.

Here's the family and our group of eight.  I love the fact that when reading the itinerary the surprise things we see are really a surprize.  I always say there is so much more when you travel with this company.

By the time we left, some were ready for a nap on the bus.  The countryside started changing and this area was where the Americans landed during World War II.

Here's a photo of a bunker I took from the bus.

We also drove pass this castle.

I don't think I've mentioned about our time spent on the bus.  Nunzia talks about the Sicilian culture.  She gave us language lessons telling us the difference between Italian and Sicilian.  We had a lesson on how to order coffee and the different types they have.  The best was a lesson on Sicilian gestures.

Nunzia suggested we just pack an overnight bag because we were only staying overnight at this hotel.  I could write a whole blog on Vecchia Masseria.  Our "room" had two bedrooms, a kitchen and dining area.  It was gorgeous and quaint.

Nunzia taught us how to play Sicilian cards before dinner.  She told us to pace ourselves for dinner.  Gail said there are four forks, if that tells you how much we are getting for dinner.  

We were leaving the next morning at 8:30 so that we could arrive at Villa Romana del Casale when they opened the next morning at 9 am.

Turtle Safely..........