Sicily's Ancient Landscapes & Timeless Traditions Day 9

Day 9 - September 28, 2015 - Monday - Early Morning to Villa Romana del Casale; UNESCO WHS; Upper & Lower Ragusa; Sicilian Finger Dinner

At 8:30 we left the Agriturismo Gigliotto and Pepé stopped so we could take one last photo of this beautiful region. The rolling hills were abundant with fruit trees, olive trees, prickly pear cacti, some cereal grains, and then fields of solar panels. A sign of the times!

Our lodging was only fifteen minutes from the town of Piazza Armerina and the nearby Villa Romana del Casale, the ruins of an extraordinary Roman Villa. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it was constructed in the middle of the 3rd Century AD as a retreat for wealthy Romans.

We met our local guide, Katia who gave us a brief synopsis of the thousands of years of history of the area. Using the display information boards, she gave an overview of the whole site and then we set off right away to avoid the crowds that were coming in behind us.

As we entered the Roman bath area, we began to see why the site was so important. All of the floors of the apartments and common areas were "carpeted" with exquisite marble mosaics.

The site was well preserved because it was covered by a landslide in the 12th Century and only excavated in the 20th Century. The mosaics depict scenes of the Roman era; including hunting, fishing, explorations, family life, and daily activities.

We walked back to the bus park through the gauntlet of souvenir shops and managed to escape buying only a few cookies. As we were leaving at 11:15, the parking area was almost full and even more people were arriving. This was just another reminder of the OAT good timing - getting up early and being the first to arrive avoiding the crowds.

At 1:00 we arrived at the city of Chiaramonte Gulfi and to our restaurant called U Dammusu, meaning a little cave. The starter was cheese, olives, and salami and a special pork lunch meat made exclusively by the chef. The pasta was risotto and also ravioli, with a sweet cream and chocolate dessert served with a dessert wine Pellegrino Malvasia.

At 3:00 we drove a short distance to Ragusa. The big bus could not access our hotel so we walked the last few blocks on the narrow streets. The luggage was delivered in a minivan.

We had time to settle into our room and then met our group at 6:00 for a walk around the city. Our hotel was in the Upper Town—Ragusa Superiore and the building was once an extravagant palace.

On our walk we passed the Sicilian Baroque Cathedral of San Giovanni Battista and many fashionable shops. Our dinner was at Caffé Italia for light finger food.

Not exactly like tapas, but similar; the apericena, was a selection of traditional little breads, olives, sun dried tomatoes, a potato pancake, grilled veggies, and of course, gelato for dessert. We also had some delicious marzipan from the bakery.

By the time we got back to the hotel it was 8:30 and time to finish the journal and choose the five photos that represented our day.

Accommodations: De Stefano Palace - - - Meal: B, L, D