Sicilian Hill Towns « baroquesicily.com - Sicily Stories and Travel Tips from Jann Huizenga

Dizzy in Southeast Sicily

June 10, 2010

There are rivers, cascades, torrents of steps in Sicilian hill towns.

Ragusa Ibla is a natural gym—better than a Stair Stepper. No wonder the locals live such long lives. It must be the steps (oh, and the olive oil that old-timers drink like water).

I gain no weight here, though I eat like a monster: great bowls of pasta alla Norma, cones of toasted almond gelato, artichoke flowers, deep-fried donuts filled with sweet pistachio cream, wheels of cheese.

To the hundreds of steps in town, add twenty-five more in my house. I lie in bed at night, head spinning and spinning. Legs aching and aching. And I’m happy.

***

Does this life look fun to you?

Driving in Sicily: A Wall Struck My Car

February 5, 2010

I don’t claim to be the world’s best driver. Not by a long shot.

But I never had actual accidents till I started driving in Sicily.

Look at this. It’s the center of Ragusa Ibla. Could you squeeze through these streets?

Narrow Street in Ragusa Ibla, Sicily

I feel little stabs of fear bumping over the S-shaped lanes of Sicilian hill towns.

I’ve torn off a side-view mirror or two. A bumper or two. Never hit anybody, though.

You can’t blame me. There was this one time when a wall came out of nowhere and hit me. Then there was the time a mirror jutting out from a parked Fiat struck my car.

Motorcycle in Narrow Sicilian Street This guy has the right idea. Drive a motorcycle in Sicilian hill towns. It’s really the only vehicle that fits.

Here I am–a straniera of a certain age–trying on a little Vespa for size. What do you think? Should I? Could I? Darest I?

***

Tourist tip: Get full collision coverage when driving in Sicily. But don’t let the idea of driving on the island worry you unnecessarily: it’s an absolute joy to drive on the open road in Sicily. By the way, Kemwel is the cheapest car rental consolidator I’ve found for Sicily. They’re professional and fast about following up on accidents and suchlike. Ask for your AAA, ARP, whatever discount AFTER they quote a price.(Just please don’t mention me or this post if you contact them! Yikes. They’ll never let me rent again. )

The Fog of Sicily

October 12, 2009

Fog comes like a ghost to Ragusa Ibla some mornings in autumn. It shrouds the village in soft silence and mystery—or should I say more mystery, for there’s something inherently secretive and mystifying about Sicilian hill towns.

fog 1

fog 2

That otherworldly feeling evaporates well before mid-morning in Ibla, when the sun comes burning through. The ghost may settle much longer in the low places, though.

fog 3

My neighbors tell me that the fog is new, that it first rolled in when la diga, the dam, was built outside of town several years ago. The mist lifts off the water of Santa Rosalia Lake, a beautiful place on the Ragusa Ibla-Giarratana road (SS194). I recommend driving along this charming, curvy little road (but not when it’s foggy!) and stopping at the lake for its wonderful vistas. I hear the fishing is good too.

Dizzy in Southeast Sicily

Driving in Sicily: A Wall Struck My Car

The Fog of Sicily

Shoot Sicily With Me

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