Sì sì! Sicily! Day 3, 4 & 5

So here is part two of my travelogue of Sicily (read part 1 here). After two days with quite some driving, the last three days the driving time was considerably shorter, traveling from Noto to Syracuse. 

Day 3: Noto -  Syracuse

We first wandered the (rather steep) streets of Noto, famous for its architectural masterpieces in Sicilian baroque style. Below a picture I took of the Cattedrale di San Nicolò di Mira, which has been restored in all its peachy glory, after it collapsed in 1996 due to structural weakening caused by an earthquake. It is just so beautiful!

Caffe Sicilia, in front of the cathedral, is world famous for its granita, so obviously felt obligated to order a few flavours (almond, wild strawberries and apricot), so I could report back to you (my life is hard...). Over the years I think I tasted my fair share of different ice creams, and theirs is definitely one of the best! Yum yum!

Enjoying my granita while talking on the phone and doing some 'people watching' behind my black sunglasses. I think I'm getting pretty good at that Italian lifestyle....

On the way to Sicily, we actually planned to stop for a swim at the beautiful Cavagrande natural reserve, but all the access roads were blocked. So when we arrived at Syracuse we checked their website to see what was going on. Turns out that the whole reserve was completely devastated by a large fire only a week before out arrival, and the entire Cavagrande reserve is closed until further notice. The fire was most likely started by arsonists. Why, why, WHY would someone do such a thing?!! These things make me so angry!

Piazza del Duomo, Syracuse

The rest of the day we spent in Syracuse, mainly on the island of Ortygia, doing some people-watching again at the Piazza del Duomo and eating spaghetti with ansjovis while enjoying the sunset. And yes, that pretty much was as heavenly as it sounds ;-)

People enjoying the sun and see on the rocks and platforms on the island of Ortygia, Syracuse.

In Syracuse I stayed at B&B Nostos, a modern and stylish small hotel situated a one-minute walk from the bridge to Ortygia. If you ever visit Syracuse, I would definitely recommend this B&B! It's affordable, there is free parking available, the service is great, the personnel speaks pretty fluently English, and the breakfast buffet offers a wide array of choices. 

Sunset in Syracuse

Day 4: Syracuse - Necropoli di Pantalica - Catania

The next day we tried our luck at another nature reserve, Pantalica, north-west of Syracuse. The reserve is known for the Necropoli di Pantalica, an extensive archeological site, with over 4000 rock-cut chamber tomb cemeteries dating from the 13th to the 7th centuries BC. 

The view there was really spectacular!

In the afternoon we arrived at our final hotel, Grand Hotel Baia Verde. It is situated on the lava rock beach of Catania, so it was the perfect place for a swim in the clear blue waters of the Mediterranean. 

I also tried to prove one can never be too white for a white bikini ;-)

Day 5: Mount Etna

Catania is situated at the foot of Mount Etna, which at almost 11,000 ft towers over the surrounding lands. So naturally on our last day in Sicily, a trip to the top was in order. 

Do you guys like my new ride?

"Smoke rises from the Mountain of Doom."

Black rubble everywhere!

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end, and so did my trip to Sicily :-( Luckily, I won't have to wait to long until the next trip, since I am going to England this August. So you can expect new travel posts pretty soon!