But we were glad to get away from the chaotic traffic congestion and our despair about the huge levels of litter and escape across the centre of the island towards the mountains of the south east.
As we did so the weather turned cold and windy. Our first stop was Caltagirone, 600 metres above sea level and 9 degrees at 4.00 in the afternoon. Caltagirone is the centre of the traditional Sicilian majolica industry and has a substantial training facility.
Its other claim to fame is the grand staircase of Santa Maria del Monte, constructed in 1606 to connect the then ancient part of Caltagirone with its newer town, built lower down the mountain.
The staircase is 130m in length with 142 steps. On each step, the rise is adorned with multicoloured ceramic tiles created by the majolica craftspeople, all of whom seem to be located in the old town centre.
The staircase is illuminated on festive occasions, originally with 4,000 candles lit progressively like falling dominoes but from bottom to top. Commonly though, the staircase is decorated with pots of red and white geraniums and green box. Red, white and green being the colours of the Italian flag.
Fleeing the damp cold of Caltagirone, we spent a day revisiting Villa Romana del Casale at Piazza Armerina, situated deep in the Sicilian hinterland at 721 metres above sea level.
The famous Villa Romana del Casale was built in the middle of the 4th Century AD as a hunting lodge by a Roman patrician and is home to some of the best preserved and extensive examples of Roman mosaics. These extraordinarily vivid mosaics, probably produced by North African artisans, deal with numerous subjects ranging from Homeric escapades and mythological scenes to portrayals of daily life and include the famous tableau of 'bikini' girls.
I wrote an extensive post on Villa Romana del Casale a couple of years ago that you can read here.
After another satisfying dose of Roman history we moved on to beautiful Ragusa - just as cold and even windier than Caltagirone and Piazza Armerina.
Ragusa is one of the most fascinating towns in Sicily. Essentially Baroque, the town dates almost entirely from 1693 when Ragusa, along with its neighbours, Noto, Modica, Scicli and Catania was razed to the ground by a terrible earthquake that hit most of the eastern side of Sicily.
Public opinion on where to rebuild the town was divided and so a compromise was made. The wealthier, more aristocratic citizens built a new town in a different site now Ragusa Superiore (above), while the other half of the population decided to rebuild on the original site, on a ridge at the bottom of a gorge, now Ragusa Ibla. The two towns remained separated until 1926 when they were merged to become the chief town of the province, taking the place of Modica.
It is the sight of the jumble of houses, churches and civic palazzi piled on top of each other, clinging to the walls of the gorge, that make Ragusa Ibla quite breathtaking. Although it seems Mediaeval from a distance, the town’s heart is pure Baroque.
These Baroque buildings are now protected as part of the UNESCO World Heritage estate.
There are three (yes, three) Michelin starred restaurants in Ragusa Ibla and we were lucky enough to get a Saturday lunch booking at Ciccio Sultano's Restorante Duomo (above) and a Sunday dinner booking at Locandra Don Serafino with chef Vincenzo Candiamo.
Locandra Don Serafino is located in what was the storage vault of the ancient UNESCO Church of Miracoli - up the steps to the left.
Inside is absolutely incredible - a cave deep inside the multi-coloured rock of the hillside. The food was wonderful as were the Sicilian wines.
Next post: Paul is going to have a go .... for foodies .... Ciccio Sultano's Restorante Duomo and Vincenzo Candiamo's Locandra Don Serafino.
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