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Back to Villa Siciliana di Enna
Hello, Kristin!
We returned from our trip to Sicily in late September. We cannot thank you enough for your wonderful suggestions, itinerary, and places to stay. This was, indeed, an amazing trip! I cannot come up with one single negative, other than the weather, maybe. As you may know, the weather in the Mediterranean area had been pretty unstable in September, and there were a couple of really violent storms while we were there. There were mudslides in the Messina area a few days after we left Sicily -- but, all in all, most of the days were sunny and warm, and we took the two days of pouring rain to relax a bit. Unfortunately it poured on the day we were to go to Catania and the day we were to go to Palermo -- but we are undaunted! It just gives us a reason to return to Sicily -- although we were there for two weeks, there is so much more to see! The hotels were all great. Again, I cannot think of one negative thing to say. Some of the directions were not perfect, but we always seemed to find our way! And getting a wee bit lost was part of the fun . . .
We first went to the Etna Vistas hotel after picking up our rental car at Catania airport. The restaurant was outstanding -- we ate there three of the four nights. The entire hotel staff was excellent. Everyone was helpful and friendly. The highlight of this segment of the trip was definitely the excursion to Mt. Etna. I am 61 years old and I cannot believe that we hiked up to one of the craters, walked the rim and hiked back down -- but I have the pictures to prove it!!! There were only six of us on the tour, my husband and I, and two young Italian couples, both on their honeymoon trips. Everyone had a fantastic time -- we learned a great deal from Gaetano about the volcano. He was also most aware of our safety at all times -- so unless you have an unconquerable fear of heights, give it a try. We loved touristy Taormina (the Greek theater is outstanding -- it is worth it to pay extra for the audio tour), Acireale was a wonderful slice of authentic Sicily, as were the small towns along the coast we visited on a leisurley drive. Unfortunately, the day we planned to take a train into Catania there were torrential rains, so that city remains for our next trip to Sicily.
Next, we drove to Noto to stay at the Antico Baglio di Noto . Again, we had a slight bit of difficulty finding the place initially, as the signage did not match the directions we were given, but this is part of the fun! The hotel was lovely, and the staff was warm and friendly -- and very helpful. The meals here were memorable as well. One evening the dining room was filled with about fifty elderly WWII veterans, their spouses and families. They just sort of absorbed us into their happy ranks and we had a wonderful time! We enjoyed visiting Siracusa, Ragusa, Noto and Modica (oh, the chocolate!)
Our next stay was at the Marsala Winery . We were becoming better at navigating and map reading, so we found this place without a hitch. What a lovely place -- surrounded by vineyards, with a view of the sea and Erice in the distance! Our room was beautiful -- the entire place was beautiful! And the staff was again friendly, warm and could not do enough for us. The restaurant at this hotel was fabulous. On our third evening here, we were the only people -- but we were treated like royalty! We especially enjoyed our tour of the winery with Giuseppe and our visit to the tasting room. To me, the highlight of the entire trip was our visit to Erice. We took the cable car up to Erice -- it was great fun -- and I think less stressful than the hairpin-turn road below us! Many years ago my children gave me a book, "Bitter Almonds," the story of Maria Grammatico, an orphan girl raised in a convent in Erice. She left the convent at age 18 and went on to establish a pastry shop, as she learned pastry making from the nuns. But what a pastry shop! Marie still runs it, and although she was not there that day, it was a thrill to see it -- and of course, to try some of the pastries! Erice is a gorgeous medieval town and not to be missed, in my opinion. We also visited the fantastic Greek ruins in Segesta and Selinunte. Outstanding! Trapani and Marsala were also fun to visit.
Next we traveled to Baglio Siciliano di Monreale. An old paper mill transformed into an elegant hotel, set on a narrow and winding street. Again, friendly, helpful staff and a great restaurant! This hotel also has a free shuttle bus into Palermo -- but the day we planned our trip into Palermo, it stormed again, so we relaxed in the cozy sitting room until lunchtime. The rain let up a bit, so we decided to drive up to the area around the cathedral in Monreal -- we had some great pizza there the day before -- of course, we got about a block from the hotel and the skies opened up again! But we made it to the parking area where there were about ten enterprising young men selling umbrellas! Of course, we bought one! The streets were running like a river, but made it to the pizzeria where we were welcomed warmly and given towels to dry off with. A simple pizza and a jug of local wine -- heaven! The cathedral at Monreal is absolutely spectacular -- again, well worth the extra cost to rent an audio guide.
By now our trip was winding down to the end. We traveled the autostrada toward Enna for our final night at Villa Siciliana di Enna. Driving up I felt as if I had entered a fairy tale -- words cannot describe this place. Our room was elegant, with two balconies and spectacular views. The staff could not have been more gracious and helpful. The hotel has a bar, a formal restaurant and a more casual pizzeria -- we opted for the pizzeria -- and had one of our most enjoyable meals of the trip. We seemed to be the only tourists in the place -- it was Saturday night and the place was packed with local families -- some celebrating birthdays -- all in happy moods, children being doted over by adoring nonni -- laughter and singing -- to me, this is what it is all about! In the morning, we were awakened by sheep with tinkling bells coming down the hill across the road from the villa. We didn't have to get to the airport until the afternoon, so we were given a tour of the original villa and winery -- beautiful . . .
Again, I cannot thank you enough for helping us plan this wonderful trip! We are already beginning to think about next year -- Steve wants to visit his ancestral town in Campania! So, once we get past the holidays, you will be hearing from us! Until then, we wish you warm and happy holidays.
Karen and Steve M
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