Monday, June 2, 2008

SIRACUSA
Recollections by Laura Blanco - 23 May 2008

We traveled from Palermo to Sircusa a couple of days ago and have been staying in Ortegia while we explore another side of the island. The bus ride unveiled a beautiful and versatile countryside that at one point was verdant on our left, while arid to the right. There were brief moments that reminded us of Litchfield County.

The members of the Lizard Lounge set-up shop at the back of the bus early on. They have had their raucous moments tempered by the silence of a well-deserved nap. The sound of empty wine bottles rolling on the floor broke that silence.

Along the way we have seen a patchwork of farms situated at angles that seemed almost impossible to comprehend. Some long-forgotten remnants of stone structures don’t even look man-made anymore. Fields of wheat seductively undulate in the wind. Miles of highway are lined with Andromeda, Ginestra and Rosemary. Cypresses punctuate the landscape while swatches of red poppy give this beautiful monochromatic land a jolt of color. It’s an intoxicating country.

Our guides are three Roman gods. Our driver maneuvered the controlled chaos of the Italian roads along with the seemingly impossible hairpin turns with perfect aplomb.

Some of us will continue our travels and not arrive home until mid-June, while others will start making our way back. We have enjoyed each other’s company and talk of another trip next year – Buenos Aires or Capetown?

As I write this, a series of Italian bands are making a stab at American rock just outside our hotel. A thrash band with a lead singer that makes Rob Zombie sound like a choirboy just finished their rendition of “Sweet Dreams.” I’m getting homesick.