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.
Welcome to the SOANE FOUNDATION'S first ever blog!
We have an exciting travel adventure ahead with 25 travelers heading to SICILY to explore this island visited by Sir John Soane in 1779. Our trip, no doubt, will be a bit more comfortable, a bit more compact in time, but hopefully just as rewarding. The trip is from Saturday, 17 May to Sunday, 25 May 2008.
It was exactly 230 years ago that Sir John first arrived in Italy – getting to Rome on 2 May 1778. However, it was almost a year before he made his way to Sicily, traveling by boat from Naples and arriving in Palermo on 28 April 1779. Near the end of May, he crossed from Sicily to Malta, returning on 2 June and then exploring Sicily further until the 1st or 2nd of July when he returned to Naples then onwards to Rome.
Our trip has been carefully orchestrated under the guidance of Stefano Aluffi-Pentini and his team at A PRIVATE VIEW OF ITALY. We look forward to sharing our adventures as we travel the island from the capital of Palermo, down along the southern coast and on to the city of Siracusa.
It was exactly 230 years ago that Sir John first arrived in Italy – getting to Rome on 2 May 1778. However, it was almost a year before he made his way to Sicily, traveling by boat from Naples and arriving in Palermo on 28 April 1779. Near the end of May, he crossed from Sicily to Malta, returning on 2 June and then exploring Sicily further until the 1st or 2nd of July when he returned to Naples then onwards to Rome.
Our trip has been carefully orchestrated under the guidance of Stefano Aluffi-Pentini and his team at A PRIVATE VIEW OF ITALY. We look forward to sharing our adventures as we travel the island from the capital of Palermo, down along the southern coast and on to the city of Siracusa.
