Day 4

Noto. This is a town of about 24,000 people. Not a big place. There are no areas restricted to cars though, like most of the small towns that we are familiar with. The traffic is impressive and we again have no good map. We trust our experience and head uphill which is where the old historic center always is… except in Sicily. We eventually ask directions again and are pointed in the direction of down… down a hundred and some stairs and then down a very downhill street. Presto, we are at the doors of the cathedral.

It is midday and the one thing that the Sicilian’s do just like the rest of Italy, is close up shop and lock the churches for the lunch/siesta time. 2 hours of it or so. We wander around taking pictures of the incredible baroque architecture until we decide we too should eat. Your basic cafe/bar, two panini and a pizzolo. Mmmm. Even the bar food is good. Soon things start to open again and we venture in to our first church. Santa Chiara.

  Lise and I take the 101 steps to the choir loft and then the roof where we can see most of the city and all the way to the sea.

Most of the churches are in an endless state of restoration. This is a process so slow that by the time that one restoration effort is concluded, another needs to be undertaken. Sicily is poor. Even the most beautiful and historically relevant areas are neglected and disrespected. The island needs jobs and industry before it can really begin to bring back the glory.

As if on cue, we turn the corner to find Assn Ada Ballet.  I may be on vacation but I can’t get away from ballet.

We shop, (Donna and Lise shop, John finally gets into his voicemail and responds to a couple of texts from work. He prefers this to shopping.) We go into the cathedral, we look for a restaurant that we can come back to later. And then… we have cannoli. Have you ever had a cannoli? If you haven’t had a cannoli in Sicily in a little pastecheria/cafe where they stuff it to order, than I don’t think you’ve really had a cannoli. We swoon. Two cafe espresso and a cappuccino bring us to our senses and we wobble smiling out into the sunlight again.

Back at the orchard, we decide to spend the end of the afternoon and evening on the patio writing post cards, petting the little orange cat that lives in the lemon orchard, sorting some of our photos and generally just enjoying the air we are breathing. Half a salami, cheese and grapes, a little left over tortoloni and we call it a day.

Tomorrow… Syracusa and I still need a haircut.