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Sicily 2021, Italy
  • Gina Steiner
October 2021

Sicily 2021, Italy

A 20-day adventure by Gina Read more
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    October 2, 2021
    Gina SteinerSicily 2021, ItalyTraveler

    Winterhude, Hamburg, Germany

    October 1, 2021 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    today is a wonderful day - my backpack is ready and now i‘m going to clear the deck here at home… tomorrow i'll jump into the four-wheel drive with frank and then off we go through germany towards italy, because in livorno we will first set sail. so wish me luck for the next 1500km to come…Read more

  • Gina SteinerSicily 2021, ItalyTraveler

    Karlsruhe, Germany

    October 2, 2021 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    my first ⭐ night out... finally we made our way through germany 🇩🇪 with some traffic 🚗🚙🛻 jams and now we're in karlsruhe. a minute ago we did some yoga 🧘 on the roof of the truck 🚛 and tomorrow morning some people will join at karlsruhe main sation 🚂. i'm happy since i have my favorite tent 🏕️ and now i will enjoy my terry pratchett audio 🎶 book 📙.Read more

  • Gina SteinerSicily 2021, ItalyTraveler

    Pisa, Italy

    October 4, 2021 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 21 °C

    yesterday very late we arrived in pisa 🏛️ - 1500km, 2 days driving 🚒, the traffic was ok and we had no further irritations. this morning i was quite happy with the hot shower 🛀 and after the breakfast 🥣 i took a walk through pisa. well, it hasn't changed during the last 25 years and i still don't get the attraction. buuuuuuut it's an Italian city, thus you get amazing coffee ☕ and really tasty food 😋.
    if we didn't take the ferry 🛳️ in livorno, we would not have stopped in pisa. so this evening we will leave livorno direction palermo over night 🌛 - i'm so much looking forward to sicily ❤️.    Read more

  • Gina SteinerSicily 2021, ItalyTraveler
    2

    Livorno, Italy

    October 4, 2021 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 21 °C

    ⚡🌩️ bye bye livorno! ⛈️⚡

  • Gina SteinerSicily 2021, ItalyTraveler

    Palermo & Monreale, Sicily, Italy

    October 5, 2021 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    today we arrived in palermo and after checking a place to stay over night in sferracafallo we went straight to monreale. monreale is 7 km southwest of palermo on the slope of monte caputo. the inhabitants work mainly in agriculture, trade, handicrafts and tourism. the most famous building is the monreale cathedral, a norman building from the 12th century. it shows the symbiosis of romanesque, arabic and byzantine art that was widespread in sicily at the time. but truely speaking i was more interested in italian salumerias and pasticcerias so most of the time i was looking for them 😜.Read more

  • Gina SteinerSicily 2021, ItalyTraveler

    Pasticceria Modica, Monreale, Italy

    October 5, 2021 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    they look like small cakes, the fine pastries that the italians and i love so much. they are made from shortcrust pastry or puff pastry and usually have a delicious filling. this can be chocolate cream, vanilla, nut cream or ricotta cream cheese. depending on the season, they can be topped with fresh fruit.
    so today i was looking for a pasticceria and found a wonderful one, sat down for a cappuccino and took some pasticcini to go - ohm nom nom 😋.    Read more

  • Gina SteinerSicily 2021, ItalyTraveler

    Salumeria Taormina, Monreale, Italy

    October 5, 2021 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    i love salumerias - in case you don’t know: some of them retail but some of them also produce salumi (italian meat products like sausages, cold cuts and other pork stuff). some salumerias also produce beef-based products, such as bresaola (a salted beef product) and purvey other food products such as pasta, cheese, preserved foods, anchovies, salt cod, wines, bread and cooked meats.
    the salumerias date back to the middle ages and they selected products from local purveyors which worked in a guild system. purveyors for salumeria products included the salaroli, which controlled the salt industry, who salted the pork, which was then shipped to the lardaioli, a guild that sold the pork. the lardaioli also produced soap and candles from the pork lard they would receive. a funny fact is, that this guild system was eliminated by napoléon bonaparte around the time of the turn of the 19th century.
    but whatever he did... i'm grateful that the salumerias still exist...    Read more

  • Gina SteinerSicily 2021, ItalyTraveler
    2

    Segesta, Sicily, Italy

    October 6, 2021 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    segesta was an ancient city in northwestern sicily. it was located on the 410 m high monte barbaro near trapani. in this position segesta controlled the main roads between the coast and the backland, and the gulf of castellammare can be seen from the hill. there is also visual contact with the other two elymian centers, eryx and entella, so that signals could be sent between these three cities. the origin and foundation of segesta are extremely obscure and i did not get the stuff i was reading... seems like nobody really knows 😜 - but who cares... it's a nice view and and short hike up o the hill. next time i'm around i will go swimming... 😜😂😁Read more

  • Gina SteinerSicily 2021, ItalyTraveler
    2
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    Trapani, Sicily, Italy

    October 6, 2021 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    trapani lies in the utmost northwest of sicily on a headland at the foot of monte erice. in front of the coast runs the border of tyrrhenian and mediterranean sea. trapani is therefore called "città tra due mari" (city between two seas). trapani acts much less "italian" than the other sicilian cities, you can eat couscous everywhere. obviously, the arab influences are still very alive, because "'imārat ṣiqilliya" was an Islamic emirate that dominated the island from 831 to 1091. under muslim rule, the island became wealthy and cosmopolitan. trade and agriculture flourished, the island was multiconfessional and multilingual and developed a pronounced arab-byzantine culture - and this is still visible in trapani today.Read more

  • Gina SteinerSicily 2021, ItalyTraveler
    2

    Riserva naturale orientata dello Zingaro

    October 7, 2021 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    today i have been hiking in zingaro... the zingaro nature reserve is a nature reserve in the province of trapani in northwestern sicily. when the construction of a road along one of the most scenic coastal stretches from castellammare del golfo to san vito lo capo was planned at the end of the 1970s, there were considerable civil protests. the government then relented and established zingaro, the first nature reserve in sicily, on may 6, 1981. the reserve covers 1,600 hectares and an approx. 7km long coastal strip with small sandy bays and rough limestone cliffs. a hike is definitely worth it, you can hike at the top to the pizzo aquila (754m), in the middle to the pizzo corvo (403m) or along the coast below. a circular route is certainly very nice, the three routes are always connected to each other and well signposted. you should bring 6h with you, because the bays are beautiful and even with a lot of waves you can at least swim in the cala dell 'uzzo.Read more

  • Gina SteinerSicily 2021, ItalyTraveler

    Erice, Sicily, Italy

    October 7, 2021 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    today after the hike i visited a village called erice (ancient name eryx), it is located 15km northeast of trapani on monte erice at an altitude of 751m. in ancient times, the city of eryx, along with segesta and entella, was one of the three largest cities of the elymians.
    if you ever plan to visit erice, i recommend a visit of the pasticceria maria grammatico. there you will find the best marzipan and almond biscuits in sicily, made only from the island's own products. zia maria (aunt maria) is almost a celebrity in erice, she grew up as an orphan with the nuns. she had to help in the kitchen and she (secretly) copied the nuns' recipes and wrote them down. these are now the basis for the dolci. you should taste the specialty there: genovesi ericine and cannoli siciliani (last photo). the genovesi erice are shortcrust pastry cakes with a delicate custard inside and the cannoli siciliani consist of a deep-fried rolling pin with a sweet, creamy filling made from ricotta, which can contain vanilla, cocoa, chocolate chips or candied fruit.    Read more

  • Gina SteinerSicily 2021, ItalyTraveler

    Seliunte, Sicily, Italy

    October 8, 2021 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    today i visited celery city... 🥬🥬🥬
    the ancient greek city seliunte was named after σέλινο (sélino) which means celery. in the marshy lowlands of the river selinus, there were large celery stands, which were naming for the city and the river. even the coat of arms of the city was dedicated to celery and contained the tip of a celery... so for all vegetarians this might be the place to be...
    selinunt was founded in the 7th century bc by doric greek and existed around 400 years. it was famous for the fertile soils on which a particularly good wheat grew, so the city quickly gained great wealth, which manifested particularly in the numerous large temple buildings. hannibal destroyed it 409 bc after nine days of siege for still inexplicable reasons. no idea what kind of problem he had with seliunte... maybe a girl?!?
    but back to the location.... one of the temples in the acropolis has an interesting flooring: the bull head 🐂 of the god baal is incorporated into the floor with white mosaic stones. the rest is more or less what you already know about greek temple 🏛️ 😜. the terrain is spacious in a beautiful location on the coast (no shade) so in august, the visit might probably be a torture ...    Read more

  • Gina SteinerSicily 2021, ItalyTraveler

    Capo Bianco, Sicily, Italy

    October 8, 2021 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    today i went hiking at capo bianco. the original plan was to start hiking at the excavation site eraclea minoa at the top of the cliff and then return to the lido garibalbi at the bottom of the cliff, but the path was closed due to construction work. so we parked the truck down at the lido and i walked along the beach to the cliffs and on the same way back. there is no sand at the top of capa bianco, as the rocks extend into the water. so wading through water is the solution here and since the weather is not very stable at the moment and we therefore have waves, you have to roll up to your thighs. with barefoot shoes it all went wonderfully, but since a drizzle was approaching, i only waded around the first rocky nose. further back there is another one where you may have to go into the water up to your waist. in any case, a very nice place and a beautiful and lonely beach - but that was certainly also due to the fact that the restaurant was closed ...Read more

  • Gina SteinerSicily 2021, ItalyTraveler

    San Leone, Sicily, Italy

    October 9, 2021 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    today is a “stand day”, which means that today all the things that need time can be done. washing, greasing the bus, repairing the bus, lying in the sun, cutting hair, mending clothes - whatever comes to mind. so we're standing with the truck on the campsite on the beach and having a good time. agrigento is around the corner and i could certainly see a lot of interesting things there - also a lot of temples and such - but here i prefer to lie in the hammock for a day (this time I haven't forgotten it!), swim in the sea and paint my postcards, that i still want to send. how great life is !!!Read more

  • Gina SteinerSicily 2021, ItalyTraveler

    Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily, Italy

    October 10, 2021 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    progress is when you invent the toothbrush - culture, when you use it ... today was about culture, so after brushing my teeth i visited a roman villa... the villa romana del casale is a late roman villa urbana near the city piazza armerina. it is an important monument of roman sicily and famous for its floor mosaics. in 1997, UNESCO declared it a world heritage site. the floor of almost all rooms of the property is covered with mosaics of colored tesserae, which in total cover an area of ​​around 3,500 m² and consist of around 120 million individual stones, more than in any other known building of the roman empire. especially i liked the arcade with the animal portraits, the “bikini girls” and the cyclop. now that i’m writing i can't really make up my mind because the elephants and the tigers ... in one of the bedrooms there are scenes depicting the robbery of women - that amazed me very much. in the outside area you can walk over the mosaic, that's a very strange feeling ... in the meantime i have really seen a lot of roman villas with mosaics but this one takes the cake... especially the good descriptions on the mosaics invite you to read and read and read...Read more

  • Gina SteinerSicily 2021, ItalyTraveler
    4
    1

    Ragusa, Sicily, Italy

    October 10, 2021 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    ragusa is the brand name of a swiss chocolate line from the family company "chocolats camille bloch". a long time ago this family bought a nice city in sicily and named it after this brand... hmmm well no... but i had to try... but better back to the truth... ragusa is one of the late baroque towns of the val di noto, which was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 2002. later on i will tell you more about the chocolate ;-)... the city ragusa is located in the sicilian mountains near the south coast, more precisely in the monti iblei at an altitude of 520m and is 92km from syrakusa and 248km from palermo. the city center consists of two parts that are separated by a gorge. in the east, on the site of the old town, lies the lower town of ragusa ibla with magnificent buildings in the style of the sicilian baroque from the 18th century. a large number of baroque churches and palaces are located here. on a hill in the west lies the upper town of ragusa superiore, which was also laid out in the 18th century rather soberly and geometrically. most of the city's residents live here. the cathedral of san giovanni battista stands here next to the city's administrative buildings. the two parts of the city, which are separated by a ravine, are connected by three bridges. we walked from the piazza libertà in the upper town through many small alleys, stairs, up and down over the duomo di san giorgio to the giardino ibleo in the lower town. an espresso here, a sicilian ice cream there - the sicilians make really delicious ice cream ... at the giardino ibleo you ideally take the small city bus back, which not only saves you having to climb the stairs on the way back, but it is also a lot of fun to whiz along the small roads with the small bus. incidentally, you also get a short city tour, as the bus drives along the other side of the gorge. as the bus also goes to piazza libertà on sundays, this is an ideal starting point.
    now coming back to family bloch... the name of the ragusa chocolat refers to ragusa, the old name of the croatian city of dubrovnik, where camille bloch once spent his vacation.    Read more

  • Gina SteinerSicily 2021, ItalyTraveler

    Granita, Sicily, Italy

    October 11, 2021 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    do you know granita? i love ❤️ it... granita is a frozen sicilian "dessert" with a sorbet-like consistency. the term comes from the latin granum = grain, because of its grainy consistency.
    the most common variant is made from sugar syrup and lots of freshly squeezed lemon juice. the mixture is gradually frozen while stirring and served in a goblet. there are a multitude of variants in which the lemon juice is replaced, for example, with roasted and ground almonds or coffee. the granita is often eaten with pastries such as brioches, especially for breakfast on hot summer days. from now on my favorite breakfast in summer!!!Read more

  • Gina SteinerSicily 2021, ItalyTraveler

    Modica, Sicily, Italy

    October 11, 2021 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    modica is known for its chocolate - let's go!!! 😜
    cioccolato di modica is a specialty officially recognized by the italian ministry as "prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale italiano". it is made cold (a freddo) according to a traditional recipe and not conched. of course, i had to look at it and searched for the most traditional chocolate factory and visited the kitchen. for six generations and more than 150 years, antica dolceria bonajuto has been producing its own chocolate, sweets and nougats by hand according to traditional recipes from modican and sicilian tradition. i had to be very restrained when shopping 😜...
    modica is also otherwise a very beautiful town. it is located at an altitude of 296m and 20km southeast of ragusa on the southern slopes of the monti iblei. the arabs conquered the city in 845 and named it mohac. in the 11th century the normans, took over the city.
    there are some beautiful churches, one of which is particularly worth seeing is the 12th century church of san giorgio. it is at the end of a staircase with 250 steps. you can climb the church tower for a fee and from there you have a great view of the city. like other towns in the val di noto, modica was destroyed by the severe earthquake in 1693, which killed 60,000 people in sicily. the city was rebuilt in the sicilian baroque style, including the church of san giorgio (in the 17th century by rosario gagliardi).    Read more

  • Gina SteinerSicily 2021, ItalyTraveler

    Market, Ortigia, Siracusa, Sicily, Italy

    October 12, 2021 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    every wednesday there is a market in siracusa, what luck that i'm here today! the market can be found at the squares in the historic center on via emanuele de benedictis. the market starts at 8am and ends at 1:30pm. luckily i got there early, so there weren't many tourists yet. the fish market is really great, the last time i bought super fresh and delicious kalamari here. don't miss it, when you're here.Read more

  • Gina SteinerSicily 2021, ItalyTraveler
    3

    Chiesa San Filippo Apostolo, Siracusa

    October 12, 2021 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    catacombes and spiritual baths - the island of ortigia is traversed by an unground tunnel network. it's the second only to that in rome.
    the church of san filippo apostolo is a catholic church built in 1743 and is located in the giudecca district of ortigia, the historic center of the city of syracuse. right under the church, accessible through a trap door, you can enter the crypt with ossuary. but there are other levels below the crypt. in total there are three levels with a total depth of 18 m. the middle and lower levels are older than the church, the church was later built above. the second level was built in 2750 bc by the greeks and used to transport fresh water and sewage. this level also contains tunnels up to 300m long that connect the churches with each other. they have been used for escape purposes since they were built. they also served as bunkers in world war II. there was space for 10,000 people, that's 3 people per square meter - people stayed in the bunker for up to 3 months. in the lowest level there is a spring that the syracuse jewish community used as a ritual bath (mikveh) during their stay in the district. this is also the origin for the name of the district: "giudecca".
    if you are in ortigia, do not miss a visit to the church crypt!    Read more

  • Gina SteinerSicily 2021, ItalyTraveler

    Ortigia, Siracusa, Sicily, Italy

    October 12, 2021 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    i spent 10 days here in ortigia three years ago and rented an apartment with a backyard in one of the most beautiful streets through airbnb. in the morning i strolled through the small alleys to the "solarium" in my dressing gown. these are places between the cliffs that can be reached by stairs and from which you can swim. in the evening i enjoyed aperitifs in the sunset by the sea. so ortigia is not just something for a day trip like today.
    now a little more about the place: ortigia is the name of a small island off the east coast of sicily, which forms the historical center of the city of siracusa and is only separated from the mainland by a passage a few meters wide. it covers an area of ​​almost one square kilometer and has around 4,500 inhabitants. in the second half of the 20th century, the resident population began to move away from the island, accompanied by an increase in crime and some decline. however, a number of urban projects succeeded in re-urbanization through restoration work and the establishment of tourist infrastructures such as hotels and a museum. ortigia has been a listed building since 1976 by a law of the sicilian regional assembly.
    in short: it's worth a trip.    Read more

  • Gina SteinerSicily 2021, ItalyTraveler

    Necropoli di Pantalica, Sicily, Italy

    October 13, 2021 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    today i laced my hiking boots again and went to the necropolis of pantalica. this is one of the great necropolises of sicily and includes more than 5000 chamber tombs dating from the late sicilian bronze age and the early iron age. the necropolis lays in the monti iblei between the towns of ferla and sortino. a beautiful area between lime stone cliffs, mountains and valleys, some of which drop vertically. there is a bewitching smell of wild herbs and jasmine. along the way you can find some old cave chapels and lime stone caves. the "small round" there is about 7km long, but the terrain is difficult and with the detour to the caves and chapels you should plan 3.5 hours. it is worth taking your swimwear with you, because the river is crystal clear and picturesque - but then you need 4 hours. if you own walking sticks, take them with you!Read more

  • Gina SteinerSicily 2021, ItalyTraveler

    Brioche con gelato, Taormina, Sicily

    October 14, 2021 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    i noticed it straight away in monreale: ice cream in a bun... how funny is that ... the two hip sicilian boys who ate it there were a bit irritated that i was staring on their ice cream for quite a while. i later found out what exactly the ice cream in the bun is all about: brioche con gelato - a brioche filled with ice cream. the dough is comparable to that of the french pan au lait, because it is soft and sweet. it’s filled with *a lot of* ice cream of your choice. the brioche con gelato often replaces lunch, so today i had a brioche con gelato for lunch…Read more

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