next stop, siracusa
Syracuse (Siracusa in Italian) is lovely, but was unfortunate host to a bad travel day. We stayed in the residential area, the island of Ortigia. Above is a fairly common street scene with wrought iron balconies, and I'm not convinced that there is not a law requiring residents to have window boxes. It was too late in the day to have laundry hanging to dry.
The historic town was holding a Greek tragedy festival while we were there. I did not see Agammemnon in Italian, but the set (see above) is gorgeous. The breeze from the ocean in the background helps the acoustics. Next to the theater is a limestone quarry from Roman times, now filled with lovely magnolia trees and caper plants.
Literally yards from the ocean is a freshwater spring. Legend has it that a water nymph turned into the spring to elude an amorous river god, but he followed her all the way to the sea. Now it is the only place outside of Egypt to grow papyrus! They still make paper out of it; Mom bought two small paintings on the papyrus paper.
Sicily, situated between Africa and Italy, was air bombed over 900 times during World War II. In the main piazza right next to the cathedral (built on a Greek temple, then Roman, adapted into a church by the Normans using the same columns) is a bunker from the war. There were actual specifications like the number of square meters of space per person, adequate air and water, and clay to plug up holes in case of gas attacks. Really interesting. I'm glad I never had to be in one.
