Day 8 - Saturday November 1, 2025 - Traveling to Siracusa

By Ellen Outten
One of the amazing mosaic floors from 440 AD

We left at 8:45 am this morning and had a two hour bus ride to the Villa Romana del Casale with a toilet and cappuccino break.  Why can’t we have stops like this along US highways.  It was actually a run of the mill gas station with toilets but a counter to order espresso and cappuccino.  

We had another 30 minute drive to the Villa for our tour.  This 4th century AD, 37,000 square foot villa, young by Sicilian standards, was discovered in the 1800’s.  It has the largest and most varied collection of Roman mosaics that still remains.  This villa was also designated as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1997.

It was occupied from the 4th to the 12th century and abandoned due to landslides and floods and over time it was forgotten.  

The first real excavations started in 1929 and major finds were discovered in 1950-1960 and excavation continues today.  Locals made archeologists aware of its existence and allowed for excavation.  Most everything here was under 28 feet of mud and water.

It is full of mosaic floors.  The construction took place at the end of the Roman empire’s reign but the empire was vast and the stone used was shipped by sea from what is now ow Egypt, Iran and Libya.  

There were frescoes on some of the walls but the mudslides and water made them very faint.


What’s left of the aqueduct the Romans built and used

This is the outside bath house where you bathed before entering the house. It had what we would call Radiant heating.

We started into the house with our private local guide.  Above you see the toilets on the far right.  There would have been many more.  Like at Ephesus, they were communal toilets. The wealthy sent their slaves down in advance to warm up the marble.



Everywhere you look, you see the amazing stone work dating back to the years 430-440 AD.












These mosaics are assumed to be in the children’s rooms


Anyone thinking Bargello quilt?

After our tour, we had lunch at a local restaurant that specialized in local, regional cuisine.  This is the first time we were able to choose an entree but yesterday we were asked if we want to try something their house speciality which was sweet and sour Rabbit.  I haven’t had rabbit since Howard used to hunt.  It was time to try again.    The antipasto was equally delicious. Our individual plates had spinach, eggplant, zucchini, pumpkin, and peppers. I’m definitely eating food I haven’t eaten before.

Our lunch restaurant 

The 1st course or antipasto - eggplant, zucchini, fava beans, pumpkin, peppers and spinach. They also came around with a plate of meats and cheeses.  All before the “main”.  Gratefully dessert were a few grapes.

Sweet and sour Rabbit.  Absolutely delicious and really tender

We were back on the bus for our 2 1/2 hour drive to our hotel.   We had a bathroom break at a highway rest area.  It takes our interstate rest stops to a new level.  Lots of things were sold in very large quantities!  Cookie containers that were one long sleeve of cookies about 5 ft long. I know because it was as tall as me.   The best bargain, Chianti for 4 euro!  Fun to shop in a real store rather than the tourist souvenir shops.

Dinner tonight at 7 pm at our amazing hotel.  It’s a real resort in the midst of lemon groves outside of Siracusa.  Just beautiful.  I could stay here and relax for the rest if the trip but it’s best to keep moving.  The cane with the seat is coming in handy sometimes.  

Some pictures of the resort.  More in daylight.  The shape of the pool is. Sexy and portions are an infinity pool

Appetizer. Eggplant parmigiana.  I don’t eat it but I did eat half if this.   Amazing!

Sea bass with spinach, capers. Tomatoes olives!  Excellent!

Only 7,669 steps today but feels like more.  







Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 1, 2025 at 1:57 PM

    Thanks for sharing. The history, the photos, the food - what an amazing trip! - Maureen

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousNovember 1, 2025 at 2:18 PM

    Again such amazing photos!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day. 25 - Thursday, May 22, 2025 - Amsterdam to Phoenix

By Ellen Outten
The day started at 7:30 with a ride from the hotel to the airport. NOTE to myself:  always order.rhe taxi for 1/2 hour earlier than you need it.. it showed up at about 7:35 am and traffic was heavy on the way to Schipol airport.  We had plenty of time, but regardless, it's better to be there early. The flight boarded a little late, but there's so many checks for international gates.  Immigration to leave the country, security for baggage.  We made it to the gate about an hour in advance.   I flew first class home.  There's nothing like it.  The seats are sooo much better.  And if my flight had been an evening flight, I know I would have slept.  God bless lay down seats.  I paid for the first class upgrade and what happens, Wayne gets an upgrade at the airport for free.  He didn't even know he had been upgraded until we were at the gate We arrived 25 minutes late but still had two hours to get to our new gate.  It took abou...
Read more

Day 3 - Wednesday April 30, 2025-Bucharest Romania

By Ellen Outten
Image
Parliament building, the third largest building in the world. Today, with perfect weather (high temp was about 77 degrees with a light breeze and all sun), we left the hotel at 9:00 a.m. on a tour of Bucharest. Our first stop was in the parking lot across the street from the third largest building in the world. This is their Parliament building. The first largest is the Pentagon and the second building is in Thailand. While we didn't go inside it was interesting to stand across the street and see the immenseness of this building. Interesting streetlight and the iron work Across the street from the Parliament is a pretty street with 44 water fountains running down the middle of the street. From there we went to the "Dimitrie Gusti" National Village Museum.  The outdoor museum is  devoted to Romanian village life, with hundreds of peasant farms & homes. The fence is so intricately woven  Typical entrance to a farmhouse.  The opening on the left is for people, the o...
Read more

Day 2 - Tuesday July 18 - Lake Lucerne

By Ellen Outten
Image
   Our hotel for the next two nights. We arrived at the Zurich airport at 7:45 am Tuesday which meant 10:45pm Monday in Mesa AZ.  We had been traveling since 7am. We were fed very well on the plane (9 hour flight from Chicago), both with a dinner 2 hours of boarding and then about 2 hours before landing, we were served breakfast.  The flight was uneventful which is a lovely word when it comes to air travel.  Odyssey Tours sent a driver to pick us up and drive us the one hour to Lake Lucerne.   We met a very nice couple, Patty and Joe from Kentucky that were on the same flight.   We walked around the property, which sits right on the lake, and since it was only about 9:30 am, we had to wait for our rooms.  So, what else is there to do?  Out of whack on time zones, we had a few local beers.  After all it was still 2 am AZ time!                        Snow on the mountain...
Read more