hello from Italia

May 27, 2009
Our trip is two-thirds over all ready. We spent the first week in Sicily,
mainly visiting relatives (whom we have never met before) in Castelbuono.
They could not have been more kind or generous. They fed us huge Sicilian
meals. And they never eat dinner before 8 pm in all of Italy, so we eat
and eat and eat and then go to bed. Meals are never less than four
courses, usually more. And the desserts! Mama mia!

We have also been staying at agritourismas along the way which are working
farms that also let people stay overnight and have ristorantes that serve
food they grow at the farm. Also wine they make from their own grapes. I
will set up a Flicker account when I get home because the scenery is
fabuloso.

On Sunday we travelled by train to Naples from Taormina, Sicily. The
train boarded a ferry to the mainland. The whole trip took about six
hours. Naples is like a third world country. It is dirty and loud, but
with beautiful architecture from past glories. We went to a huge museum
there that housed all of the treasures from Pompeii that the Bourbons had
collected. Incredible. Then we went to Pompeii yesterday -66 hectares of
city have been "restored". How big is a hectare?

Today we are in Amalfi at an Internet Point. The Amalfi coast is gorgeous
with cities built and sheer cliffs into the sea. Amalfi has tunnels and
staircases built into the rock. It is touristy, but understandably so.
It is so beautiful. It is also hot.

We also went to Mt Etna and hiked around and we spent some time hiking in
the Madonie national park in Sicily so it has not all been cities and
towns for us. Tomorrow, we turn our direction to Rome and will spend the
last four days of our holiday there.

Until then, ciao from Italia,
Anita