Bella Ragazza

Once again I started the day with an interview from ABC radio in Albany. Looking at the internet it seems that Australians are going silly with Covid19 fever, panic buying of all things toilet paper. What do they think they're going to do with that? Eat it? I was able to report that in Sicily things were much calmer. Life seems to be progressing as usual.

The first thing Edward reported on landing in Sicily was my feelings, or prejudices mayhap, were somewhat startled by observing two elderly gentlemen, of severe aspect and solemn demeanour, meet in the street, and with the utmost gravity deliberately kiss each other-no mere touching of foreheads or cheeks, but lip to lip, they treated one another to a smacking sounding kiss. This is still the case and even in this era of gender fluidity, it is still remarkable to Australian eyes. While they seem to kiss on the cheek, rather than lips, now, it is still a more intimate process that the Aussie man hug that is now common. As Covid19 awareness progressed the kissing did move increasingly toward the "air kiss" but at this stage it was still a close process. Men also stroll arm in arm here in a way that schoolboys did in my childhood (but as gender fluidity has increased-that seems to have decreased in Australia. Funny that.)

The Norman keep at Aci Castello

The prettiest girl in Aci Castello, atop the keep

From Gardino Edward traveled on to Catania. They stopped for lunch in Aci Reale where as usual Edward was alert to the girls whose beauty was remarkable. We passed to the west of Aci Reale on the bus to Taormina yesterday but didn't stop to checkout the ladies. As there is a Hop on, Hop off tourist bus that runs up the coast as far as Aci Trezza which is a little south of Aci Reale, we did that today. We stopped for lunch at Aci Castello which has a Norman castle keep on the waterfront. Edward must have pssed it but despite the fact that it's unmissable he didn't remark on it. (Not enough pretty girls?) At Aci Trezza there are some unusual volcanic rocks in the ocean which according to local legend were rocks thrown by Cyclops at Ulysses as he was escaping from Cyclops lair. (It's no wonder Ulysses took so long to get home, if he came past here on his way from Troy to Greece. He was well and truely lost.)

The rocks at Aci Trezza

In travelling about Sicily Edward often mentions the sulphur mining industry which was a major part of the local economy at that time. Today all that seems to remain are deserted mines and processing plants. On the Catania waterfront there is a significant new convention centre called The Chimneys. It is a renovated sulphur processing plant and retains many of the original chimney stacks. Having this in the middle of the city must have created significant pollution issues. 

Edward describes the coast as largely agricultural and while there are patches today, much of it is covered by the masses of apartment blocks of post war origin. From Catania, Edward had planned to travel on to Syracuse but rain had washed a bridge out about 13km south of town so he had to turn back and abandon his plans for Syracuse. We had travelled up this way from Pozzallo and clearly it was much wetter then because at present  none of the waterways were more than a trickle. 

In the afternoon we visited Bellini Gardens in Catania. It's a 7 hectare park that was a princes front garden, until purchased by the local council in 1854, just before Edward got here. We also bought some stamps to send a few postcards home. The stamps were 3.10euro each which seems exorbitant but they did at least feature a Modigliani nude.