I would like to THANK ALL OF YOU WHO sent me a comment or email expressing your thoughts on MY BLOG and how long you have been READING IT!IT TRUELY CHEERED ME UP!We have been at this for a really long time and it was nice to hear from a few of you who had never commented before!You PEOPLE put a SMILE ON MY FACE every time I POST!
We are down to the NITTY – GRITTY of SICILIAN photos for this blog post and then I will take YOU to ROMA as THE ITALIANS SAY better known to us as ROME!
SHALL WE GET STARTED………………ANDIAMO!
(WE GO!)
I do believe this was a village on top of a big hill called ERICE!Can anyone verify that for me?
We walked into a church and I was SMITTEN by this piece of woodwork………
I was thinking how could I use this and where could I place it in MY HOUSE!
I NEVER stop thinking about bringing MORE into the small abode!
Even if I am starting to WEED OUT!
The ITALIAN walking behind me VERY UNUSUAL!
A PERFECT BELL TOWER for a church.
See the yellow sign I cut off in my photo?
That always tells you the years and names of these BEAUTIES!
The VIEW FROM ERICE unless you tell me I am WRONG!
Beach time………….there is always someone to watch and the people watching is wonderful!
The sailboats anchor for the night usually.
This is how THE ITALIAN and I spent our HONEYMOON!
On a sailboat in the MEDITERRANEAN SEA!
Going from the Cinque Terra down to ELBA, SARDINIA, and Giglio.
The water is clear and warm……..no need to say BRRRRR when you step in!
Normally, you can walk far out before your waist hits the water.
My FAVORITE!
THE MAROCCHINI from MOROCCO walk those beaches selling their GOODS!
HARD WORK and people can be very FLIPPANT!
When we lived in ITALY we would go to the beach all summer.The Italian would set us up at the campground BAIA VERDE close to PUNTA ALA near GROSSETO.His family went there every summer for over 30 years!You are remembered and MAKE LIFE LONG FRIENDS.It was very cheap back in the 1990’s if I recall correctly it was $3.00 a day for your tent,$2.00 a day for an adult and .50 cents per child.Babies were FREE!The campground had an ice cream shop, a butcher, a Laundromat,a produce store and a grocery shop!Even had nightly entertainment in the form of a circus or band.There was a video arcade as well with ping pong and shuffleboard.
NOTHING LIKE AN AMERICAN CAMPGROUND!
I think I have told you about the bathrooms already, but I will tell you again!They were CLEANED twice a day. The cleaning LADIES wore boots to their knees and used hoses to get rid of the sand from the beach.Sinks for brushing teeth and cleaning up and showers of course, plus more sinks OUTSIDE for dishes and pots and pans!VERY CIVILIZED!
EVEN A CHOO – CHOO TRAIN cruised in the evening tooting its horn for the children to ride.
Children were FREE TO RIDE their bicycles during the day and night.
NO FEAR OF KIDNAPPING AT THIS TIME!
NO CARS ALLOWED unless you were setting up!All cars parked outside in a BIG LOT.
Most adults brought bicycles and that is how you would do your grocery shopping by hanging the bags off the handlebars or in a basket!
FOR A PERSON WHO HATED CAMPING IN AMERICA; I GREW TO LOVE THIS PLACE called BAIA VERDE!
In fact, we have friends arriving next week who we met at BAIA VERDE from ITALY over thirty years ago!
AN OLD TUNA BOAT………….protected from the elements.
WHO CAN TELL ME WHAT THIS SAYS?
I LOVED THE SHAPE, PATINA AND LOOK ABOUT IT!
I am told it is a sign for CONCIERGE OFFICE.
This is the spot I fell and slipped.Where I hurt my back.I was walking on the road there in sandals.
I took this photo right before it happened!
I cannot remember what that SIGN means for TRAFFIC and I did GO TO DRIVING SCHOOL in FLORENCE in 1992.I still can not believe I passed the EXAM.In ITALY you have to know what the parts of the MOTOR do and their FUNCTIONS!HECK, I did not know that information in ENGLISH let alone ITALIAN.
My guess is the sign says DO NOT ENTER or NO PARKING!
I should remember this from my SCUOLA GUIDA DAYS!
SCHOOL of DRIVING!
I will give myself a break it was over 30 years ago!
Right before the SLIP where I did not go down to my knees or butt!
I just TWISTED MY BACK!
We were headed to the beach after this stop.
Old anchors, parts of leftover boats and VIEWS FOR DAYS!
SALT MOUND!
ITALIANS USE A LOT OF SALT.
THEY ALWAYS USE IN THE PASTA WATER AND ITS USUALLY ROCK SALT!
LOOK How CLEAN THAT WATER IS……………
FIRST DAY IN PALERMO!
THAT IS A LEMON GRANITA and FRIES!I think I needed SOME SALT!
IT WAS A SNACK!
PALERMO!
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CORNER I HAVE EVER SEEN!
ON ALL FOUR CORNERS WAS ARCHITECTURE LIKE THIS!
DOES ANYONE KNOW THE HISTORY BEHIND THIS SQUARE?
A STREET SCENE that made me SMILE…………….so put together with beautiful skin and the cell phone!
He is keeping up to date; I give him a BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR THAT!
SICILY you were AMAZING!
I made him stand here as I thought he matched the doors so BEAUTIFULLY!
This is the STUFF I LOVE!
Wouldn’t those doors make GREAT HEADBOARDS!
PARKING for our hotel in PALERMO!
AN OLD THEATER!
MORE DOORS!
I have a door and gate FETISH……………..
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THEM!
We ended up changing HOTELS in PALERMO!The ITALIAN was annoyed with the one he booked for many reasons.I will not go into all of that but we only spent one night there after doing the carriage ride with horse and buggy and trying to be gouged by the young man who took us on the tour!I walked away yelling BASTA……….which means ENOUGH!
I WAS MAD!
The Italian found a contact lens on the bathroom wall!
NOT OURS………but what really sent him through the roof was the breakfast order had to be done that night before with the time!His reasoning was I do not know what time I will wake up nor do I know what I want for breakfast!
WE CHANGED HOTELS AND IT COULD HAVE NOT BEEN BETTER FOR THE LAST THREE DAYS IN SICILY!
Photo above of the beach from our room.
HE WAS IN HIS ELEMENT!
GOT YELLED AT FROM THE LIFEGUARD’s TWICE!
TWO DIFFERENT YOUNG BOYS!
Now this is a man who went to the ITALIAN NAVAL ACADEMY in LIVORNO.
HE KNOWS WATER AND HOW TO SAIL!
HE ALSO HAS BEEN SHOT OUT OF A MISSILE AREA IN A SUBMARINE TO GET OUT!
He sailed from LIVORNO,ITALY to the EAST COAST of the United States on THE VESPUCCI.
(Look that sailboat up if you don’t know it!)
He knows what he is doing but the BOYS were doing their jobs!They did not want to have to SAVE HIM!
He went passed the buoy’s further than allowed.
WHY? To see the rocks……..
Second YELLING came from bad weather arriving and there was lightening and thunder.
Off he goes for his adventure!
THE LIFEBOAT that would have SAVED HIM!
As you can see NO CROWDS YET!This was our aperitif to watch the sunset.
THERE SHE GOES………….
TO START THE DINNER……….a taste of fish which we shared.
AT THE END OF A PIER we found this.
WE WALKED DOWN one eve…………….to DIGEST!
Morning on the balcony with coffee and gluten free cookies.
The last small peak on the right there is a crane in front of the hill.Hard to make out but its there.
Do you recall last summer 2024 a CATAMARAN SAILBOAT that got hit by a wave during the early morning hours that sunk?Well this was the Crane trying to pull the sailboat back up!It had been under water almost a year and a few people died.The story in SICILY was one of the divers going down to get it ready to pull up and out of the water DIED so work had stopped.THE DAY WE LEFT THEY GOT THE CATAMARAN UP!
SO LONG SICILY…………………I enjoyed this trip SO MUCH!
I have to thank the show THE WHITE LOTUS and my buddy PENELOPE BIANCHI for sharing her adventures while there.I had ALWAYS wanted to go but that show and Penelope wearing one of my CAFTANS I sold here on THE BLOG sealed the IDEA!
IT WAS ON MY BUCKET LIST.
JUST SICILY nothing else.
I always thought I would get to GREECE but I do not see that happening.
This trip SATISFIED ME and its okay if there is no more BIG TRAVEL.
I enjoy your comments if you have the time just keep scrolling downwards.
Otherwise, THANK YOU for READING!
XXX
CONTESSA
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