{"id":677,"date":"2016-08-27T11:39:28","date_gmt":"2016-08-27T17:39:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.earthlylocomotion.com\/?p=677"},"modified":"2016-08-27T11:39:28","modified_gmt":"2016-08-27T17:39:28","slug":"siracusa-island-of-ortigia-sicily","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.earthlylocomotion.com\/?p=677","title":{"rendered":"Siracusa & Island of Ortigia, Sicily"},"content":{"rendered":"

This stop was by far my best so far for this trip to Sicily. Ortigia is located just over a short bridge form Siracusa, on the south eastern coast of Sicily. There are few cars here. The streets are devoid of any litter. Parts of the island appear as a movie set, especially at night. This is the historical heart of Siracusa. Walking all over this small island is a pleasure with its tight-medieval lanes, romantically-crumbling (or lovingly-restored) baroque palaces and churches. The restaurants and bars are plentiful and each one unique. With a walking map you can find your way all over this island.<\/p>\n

\"This
This is where I was able to do a short-term lease. Not impressive from the street, but as you’ll see in some of the following images of the interior, you should not judge a book by its cover, or in this case a villa from the street.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Here's
Here’s an image of my villa’s game room. \u00a0I was on the upper most floor of this 3 story building. \u00a0Only 86 steps up to get here. \u00a0 There was a lift, however it literally took 5 minutes to make the trip up and you thought you might suffocate since there was no ventilation. \u00a0So I opted for the steps every time.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Another
Another angle of the game room.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"This
This is my kitchen which was fully equipped and had a full compliment of spices and the like. Helpful since I walked to the local market for seafood and vegetables almost daily.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"DSC01530\"
My housekeeper (who again was included with the base lease rate) took this image of me cooking a bountiful cioppino.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"View
View from my veranda.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"DSC01855\"
This is the veranda. Great spot to enjoy a morning espresso and fresh ricotta cheese with honey.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"DSC01843\"
These are Syrian refugees arriving from their war torn country. They have been intercepted by the Italian coast guard. These images are taken from my veranda. \u00a0During my stay here this was just about a daily occurrence.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"DSC01844\"
Closer image of the new immigrants. The woman and children are brought in first. These are just the men and boys.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"DSC01838\"
Processing tent. Notice the masks on the police doing the processing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"DSC01852\"
View of the holding area which was taken from my veranda. Here you can see the women and children. \u00a0It’s such a contrast in life to see such suffering on such a large scale while still enjoying an espresso. \u00a0I am both lucky and grateful.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"DSC01653\"
This was taken just before the Italian authorities delivered 30 or so pizzas for the refugees. Maybe this little smiling girl just got the news. \u00a0These images put a real human face on this humanitarian tragedy as it still unfolds.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"DSC01631\"
I went into this restaurant for lunch and got a special treat. This image is taken from an underground grotto\/shrine just under the restaurant’s floor. Notice the tables and chairs on the lucite floor above.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"DSC01634\"
Image of the grotto\/shrine and the spiral staircase I took to get down here. \u00a0The water running through this is from the same underground spring that supplies the entire island of Ortigia. \u00a0Once is flows through here is empties to the sea.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"DSC01635\"
Just one more image because this encounter was so unexpected and cool. \u00a0Very trippy experience too.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"DSC01627\"
Local Sicilian fisherman on the hunt for dinner. Gotta love the Speedo too. \u00a0If I could look like him I’d wear one too.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"DSC01618\"
Snails for sale in the local outdoor market. Tasty, and best when you keep the recipe simple, garlic, butter and a little white wine.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"DSC01860\"
A local shopkeeper at the market embraces my housekeeper. She looks to be enjoying it too much. \u00a0This guys sells the best daily made ricotta cheese I tasted on the trip. \u00a0I never knew what really good ricotta tasted like til I tasted his.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"DSC01466\"
I took a boat around the island. Don’t forget to duck here. Otherwise you lose your head. \u00a0No joke just check the next image.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"DSC01464\"
It was a tight fit under this bridge. Just look. I had to hit the deck.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"DSC01484\"
View of Ortigia from the water.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"DSC01493\"
Castello Maniace from the water. This was a fortress and defensive site protecting Ortigia. This castle dates back to the thirteenth century.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"DSC01497\"
Another image of Ortigia from the water.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"DSC01415\"
Bank of Sicily in the background of this beautiful fountain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"DSC01461\"
Local church.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"DSC01640\"
Cathedral of Siracusa. The exterior has been power washed and thus appears to be only a few hundred years old, when in fact it is almost 900 years old.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"DSC01521\"
La pasagiata. A beautiful daily event happening in the late afternoon and early evening. It is a stroll and time for conversation among friends. These three gentlemen were amongst the people taking part.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"DSC01603\"
Courtyard of the Duomo at night. Just like a movie set. \u00a0There was an accordion player whose beautiful tunes could be heard throughout this piazza.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"DSC01883\"
Courtyard of the Duomo at daytime.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"DSC01583\"
Great spot for a bottle of Prosecco. \u00a0Like almost every night.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"DSC01561\"
The streets at night. \u00a0Clean, quiet and safe. \u00a0Quite the contrast from Palermo a few weeks ago.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Next week I plan to travel to Amalfi and Capri. \u00a0In the meantime I’m really digging this place. \u00a0Until next time, be well.<\/p>\n

Craig<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This stop was by far my best so far for this trip to Sicily. Ortigia is located just over a short bridge form Siracusa, on the south eastern coast of Sicily. There are few cars here. The streets are devoid of any litter. Parts of the island appear as a movie set, especially at night. … Continue reading Siracusa & Island of Ortigia, Sicily<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.earthlylocomotion.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/677","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.earthlylocomotion.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.earthlylocomotion.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.earthlylocomotion.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.earthlylocomotion.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=677"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.earthlylocomotion.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/677\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":719,"href":"https:\/\/www.earthlylocomotion.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/677\/revisions\/719"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.earthlylocomotion.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=677"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.earthlylocomotion.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=677"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.earthlylocomotion.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}