Sicily

Cala Rossa at Sunset

Matteo, Maria, Nonna, Duncan

Monreale, Palermo

Duncan and his cousin, Matteo, at Monreale

Mimma and Matteo

Fountain of Shame, Palermo

Duncan with his cousin, Daniele, and good friend Sylvania at a Greek ruins site

Il Templo, one of the last Greek ruins left in Italy.
Notice a very tiny moon?

Duncan, Daniele, Valeria, Sylvania, and Amy at a beach in Terrasini

Cala Rossa at Sunset

Valeria and Amy at Sunset

The three cousins: Matteo, Daniele, and Duncan

Nonna (Duncan's grandmother), Maria (Duncan's aunt), and Daniele

Nonna, Maria, and Valeria

The largest shop for gelato I've seen, courtesy of Valeria and her mother

Duncan with his Nonna on our last day

Another beautiful sunset in Terrasini

We arrived in Palermo from Venice late in the evening and were greeted with true Sicilian pizza (nothing like any pizza you would have had before except in Sicily) by Duncan's aunt, Maria, and his Nonna.  

Over the course of our stay we went to five different beaches, each unique in their own way.  The Mediterranean Sea truly is a so beautiful!  We snorkeled, helped look for sea urchins (ricci di mare), and just enjoyed the sea.  We normally did this in the mornings before coming back for lunch with the family.  The afternoons were spent doing various things, like going in to Palermo, going to churches, going to downtown Terrasini, or going to Il Templo pictured above.  

We had lots of delicious food and we both made sure to take advantage.  In Sicily, the gelato can be accompanied by a "sweet roll," as Duncan calls it.  In fact, when in Venice, he asked one of the ladies with gelato if they had sweet rolls.... they did not because it is apparently unique to Sicily.  Hence, this is the Italian ice cream sandwich--and it is quite delicious!  (The sweet roll is called "brioche.")

We loved being able to spend time with everyone in Sicily.  We had so many unique experiences with each and every one and we will both cherish the days we were able to spend with them.  We thank you all for hosting us and spending time with us.  Congratulations, again, to Matteo and Mimma who are preparing to bring a little girl into this world, soon.  (Did you see the pictures above with them?)

There are maybe two more posts with pictures coming up for Sicily.  There are a series of pictures that go along with one another that I thought would go better in an individual post instead of having one ultra long post.  Those will be next, then Roma!