Day 42 Thursday 31 October  Levanto and Framura

After the exertions of yesterday, a more restful day today;  the morning was taken up with  laundry to last us for the coming week during  our journey home ( ferry from Caen Wed 6 overnight)
I wandered around the old town area for half an hour and spotted the entrance to the uphill  walk trail to Monterosso not far from the campsite .
Very taken  by the beauty of  Rationalist architecture of the Casino hotel restaurant on the beach, built by the mayor in 30's to attract the big wigs and starlets.
As the weather was drizzly, my toe was still bruised and painful for any  uneven walking , we opted to do the off road  flat cycle/ walk way from Levanto to 2 local villages , Bosonolara  and Framura , Levanto had turned a disused railway  into a car free cycle walk way  path through many hill  tunnels with occasional breaks for  glimpses of rocky outlets and small coves to peer down into, a satisfying  10 k in total.
Watched the small children back in Levanto town centre  dressed up in full make up ,witches, devils, imps  outfits scampering between shops ,the shop keepers came outside to encourage them, a cafe had a Halloween party on tho go , filled with very  excited  children racing around👹👻❤️and blaring music.We retreated to the van for an evening of resting, reading and blogging and another night of  clock chimes  every 15 minutes on this beautiful campsite ! Tough walking from here for the very fit.

Day 41 Tuesday 30 October Levanto to Cinque Terre towns

Up early , we  sympathised with a man from Vienna making his way home with his poorly dog Ricky .He had taken his dog  in an off road truck,  big wheels, to Morrocco and Mauritania and Ricky had been bitten by a tick which was potentially life threatening , thanks to treatment as in -patient at a local vets, he had pulled through  ( we see a lot of the bumper trucks  at WOMAD music festival )
Poor Ricky , worried  owner.
We drove along the coastal motorway around  the outskirts of Genova to the Levante coastlinr and stayed at our poshest campsite yet ,€35 per night (!)  in order to visit the  Cinque Terre towns more easily .Camping Acqua Dolce, the campsite, very pretty , tiered terraces with olive trees , cafe/ restaurant , modern shower block ( canned soft rock musak 😣) , excellent English , helpful receptionist and Luciferano the resident ,large ,  imperious looking black cat .The site was well tended , a few minutes walk from  Levanto, a very smart beach resort town with a long , dark grey, sandy  beach, shallow waters  and a 13th century old town with  fortified walls and a  castle ( private)
We could only stay 2 nights as Friday 1 November was  All Saints Day in Italy so the campsite was full for the weekend despite the cool showery weather.
We walked to the local railway station (uphill) for 15 minutes and bought  a 8€ return ticket to Monterosso  beach town .
10 minutes by train
At Monterosso , we caught one of the last ferries running  of the season and saw all the Cinque Terre towns in turn .We spent 90 mins in Portovenere wandering around the castle, picturesque harbour and old town and reboarded the ferry .We spent 2 hours in La Spezia , a very attractive large  port town ( where all the cruise ships go ) with lots of shops , a huge harbour and an  old town. Desperate for alternatives to pizza and pasta, we located a Punjabi street food restaurant and had our first blissful Indian meal for 6 weeks, spinach paneer, dhal mixed veg rice , heavenly ...
We were objects of much curiosity as an older white couple in a young fast food joint , guess they don't get many cruise ship customers calling in there .
We caught the train back from La Spezia to Levanto and had a drink in the cafe .
Got chatting to the German couple pitched   next to us , also enjoying a drink in the cafe
Gerhald was a retired English and German  Literature teacher and latterly headmistress at a  grammar school .Her English was fluent and conversational .Tom, her partner was a classical music critic and journalist .They lived in S Germany .They had spent many summers in Cambridge with good friends , one of whom had taken on British citizenship reluctantly because of the Brexit debacle .
It was a delight to talk to this  Guardian reading couple about the sorrows of Brexit of course , the failure to address anti semitism..in the Labour party  by Jeremy Corbyn  but also  wonderful to swap recommendations of great books we had read recently.
Gerhald recommended a Norwegian book called The Lobster Life by Erik Fosnes Hansen and I recommended a Booker long list read this year called 'My sister is a serial killer'.We bonded over 'the Room' great book which didn't make it to the Booker shortlist ( the year 'the Finkhelor question' won )
I wished Tom's spoken English or my German  had been better, a violin and Orchestra  viola player and a  renowned music critic ! Would have been great to chat to him more
They had been coming to the area for 30 years twice a year in the shoulder season and knew the owner well , praising his efforts to bring the campsite to its current standards .They thought the touristification and Disney theme park -like  nature  of the Cinque Terre towns had spoiled their appeal  .
We were inclined to agree ..
The clock of the local church tower chimed every 15 minutes throughout the night , but it didn't disturb us.

Day 40 Tuesday 29 Oct. GNV ferry Sicily  to Genova,Italy  and on to  Spotorno, Ligurian coast

Calm crossing on Tyrrenhian sea,  good night's sleep in that  spacious bed, fridge ,TV .. Worth €48 , every cent !
Buying the meal pass €34 each for 2 meals and breakfast a mistake for vegetarians as food options mainly limited to meat and fish .
We didn't eat late last night thinking we could have 2 meals  today but it didnt work like that..
You can only have selected items, so we dined on pasta and more pasta and bread and croissants , v stodgy canteen food, anything healthy you have to pay extra  for
Sun shone weakly throughout the crossing, balmy breeze  which we spent in the dog  exercise area at the back of the ferry , comparing owners and their dogs resemblances ,when not luxuriating in our state room . Having vacated it ,we waited 2 and and half hours in the 8 th  cafe for our call to move back into our vans/ cars/ lorries, some pretty fed up children, dogs and adults too..
Reaching the van on the bottom level  involved a hydraulic roof being raised  which we stood and watched ,GNV and Brittany ferries have very different ideas re H and S.
No stops or campsites near Genova so we drove along the Ligurian coast , the campsite we  had selected up  in the Piedmont hills was closed, so  we settled on campsite Leo on the coast , open all year , very near  the handsome town of Spotorno, just by the railway ( not noisy ) good campsite , beach access 10-15;mins  , clean toilets, very upmarket area , autumn roadworks and  a dug up  esplanade . €20 per night .Unlimited hot showers .

Day 39 Monday 28 October Palermo to Cefalu

A tumble from the van first thing using  our improvised plastic crate substitute  step: it  tipped over,  as I stepped onto  it, carrying a full washing up bowl in front of me.

Fell heavily on my knees on to the rough gravel surface and twisted my big toe in the process and smashed our breakfast bowls. Felt very shaken and winded and couldn't get up until my breathing settle.

Andy was off searching for water waste disposal points so two very kind olive pickers and a female campervanner came to my rescue to pick me up, they were very consoling. I irrigated the bleeding knees and strapped the bruised swollen big toe to its buddy just in case.

This camp site is also great. English spoken, very friendly and helpful reception staff, family business. Very secure, quiet and scenic, near supermarket and restaurants, hot, unlimited, clean and  spacious power jet showers. Two buses into the centre/old quarter, reliable bus network (trains too).

So much to marvel at here, city of culture last year.



Trip to Cefalu, managed well by Andy who is a bit of an old hand by now at navigating the labyrinthine Sicilian  motorways and  unpredictable weaving city drivers.

90 minutes some on the toll motorway (€1) got the tickets and payments sorted out here at last..  Cefalu (pronounced Chefalu) is a beautiful sea side resort, shallow water,  calm  sea, old town overlooks the golden sandy beach and tall cliffs behind (la Rocca).













Boarded ferry at about 10 set sail at 11 pm
Very happy with our spacious cabin. U

Day 38 Sunday 27 October
Long day sight seeing Palermo, taking advantage of the extra hour.
What a simply full on city !
Caught the 628 bus  from the Sferocavallo  harbour and then the 101 from the Piazza Independenzato  which dropped us off at the Teatro Massimo in the Centre at 10.30 am.
An impromptu visit to the third largest opera house in the world ( Berlin and Vienna in case you are curious) and a 30 minute guided tour.
Next an archaeological regional museum housed in a beautiful tranquil old convent building.
Cost €3 each with free coffee and croissant plus €5 audio guide.
All the relics from Selinunte (which we visited ) were on  display there.
Great use of CGI and audio visuals to explain about the history and construction of Selinunte temples
One of the best museums I've been to,  beautifully curated and  well explained in English. Next, we caught the tail end of the lively Sunday morning market at Bollaro and ate  lunch in one of the main piazza restaurants , we found the Palermo Duomo en route to Bollaro.
An art /science / festival  held over 5 weekends in Palermo had opened  up places not usually open to the public  all through   October( called  le Vei de Tresori)It  was on  today til 5.30 pm
We got a ticket for 4 visits for 2 people -€6 ,Andy much more patient than me waiting for a long  30 minutes  in a queue to go into Sant Caterina, the first visit
I'm so glad we waited , it was fabulous OTT Baroque .Next, a nunnery where the nuns made almond biscuits, we faced a long wait for the cloisters tour so gave up and came out again and didn't wait for eithervour free almond biscuits or the tour...
Next in the same square, the people's theatre, the  oldest in Palermo and  recently rescued and run by volunteers.  We were the only English people visiting so we had our own young , shy  English speaking guide.
Across the square , we visited a very simple Arabic mosque/ RC church hybrid Knights of the Templar  , a relief of plain bare walls after RC OTT extravagance, with pink domes on the roof . €2.50 each , this was not on the festival route.
Finally a tour of the handsome university  law faculty by Carlo again our own friendly English speaking guide .Carlo was  a Ist  year law student there , he showed us around the old law library , which looked a bit like a Harry Potter film set . This building now admin offices downstairs and a  reference library upstairs.

V interesting to hear him talk with passion  about the anti -mafia uprising after the murder of 2 trial  judges Falcone being the most famous .
If this wasnt enough  sightseeing , Andy decided he would like to see  some contemporary art , so we made our way to the art gallery ( all these places  eminently walkable ) some lights were not working ,so we got a reduction to €5 each filled with artists who painted Palermo;
Paticularly liked Patania  and Lojacono for the way  light lit up their subjects.
Unfortunately , the exhib stopped at 1900's ..
We walked to the cross roads , the four quarters of the city districts  heaving with crowds on Sunday night and musicians, food stalls , traders etc
We caught the first  bus  home ( day return ticket from the  Tabbachi near our campsite €3.50 each for a  full day travel )
Andy got chatting on the very crowded 101 bus, to an out of work law graduate, about to try his luck working  in Barcelona , he recommended Cefalu for our last day .
With the help of GPS and the friendly student's advice, we found our bus back to the campsite.
I'd really like to come back here to this  edgy , crazy driving,  beautiful friendly ethnically   diverse gem of a city.

Day 37 Saturday 26 October Torre Nova to Cathedrale Monreale on outskirts of Palermo

Last morning swim, and a tour of one of the bungalows in case we ever  come back for a longer winter  stay.

Drove to Cathedrale Monreale 2 hours along the coast, the Cathedrale was on the outskirts of Palermo, up a valley to the South. We  visited the  Duomo and the cloisters, very ornate, all gold leaf icons and Baroque in style. The ticket included a tour around the edge of the rooftop.



















Noticed these shoes in a bin after we left the Duomo, a bit like how we felt





We then drove through Palermo, to the west harbour area to stay at Camp Palermo, a city campsite situated amongst olive trees at the base of an impressive cliff in a quiet residential area.



Meal at the harbour - fast food joint Andy had  2 bowls of spaghetti alla pomodoro. The garlic was too strong for me to even sample mine (& else veggie on offer).
I had a pizza in a  slightly smarter restaurant and Andy kindly helped me out there too!
He went to bed very full!

Lively harbour, fair ground rides,  men smoking, traders with bags, accessories, sunglasses, and families and children out and about.

Day 36 Friday 25 October  Messina day trip

Thunderstorms and lightning in the night, damp day.

Italian railways on strike over pay and conditions today, we are not sure if Sicily involved too, so made our way to Zapulla train station to check this out, 10 mins walk from campsite.
Train to Messina arrived as planned at 10.25. We asked the conductress if the strike applied on Sicily, I don't strike she said, but her English was limited, not sure how to take her statement . 7.50€ each to get to Messina, 90 mins journey on  old rolling stock , grafitti on windows.



Asked at information booth in Messina about trains back and any strike action, the booth man  said Italy is always on strike, here trains run ...
No one to donate too at station🤔
Walked quickly to main square of Messina  to watch and  hear the Duomo clock tower figures come in and out at 12 noon, we were too late for most of the animated figures but caught the classical music broadcast loudly over the wet square.



Visited the Duomo next door





and followed this with   a delicious lunch at Doddis, a Viennese, dark wood cafe famed for its lunches,2 courses cost €30 for both of us , good value and delicious -mushroom rissotto, spinach potatoes and pistachio granite for dessert.







Raining very heavily all afternoon , so went to the Messina Regional museum , a  new museum, built 2 years ago, fabulous Greek and Roman archaeology section, religious art, 3 on display were by Caravaggio.
A great find, we were both knocked out by it ...
Worth every penny of the €8 admission price
Roof leaking through the ceiling!

An incident occurred on the 6 pm train back to Zapulla, we couldn't locate the green button to press to open the carriage door when the train pulled into our station at Zapulla, a young boy kindly did it for us and got off the train; the  green release button was tucked away in top right hand corner ...
As we followed him out , the doors started closing, there were no sensors to stop them..I bruised my forearm trying to initially stop the door from  closing, but thankfully had the sense to quickly stop, and saved my arm!

We rode on to the next stop 5-6 km down the track, not a pleasant walk back, couldn't find a taxi in the quiet seaside town, so went for a drink in the Lazy cat cafe and waited for the train going back again up the line an hour later.
A friendly young couple stopped to offer us a lift back to the campsite  but we declined as it was only 10 minutes in the dark - Such kindness.

Weary after a longer than anticipated day out.

Day 35 Thursday 24 October  Agricampeggio Alessandro,Torre Nova near Cap d'Orlando

Day of leisure after all our travelling around.
Laundry day , shopping at supermarket 900 metres (not 600 m as sign outside campsite says!)

The usual discussion as to how much we need and how much we can carry  on the  half mile walk back .
Tasty tea , swim , discussing with Alessandro where to go in the vicinity
Cars drive very quickly on the countryside  minor roads , just like Devon,  so a cycle trip to Cap d'Orlando (5 miles round trip), not tried out . Heavy thunderstorms and lots of rain forecast for tomorrow, so a train trip to Messina the port city planned instead.
I love these tranquil, leisure days.
If only we could discuss what to buy more amicably  at the supermarket !

Day 34 Wednesday 23 October, Mount Etna.



Andy was second in the queue at 8.45 am to go  up Etna to 2,900 m via cable car (15 mins) , 4x4 Jeep ride and group guide - 64€ in total. Andy walked around 2 new craters which had appeared during the 2002 eruption.


I stayed at base camp and wandered around the souvenir shops, everyone v friendly. Andy enjoyed the trip and walked around 2 craters formed when the mountain last erupted in 2002.





Left at mid day.

Drove through the stunning Mt Etna national park and through precipitously perched hill top towns overlooking deep ravines and dry gorges, everything very green, took several hours.

We drove to Agricampeggio Alessandra, a camp site on the coast near Torrenova, and on the edge of a derelict industrial zone; we spotted a herd of goats  kept on one site grazing the tufty areas of a closed down  factory .We swam from  the campsite beach at sunset .Our own toilet , new modern shower block, unlimited warm water , everything spotlessly clean, access to stony beach ( swim shoes needed ) a quiet small campsite , access to own drinking water and grey water drainage, 18€ per night , 3rd night , special offer €5 only .We really liked this site, Alessandra who makes olive oil and jam, spoke  English well and had a GSOH ( you prefer butter to olive oil ?)

Bungalows on same site were built 2 years ago and  only cost 400€ per month in the winter season and 270€ for a  campervan per month, sorely  tempted ..,.

Day 33 Tuesday 22 October San Alessio and Mt Etna

Morning swim and then walked along paved promenade of San Alessandrio , a beach resort built along the long beach strip mostly closed for the season



and drove on to Mount Etna to park overnight on the car park at 2000 feet .€12 per night .There is a refugio you can stay in of you want to walk up , a restaurant, hotel and lots of souvenir shops .Walked around the nearby  Sinistre crater and the Valle Bove higher viewpoint .





Lava eruption 20002 got as far as this tourist village



Walked to various viewpoints for sunset photos

Day 32 Monday 21 October Camping La Focetta de Sicula near Taoramina
I did a pile of laundry with the assistance of the very kind patient Italian camp site owner , with much miming re token fetching, soap inserting , time of wash etc , it was very amusing  for both of us .
Showers were clean,  a little old, 50c ( just enough time ) fed into a machine outside all the showers .The cold water shower to rinse off the beach sand was just as warm. The beach was long  and sandy , the water warm and calm, great sunsets, on the edge of a sea side  resort   called San Alessio Sicula.
 A day of rest and cleaning the van. I found an MD supermarket around a very busy corner from the campsite , no pavements and found chocolate soya milk , what a treat 😀 but no rooibos tea  for Andy🙁 anywhere to be seen ..

We met an older English couple from Whitehaven in Cumbria on the site, an ex -Sellafield worker and his wife Gwen an ex domestic science teacher . It dawned on each of us that we had voted differently in the referendum and we both tacitly withdrew from any further meaningful conversation.

We caught the bus to Taoramina at 5 pm and wandered around this beautiful hill top town , the Florence Trevalyan gardens with great views of Mount Etna from the terraces and took lots of photos.We found a small quiet affordable restaurant to eat yet more pizza whilst listening to the Sicilian wandering band entertain the tourists in the street below . We found a cool jazz bar in the side streets which sold craft beer called the Sicilian equivalent of King of Clubs card in  the Tarot, ( Tarot was  devised in the Arab kingdoms in the 14 Century and   introduced to the Western world via Italy and Sicily ) The journey back to the campsite on the brand new , last bus home called in at every hill top village between Taoramina and the coast, the hairpin bends , the occasional flash of lights from the coast far far below as we gradually  weaved our way down to the coast  were best  experienced in  the dark , but skilfully  navigated by our calm driver .
Taoramina very lively , up market, but stuffed with tourists and tour groups .It's beautiful and better appreciated at the very start of a shoulder season I suspect .

Day 31 Sunday 20 October Syracuse and Ortygia
Disaster struck at the grey water disposal drain at camping Sabbiadore , we clipped the retractor  van step on a raised  concrete lip , and damaged it irreparably. We enjoyed the views from our terrace , and the sandy left hand side  of the beach, good swimming.
We drove onto a Sosta campo car park site near the Anfiteatro in Syracuse, a field with lots of overhanging trees , no services ,with a man at a plastic table at the entrance taking our money and we were  waved onto the site from the middle of the  road .We  walked 10 minutes to the local supermarket to stock up on provisions. Then we walked 5 minutes up the road and visited the Greek and Roman anfiteatros .The Greek amphitheatre is the biggest in the Roman world and hewn from rock . Very impressive .The Roman anfiteatro much smaller , in ruins more verdant and overgrown.
After a quick lunch back at the van due to already swarming mosquitoes ( becoming v uneasy about staying here tonight ) it was very hot and  we caught a taxi into Ortigyia the old town,a scandalous €15 for a mile and wandered around the beautiful square with cathedrals and churches in a splendid  Baroque style before finding a cool cafe overlooking the harbour to enjoy granite limone and almond and chat to the young friendly guys running it.
Andy wanted a break from the churches so we headed for the Norman fort at the harbour entrance where Fred 11 defeated the mighty Athens invading fleet.
A very minimalist fortress , no living quarters , and it's streamlined simplicity was a  relief after the elaborate ornateness of Baroque .We walked back through Ortygia's old Jewish quarter , lovely . Unable to locate the bus stop back to Syracuse across the bridge, we walked back to the site very weary after a full day of sight seeing.The mosquitoes were waiting  and we decided to drive on to a campsite by the sea in hopes of a breeze and fewer mosquitoes .
Andy braved the busy Sunday evening  motorway in the dark  , mystifiyingly , no ticket was issued at the entrance but after much emphatic explanation aimed  at the exit  barrier microphone, we were charged €2  .
We camped at La Focetta Sicula highly recommended by trip advisor.

Day 30 Sat 19 Oct Campeggio Sabbiadore

Day 30 Saturday 19 October

Andy's choice for today , chill out on the beautiful beach through the gate at the bottom of the campsite.

To the left of the beach, no rocks so wading in the clear blue waters unimpeded, Caribbean like was blissful and a very calm sea . We walked to a headland to take photos when the sun went in and had very quick hot showers for our 50C piece  at this site .Friendly owner, no English . Ice lolly celebration ( we think!) following the passing of the Letwin amendment in Parliament 322 to 306)

Day 29 Fri 18 Oct Noto- Gallina nr Avola

Day 29 Friday 18 October
Leaving our quiet small beach with some traffic noise ( no more than at home )
Long drive from La Spiagatta ( with its very tired shower block, no toilet lids 🙁 but great value 50c showers)  to Noto ,a UNESCO Baroque beautiful town , wonderful golden  coloured  limestone , we found a large free car park near the old town opposite a cafe and garage and made our way to the Main Street , we paid €5 euros to tour the Palazzo Ducato Hall of Mirrors ,wrap around terrace for views over the roof tops and the small theatre founded by an Italian soprano just down the road.

We stepped into one of the churches and asked the guide why 50 churches in such a  small area , after the earthquake ,  commissioning the building a church became a status symbol for noble families .
We drove on to Campeggio Sabbione on the coast near  Avola ACSI card accepted , new shower block , terraced ,  beautifully cultivated botanical gardens, very clean , recycling bins at every level .Bar and shop closed for low season. Bitten by mozzies the first evening as we didn't close up early enough and Andy spent some time showing them the door .The sound of  the sea took our mind off the pending Brexit vote tomorrow

Day 28 Thursday 17 October Sampieri , Donnalucata and Scicli

Day  28 Thursday 17 October 

Cooler nights for which we are grateful.

Day spent in beautiful Sampieri, the  next headland over from our campsite and small beach where we have swum first thing each morning . It's a  5 minute easy walk to one of the loveliest quiet clean  long sandy  beaches we have visited in Sicily, shallow, warm water, sandy bottom. 

We walked along this  beach  to the   ruins of a  brickworks factory on one headland, 129 died in a fire there in 1920's. It has been used as a backdrop film set for several of the  Montalbano Detective  TV series episodes, where it has doubled  as a tuna factory, usually involving    Montalbano conducting clandestine meetings with informants.

We took the van to Donnalucata, a handsome  working fishing village a few kilometres beyond  Sampieri  with its very own smart 'Montalbano'  promenade.

The Blue Moon gelateria  there sells the best gelatos we've tasted  so far , huge variety and  sugar free options too .

We drove on  to the Baroque  UNESCO town of nearby hilltop Scicli .A very kind Italian campervan person donated  his parking ticket valid til 9am the next morning,  such thoughtfulness lingers on in the heart, after  we negotiated narrow streets, dodged unpredictable  Vespas, and  arrived at the small town  car park with a sigh of relief. We arrived in time to climb to the top of the old town to take  sunset photos;   what a stunning sight , the whole area flattened in 1693  by an earthquake and rebuilt (along with 6 neighbouring towns) entirely in a Baroque architectural style. Warning of wild dogs spotted in the ruined church at the top. I  located the Baroque style municipio town hall which doubled as a police station in (yes you've guessed it)  Montalbano,  I dragged Andy around  a short tour of the mock up  studio now a favourite tourist experience long after the popular series   finished in 2008 (we are still getting repeats in the UK ) 

I could live in this town , old or new or Sampieri or Donna Lucata...
Hairy hairpin descents back to the campsite La Spiaggata  (thanks sat nav)

The abandoned brickworks - Montalbano episode venue

Best gelatto!

Montalbano's office