Sicily IV - Agrigento to Villa Romana del Casale (Piazza Armerina) to Caltagirone to Ragusa with a day trip to Modica. April-May 2023.

We had very little idea of what we would be visiting & experiencing in this southeastern corner of Sicily. Nor did we realize the amount of driving it would entail. Fortunately our drivers were excellent & personable & the scenery was not boring.

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Flying saucer just landed?

Beautiful highways through often rugged terrain.

A caravan of Dutch travelers.

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Villa Romana del Casale - smokers welcome! Cigarettes inside.

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“Villa Romana del Casale.COUPLE FOR ETERNITY by Polish sculptor Igor Mitoraj.

The couple is represented half-length, with fragmented heads and shoulders side by side. Most of all, the strong emotional bond between these two people emerges, deliberately not identifiable in their kind. For Mitoraj, affectivity always went beyond the kind. In addition, the theme of bandages, characteristic of language, emerges strongly in this sculpture artistic master.”

Villa Romana del Casale.

Villa Romana del Casale. "Luci di Nara" by Polish sculptor Igor Mitoraj.

Villa Romana del Casale.

A Corinthian capital just like I learned about in elementary school.

It got a bit crowded in there.

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The latrine.

Villa Romana del Casale had good pizza.

I didn't engage him before taking the photo.

Love that hat.

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As we were strolling the grounds of Villa Romana del Casale...

...we looked up & saw this temple.

"The Fiat Panda is a city car manufactured and marketed by Fiat since 1980, currently in its third generation."

Giovanni, our driver. Although not a licensed tour guide, his English & local knowledge were excellent. Someday he wants to have more cars & own a larger company.

Città di Piazza Armerina.

Famous fountains in Città di Piazza Armerina.

Città di Piazza Armerina.

On the road to Caltagirone.

The black saint ARCAN CELO.

On the road to Caltagirone.

Basilica di San Girogio, Caltagirone.

Giovanni left us & we meandered about Caltagirone.

Caltagirone.

Chiesa del S.S. Salvatore, Caltagirone. I had broken my camera in France. It was working intermittently. After this pause…

…to admire the ceiling,…it miraculously started to work again, a bit.

Grazie San Salvatore.

Caltagirone.

Caltagirone. Mother & daughter at work.

Caltagirone. Sicily's symbolic fruit, the prickly pear, appeared in many forms.

Caltagirone.

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Road to Ragusa.

Entering Città (or Commune) di Ragusa where we would spend two nights.

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We never visited that part of Ragusa across the way.

We were told that this guy hangs out here very day.

Tight squeeze.

Another tight squeeze.

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Trattoria la Bottola - Cucina Sincera.

Trattoria la Bottola - Cucina Sincera.

View from our room in the Itria Palace Hotel, Ragusa.

Breakfast colazione Itria Palace Hotel. Excellent & like most times in Sicily, pistachios in some form. At this calazione, pistachio paste.

Our room had stone walls like in this breakfast room.

Ragusa

Walking tour of Ragusa with Barbara. St. George. patron saint of Ragusa & on rare display as will soon be in a procession.

Painting of St. George saving Cappadocia.

St. George's sepulchre that’s on rare display as it also was soon be in a procession.

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Vintage FIAT 500.

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Note the unusual sundial in lower right front of the church.

It shows Italian hours that start and end at sunset.

Antico Portale di San Giorgio c. XV.

The red building is our hotel, ITRIA PALACE.

Carmello, owner of Sicily Car Service & whose Enlgish was not good, picked us up for the drive to Modica where we’d be meeting our tour guide, Barbara.

Carmello was very considerate in stopping & allowing me to take photos.

Modica, a UNESCO World Heritage city.

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In the wall, one can see Roman catacombs but we were here for the chocolate.

Antica Dolceria Bonajuto - "Why is Modica chocolate different? In cold processing, the cocoa does not go through the conching stage: the cocoa mass is processed at 40 °C with the addition of caster sugar;…

…since it cannot melt or mix, the sugar gives Modica chocolate its characteristic “rough” appearance and grainy texture."

Modica chocolate has an extremely long shelf life.

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Modica’s main piazza with a WW II Memorial & roundabout with a sculpture from a film festival of movies & chocolate.

A pendulum clock.

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Carmelo, our driver & owner of Sicily Driver Service. The next day, our driver would be his son Giuseppe. They own quite a few vehicles.

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Back in Ragusa...

Ristorante ll Barocco.

Ristorante ll Barocco.

Ristorante ll Barocco.

She was posing for her boyfriend.

Watch yer head!

Itria Palace, our hotel, is the red building below to the left.

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This Alfa Romeo roadster was the only one seen during our over two weeks in Italy.

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Duomo di San Giorgio is a Baroque church c. 1738 -1775. The cathedral appears in the opening credits of the Italian TV series Inspector Montalbano.

The best taasting sweet naval orange for colzione at Itria Palace Hotel.

And to accompany the orange...

Across the street from the Itria Palace.

Next door to the Itria Palace.

Strolling the streets of Ragusa.

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Giardino Ibleo - Hyblean Garden.

W.W. I memorial - Giardino Ibleo - Hyblean Garden.

Giardino Ibleo - Hyblean Garden.

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Caribinieri. Giorgio Armani designed their uniforms.

Another tight squeeze but we made it through Ragusa. On to Scicli , Siracusa & Taormina (Think White Lotus).