Southeast Sicily: A Plunge into the "Nero d'Avola Sea"

On our first day we explore the nearby Fontane Bianche, with its beautiful genuinely white beach and clear water despite the large number of people. For lunch we get vegetables, fruit, bread and pasta and go enjoy the breeze on our sea-view veranda, with cicadas in the background...which actually wasn't all that "background"! We spend the afternoon at Avola Lido, and in our wandering we reach the old tuna fishery, an ideal set for our first photo shoot. When the moms and kids decide to end the day at the delightful little beach of the tuna fishery, the two dads decide to continue the tour, which ends at a well-stocked wine shop nearby, between tastings and purchases of typical wines of local production.

For dinner we think of heading to Avola town, which presents itself with festive lights, the stage with music, and lots of people strolling while eating ice creams or granitas...but no restaurants nearby. After a frantic search we give up and ask some local gentlemen, who reply that dinner is had at the Lido in the little restaurants by the sea; here at most you can refresh yourself with arancini, in a bar on the square. And so be it, the bar it is...where, in any case, we ate the best arancini of the whole vacation. We end the evening with a walk under the lights, with "Ciccio Capasso" performing in the background, looking at the shop windows, strictly closed.

We decide to head straight to San Lorenzo beach, considered by many tourists online to be one of the most beautiful. Unfortunately, however, given our still-too-white skin; the excessive heat in the middle hours of the day; the umbrella too small for all six of us; and the sandwiches too dry...the beach took second place. It really is very beautiful, blue water and light sand, but by now too urbanized. Where will the turtles that laid their eggs here a few years ago ever go? Between one umbrella and another? Between the wooden walkways of bars, restaurants and gazebos? Maybe out of season you can experience it differently, but in August..... Back at the fold to recover, we set off around 6:00 p.m. for Ortigia, the island that makes up the historic center of Syracuse. Ortigia is stunning, and the sunset light gives it a particularly special quality.

We stroll along the seafront toward the thousand-year-old Fonte Aretusa, where the papyrus plant grows, through the narrow alleys, in the central square, and then we stop for dinner at Don Carmelo, where we taste excellent spaghetti alla siracusana. After dinner, a round to buy some sweets and typical products and a stop to taste for the first time the excellent mulberry granita.

Departure for Eloro beach, the northernmost within the Vendicari nature reserve. Behind the beach there is a river that ends right beneath the sand, very unusual. The water is crystal clear and the beach is not too crowded. Around 2:30 p.m. we head home, where we wash down lunch with the Nero d'Avola that sends us straight to a nap, some on the veranda, some in bed and some in the hammock in the pine grove. Around 5:30 p.m. we set off for Noto. We manage to park near the town's "stadium," practically at the gates of the center. In Noto it is hot and humid, but the city of Sicilian Baroque, a UNESCO heritage site, makes up for the mugginess. It is an open-air museum with its Baroque palaces and churches along the paved streets, the Cathedral soaring at the top of a three-flight staircase, and Via Nicolaci with its balconies famous for the sculptures supporting them.

Noto is lively; there are many young people chatting outside the venues, listening to music of all kinds, and various street art events and performances are organized. We stop at the ancient Caffè Milano for an aperitif, since here dinner is from 9:00 p.m. onward, and for dinner we manage to get royally ripped off in a little restaurant on the main street! Sooner or later it had to happen!

Today there are a few clouds, so we take the opportunity to go to Ragusa Ibla. We wander through the alleys, visit the Cathedral and the square, and right nearby, behind a building next to the bar that is lower than the level of the square, we find a shop of typical products from small local companies, run by willing young people, enthusiastic and proud of their land. We taste everything and come out with chocolates, preserves and a carob liqueur made from the fruits of the carob tree, a tree typical of the area that grows more or less everywhere. We continue our tour, arriving in the early afternoon in Modica, and we find it, in our opinion, a bit bare and deserted, except for the main street with many shops where we stock up on Modica chocolate bars in every possible flavor.

Modica chocolate has the peculiarity of not melting at high summer temperatures, because it does not contain butter, and therefore in taste it is crumbly and full of sugar granules. It can also be flavored with the most particular flavors, such as chili pepper, pistachio and indeed carob. We leave Modica convinced that it is much more evocative in the evening, illuminated and perched on the mountain. On the way back we make a dutiful stop at the beach, at Cava d'Aliga, with a very rough sea that will continue the next day too. The return home holds a surprise for us.

A fire (one of many in this period) started from the road below our house and reached our garden, burning half of it and fortunately stopping before the house! What a strange feeling, of fear and relief at the same time!! We weren't there, but the owners, alerted by the neighbors, were always present monitoring the situation until the fire was completely out, and they informed us (while we were on our way home) only once the "danger had been averted"!

Today we go to Calabernardo, a spot a little north of Lido di Noto. The beach is large, fairly deep, and behind it, amid dense vegetation, a river flows, emptying into the sea along the edge of the beach. Today too the sea is very rough, and after a short swim that is tiring because of resisting the waves, we lie in the sun and watch a family of ducks swimming undisturbed in the calm waters of the river behind us. After a refreshing shower located at the edge of the beach, toward the road where the parking is, we head to Lido di Noto for lunch. We find a delightful little restaurant on the beach, the Hostaria del mare at Lido Azzurro. We have a seafood appetizer, a first course each and three fried dishes, and we leave truly satisfied both with the food and the bill...16 € each.

We spend the rest of the afternoon on the free beach (the larger part) of Lido di Noto, amid music and beach tennis tournaments, and prepare to spend the evening in our villa.

Morning spent in the archaeological area of Syracuse, where we find a beautiful shady parking spot right at the lower entrance of the archaeological park. Here there are a bar and a restaurant, then by following the road that climbs toward the upper entrance you reach the ticket offices. Those under 18 don't pay, so we get by with 4 tickets at 10 euros each and head toward the Latomie del Paradiso, ancient quarries, where the Ear of Dionysius is located, that is, a cave with a particular acoustics, named thus by Caravaggio because of its shape, and where legend has it that Dionysius kept prisoners locked up so he could listen to their conversations even in a whisper. We then walk along the tree-lined paths, which to our surprise are cool and breezy, and after visiting the Roman amphitheater we reach the magnificent Greek Theater.

Completely carved into the rock, it could hold up to 15,000 spectators, and even today several thousand people attend the performances held there in the summer months. We take lots of photos and then head home, already looking forward to a huge salad. After lunch we set off for Marzamemi, stopping first along the rocky coast for our daily dose of sun and sea and heading toward evening to the picturesque and charming fishing village. Having left the car in the parking lot just outside the town, we reach the 18th-century square enclosed by buildings and paved, which in the evening comes alive with restaurants, bars and shops.

The seafront then, full of shops and little restaurants, sees a coming and going of people strolling or sitting in the various bars for a granita or an ice cream or, like us, at the Pasticceria Il Ciclope, to have a gigantic ricotta cannolo with a glass of passito di Noto...a delight for the palate, a disaster for the waistline!!! That will mean that tomorrow we'll take a long walk in the water!

The ideal place for a walk is precisely the beach of the tuna fishery in the Vendicari Reserve. We are in the central area of the Reserve; the beach is reached after a short walk on wooden walkways so as to preserve the vegetation, and behind the beach you can see the marshes, which are wetlands where migratory birds rest on their journeys between Europe and Africa. The area can be traveled on foot along established paths, and from here a path also starts that, with a long walk, reaches Calamosche beach. The Tonnara beach extends, in the shape of a sickle, for several hundred meters, although the part farthest from the tuna fishery is fenced off and inaccessible, again to preserve the ecosystem of the area.

I have read in various travel accounts that this beach is not particularly appreciated, because of the posidonia that accumulates on the shore, even in rather large piles that produce a not exactly pleasant smell. We, on the other hand, fully enjoyed this beautiful beach, certainly avoiding spreading our towels over the seaweed, but appreciating the fact that precisely the presence of these plants allows the water to be crystal clear and pure. After countless sunbaths and sea baths we headed toward the tuna fishery, walking among the ruins of this sort of industrial archaeology, discovering (because it is not well signposted) behind its walls the Center of the Vendicari Reserve, with staff ready to give information and propose excursions or guided visits of the reserve or the surrounding area.

If only we had known earlier, we might even have been able to book some excursion or organized activity, but it was past 1:00 p.m. and the Center was about to close. After the day at the beach, we spend the evening in Avola town looking for the "Sagra del pesce spada" and after a series of more or less circular wanderings, since Avola's little streets intersect one another without any logical connection (at least for us...) we reach the destination and immediately give up on the tasting given the kilometer-long line of people with trays in hand! Oh well, we console ourselves with a stroll among the many and well-stocked stalls of street vendors and an ENORMOUS ice cream paid for, to our disbelief, 2.20 euros.

We have decided on the strategy for the Ferragosto weekend! Avoid the two whole days at the beach. Perfect, so today, Sunday, August 14, we escape toward inland Sicily, heading for Piazza Armerina. The morning's program includes a visit to the Roman Villa del Casale, and in the afternoon, a visit to Piazza Armerina to attend the Palio dei Normanni. Having crossed some of the most varied landscapes, from fertile cultivated areas to dry, barren hills and even mountain areas with dense vegetation, we arrive at the very famous Villa del Casale, known for the great quantity and quality of its ancient floor mosaics covering 4500 square meters. Unfortunately half of the site is under restoration, so with the ticket halved, we see 50% of the villa open to the public.

Fascinating and realistic, the depicted scenes reveal to us the habits, customs and stories of people who lived more than 1500 years ago but are incredibly modern. The walk through the historic center of Piazza Armerina leads us to a little restaurant in an inner courtyard on Via Floresta, with a view over the city's rooftops, which leaves us amazed by the beauty of its interiors and furnishings, by the abundance of its courses and above all by how inexpensive its prices are! We all had a first course and a side dish, a kind of flatbread was brought to us while we waited, water, wine, coffee and a final basil liqueur, for a total of 70 euros for 6 people! Around 5:00 p.m., participants in medieval dress (nobles, foot soldiers, soldiers, knights, commoners) began parading through the streets, representing the various districts, and reached the stadium where the joust was to be held.

We watch performances by flag bearers, groups of musicians, simulated battles and, in addition, given the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy, also a display by aerobatic patrols of the air force. We practically see everything, but the heat, the dust, the tiredness, the 2 hours still to go before the actual palio begins and the almost 2 hours of travel for the return trip push us to set off again toward home, where a wonderful barbecue awaits us to celebrate the night of Ferragosto. And so, between spicy sausages, sweets, cannoli, Nero d'Avola and a sweet black almond wine, we happily conclude this day. To the joy of the kids, we have decided that tomorrow morning, Ferragosto, everyone can sleep as long as they want!

Today is Ferragosto, a morning of relaxation, and in the late afternoon we decide to head to a beach near our area that we read about in some travel diaries but that is little known or publicized, Cicirata. Indeed, we arrive around 5:00 p.m. at a beach frequented mostly by locals, still "camped out" from the Ferragosto lunch on the beach. The beach is located just south of Avola Lido and is quite large, closed in by houses and small villas that, in defiance of any urban planning regulations, are built right up to the beach! Anyway, the sea is crystal clear and calm, and we enjoy the beach as it gradually empties out, until the sun disappears after a pinkish sunset.

This morning it's the turn of Calamosche beach, so highly praised and photographed by various tourists and travel magazines. Along the road that leads to the main entrance of the Vendicari reserve, before reaching the junction for Vendicari, there is a road on the left (marked with writing and an arrow on the walls on either side of the road) that leads to the Calamosche parking lot. From here begins the walk of about 25 minutes along a path that, toward the end, joins the one coming from the Tonnara di Vendicari. The route is almost entirely under the sun except for a few trees under which you can take a break, but when you get close to the beach, the view is very beautiful. Calamosche, as the word suggests, is a cove wedged between two high cliffs that unfortunately in August cannot be appreciated as it should be.

Arriving early enough you can put your umbrella near the shore, but surely after a while there will be someone who, despite your disbelief, has planted theirs even further ahead....how is that possible? You just have to turn around to no longer even see the little steps that lead to the path; if you look up, you can only make out colored patches of umbrellas, tents and big tents; if you look down, a forest of legs and bodies lying down makes you feel like a sardine...but out of the water, and so around 1:00 p.m. we decide to gather our bits and pieces and say goodbye, with some regret and disappointment, to a beautiful beach...

After the walk back to the parking lot, before setting off again we very much appreciated the stop at the bar/trattoria next to the parking lot itself, where we quenched our thirst, some with granitas, some with beers, and cooled off in the shade of its trees, sitting at a table in a cool and breezy spot. In the evening we go back to take a stroll around Noto.

Today the excursion to the Cavagrande del Cassibile Nature Reserve is planned, a protected area that encompasses a stretch, about 10 km long, of one of the most important rivers of southeastern Sicily (the Cassibile), which has created in its course one of the largest canyons in Europe, reaching a maximum depth of over 300 meters. From Avola, continuing toward Avola Antica and following the signs, after about ten kilometers uphill and through hairpin turns, you arrive at the entrance to the reserve where the descent on foot begins, toward the river and the natural pools that have formed at the bottom of the gorge. Access is forbidden if you don't have closed shoes, and indeed a pair of sneakers is necessary because the steps and paths have a very steep gradient and the ground is uneven.

If by chance you forget them, the bar across from the entrance sells closed plastic sandals with straps...better than nothing! Set off equipped with a generous supply of liquids and save a bottle for the climb back up. The descent to the main pools (the most beautiful but the most crowded) takes about 45 minutes, and the same is needed for the climb back up, but if you add the necessary stops to catch your breath or rest your legs, for the return you should allow about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Then of course it depends on your fitness and the season....we in August even witnessed a panic attack halfway along the trail, with the consequent rescue by helicopter (the reserve has 2 helicopter landing points), but the hike is like a normal "mountain walk"...you just need to set off with that awareness.

After all that effort, however, you are rewarded by the wonder of the place; pools carved into the tufa that cascade one into another through small waterfalls; clear, green and cool water, and spots where you can dive even with spectacular twists. We spend the morning soaking in the pools, enjoying a natural whirlpool by sitting in the spots where the water flows between one pool and another, or watching and filming with the video camera the diving competitions of the more daring ones. In the early afternoon, when it is most inadvisable to climb back up....we decide to head back.

Fortunately along the route there are many rest points and many shaded, breezy areas, so despite the effort and a few drops in blood pressure, we make it to the top, tired but satisfied! On the way back we stop at Fontane Bianche for our "dose of beach" and then end the evening at a restaurant on the beach, enjoying the sunset more than the pizza.

Today it's the turn of the far south. We reach Pachino and then Isola delle Correnti; a small island connected to the mainland by an artificial passage. It is the southernmost point of mainland Italy and divides the sea between the Ionian and the Mediterranean: one rougher, the other calmer. One warmer, the other colder. It's the place we liked the most. We reach the large beach of Carratois and cannot resist the turquoise water before our eyes; we walk along the beaches of the two seas and photograph all the shades of blue we can make out.

But why do we always find the most beautiful place in the last days of vacation? By now it's a constant in our trips! In the afternoon we visit Portopalo and enjoy a granita with the classic round brioche that is usually eaten for breakfast, then a little stroll around the port and off to visit Marzamemi at sunset, which leaves us fully satisfied but decidedly broke, since we get a 206 euro fine for having parked in an area (not well marked) owned by the state!

Today is the last day of vacation at the sea and we go to the beach of La Marchesa del Cassibile in the Pineta del Gelsomineto. The beach is surrounded by a beautiful pine forest, but if you want to go by car the price of parking is 10 euros, so since we only want to stay a few hours, we park along a side road and reach the beach on foot. The beach is beautiful but doesn't hold up to the beach of Carratois seen yesterday, so after the last ration of sun and sea we head back home. We use the afternoon to tidy up the house and suitcases and spend our last evening at the beach. The heat is intense and after a hearty snack, around 7:00 p.m. we head to Fontane Bianche beach and stay there until 9:30 p.m., transforming for the occasion the famous midnight swim into a mid-evening swim.

Today we have to leave the villa that has hosted us for these two weeks and, after saying goodbye to the very kind owners, we reach Catania. The return flight is tomorrow morning, so today we dedicate the morning to the Riviera dei Ciclopi and Aci Trezza and the afternoon and evening to the city of Catania. We conclude our stay at the Hotel Vecchia Palma booked on [booking site] and say goodbye to Etna by flying over its summit on the return flight Catania-Bologna.