Tag Archives: Private

Boat Trip

Sea, sun, sailing, my three favorite things in the world. And now I enjoyed all of them at once here in Sicily, in this perfect warm weather. The boat trip, booked directly via Gianni, started on the harbor of Giardini Naxos that is just a 10-minute walk from Gianni House Hostel. In the harbor our captain Antonio was waiting for us. And it’s our very own private boat, nice!

The views here amaze me all the time. From the sea the whole beach boulevard, mountains and Mount Etna opens in front of your eyes. During the trip we went in a small cave that was amazing, and we saw also Taormina, Castelmola, and “The pearl of the Ionian Sea” (Isola Bella) that is now turned into a nature reserve. The boat swung from the waves and warm wind blew nicely on my face. The sights were great and so was the swimming, although at the time the water was ice cold. There was some sort of lemon wine offered by Antonia, and it tasted so delicious even though I usually don’t like sweet liquor. I was so happy and my smile was so wide that it almost hurt. I am already waiting for the next boat trip.

Tip: Remember to take with you: sun glasses, swimsuit and sun cream.

Private Palermo?

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In a recent New York Times article, Jim Lewis wrote about a visit to Palermo. In it he describes a city that some of us would barely recognise. While his observations are not actually inaccurate, they may be colored by certain preconceptions and a rather haphazard itinerary. What is most striking is that he fails to mention the extensive restorations of historic buildings in the older part of town, and it seems that he didn’t bother visiting the more important sights most people come to Palermo to see: Monreale Abbey, the Martorana Church, Saint John of the Hermits Monastery. Nothing in the piece suggests any awareness of the various sights around Palermo: Segesta, Erice, Cefalù.

 

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