Wanderers : Sicily

Agrigento is a beautiful city located in the southern part of Sicily. It had no shortage of stunning archaeological sites and historical landmarks.

Where did we stay? At Alice's Place an AirBnB right on the 'main drag'. The location was perfect! There was a small balcony out front for wine and people watching and right out the back window, the Basilica della Beata Maria Vergine Immacolata, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. It was built in the 17th century and the interior is decorated with beautiful frescoes and paintings. Every morning at 0800, bells started ringing. It was awesome! The only downside was the loft bedroom that was accessed by a very small spiral staircase that made middle of the night bathroom runs a challenge.

Tight spiral staircase

Looking down the main drag

Morning 🌄 bells 🔔 🔔 !

What did we do?

Noto a city in the province of Syracuse that we stopped in on our way to Agrigento. Wish we had more time.

Porta Reale o Ferdinandea

Church of Saint Francis of
Assisi to the Immaculate

Noto Cathedral

Palazzo Ducezio (Municipio di Noto)

St. Charles Church

Time for some vitamin C

Porta Reale o Ferdinandea

Cattedrale di San Gerlando - the Cattedrale di San Gerlando is another beautiful church located in Agrigento. It was built in the 11th century and is dedicated to Saint Gerlando, the patron saint of the city. The cathedral features a beautiful bell tower, artwork and frescoes on the interior. We also got to climb up to a stain glass window and got a close up view of the wooden ceiling.

The view from outside the church

The view from a balcony inside the church

Start of the climb

Continuing the climb to see the
cceiling

Climbing the bell tower

I love the internal clock workings

The views are amazing

Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Greci - the Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Greci is a Roman church built in the 14th century and is known for its beautiful Gothic architecture. The church had a glass floor over ancient ruins.

Crepidoma

Crypt

Sharon did not want to walk
across the floor

Valley of the Temples - the Valley of the Temples is probably Agrigento's most famous attraction. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and features some of the best-preserved ancient Greek temples in the world. The temples were built in the 5th century BC and are dedicated to various gods and goddesses. The most impressive of these temples is the Temple of Concordia, which is almost entirely intact and is considered one of the best-preserved ancient Greek temples in existence.

She said WOW!

Stairs of the Turks - the Stairs of the Turks is another popular attraction. It is a natural staircase-like formation of white limestone rocks that leads down to the sea. The rocks have been eroded over time by wind and water, creating a landscape that is a favorite spot for photographers.

Exploring the area

Basilica della Beata Maria
Vergine Immacolata

View out our back window

Statua Andrea Camilleri

Purchased a SIM card. April 30th was our 30th day in the EU. I tried desparately to renew the one we had purchased in Greece but had no success. So it was off to the mall to the Vodafone store. The young lady who waited on me spoke very little English and I spoke even less Italian (like virtually none). We went back and forth with Google Translate and I was all set to buy the SIM. Well... I didn't have my passport with me and they couldn't accept a photo copy of picture on my phone. Back to our apartment then back to the mall. The woman was so patient and helpful through the entire process. Hopefully I will have better luck recharging this card in 30 days.

Where did we eat?

We stopped on the way at Ristorante 20.21 in Pozzalle. The food was very good and I think our most expensive meal yet.

Octopus 🐙 Mousse

Tuna tartare with pine nuts, burratta
foam and mint

Burratta with cherry tomatoes 🍅

Cantina Granet was located across the street and they setup tables right next to our door. Very popular place and was recommended by our AirBnB host. Yes we had leftovers.