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| Current Forecast |
After a month on board the task list is completed, Sabbaticus is gleaming, baking completed, cupboards and freezer stocked and water tanks filled (890 ltrs) we are now ready to depart for either Malta or Sardinia and now just waiting for the right weather window. We have enjoyed our time in Marina di Ragusa (MdR), a sleepy off-season coastal town with a beautiful promenade with the local town piazza and shops within easy walking distance of the marina. Apparently the town and beaches area packed in summer with 60,000 tourists - just as well we are leaving soon! MdR is a large marina with 800 berths, with an active live-aboard community of about 150 boats from all over the world. It has been absolutely fascinating meeting a diverse range of sailors and being inspired by their adventures and zest for life. The daily cruising net radio schedules keeps everyone informed on local activities and is a good source of information and expertise.
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| MdR Beach |
Sicily, with a population of 5 million, is the largest island in the Mediterranean. MdR is located on the Sth coast and is home to the 'baroque triangle' an area of UNESCO listed hilltop towns famous for their lavish baroque architecture. With so much history close by we hired a car and spent several enjoyable days driving the country roads between beautifully crafted stone fences, stunning landscape coasts, around hectares of glasshouses - avoiding the many crazy drivers who seem to overtake only when approaching a bend in the road and groups of cyclists (always men) decked out in colourful lycra suits. What was surprising to see was the amount of roadside rubbish everywhere.
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| Piazza Del Duomo |
Our first stop was Syracuse, founded in 734BC, which was the dominant Greek city in the Med and is known as the most beautiful and largest city of the ancient world. Syracuse's main sights are the historic centre of Ortygia and the ancient ruins. Ortygia is on an island joined to the mainland and is jumbled maze of medieval lanes, palazzi, cafes and markets surrounded by the coast - perfect for meandering around. A devastating earthquake in 1693 destroyed most of the buildings in Syracuse with the replacements built in the Sicilian baroque style. With siesta time approaching and everything shutting down it was time to hop into the Fiesta and drive south to Noto.
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Noto is regarded as being home to Sicily's most beautiful street - Vittoria Emanuele and is known as the baroque capital with the pedestrianised boulevard flanked by stunning baroque palazzi and churches. This was a visual feast and even better when viewed outside of the tourist season. Although the town of Noto has existed for centuries, the Noto of today was almost entirely rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake that destroyed most of eastern Sicily. A climb to the top of San Carlo Church was rewarded with picturesque views over the town and a perfect way to end the day.
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| Temple of Concord |
The next day we headed west along the coast to Agrigento to visit the Valley of the Temples dating back to 581BC. The complex of temples and city walls were built on a ridge line spread over 2km, with temples dedicated to Olympian Zeus, Hercules, Concord and Hera. The sheer size of the temples and columns was spectacular and was hard to comprehend how such massive temples could be built in ancient times without all our modern equipment. No doubt slave labour and no human rights assisted with the physical labour.
While we are keen to depart the marina and start sailing again we will miss the ease of living in the marina including the social activities with the live-aboard community, local vegetable markets where we can buy huge eggplants, red peppers and 1 kg of tomatoes for NZ$1.50, olives, fresh cheeses and in the cafes cheap coffee, custard filled croissants and gelato!
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| Marina di Ragusa |
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| MdR - long walk down the pier to our berth |
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| Noto - Cathedral San Nicolo |
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| Temple of Hera |
After a month on board the task list is completed, Sabbaticus is gleaming, baking completed, cupboards and freezer stocked and water tanks filled (890 ltrs) we are now ready to depart for either Malta or Sardinia and now just waiting for the right weather window. We have enjoyed our time in Marina di Ragusa (MdR), a sleepy off-season coastal town with a beautiful promenade with the local town piazza and shops within easy walking distance of the marina. Apparently the town and beaches area packed in summer with 60,000 tourists - just as well we are leaving soon! MdR is a large marina with 800 berths, with an active live-aboard community of about 150 boats from all over the world. It has been absolutely fascinating meeting a diverse range of sailors and being inspired by their adventures and zest for life. The daily cruising net radio schedules keeps everyone informed on local activities and is a good source of information and expertise. 
The next day we headed west along the coast to Agrigento to visit the Valley of the Temples dating back to 581BC. The complex of temples and city walls were built on a ridge line spread over 2km, with temples dedicated to Olympian Zeus, Hercules, Concord and Hera. The sheer size of the temples and columns was spectacular and was hard to comprehend how such massive temples could be built in ancient times without all our modern equipment. No doubt slave labour and no human rights assisted with the physical labour. 
Where are the photos of the food :-)
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