taormina...

at the greek theatre with friends:










...greek god and goddesses...

catania's famous fish market...

fish...among other interesting things at the pescheria:

looking for silvio....

been having problems with the mobile phone service, TIM, here. ida and i have been looking for this guy, silvio*, for the last week or so without luck (and TIM being down didn't help). today ida decided we would just drive around the village to look for him....i just sat in the passenger side and laughed at the situation the whole time....i suggested we buy a megaphone, which might be more effective than just looking....perhaps we could borrow one of those trucks that sell goods (they drive around the village, broadcasting what they have. the first time i heard this, all the way in the hotel, i thought it was the call to prayer....then i remembered this was italy).

*if i can't recall some guy's name here in Troina, i can always take a guess that his name is silvestro, or silvio for short. 9 out of 10 times i'd be right. (st. silvestro is the patron saint of Troina....)

fog...

it's been rainy and foggy here in Troina.

want some????

rum soaked pastries....

supa star...

i was interviewed for Oasi TV last week. it was a pretty one-sided "interview" since i was instructed to look into the camera at all times when i answer the questions, which came off-stage....and, as with all the italian tv/film, everything i said will be dubbed. ida will translate during post-production. i told her to add anything i might have missed, and not to translate things like "the food at the hotel sucked" or "watermelon watermelon watermelon...."

they are also talking about doing a documentary on the project. i want them to put in all the times i got beaten up by the patients.

siracusa & noto...

spent the weekend with my friends from philly, liz & amy. we stayed in ida's parents' farm, and explored Siracusa & Noto.



there were swarms of birds on top of the trees near the Fountain of Arethusa on Ortigia island in Siracusa. it was really loud, and was amazing to see them fly around in these huge groups--it almost looked like fireworks going off! apparently this usually happens this time of the year around sunset.


Noto is a beautifully built city in the baroque style, so much so, that it made the UNESCO's world heritage sites list....

we had what some say the best gelato in Sicily...or arguably, in all of Italy. all i know is it was the best i had so far, and in favors that i've never had here (white grape & basil)...i might have to go back to Noto just for ice cream!

more small town tales...

i had some difficulties trying to find a ride down to Catania thursday evening to meet visiting friends at the airport...the last bus out was too early for me to get out of work. I even had my friend at the hotel reception, vito, call the hospital and the research center here to see if any doctors were going down to Catania that afternoon and could give me a lift.

in the end, i was offered a ride in a hearse....

(would 've taken it except it was leaving too late for us to get the last bus to Siracusa, so ida took pity on me and drove ...which was another interesting experience since i had cesare, her dog, riding in the passenger seat with me.)

aeolian islands…

met up with visiting friends in the islands last weekend. we stayed on the island of Lipari. rented a boat one day and sailed around Salina, Lipari, and Volcano. i now understand why this entire area is on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. it's such a beautiful place! the color of the sea is almost unreal...snorkeling around the island was another experience all together. we took a mud bath in Volcano, in the sulfuric mud and the natural hot springs...think i have to now throw away my bathing suit.

the food: amazing. the seafood especially, was the freshest i’ve ever tasted...ida refused to eat one of the things, limpets, she ordered for me and john, and after eating 5 or 6, i was ready for the next one when i saw an undulating motion on my plate...“it’s moving! is this thing alive?!?!” needless to say i stopped eating...but i have to admit, i quite liked them, just had a hard time eating something that was still moving.