Isola Ortygia

Siracusa is connected to the ancient island of Ortygia by bridge. It's filled with alleys that lead to other alleys. There's a temple to Apollo, but more recently, people have lived here since the 15th or 16th centuries.

An astronaut!

My dream house. Property is quite reasonable in Siracusa and Ortygia, by San Francisco standards.

The Ionian Sea is really clear. There's lots of diving and people were out stand up paddleboarding. If you get washed away, you wind up in Malta, or Lebanon.

 Enjoying the sunshine in my stylin' cape and beret

 This castle at the very tip of the island dates to the 12th century.

Pink and facing the sea. The architecture felt a bit like Havana. Not nearly as hot or humid.

A vintage Citroen is the perfect getaway car.

Monster guarding the mail slot.

Traditional Sicilian faces/vases

A succulent garden on the fire escape to aspire to...

I loved this tiny sun-drenched church at the end of the alley.

I've been snapping photos of vending machines all over Italy for a design blog post. You can procure condoms, lottery tickets, and cigarettes. Apparently you can also buy pot for around 20 euros. Maybe just in Siracusa? I watched as a giggly couple of middle-aged Spaniards bought a pack. Kitty in the box not included.

This cute arancina is for Pam. Proving you can find gluten-free vegan street food in Sicily.

Back in Siracusa, there's a giant monument to martyrs who died fighting fascism.

Streetside obituaries and memorials. Are these kinds of banns typical?

Did you know papyrus was made in ancient Siracusa? Egypt isn't actually that far away, though Tunis and Tripoli are a lot closer.

This is a rather dreadful modern church, made in tribute to a crying portrait of the Madonna. Though it reminds me of a volcano. I asked Andrea if it was nice inside (thinking maybe like the great stone cathedral in Helsinki) and he grimaced.

Finally, a pizza from Vivo Vivo. Andrea, my charming host, said it was the best pizza he'd ever eaten. When an Italian says that, you go.

I'm still not used to eating an entire pizza by myself. So I got the pie with rucola (arugula) for the illusion of salad. The crust was exemplary. The cheese divine. Oven roasted tomatoes were a fine touch. I found the sauce sweet, and was mystified as locals around me ate their pizza with fork and knife. Not the best pizza in my entire life, but completely respectable. With a divine glass of Amara amaro, flavored with Sicilian blood oranges, for a night cap.