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Catania

Posted by Mark Sullivan on May 28, 2014
Posted in: Italy. Leave a Comment
Panorama of one lovely square, and yes, those are jacarandas off to the left and that's me off to the right

Panorama of one lovely square, and yes, those are jacarandas off to the left and that’s me off to the right

Lots of garlic!

Lots of garlic!

We are extremely happy to be back in Italy, and Sicily no less. A handful of summer commitments means that we are on a bit of a tight schedule, so this is a brief stop, just six days. And we’re dividing it between the two Sicilian destinations we didn’t quite make it to last year, Catania and Taormina.

Cheese!

Cheese!

Catania, Sicily’s second city after Palermo, is really a beautiful place. It’s got everything we loved about Naples and Palermo — grand but crumbling architecture, laundry hanging everywhere, bright and colorful markets. But it’s a little less chaotic and even a little more elegant.

We can partly credit the great earthquake of 1693, which completely destroyed the city. This led to a rebuild in glorious baroque style with countless grand squares linked by broad beautiful avenues. It’s also a university town, so those lovely squares are packed with vibrant cafes and bars.

Those look like white mulberries. Perhaps my agriculture editor in LaSalle will have insights on this.

Those look like white mulberries. Perhaps my agriculture editor in LaSalle will have insights on this.

And then there is the food. No place else does the arugula taste like this. Or the olive oil. Or the bright red cherry tomatoes. Or the fennel. We’ll be in Italy for just over a month, and we’re pretty happy about that.

CORRECTION: My posting of May 26 incorrectly identified some kind of green produce as cauliflower. Our LaSalle-based agriculture editor provided evidence that cauliflower doesn’t look like that at all.

Did I mention the food yet? Our first lunch in Catania started with this little spread of insanely delicious Sicilian appetizers.

Did I mention the food yet? Our first lunch in Catania started with this little spread of insanely delicious Sicilian appetizers.

The grand baroque streets of Catania

The grand baroque streets of Catania

This saint looks pretty serious. Note also the heavy use of lava stone in architecture -- something they have in abundance here at the foot of Mt. Etna.

This saint looks pretty serious. Note also the heavy use of lava stone in architecture — something they have in abundance here at the foot of Mt. Etna.

I've never had arugula that tastes anything like the arugula in Italy

I’ve never had arugula that tastes anything like the arugula in Italy

Gozo

Posted by Mark Sullivan on May 26, 2014
Posted in: Malta. Leave a Comment
That's Jim underneath the 'Azure Window' along Gozo's stunning Dwerja Bay

That’s Jim underneath the ‘Azure Window’ along Gozo’s stunning Dwerja Bay

We went out on a boat to see the huge cliffs along Gozo's Dwejra Bay

We went out on a boat to see the huge cliffs along Gozo’s Dwejra Bay

We spent the last few days — including my birthday — on Malta’s little sister island of Gozo. Only 30,000 of the Malta’s 400,000 people live on Gozo, but as you move around the island you see one charming town after another, each with its own oversized church.

Malta’s history is fascinating, especially the medieval period, which looms large over these islands. The Knights of St. John were established in Jerusalem in the time of the crusades, but the Turks drove them out to Rhodes and then pushed them out of there, too. In 1530, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V then gave them a new home — Malta — to help him defend this part of the Mediterranean. In exchange they were required to pay Charles an annual fee of one Maltese falcon.

In 1565, Sultan Suleiman sent a 40,000-person force to Malta in hopes out wiping out the Knights once and for all. The Great Siege of Malta was repelled by the Knights, who went on to rule these islands for centuries. They also built spectacular fortifications everywhere, including dozens of watch towers that line the coasts and are in excellent condition today.

We have really loved our short eight-day visit to Malta, but this morning we are on our way back to Sicily.

In the background is one of the early 17th century watchtowers that line the coast of Malta and Gozo. In the foreground is a type of agave with giant spikes that grow as tall as 25 feet and look exactly like asparagus.

In the background is one of the early 17th century watchtowers that line the coast of Malta and Gozo. In the foreground is a type of agave with giant spikes that grow as tall as 25 feet and look exactly like asparagus.

Lots of beautiful produce, including these rows of cauliflower

Lots of beautiful produce, including these rows of cauliflower

From the cliffs of Dwejra Bay, you can take a boat through this long, narrow natural tunnel to this lagoon called the Inland Sea

From the cliffs of Dwejra Bay, you can take a boat through this long, narrow natural tunnel to this lagoon called the Inland Sea

Birthday lunch right next to our hotel on a perfect little bay in Xlendi, Gozo

Birthday lunch right next to our hotel on a perfect little bay in Xlendi, Gozo

Colorful Tunis

Posted by Mark Sullivan on May 10, 2014
Posted in: Africa, Tunisia, UNESCO World Heritage Site. 1 comment

The beautiful cliffside town of Sidi Bou Said spills over the Mediterranean just outside Tunis.

The beautiful cliffside town of Sidi Bou Said spills over the Mediterranean just outside Tunis.

We are wrapping up a four-day visit to the Tunisian capital of Tunis, and it’s been fun to wander around a city bursting with so much color and texture. In the background is a colorful history going back to the arrival of the Phoenicians almost 3,000 years ago. Subsequent waves of Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, Berbers, Turks, Arabs, and French all left their marks as well.

We love the beautiful architecture, ancient monuments, vibrant markets, and flavorful cuisine. But most of all, we’re amazed by how stunningly blue the Mediterranean sea is all across the huge Bay of Tunis.

Tonight we’re flying south to Tozeur to spend four days at the edge of the Sahara desert. But first we’ll leave you with a few more shots of this colorful city by the sea.

Exotic doorways invite our curiosity everywhere we go

Exotic doorways invite our curiosity everywhere we go

We were blown away by the massive collection of Roman-era mosaics in the Bardo National Museum.

We were blown away by the massive collection of Roman-era mosaics in the Bardo National Museum.

Like this plate of Tunisian salads, our food here has been beautiful and delicious.

Like this plate of Tunisian salads, our food here has been beautiful and delicious.

And yes, Jim too helped contribute to the vibrancy of Tunis with his colorful new shirt he picked up in Marseille

And yes, Jim too helped contribute to the vibrancy of Tunis with his colorful new shirt he picked up in Marseille