Sicily: Agrigento & Siracusa

These past two weeks Jon had to do a rotation in Sigonella, Sicily since there is no permanent orthopedic surgeon there. We took an overnight ferry and had our own cabin, much like a cabin one would see on a cruise ship. It was a surprisingly comfortable trip and we both wound up getting a great nights sleep.

Our cabin.

Almost in Sicily. View from the cabin.

Right outside of the base were gorgeous views of Mt. Etna. Jon took these beautiful pictures:

Since Jon's schedule was pretty lax while being there we had plenty of time to explore. Our first stop was Agrigento. Agrigento sits on the southern side of Sicily, about 1.5-2 hours from where we were staying. It is best known for its ancient Greek ruins, and more specifically Valle dei Templi (Valley of the Temples). At this site, seven monumental temples were built around 500 B.C.

There were some pretty interesting statues around...

We also visited the museum which contains artifacts taken from the site.

The temples sit below the city of Agrigento, which looks out to the Medittaranean Sea. The city has small shops, a large cathedral, and small churches.

A few days later we visited the city of Siracusa. This is another city that is notable for its rich Greek history, culture, amphitheaters, and architecture. Before going to the city center we went to the ancient buildings of the city. We saw the Greek theater, which was spectacular! They continue to use the theater to hold plays. We also saw the Roman amphitheater, which is considered the 5th most important Roman theater in Italy.

Greek theater

Greek theater.

Roman theater.

Roman theater.

While in the ancient "park" there were many caves and nature walks that we stumbled upon.

The city center of Siracusa has many churches, piazzas, and fountains scattered around the city. For lunch we had some Sicilian pizza, and we found that we very much prefer the pizza from Naples, the world's pizza capital.  It was still very good and we had it a few times while we were in Sicily, but nothing beats the pizza in Naples!

Piazza Duomo.

Siracusa.