Sicilia ( Siracusa )

Siracusa (Syracuse)

I had always wanted to see Sicilia for her charm and reputation for the Mafia stronghold. Initially, my plan was to go to Palermo, the capital of Sicilia but the night train was fully booked and I had to compromise by taking the train to Siracusa, the second busiest town in Sicilia.

From Roma Tiburtina, we waited for the night train to depart for Siracusa. We shared the cabin with an old Italian couple staying in Avola, near to Siracusa. They had visited their relatives in Milano and heading back to their hometown. It has been a long and tiring train ride from Northern Italy to southern Italy but they still appear so cheerful despite the slightly lethargic look.

Around 7am, we reached Reggio di Calabria, the last stop whereby the whole train will be fed into a big ferry waiting to transport us to Sicilia. We saw the whole procedure whereby the train carriages were split into those departing for Palermo and Siracusa respectively. Once the train carriages were inside the ferry, the passengers could go to the upper decks of the ferry to catch a panoramic view of Reggio di Calabria and also Messina as we approach Sicily. The seafront of Messina was lovely too with the Duomo visible from far. Finally, we have reached Sicilia, formerly part of Greater Greece (Magna Grecia). Sicily has strong Greek cultural influence especially in Siracusa.

At Messina, the train carriages were reassembled and we headed on for Siracusa and passed by beautiful towns like Taormina and Catania which are near to Mount Etna. In summer, it is possible to have an excursion around Mount Etna. However, in early winter, the grandeur of Mount Etna was disguised by the mist and clouds.

Along the train ride, we passed by many orchards filled with big oranges and lemons. I wanted to try the Blood oranges but was told by the old couple that they are in season in early February. The rural landscapes of Sicily became more apparent as we passed by fields and fields of lush green vegetation.

At Siracusa, we bade farwell to the old couples as they were wrapped around and hugged by their grandchildren at the station. We walked out the train station was looked around for some tourist information but was fruitless. As we walked down the main street, we see more and more advertisements for accommodation. Finally we chose Hotel Pantheon which is ideally suited and close to major attractions like the Forum and the old city quartiers (Ortigia). It is a modest hotel but I like the pretty tiled flooring and the small balcony overlooking the small park.

Giuseppe was an interesting guy at Hotel Pantheon. He was delighted to see us especially after knowing that we came from Singapore. He recommended us to visit the attractions like Greek Theater, Roman Amphitheater, Orecchio di Dioniso & Grotta dei Cordari. The monuments in Siracusa are mainly of Baroque style and the Duomo in Ortigia is really majestic.

The next morning, we visited the day market and were thrilled by the bustling morning market scene and there were lots of local produce on sale.

The fruits in seasons were grapes, Sicilian figs and oranges. I like the Sicilian Figs and their skin comes in a wide variety of colours. They are extremely juicy and are a close resemblance to Dragon fruit except the latter has more smaller seeds.

For lunch, we tried the local snack , arancini ( or suppli ). They are deep fried risotto balls. We tried each flavour with spinach, ham, potato, ragu’ sauce and mozzarella cheese. They are cheap and delicious.

From Siracusa, there are ferries to go to Tunisia but we have to head back to Rome. We left Siracusa on the night train with fond memories of colourful morning markets and the scenic beaches.