Sept. 29, 2007. On the Ferry from mainland Italy to SICILY.

The ferry ride is only 1/2 hour.

We set up camp just south of Taormina.

Sept. 30, 2007. Prior to checking out of the campsite we set off to TAORMINA to visit the Greek Theater.

Taormina is Sicily's great resort town and overrun by tourists.

The view from the Greek/Roman Theatre with Mt. Etna in the background.

Corridor to the seating of the theatre.

A closer look at Mt. Etna.

Behind the stage of the theatre.

The 3rd Century BC Greek Theater was eventually rebuilt by the Romans, to this day concerts are performed in the theater.

The castle on top high above Taormina.

MT. ETNA in its full glory. In the recent weeks Mt. Etna has been erupting again and during our visit it was giving off vog (like fog only from a volcano).

On our way back to the motorcycle we walk past the Odeon, ...

... which only a portion of it being excavated, as the other half is under the town church.

Our campsite near Taormina.

We return to our campsite and pack up. We take the scenic route that encircles Mt. Etna, ...

which takes us approx. 2 hours and then continue onwards to Siracusa.

Oct. 01, 2007. Getting another early start we ride to SIRACUSA.

Our first stop is the old city Ortigia located on the peninsula which is only connected with the rest of the modern city by a bridge.

Siracusa significance is that it was the most powerful Greek city outside of Greece from 5th to the 3rd Centuries BC, ...

... then it was ruled by the Romans and of course its most famous inhabitant mathematician Archimedes.

The Duomo (Cathedral) has a baroque facade and ...

... hides inside the pillars of the ancient Temple of Athena (5th Century BC).

Most ancient Greek temples only survived due to the fact that churches were built overtop of them ...

... or even used the temple within the structure as in the case with the Duomo in Siracusa.

Here one can see the doric columns incorporated in the structure of the cathedral.

Unfortunately for us, most of the interior of the Duomo was under construction.

Marble inlaid floors.

Another doric column.

Stained Glass Windows of the Duomo.

Holy Water Basin.

The outside of the Duomo, again the doric columns are visibile.

We sit down in front of the Fonte Aretusa and have breakfast, which consists of a piece of salami bread and Diet Coke.

From the old city we fight our way through traffic to the Neapolis quarter and the Archeological site, which houses the Teatro Greco and Altar of Hieron II.

Its' 15,000 seat Amphitheater is supposed to be the most complete theatre outside of Greece.

Ruby checking out cave dwellings.

The theatre was built 5th Century BC.

It is carved from the hillside.

It was definitely larger than we expected.

The Latornia del Paradiso features the Orecchio di Dionisio (Ear of Dionysius).

A unique cave that seemed to be created by nature.

The quarry to build the theatre.

Exploring the interior of the country gives us the most pleasures. The roads are mostly deserted and lead through some beautiful farmland and surprising gorges.

Ferla was a pleasant small village on top of a ravine and the start to the Prehistoric Necropolis of Pantalica.

We stop at the market to restock on water and Diet Coke prior to hitting the Necropolis.

The town square of Ferla boosts a beautiful situated Church in the main square ...

... with a Baroque Facade.

Approx. 10km into the Park we leave the bikes and ...

... take off on a 2 1/2hr hike through the gorge.

Up and down past 13th to 8th Century BC cave-like tombs cut into the rock.

In the Byzantine period some of the tombs were converted in to cave dwellings.

There are more then 5000 tombs arranged in tiers.

Ruby takes a closer look inside the tomb.

A great location for the motorcycles with the tombs in the foreground.

This arrangement is very similar to the ones in Turkey at Pinara.

Inside a tomb/cave dwelling.

A Byzantine Church.

What a view from this tomb/cave dwelling.

Mike takes some great pictures.

It was an amazing hike.

Our path at the Top. We were only a couple of times lost at the bottom of the gorge.

A view of the path we earlier were on at the bottom of the valley.

Approx. 15km south of Siracusa we find a nice campsite directly on the beach. The campgrounds get less and less populated.

Oct. 02, 2007. Prior to checking out of the campsite, we ride to NOTO and park park the motorcycles at the Reale Gate at just before 8am.

Noto is another UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The town was destroyed by an earthquake in 1693 and completely rebuilt in Baroque style ...

... using white tufa (a limestone turned into a honey color by the sun).

The streets are empty and the sun is peeking through the buildings.

We stroll along the Corso Vittorio Emanuele and come upon the twin towered Duomo.

It has a huge staircase leading up to the entrance and of course I can't resist running up to pose for a picture, as no tourists have yet arrived.

The interior of the church is gleaming white, a contrast to the cathedrals/churches we had seen in the remainder of Italy.

As we explore church after church, we realize that it is a 18th Century Baroque style ...

... to complete the interiors white and have an oval painting in the centre of the roof.

Noto is also famous for its billowing balconies.

The balconies are supported by boisterous carvings of ...

...people...

... horses ...

... bearded men ...

Detail of bearded man.

...naked women...

...showing their boobies ...

... lions ...

... a mixture of sculptures

Without a map it is getting difficult to remember each churches name we visited, (Seen here is the Monastery of Montevergine)...

This monastery has a curved facade.

An example of a Baroque style interior of a church with the ceiling painting.

In mid-May, via Nicolaci is the site of the Inflorata flower festival.

Another beautiful decorated ceiling.

The Theatre.

The old theatre, though being small its red interior and ...

... circular layout of the balconies are grand. It would be a great experience to take in a play or concert.

The theatre only seats 250 people, each booth has its own entrance and the orchestra is sunken. The acoustics are excellent.

After packing up our gear, we are on the road again. The GPS is set at the shortest route not shortest time to get to our destination and ...

... it leads us through small alleyways of towns and accidentally to another UNESCO World Heritage Site which we originally had not planned on visiting.

ISPICA lies in a small gorge/valley and has rock-carved tombs/caves.

This was a pleasant surprise stop.

This place does not seem to get a lot of tourists, but is definitely worth a wander through.

There are numerous tombs and caves.

We explore in full gear, which means we take advantage of every shady spot available.

Mike taking a rest deep in the cave surrounded by tombs carved into the rock.

More tombs. We are off to Agrigento and continue our route along the coast of Sicily.

Oct. 03, 2007. AGRIGENTO - THE VALLEY OF THE TEMPLES.

The Valley of the Temples lay on the outskirts of the modern town of Agrigento.

The site is large and involves a few kilometers of walking and it seemed mostly uphill. At 8:25am we are the first "tourists" through the gate at the most eastern entrance.

The sun is still low on the horizon and gives the TEMPLE OF JUNO, ...

... which was build around 450BC a reddish-golden glow in sharp contrast to the deep blue sky.

Walking along the Via Sacra we follow the ancient wall ...

... only portions of the wall are still standing.

Most have been erroded from the wind and environment.

Agrigento or Valley of the Temples has a perfect view of the Mediterranian Sea.

We continue or walk along the Arcosoli Bizantini to the TEMPLE OF CONCORD.

It is one of the most impressive and well preserved Greek Temples outside of Greece.

It was built approx. 450 BC and saved from distraction as it was converted into a Christian Church in 400AD.

All 28 outside Doric columns are intact and ...

... the interior walls are standing, ...

... which we only have seen in Balbeek, Lebanon.

Unlike the temple in Balbeek, we were not allowed to enter the temple.

The interior of walls of the temple.

A great place for some breakfast. We are always having the weirdest food. It was actually really good.

A few hundred meters further west is the remains of the TEMPLE OF HERAKLES, ...

... built in 6th Century BC and the oldest on site.

Standing beside a column shows scale.

Several columns are standing and the surroundings are littered with toppled ones.

We are able to explore the interior and climb up close to the columns to get a real appreciation to there size.

We cross the Via dei Templi road and enter the western part of the site. The area is outlined as the Temple of Olympian Zeus and in the midst lays a Telamone, ...

... a giant figure that was used in this construction. It is the biggest temple in the valley and originally started in 480BC, but never completed.

It is a maze of temple ruins, ...

... with massive blocks of stone and pieces of columns ...

... scattered all over the place.

The current standing columns in the area of the TEMPLE OF CASTOR & POLLUX at the far west end is a bit of controversial assemblage of pieces from other temples.

It is still a great picture with the modern town of Agrigento in the background.

Off the beaten path (no tourists) lie the ruins of an Agora and Gymnasium.