Pozzallo, Sicily, Italy

We arrived in Pozzallo by bus from Ragusa, with a change of buses in Modica. The first bus looked like it had been in service in a war zone. Half of the seats were broken, flailing about fully reclined as the bus ambled along the twisty roads, and there were a few funny smells wafting about. The second bus could not have been more different, it was a modern, clean, nasty aroma free, double decker with comfortable seats.

Staying in Pozzallo, Sicily

Mare Nostrum Bed and Breakfast - http://marenostrumpozzallo.it/ (Via Enrico Giunta, 12 Pozzallo, 97016. Tel:+393381639181) -
We spent 4 nights at the Mare Nostrum Bed and Breakfast, while waiting for a daytime ferry to Malta.

Positive Points: 1. Breakfast. Although the food wasn't what we'd usually eat for breakfast, there were white bread rolls, cheese, and cured meat, as well as sweet pastries. Other food included yogurt, cereals, and mini pots of honey, jam, and Nutella.
2. Friendly staff.
3. Large room. Our room was very large, and well furnished. A fridge in the room would have been nice though.
4. Clean. The hotel was nice and clean, our room was cleaned daily, and we were given fresh towels every day too.
Negative Points: None. :)
8/10

Eating in Pozzallo, Sicily

Ristorante Sabbenerica -
Our first meal in Pozzallo, and a fine one at that. We had the set lunch menu for 17€ per person.
A plate of antipasto, followed by 2 starters.
The antipasto was our favourite course, it consisted of ham, cured pork, a lovely flavoursome hard cheese, half a boiled egg topped with mustard and a basil leaf, a couple of large juicy green olives, and a slice of tomato topped with a mozzarella ball, delicious.
The two starters were served in individual dishes on one plate, one was penne pasta with aubergine and tomato, the other was a creamy mushroom risotto.

The main course was slices of pork, served with chips. Dessert was a lovely light tangy lemon mouse.
We visited Ristorante Sabbenerica a second time for dinner, which was equally as good. We had pork in a lime sauce, mini pork roulades stuffed with ham, and a mixed salad.

Drinking in Pozzallo, Sicily

A Cala Brigantina -
Visit 1.We both had a bootle of Norbertus beer. A blond lager for laura, and a red ale for me. Decent beer, 5€ a bottle (50cl).

Visit 2.Our second visit to 'A Cala Brigantina' was far more interesting. It started with beer, which is always a good thing, then went downhill when we ordered food. We both wanted something hot, I ordered a hamburger, Laura ordered chicken. We were both a bit shocked when the plates arrived and they just contained a very small burger patty, and a small piece of chicken. The real insult was the fact the burger patty cost €6 and was very low rent mushy meat with little flavour, the kind you would buy in a discount food store for about 20cents each.
The evening picked up after that though. We were joined at our table by some locals, who had come to the bar to watch the football, Milan v Juventus. We had a very interesting night. The conversation was a very interesting mix of Italian and English, and some French, with various people being called over to translate parts of the conversation.
They kept offering us their food too, they'd ordered bruschetta, chips, and antipasto. We said we'd eaten, which we had, the previously mentioned minuscule burger and chicken. Then they ordered a couple of crepes oozing with Nutella, once again they offered us some. Then handed Laura a triangular portion of the chocolatey nutty crepe, she could resist no longer. She said it was yummy!
The evening ended on a surprisingly pleasant note when I went to pay our bill. I was told it had already been taken care of. The people we'd been chatting to had paid for our drinks and food. :)
Visit 3. Well that will remain a secret because I'm posting this about 1 hour before we go there for dinner/beer/wine.

Summary ~ 

Pozzallo is a pleasant little town, but for us as visitors, the lack of food was an issue. There were very few places open for business, and those that were didn't serve food.
Unfortunately the economic crisis has taken its toll.
The Ristorante Sabbenerica was more or less the only place in town for a proper meal, hence us dining their twice.

Moving On ~

The next stop on our trip was Malta, so once we had checked into the bed and breakfast, we took a walk to the (Virtu Ferries S.R.L. Largo Vespri Siciliani n. 70, 97016 Pozzallo RG, Sicily Tel: (+39) 0932 811811 Fax: (+39) 0932 811812). The Virtu Ferries booking office was about a 15 minute walk from the centre of town. It cost 96€ each for an open return ticket. Pricey, but it was either that or swim, and I avoid the sea because fish piss in it. :-)

And that's it folks. Our adventures in Italy come to an end. Next stop Malta. Adventures in Italy will continue in the New Year.

Please also note that all new travel blogs posts will now be posted back on my main blog at http://zoqy.net/blog/

Our adventures in Ragusa, Sicily

We arrived in Ragusa by bus from Licata. In fact the journey was two buses. One from Licata to Gela (45 minutes) then a 3 hour wait in Gela for a bus replacement service for the train. I can understand why they stopped running the train from Gela to Regusa, as there were only 6 of us on the replacement bus. The train station in Gela was a little too far from the town centre for us to walk to with our bags, so we spent the entire 3 hours at the station. There was a cafe, so we found a seat and grabbed a sandwich, and a beer, and watched the action. It seemed the station acted as some kind of social club. Old men would pull up in their cars, take out folding chairs from the car boot, and then sit outside the train station chatting with other old guys. Some of them even set up a table to have a game of cards.

Photos of the Cathedral of San Giorgio, Ragusa Ibla

Video of the Cathedral of San Giorgio, Ragusa Ibla

Staying in Ragusa, Sicily

Hotel Affittacamere Bertini - http://www.hotelbertini.it/
We spent 3 nights at the Hotel Affittacamere Bertini (Corso Italia 52/54 Ragusa, 97100 Italy. Tel:+393389740139).
When we arrived we received a warm welcome from the owners. Their English was very limited, but not as limited as our Italian, but we all managed to communicate. Our room was a very good size, and it had a fridge, and a small T.V. which we never watched because we couldn't get it to turn on.

Positive Points:
1. Room size
2. Staff
3. Breakfast. Fresh cakes and coffee.

Negative Points:
1. Low rent sachets of shampoo and tiny bars of soap.
2. Noise from reception
3. WiFi. While we could use the WiFi in our room, first we had to walk down the steep narrow steps to reception with both the MacBook and iPad to get them locked on to the Wifi signal before it would work in our room.
4. It was cold during our visit but they only put on the central heating for one evening of the 3 we spent there.
7/10

Eating in Ragusa, Sicily

Osteria Vecchia Ragusa (Via San Vito 128-130. Tel:0932244272) -
A conveniently located restaurant just round the corner from our hotel.
I had veal in a tomato, olive, and artichoke sauce. Laura have spaghetti with tomato, artichoke, olive, capers, and Tuna. We shared a 'Ragusa Salad' of tomatoes, olives, and spring onions. It was all washed down with a jug of house red wine.
7/10

Cafe on Via G. Matteotti (0932667407) -
We shared an interesting sandwich, with consisted of sheets of pasta (lasagne) tomato, cheese, with a bread coating. What was not so interesting was the bill, 4€ for the sandwich, 4€ for a 40cl beer, and 1.50€ for a small bottle of mineral water. If that was not insulting enough, they added a 25% service charge on top. Given that we had to order from the counter, eat off of paper plate, and drink the water from a plastic cup, we were not really seeing the 'service'. Plus there were lots of men just sitting reading newspapers and not purchasing any drinks or food.
3/10

Konza (Via Mariannina Coffa Ragusa, Province of Ragusa, Italy 0932 686561)-
On our final evening in Ragusa we went to Konza for dinner. We shared a 007 Pizza, and a Mafalda salad. Not sure what James Bond would have made of the pizza. It was topped with a boiled egg, and a small frankfurter. The salad was large, and very nice, with raw carrot, capers, black olives, sweetcorn, tomato, and a couple of types of lettuce. The pizza was washed down with a Baffo D'Oro - Birra Moretti.
7/10

Drinking/Snacking in Ragusa, Sicily

Antico Caffe Trieste -
Let them eat cake. Oh, and drink beer in my case. A nice cafe with seating on Corso Italia. We popped in on our first night for a drink, and a snack. For me a Pineapple pastry, and for Laura a choux pastry cream cake topped with miniature strawberries.
6/10

caffe italia -
We stopped by one evening for a savoury pastry and a beer. The beer could have been colder, and the pastries could have been much warmer. The prices were not bad. 3.50€ for 66cl bottle of beer, and 1.70€ each for the pastries. Oh, and no cover charge. The owner even let us off 40 cents because he did not have change. We actually went to this place a couple of times, the location in the square was good for people watching, and the service was good.
6/10

Vivera, Terra dei Sogni 2009 - www.vivera.it
Our last night in Ragusa, and our last drink. I picked this bottle of wine up from a little shop a few doors down from our hotel. It was a very pleasant wine with good structure. A good balance of fresh red fruits with a mellow finish.
7/10

Summary -

We enjoyed our stay in Ragusa. Both parts of the town are pleasant for exploring on foot, with lots of interesting Baroque buildings. The only issue we had was food. While there are a few places to eat in both parts of Ragusa, finding a regular eating joint with decent food for less than 20€ a person was difficult. Even places to grab a cheap snack were thin on the ground.

Photos of Ragusa

Video of Ragusa

Leaving Ragusa, Sicily

Next stop was Pozzallo. We knew that there was a train to Pozzallo at 8am, but as we didn't fancy leaving so early we asked in the tourist information office about buses. They were very friendly and helpful, and furnished us with a bus timetable. We settled on a 10.30am bus to Pozzallo, with a change in Modica.

Other bloggers on RAGUSA, SICILY

1.RAGUSA, SICILY
2.SOUTHERN STARS
3. Nice Place to Visit – Ragusa Ibla, Sicily
4.Sicily: Ragusa-Ibla
5. Baroque beauty - Ragusa, Sicily 

Ragusa

Ragusa, a set on Flickr.

Licata, Sicily, Italy

We arrived in Licata by SAL (http://www.autolineesal.it/) bus from Agrigento. The journey took just over an hour. The bus station was basically a large parking lot, but there was a cafe across the road from it to get refreshments at.
Photos of Licata, Sicily, Italy

Staying in Licata, Sicily:

We stayed in a studio apartment we'd rented from Casa Albergo Al Cortiletto (http://www.casealbergolicata.it/). The studio was a decent size, and had a mezzanine level with two extra beds. Super friendly staff, who collected us from the bus station (but did not drop us back).

Positive points:
1. Size of living/sleeping space
2. Location
3. Good internet speed (WiFi)
3. Staff, professional, and friendly

Negative Points:
1. Hot water, it only lasted for 15 seconds, hardly long enough to shower, very bad.
2. Small television
3. No heating (we visited in Winter)


Eating in Licata, Sicily:

Slim pickings, to say the least. A few places selling sandwiches and tepid pizza, and that was about it.

Drinking in Licata, Sicily:

There was no shortage of bars in Licata to stop at for a drink. Most of them had people sitting outside at tables, but no one seemed to have ordered a drink. Two places worth a mention. 1. Cafe Italia on Corso Umberto, and and Cafe San Angelo on Piazza San Angelo, which served decent complimentary snacks with our beer.

Summary:

Although the town of Licata was a pleasant place, the lack of decent food, or any food at all, spoilt our stay. The only supermarket for people with a car, was down at the port. Small shops selling food within the town where non-existent.
Video of Licata, Sicily, Italy

Moving on:

Next stop for us was Ragusa.

Agrigento, Sicily, Italy

We arrived in Agrigento by bus (Salvatore Lumia - http://www.autolineelumia.it/) from Sciacca. It took just over 90 minutes, terminating in the centre of town. During the journey the bus driver looked like he was going to blow a fuse. There was a small group of youngsters at the rear of the bus making noise; chatting, singing, and laughing, the driver obviously didn't appreciate being disturbed as he admonished them a couple of times to no avail. Once he motioned that he would throw them off of the bus if they didn't quieten down. Laura and I were waiting for the driver to stop the bus and kick them off, but the youngsters made it to their destination unscathed.
When we arrived in Agrigento, we walked to our rented studio apartment, off-loaded our bags, and headed to the nearest supermarket. Having spent the previous few days not eating well, we needed to get some vegetables, and other good food inside us.

Staying in Agrigento:

I had booked us 3 nights in a studio apartment from Easy Apartments Agrigento, Traversa Ortolani 21 (http://easyapartments.it), but when we arrived it worked out we would be leaving on a Sunday, so I extended our stay to 4 nights. Before we arrived the owner was super helpful sending me a ViaMichelin map link with directions from the bus station to his office, and also a bus timetable from Sciacca to Agrigento. When we arrived, the owner was equally helpful in person. He let us check-in early, gave us a town map, and lots of useful local information.

Positive Points:
1. Washing machine, and microwave with a grill, in the kitchenette.
2. Good sized bedroom
3. Location, central but quiet.

Negative Points:
1. Very small wall-mounted T.V.
2. Limited cookware in the kitchenette
3. Very small fridge

Eating in Agrigento:

We ate like kings while in Agrigento. We ate every meal, cooked by me, in our rented studio apartment. Just up the road was a small supermarket, with a couple of fruit and vegetable stalls just on the street out the front. The supermarket and market stalls served us well, and even closer to our studio apartment was a good butchers shop (Macelleria Calandra). Mmm, the chicken and lamb chops we purchased from there were both excellent.

Drinking in Agrigento:

Nero D'Avola 2010, Baglio Berribaida - http://www.baglioberribaida.it
An easy drinking wine. Deep ruby colour in the glass. On the nose slight floral and herb hints. On the palate it was light and fresh, with sour cherry and plum notes. Finish very short.
6/10

Summary:

Most people go to Agrigento so that they can visit the 'Valley of Temple'. We are not most people. Neither of us were feeling great during our stay, so doing any excess walking was not something we needed, plus the idea of using public transport to get to the temples put us off of visiting. We needed rest and some healthy food, and that is exactly what we got. Our bodies are our temples and we gave them many good offerings. We didn't completely miss out on the temples though, as our bus left Agrigento for Licata it drove right past them all. ;)

Useful links:

General site for Sicily
Comune di Agrigento 

Other Bloogers on Agrigento:

Lucky 2B Here - The Valley of Temples, Agrigento, Sicily 

Tangerine Travels - Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples

Sciacca , Sicily, Italy

We arrived in Sciacca by bus from Marsala. The bus stopped very near the centre of town, it was only a few minutes walk to our accommodation.

Staying in Sciacca:
We spent two nights in Sciacca at the Porta di Mare B&B - http://www.portadimaresciacca.com/
Positive points: 1. Location. It was within a short walk of the main town square.
Negative points: 1. Breakfast. Breakfast was included in the room rate, we were given vouchers for a cafe that was about a 5 minute walk away from the B&B. The voucher was valid for a coffee (cappuccino or espresso) and a croissant. The cafe was a stand-up only joint. We didn't feel it was worth bothering with the breakfast, as it was such an inconvenience to have to leave our accommodation for it, so we went without.
2. Uncomfortable room. Our room itself was a decent size, but because of the oversized furniture, including a four-poster bed, it was difficult to move around freely.
3. Bathroom cleanliness. When we arrived our bathroom was full of flies and little midges, some alive, some dead. Also the toilet seat was not properly clean. As they knew of our arrival the proprietor should have made sure the bathroom was in good condition.
4. Access. Entering and leaving the B&B was awkward, due to the fact that we had to use a spiral staircase, which was made specially difficult when carrying our luggage. We appreciate that space was limited, but the bottom step of the spiral staircase could easily have been positioned to make using it easier, rather than it being butted up against a wall.

Eating in Sciacca
Food was a bit thin on the ground. Restaurants near our accommodation were in extremely short supply. In fact they were in such short supply that we lived on sandwiches for the whole of our stay, sandwiches for lunch, sandwiches for dinner, and not particularly good sandwiches.

Drinking in Sciacca
Caffe Delle Rosse -
A little cafe/bar on Vittorio Emanuele. We popped in one night for a drink. We both had a small beer, €4 each for 40cl. There were several tapas style dishes on the bar, you could help yourself for €2 per plate.
Le Plus Bon -
A big place down by the marina. It was part of a small complex of cafes/bars lining the seafront. When we visited at lunchtime, for a beer and a snack; a sandwich, it was quite busy, there were dozens of mopeds parked all along the front of the adjoining cafes, belonging to the large crowd of students who were socialising with their friends, drinking bottles of beer, smoking cigarettes, and eating pizza and sandwiches.
Pub opposite the Basilica - Not sure of its name but a nice venue. We supped a couple of Thwaites beers that came in at 9%. Strong and tasty, and worth the €4 for 40cl.

Video of Sciacca 

Summary

Sciacca was a nice place, regardless of the lack of eating places. The people were really friendly and the town had a young vibe to it.

Moving on

We departed Sciacca by bus for Agrigento.