Since I last posted here, Doug and I have had a lovely and much needed holiday in Sicily. Last year we cancelled all of our holiday plans after getting covid, so we were more than ready for a break. We flew to Catania and spent 3 days there before joining friends in a villa between Catania and Syracusa for a week. The weather was cooler and rainier than expected, but the trip was beautiful and fun and restorative.
For the first few days in Catania, Doug was still on the job, so to speak, simultaneously attending two conferences – one in Iran and one in Washington DC – from our hotel room in the old quarter of the city. In between exploring, I had a nice spot in front of the windows in which to knit:

Looking at my photos, it would seem that mostly we just ate a lot! As soon as we arrived, we found some great street food in the fish market, eating grilled seafood and mountainous piles of grilled artichokes served with lemon and salt, with glasses of the local wine. Yum!

We had a fantastic lunch at the Osteria Antica Marina, directly on the fish market:

We looked increasingly more relaxed at each successive meal:

Our B&B was just next door to the beautiful San Benedetto, a former Benedictine monastery:


Then we were off to the villa, the absolutely gorgeous Commenda di San Calogero. Our dear friends, Craig and Albert, rented the villa for a week and invited 18 friends to join them. This is the third time they have done so, and we have enjoyed it immensely each time, as much for the lively company as for the beautiful surroundings (I blogged about one of the previous trips here). The gardens were lusher than on our previous visits, and were just at their peak. Here are some of my photos of the Commenda:








There were some lovely spots to knit:


The above spot was so peaceful and pretty that I (almost) didn’t mind painstakingly ripping out six very, very long rows of mohair after making an exceedingly stupid mistake. See? I am even smiling while doing so.
We went on a couple of day trips, although fewer than on previous trips as we spent a lot of time just relaxing at the villa. I particularly enjoyed our day in Ragusa where we had a fantastic lunch, and enjoyed a walk through the town.




Of course, I must bow to the knitting blog mojo and report on the two handknits I am wearing above. The shawl is one that I photographed the last time I was in Sicily and blogged here; the blue tee shirt was finished late last summer and blogged here.
We all spent a day at the Planeta vineyard, having a tour, wine tasting, and wonderful al fresco lunch. (We may or may not have purchased a few cases of wine!)



This is the first time we have travelled like this without renting a car. This means that, instead of navigating (me) or driving (Doug), we got to be passengers and commune with fellow travellers:

On the last day, we drove up to Taormina. I would like to show you beautiful photos of the views, or of the fabulous Greek amphitheatre, but alas, it was cold and rainy and foggy. I rather like this photo, however:

We’ve been back a week, and in that time I have already flown to Helsinki on business and returned. But I can still close my eyes and imagine I am in Sicily.
