Siricusa and Ortigia
We had some quirky experiences in Siricusa and Ortigia that will always make us chuckle when we think about them -- including the puppet show. Confession: Because of Valerie's allergies, we almost skipped the puppets. But then we thought, when will we have this opportunity again? So off we went. Two thumbs up for the humorous yet soap-opera-dramatic tale of the knightly Fernando, put on by talented marionette artists. Audience participation is encouraged. We were all shouting, "Hurrah, Fernando!" (He has an ego and likes to be encouraged, you know!)
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Tip: Be sure to take the orientation night-time walk led by the tour guide, and then the walk led by the local guide the next day. It's a great way to see different moods of the city.
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Nerd Fact: Archimedes is from Siracusa.
OF COURSE Sicily has a church that was built around Greek temple columns, has a marble floor depicting a pirate's skull and crossbones, and has stained glass windows that throw a tapestry of colors on the walls, which by the way still show the stone mason's chisel marks. Doesn't everywhere? Ha, we don't think so!
Our hotel was on a quiet street on Ortigia. It's managed by nuns -- they cleaned, they offered a spa, they worshipped in an attached church that you might glimpse through an open door.
We loved the tale of why the mermen and mermaids in fountains have two tails -- that way they have two legs when they transform into humans and go ashore. Okay sure, but why does the horse (mer-horse?) have only one tail? Hmmm.
This glamorous carriage was tucked away in a municipal building near the Piaza Duoma. We wouldn't have seen it if not for local guide Liliana.
Local guide Liliana and Stephanie test the Vox "whisper" audio system.
Our daily itinerary for Siracusa, written up by Stephanie. We also walked through the Mercato di Ortigia, which was much smaller than the one in Palermo, but still colorful.
This was one of Valerie's "wow" moments on the trip. She has a soft spot for Greek temples.
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Valerie: "Imagine you're coming out of normal city streets (normal for an historic city), with cars, shops, music playing in restaurants, etc. And then you come around a corner and BAM! You see this -- the Temple of Apollo! Of course I gasped, 'Wow!' And can you believe it ... apartments overlook it!"​
Spices and chestnuts at the street market.
Museo dei Pupi e Teatro dei Pupi
Just like a real theater, with backdrops, costumes, lighting, special effects, and a cast of many. And just like the "cliff-hanger" dramas of today -- tune in next time to find out what happens!
Pupi is the Italian word for puppet. Yes, pupi is pronounced like "poopie." Yes, 26 grown adults snickered or smirked like they were back in middle school when they heard it. Ahem, now let's get serious about puppets. Sicily has a long history of theatrical ... oh, never mind ... let's just have fun with puppets!
The talented crew -- and Fernando -- take a bow. Funny, he looks so much much taller on stage!
Bonus photo of a shop down the street from the theater where these crafts people were working on tiny armor for puppet costumes! After all, those sword-fighting scenes cause some damage.
On Our Own in Siracusa
Note: Any errors in Italian in this scrapbook are all our fault. Our guide did her best to teach us useful Italian words and phrases, but we're not the best students! Non parlo Italiano. Or as Jay said in response to a question from an Italian guy who had just parked in a "maybe it is or maybe it isn't a parking space" and didn't realize we were tourists, "Non parlo ...." (Jay froze in panic and couldn't remember to add "Italiano" at the end). Sorry, mi dispiace!
Pasta fans rejoice!
Math nerds rejoice!
Duck! This boat went under that bridge.
For our free afternoon, we set off past the marina, over a bridge to Siricusa proper, to see the Neapolis Archaeological Park. In addition to the Greek amphitheater and the Roman arena, we were surprised to discover it also had a weird waterfall that flowed under the amphitheater, a huge rock quarry from ancient times that also served as a prison, a huge quarry-hewn cave you could walk in, and several modern sculptures of faces and figures. And FINALLY we got to use our hard-to-get Euro coins for restrooms that had paid attendants.