When are we going back to Sicily?

I just acquired an old book, 'Old Calabria' by Norman Douglas about his travels (or his travails) in Southern Italian years ago. Half way through it, he wrote about 'lovers of the baroque would be disappointed with San Caltado'. San Cataldo is in Palermo, Sicily unless there is another San Caltaldo in Calabria. This is San Cataldo in Palermo, Sicily. I went to Sicily in search of Sicilian Baroque, I found, not only Baroque, but also Norman and San Cataldo. San Cataldo is stark (compared to the flourishes of Baroque) inside and out. The only distinguishing features it has going are the three red domes on the roof top. Most entrances to the churches in Sicily were free except we had to pay 1 euro to enter San Cataldo to see the stark interior. The mere lack of decoration in the interior contributed to an heighten spiritual feel to the place and also its association with the crusaders and the crusades. Not only that, Constance, the aunt of the Norman kings who first ruled Sicily was married to the first ruler of the Holy Land under the crusaders. San Cataldo is a very special place. Norman Douglas could not have been more wrong. It was in San Caltado that I felt a deep spiritual bond unlike other Baroque churches when I was distracted by the adornment of the interiors.
Why did we even considered Sicily as a place we would visit, twice and now considering a third trip? It was in Leece, a little town in Southern Italy, the year before that I fell in love with the Baroque. Leece is a very baroque city, absolutely delightful and I couldn't get enough of baroque. I read somewhere that Sicily is the place to get your fill of the baroque because a lot of cities were destroyed by a huge earthquake around the time of the appearance of the baroque movement and so a lot of Sicilian towns and cities were rebuilt in the baroque style. So off we went, to Sicily, and we were not disappointed.
So when am I returning to Sicily? 2010. This year's trips have all been planned out. I'm looking into next year's and it will include a trip to Sicily. Where would I go this time, definitely some places would be revisited and new places too. Maybe Modica, to meet with Patrizia of blog, http://sicilyscene.

The stark interior of San Cataldo, what the dome looks like inside.

The crusaders' cross adorns a curtain inside San Cataldo.

Sicilian puppets.

The Vucciria market in Palermo. Here am I reaching into my bag to get some money to pay this fellow for some wild strawberries.

I will return to Santa Zita to see some of the works of Giacomo Serpotta.

The rich marble inlay of a lot of the churches in Palermo is amazing and beautiful.

I think I will return to Noto, another very baroque city, that some say, out baroque the baroque of Leece.

Noto is a small and very delightful place, across the street from here is the restaurant, 'Buca' which serves great food and is quite inexpensive.

Monreale, here I am waiting for it to open, it closed at lunchtime and I already had a great meal of pasta.

The duomo at Ragusa Ibla.

Ragusa Ibla, as seen from Ragusa Superiore. You arrive at the train station in the new town, Ragusa Superiore and a short walk from it, Ragusa Ibla will come into view. This is the most delightful view of Ragusa Ibla. They say Modica is very similar and I have to go and find out in my next trip.

A postcard of Ragusa Ibla.

A crumbling palazzo, I might be in the market to buy one, set up home in Sicily.

The valley of the temples with Agrigento in the foreground, what a magical place.

The duomo in Cefalu.

The town of Taormina just before we headed up to the ruins. Taormina is very pretty and a very popular resort destination.

Here we found some really delectable and the sweetest pears that came from a farm nearby. This was Acireale, we stopped just to see the duomo which I read had a very unusual baroque facade. I told you I was on a baroque quest.

The duomo in Acireale. I was not disappointed.

Snow in Sicily? Yes, they have skiing on Mt Etna, this is around Mt Etna, we took the train, the Circumetna that runs around the base of Mt Etna. This was early March, it was raining and snowing and so magical. The wet weather did not dampen our spirits at all.

The ubiquitous prickly pears, they are everywhere.

An old palazzo in Catania which was converted to a cheap hostel where we paid 45 euros/night and we stayed here on both trips.

The airport in Catania is the major airport in Sicily. This was where we flew in and out of on both trips. One can also take the night train to and from Rome. I'd like to do that one day, maybe the next trip.