Sogni di Sicilia

Bella Catania! I love a big city, and this one has it all--from the fish market where you step around smelly puddles, to the tony streets lined with high-end fashion houses; modern glass structures and countless roundabouts hug the areas around archeological excavations; gray and cream versions of gingerbread churches, and elephant motifs. The lungomare . The sea. Restaurant food, street food, tourist food, locals' food, palazzi, Villa Bellini park, and one big-ass castle. If you don't love Catania, you haven't looked at it with open eyes. Fish market vendor Parking spot location Basilica Lavica and tufa mosaics Archeological excavations right in the roundabout  Mirrored pattern of archways We took a parking spot where we could, noted the nearby address, and walked 15 minutes to the fish market, just for sensory overload. Vendors shouting, seafood of every color in the rainbow, aromas of fresh fish, lemons, and parsley, and sunlight streaming onto our skin. I was ready for ...

Today, off to another walled city: Siena! By far, my favorite. The entire town is drenched in beauty. Having posted our travel intentions on Facebook for this day, our friends Cara and Stefano weighed in, saying they're within a half hour's drive. They are renovating a house in Montelcino, overlooking the Valle d'Orcia. Here are views from their house: We planned to time it so we could meet for lunch. But first, a peek around town. Again; mostly photos and captions. I couldn't keep up with daily blog posts! Siena's important feature, other than it's beauty, is that it's the birthplace of Italy's female patron saint, who is also my onomastic saint, Santa Caterina. I noticed that her symbol, the giglio (lily/fleur-de-lis), is the same as San Giuseppe's. It's one of my favorite flowers; I think it's serendipitous that we have a yard full of them. "Our" flower! Siena's city walls; truly reminiscent of the color 'Burnt Siena...