Driving from Calabria to Basilicata

We are leaving Calabria today and driving to Basilicata and the town of Matera. We are staying two nights in Matera and we have a lot planned. As we left Popilia Country Resort at 10:00am it was raining a little but that didn’t last long. The sun came out and we had beautiful weather during the drive. Around noon we stopped at an Autogrill and had time to use the restroom and get something to eat for lunch. We were there for about an hour and then we continued our drive. The route we took had us driving along the coast of the Ionian Sea. It was absolutely beautiful.

Castello Federiciano

The water was turquoise and the landscape was green. The area was dotted with olive trees and wildflowers. We also passed a castle (Castello Federiciano) in the Cosenza region. I spent some of the drive time editing photos (I have taken so many photos it was good to sort through all of them). It took us somewhere around four hours to reach Matera and it was somewhere near 3:00pm.

The bus couldn’t get into town so we were dropped off about four blocks from the hotel and we had to walk the short distance to the center of town. We are staying at the Albergo Italia hotel and this is an historic building that used to be a palace and the great thing is that it is within walking distance of the historic part of town. It is now a beautiful and comfortable hotel. We got our key and checked into the room and got settled. The key is a real key not a card and it is on a large and heavy keychain. The keychain is made of brass, it is flat on the bottom and has the room number engraved there. The bottom part is round and has a rubber gasket around it and then the upper part is flat. One side has the hotel name and the other side has the room number. It was kind of cool to have a key that fit the old building instead of a modern technology card. And since the keychain was so heavy we turned it back into the desk when we left the hotel and picked it up when we returned. One thing I have to say about this trip is that all the locals think it is winter. Everyone is walking around with coats (not jackets) and the hotel rooms still have only heat on.

View of the Sassi from our hotel room.

We had to turn the heater completely off (since all that we could get was hot air) and open the windows (thankfully they did open) to allow the hot air out and the cool air in. Opening the windows was a good thing since it not only cooled the room off but gave us an unobstructed view of the Sassi. That was another great thing about this hotel – it overlooked the historic center on one side and the Sassi on the other.

Thomas and I decided to go for a walk around town so we headed down to the lobby where we met Dave and Deanne. The four of us wandered along the streets shopping and seeing the sites. We went into some old churches and a museum and we got to see the Sassi from an incredible viewpoint.

il cuccú

We stopped in a little shop that sold these pottery chickens that are whistles. They are called il cuccú and are kind of folk arty. We left Dave and Deanne at this point and went in search of something to eat. Unfortunately nothing was open (the restaurants don’t open until 7:30pm) so we ended up getting some gelato to tide us over until the restaurants opened up. We returned to our room and rested until 7:30 when we went out again and found a place to eat. We picked a place called Il Boccone del Musicusta and we shared a pizza (margharita with raw ham) and spaghetti (filega pasta and tomato sauce). It was a nice relaxing and delicious dinner. Afterwards we wandered around town and ended up getting another gelato before calling it a night and returning to our room.

Today was nice – even the four hours in the bus since the scenery was spectacular, especially the Ionian coast. Tomorrow is a much busier day – we have a walking tour of Matera and of the Sassi in the morning, then a food tasting at noon and then we plan to go out on our own and hike to the caves. Should be interesting learning about the Sassi.

Walking Tour of Tropea and Tartufo in Pizzo

We seem to have a routine going on here - every morning we get up at 6:30am, get dressed and ready for the day and then go down for breakfast at 7:00am. After eating we return to the room to brush our teeth and wash our hands then grab our things we need for the day and then meet the group at 9:00am in the lobby to start our tours for the day. Today was the same.

At 9:00am we met in the lobby with Linda (our trip tour guide) and Nicolette (our local tour guide) and of course Mimmo (our bus driver). As the bus left the resort it started raining and lasted until just before we arrived in Tropea. We had to get off the bus about half a mile from town because the streets aren't able to accommodate a large bus.

Chiesa di Maria SS di Romania

So we walked into town and stopped at Piazza Vittorio Veneto to use the bathroom and get oriented to the town. Then we continued along Corso Vittorio Emanuele to Piazza Ercole and a statue of Pasquale Galluppi. Here the guide talked about Galluppi and about the historic center of town. We then continued our walk over to Chiesa di Maria SS di Romania.

Tyrrhenian Sea & Tropea Coast

This is a Norman church with a lot of history. After a tour of the inside of the church we continued down the street to the end where we had an incredible view of the Tyrrhenian Sea and the coast of Tropea. It was absolutely beautiful! From this vantage point we could see Santa Maria dell'Isola Monastery which is perched atop an island right near the coast - a site worth the trip. From here we went to a food tasting at a local store. We had a variety of things to taste including a sweet onion jam made from Tropea's famous red onions - "cipolla di Tropea".

Santa Maria dell'Isola Monastery

After the food tasting we returned to the Galluppi statue and then we had some free time for lunch and to explore Tropea on our own. Thomas and I ended up having lunch with Dave and Deanne at a pizza place right near the statue - we all had a slice of pizza and we enjoyed the food and the relaxing time to visit after a very busy morning. After we ate Thomas and I decided to go out on our own and explore the town. We walked around and visited a church, did some shopping and found a place to sit and enjoy the views of the sea. At 1:30pm we returned to the statue to meet the rest of the group and make the walk back to the bus.

We left Tropea and headed for Pizzo - another small town on the Tyrrhenian Sea. Again we had to leave the bus and walk a ways to get into town.

Tartufo di Pizzo

The streets just aren't built to accommodate large buses. In Pizzo we made our way to Piazza della Repubblica and to Bar Ercole Gelateria for some Tartufo di Pizzo. This was so good! It is a hazelnut gelato with a dark chocolate melted center (like a lava cake) and dusted with cocoa powder. We really enjoyed this and when we were done we had a little free time to explore Pizzo. We walked over to Castle Murat - we walked around the outside of the building but we didn't have time to go inside. We then took a quick stroll down the main road from the piazza and then returned to the bus for the ride back to the resort. But before returning to the resort we stopped at a grocery store to get things for dinner. We were on our own tonight and the only choice for food was the restaurant at the resort. So many of us just got snacks and some things to make sandwiches.

View from Popilia Country Resort

After everyone was done shopping we returned to the resort.

Thomas and I got things back into our room and then I went for a walk around the property. I enjoyed the walk and some great views. Then I returned to the room, took a shower and then we made sandwiches and ate while talking about the day. I then did a little blogging and editing photos. Now it is time to get some rest - tomorrow we board the bus and leave Campania and head to Basilicata and more specifically for Matera.

Leaving Sicilia for Mainland Italia

Wake up call at 6:30am, up and dressed by 7:00am and down to breakfast at 7:05am. When we  were done with breakfast we headed back up to the room and finished last minute packing. Once we completed the packing we put our bags outside the room to be picked up by the porters and put on the bus.

Messina Clock Lion

After the bags were put out we had until 9:45am and then we needed to check out of the hotel and be on the bus by 10:00am. Thomas and I read and then I worked on the computer for a bit. Then we headed to the lobby and just visited until it was time to board the bus. We left Catania right at 10:00am and drove to Messina. In Messina the bus dropped us off near the Cathedral. Thomas and I went into the church and walked around and took pictures. Then at noon we went outside and waited to watch the clock in the bell tower. It has movement and music (played Ave Maria) that went on for about 12 minutes.

Fontana di Orione

Then Thomas and I went with Deanne and Dave to have lunch. We went to La Casa Della Pizza and had a great lunch (tasty and inexpensive). After lunch Thomas and I went on a walk around the town and saw some incredible architecture and lots of vandalism (broken windows and graffiti).

Beautiful Stain Glass Dome

We returned to the bus around 1:45pm to make our way to to the ferry to cross the Strait of Messina to Calabria on mainland Italy. The ferry ride was only 20 minutes long and it rained the entire time.

Once on the mainland we continued our drive to our next hotel. The rest of the drive was to take about an hour and a half. The drive to our hotel was uneventful and quick - I did some editing of photos and wrote a draft for the blog.

Crossing the Strait of Messina

It was around 4:00pm when we arrived at our hotel - Popilia Country Resorts. Instead of rooms like in a hotel, this place has a series of cottages on the property. We were in cottage 658 and when we opened the door the heat hit us like a wave. I couldn't believe how hot they had the thermostat set. Most of this trip the locals have been complaining that it is cold but our group is no where near being cold. We have had to ask the bus driver to put the air on because it gets so hot during our drives.

Arriving at Popilia Country Resort

Thomas immediately tried to lower the temperature but he was having problems. We ended up making two calls to reception for help but neither time helped. Finally I walked back to the front desk and asked them to try and fix it. Until they got it taken care of we just left our door open to let the cool breeze in. It was a little more than an hour before the room cooled off. We relaxed for a couple of hours and then made our way to the restaurant for dinner at 7:30pm. We had a choice of a meat version or a fish version for our three course meal. Thomas and I had the meat version which consisted of salami and cheeses for the starter, then we had fileja pasta with nduja sauce (really good, very spicy) for the second course and then for the third course we had pork wrapped with bacon & potaotes. Dessert was served to everyone and it was a selection of pastries. The meal turned out to be delicious and it was way too much food - neither Thomas nor I finished each of the three courses.

Popilia Country Resort

Now it is time to call it a day. All the traveling and the rain has really drained us. It will be good to get to sleep but first a few things to do to get ready for tomorrow. We are in Tropea and Pizzo with a local guide tomorrow. It should be an interesting day.

Catania, Some Free Time and a Wine Tasting with Dinner

Again today we were up at 6:30am and down for breakfast at around 7:00am. We had to be in the lobby at 9:00am to meet our local tour guide for a walking tour of Catania. Seventeen of us met down in the lobby (one decided to stay at the hotel and relax) with our local tour guide – Katarina. We left the hotel and turned left out the door and walked along Via Etnea. Shortly we arrived at Piazza Stesicoro. Here the guide talked about Anfiteatro Romano – part of the old city that was abandoned. The ruins here are part of an large theater that was second in size to the Colesium in Rome. Leaving here we continued along Via Etnea to Piazza Universita. Here is the Universitia DegliStudi Di Catania.

Cattedrale di Sant'Agata

After a short talk we continued along the same road to Piazza Duomo where there is Fontana Dell’Elefante (a fountain with a statue of an elephant with an obelisk on its back), Habitat Duomo, Fontana Dell’Amenano and Cattedrale de Sant'Agata.

Fontana Dell'Elefante

We were going to go and tour the Cathedral but there was a mass going on and so we went into the Palazzo degli Elefante. This elephant thing is a mystery to the people of Catania – no one really knows how or why it started and why it is so popular. After a short talk we had a 15 minute bathroom break before continuing with the tour. At this point two people decided to return to the hotel and two others disappeared. From this Piazza we walked along Via Guiseppe Garibaldi to Piazza Guiseppe Mazzino and then turned right onto Via Santa Maria della Lettera to Via Vittorio Emanuele II and stopped at Piazza San Francesco d’Assisi. Here there is a statue of a Cardinal Dumet that looks like it wants to jump off the pedestal and there is a running joke in Catania about when he will jump. From the Piazza we continued along Via Vittorio Emanuele II to Teatro Romano.

Teatro Romano

Here there are beautiful ruins of an ancient Roman Theater. We walked around while the tour guide gave us the history of the place. We got some great pictures of this place. After completing the tour of the theater we returned to the Piazza San Francesco d’Assisi and went into the Chiesa di San Francesco. In this church are two elaborate candlesticks (very large – bigger than a person) that are used in a procession that happens annually for Saint Agatha. Leaving the church we walked along Via Crociferi and through an arch connecting the church and a convent to Chiesa di San Benedetto and Chiesa di San Francesco Borgia. We stopped here for a good while and learned about both these churches and the area. We left this area via some steps that led to Via Alessi and Via S. Guiseppe Al Duomo.

Artwork at Palazzo Della Cultura

We made a right here and then a left onto Via Roccaforte. Reaching Via Etnea we turned right which brought us back to Fontana Dell’Elefante and the Cattedrale di Sant'Agata. The two people who disappeared from the group earlier were waiting there for us (this was a meet up spot if anyone got lost). We then continued along Via Vittorio Emmanuelle II to the Palazzo Della Cultura and after a short talk the tour ended here. Then we walked a little further down the road to Via Bonajuto and the Capella Bonajuto Trichora Bizantina – a byzantine chapel that was uncovered and restored. At this place we had a food tasting and some prosecco. When the tasting was done we were free to do whatever we wanted for the afternoon and then we would meet up at the hotel later to go out to dinner.

Thomas and I left the Chapel and went to some of the same places we had just visited because I was looking for a spot to plant a letterbox. You can read about that at Planting a Letterbox in Sicily. We had a little trouble finding a good spot but in the end it worked out. Once we had finally got the box hidden it had started to rain so we decided to return to the hotel and rest before dinner. We hadn’t really had any lunch so we stopped for a snack at a place near the hotel. We ended up at Caffetteria Etnea and got a few pastries – tiaramasu, a cannoli and a Sicilian ricotta cheese cake. We took these back to the room to eat and then we decided to rest. Thomas read and I did a little blogging until it was time to leave for dinner.

The group met in the lobby at 4:55pm to head out for dinner. We were heading up to Mt. Etna to a winery. It was about an hour drive to Barone de Villagrande located in the small village of Milo. As soon as we left the hotel the rain started again and it rained throughout the entire drive and for the whole time we were at the winery.

Our hosts - Alfonso & Angela

So when we arrived at the vineyard we weren’t able to see the landscape but they told us it was beautiful. So met our hosts – Angela & Alfonso. They each gave us part of the tour with Alfonso giving us the part that explained all the processes of producing the wine. When the tour was complete we headed to the dining room for dinner.  The meal started with appetizers – cheese with peppercorns, green olives, eggplant parmesan, focaccia with ham & cheese, salami & cheese, and bread. With the starters we had a white wine – Etna Bianco. I really enjoyed the wine and I especially loved it when paired with the olives. Next they brought out another wine, this time a rose – Etna Rosato.

There was lots of wine!!!

This one was also good but I liked the white wine better. With this wine they started the first course – we had pasta with tomato sauce, ricotta cheese and basil – incredibly delicious. Then they started with the red wines – Etna Rosso & Sciara. These two were good but I really enjoyed the white more. With these we had Veal, spinach and cheese rolled into medallions served with potatoes and a salad. Then for dessert we had vanilla flan with shaved almonds and pistachio and almond cookies. With the dessert we had Malvasia wine. Sometime during the meal the skies cleared and we were able to go out and see the vineyard – what an increcdible  view. It was an excellent evening – Buon cibo, buon vino and buoni amici (Good food, good wine and good friends).

View of the vineyards from the winery.

Finally it was time to head back to the hotel and one hour later we arrived in our room sometime around 10:00pm. I spent some time blogging, took a shower and did some reading. And now it is midnight and time to go to bed. Tomorrow  we leave Catania and Sicily for the mainland in Calabria.

A Day in Noto and the Avola Region of Sicily

Today is our first full day in Italy - well Sicily to be exact. It all started at 6:30am when we got our wake up call. After showering and dressing Thomas and I headed down to breakfast a little after 7:00am. We had a pretty good breakfast - scrambled eggs, ham, croissant, fruit (melon and peaches), blood orange juice and coffee.

Pomodorino di Pachino

We visited with a few other people from the group while eating and then we went back to the room around 8:00am to get our things for the day. Once we were ready we headed back to the lobby to meet the group and start our tour for the day. We left the hotel around 9:00am and headed south to the town of Noto (The Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto - a UNESCO World Heritage Site).

Porta Real (Arch of Ferdinand II

When we arrived in Noto we met our local guide (Elizabeth) on Via Piola and started the walking tour of Noto by going through a small local market - they sold wine, almonds, sun-dried tomatoes and a variety of other things. We then turned on to Corso Vittorio Emanuele and made our way to the Porta Real or Arch of Ferdinand II and the tour guide started the tour here with a little spiel about the arch. There are three items on the top of the arch - a tower (stands for courage), a pelican (stands for self sacrifice) and a greyhound dog (stands for loyalty). The arch was built for the 1838 visit of King Ferdinand II. We walked through the arch and continued the tour along Corso Vittorio Emanuele and stopped at the Chiesa di San Francesco d'Assisi all'Immacolata where she gave us some history about the place before we entered the building to walk around and take a few pictures.

Cathedral of Noto

Then we continued along the road and stopped next at Chiesa Santa Chiara. We went in for a quick look around and then we continued on our way. Next we stopped in front of Municipio di Noto (Palazza Ducezio) and the Cathedral of Noto. After a little talk about the two buildings we went inside the cathedral and looked around and took some pictures. Then it was time to move on again - now moving onto Via Corrado Nicolaci. This street holds an annual festival each year in May. It is the called the Infiorata di Noto. After walking up and down the street looking at the balconies with the elaborate brackets holding them up we then continued to our final destination at Piazza Municipio. After the walking tour we had some time on our own. So Thomas and I went walking and ended up having pizza at Bar Pinguino. Had a relaxing time and some good food. Then we went walking again and stopped at a couple of shops and the returned to the market area and bought some almonds to snack on. At 1:30pm we met back at the arch with the group and then returned to the bus to continue on with our day.

Zisola Winery

From Noto we drove a short distance to Zisola Winery for a tour and wine tasting. We got a tour of the vineyard and then a tour of the winery by Andrea. Then we went into the garden and had a wine tasting. We tasted four wines - one white and 3 reds.

Zisola Wines

I liked the white the best, then 2nd red, 1st red and then 3rd red. Andrea doesn't speak English all the well but he did try really hard.

Around 4:00pm we left Zisola and made the drive to a manor house and farm owned by a Contessa - Azienda Casablanca. We were to have dinner here tonight. When we arrived we were greeted by the owner and then given a tour of the farm and stables.

Azienda Casablanca

Then we met in the garden and had some appetizers and wine - bruschetta; olives; veggies; focaccia stuffed with spinach, potato and cheese; and onion and cheese pizza. It was all very good. Then we went inside for dinner. The first course was two kinds of pasta - Pasta Alla Norma (we had this last night as well - that one was more polished and the one tonight had a more rustic/homemade taste) and a spaghetti in a lemon/cream sauce. Both were delicious but I really loved the lemon pasta best. The second course consisted of roasted eggplant and zucchini (they were cold and not very good), some meatballs (did not have much flavor) and a blood orange salad that was really tasty. For dessert we had some fresh strawberries and an orange marmalade tart with coffee. All in all it was a good meal. Most of the day had been warm and a little humid but by the time we got to dessert it was windy and cold.

It had been a long day and we were all ready to get back to the hotel for a shower and some rest. Resting now in the room and getting things ready for tomorrow. It looks like another busy day.

Arrival in Catania

After retrieving our bags we made our way to ground transportation where we met our tour guide (Linda) and our bus driver (Mimmo). Linda is really nice and easy to talk with, she is originally from Naples and now lives in Rome. She has traveled and spent time in all parts of Italy but loves the southern part of the country. She works for Go Ahead Tours as a tour guide and she put the tour we are on together herself and has been doing it for about 11 months. We are on the Food and Wine: Southern Italy & Sicily tour which is for 13 days but we had the option to add a couple of days to spend in Naples, which we have done. So we will be here for 15 days. Once everyone had arrived we were shuttled to our hotel. We are staying at the Una Hotel Palace in Catania for three nights. We got checked in and then they delivered our bags to our room. We took a little time to freshen up and get settled in the room. Then at 6:00pm we met in the Etnea Roof Bar & Restaurant for cocktails with the group before heading out for dinner.

Our group of 18 + Linda (our tour guide) on the far right.

There are only 18 people on this tour so it should be relaxing and enjoyable since it isn't a big group. Most of the group (15 people) are letterboxers and then there are three other women that are signed up. We had prosecco and some light snacks (chips, peanuts, pistachios and capers). We visited for about a half hour and Linda gave us some information about the next two days. Then we boarded the bus for a short drive to the restaurant for dinner. We ate at KM.0 Ristorante just a short distance from the hotel. They were only opened for us tonight, so we had the place to ourselves. We didn't get to order what we wanted - they had a planned menu. First course . . . 2 pastas - one was Pasta alla Norma (A pasta dish in Sicilian cuisine from Catania, an Italian city on the east coast of Sicily. It's made with tomatoes, fried aubergine, grated ricotta salata cheese, and basil. It is supposedly named for the opera Norma by the Catania-born composer Vincenzo Bellini.) and the other one was a wide ring-shaped pasta with a meat sauce. Both of these were excellent. Second course . . . a pistachio crusted beef steak served on a bed of lettuce with a red wine reduction. This was also excellent. Third course . . . consisted of four desserts - one was a small custard or flan type dessert covered in a hazelnut sauce on top of a chocolate drizzle, then there was a small cup of homemade cinnamon ice cream, next was a cannoli with a vanilla cream filling and last was a small chocolate cake topped with almonds with a balsamic vinaigrette. All of these were delicious. We also had a choice of red or white wine with dinner. This place was incredible and the staff was so friendly - we had a great time and it was the perfect way to start off our food and wine tour of Southern Italy & Sicily. My only regret was that I was so tired that I didn't take pictures of the food we had tonight - it was as visually pleasing as it was delicious. But I found some pictures on the net . . .

This is one of the pasta dishes we had tonight.

This is a photo of one of our pasta dishes. Photo courtesy of TripAdvisor.

This is a photo of our second course. Photo is courtesy of TripAdvisor.

This is a photo of our dessert. Photo courtesy of TripAdvisor.

After dinner we returned to the hotel and settled in for the night. After a nice hot shower I sat down to write this blog post - even though I am tired I felt I needed to write this so I didn't forget the details. But now it is time to get some sleep so that I will be rested for a full day in Sicily tomorrow.

. . . And So It Begins!

Well Thomas and I are off on another adventure. This time we are headed to Southern Italy and Sicily. We are traveling again with a letterboxing group and this is another Pinecone Adventure hosted by Mark and Sue Pepe. We are really excited about this trip because it is a place we have never been. The Pepe's posted an event sign up (Southern Italy & Sicily with Pinecone Adventures) quite a while back. We immediately signed up for it. It is a food and wine tour and should be fun - the itinerary looks great. You can read more about Pinecone Adventures at Pinecone Boxing: Pinecone Adventures and Pinecone Adventures - Facebook.

Our day started early this morning in the neighborhood of 3:00am. We got dressed and took care of a few final details before leaving the house sometime around 3:40am. I love driving to the Albuquerque International Sunport at this time since there is no traffic. After parking at Airport Parking we got the shuttle to the terminal. We are flying Delta and we got through check in quickly. Security was also fast as we had TSA PreCheck (so no emptying pockets or taking off shoes or pulling things out of our carry-on bags) and in less that five minutes we were done. We made our way to the gate and found some seats. We read for about 30 minutes and then the flight started boarding. This took so long - they started boarding at 5:40am and didn't finish until 6:25am and then finally took off at 6:30am. The flight was a non-stop flight from Albuquerque to Atlanta and turned out to be a quick and comfortable flight. We read and talked with a guy sitting in our row. He was extremely nice and we had a great conversation.

We arrived in Atlanta ahead of schedule at 11:00am (we were scheduled to land at 11:16am) and found ourselves with seven hours to kill. We hadn't had any breakfast so our first priority was food. We ended up at Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant where we had some great sandwiches and a relaxing lunch, since we weren't in any hurry. After eating we walked around the terminal and did some window shopping before getting on the Plane Train to the terminal where our next flight leaves from. There are eight terminals in the airport - we arrived in Terminal A and we needed to get to Terminal F - the Plane Train seem to be the best way to get from point A to point F. We then found a spot to sit and relax and read, play on the computer and take a couple of cat naps. We also took walks around the Terminal to stretch our legs. Our original departure time from Atlanta for Rome was 6:36pm (Thursday 4/28), it was pushed back to 6:56pm because the plane was late arriving from another airport. As it got closer to 7:00pm we kept getting overhead announcements that they still weren't ready and then around 7:16pm we started boarding. By the time we got everyone on board it was 7:49pm - about an hour later that the original take-off time.

Once settled in our seats and comfortable Thomas and I read for about an hour. Then we got a few things from our carry-on to keep us busy. Through out the flight we had snacks and meals - a snack of a drink and cookies, then a meal of chicken, salad, roll, fruit, brownie and a drink. Sometime in the middle of the night we got a small sandwich and a drink for a snack and then finally we got breakfast (yogurt, muffin, cookie, orange juice and coffee. We also had a selection of movies and TV shows that we could choose to watch. So we would watch a show and then read and then watch a show and then read - this went on most of the night. We also tried to take a nap but neither of us could sleep. Our original arrival time in Rome was 10:15am but with the late take-off we didn't arrive until 11:10am. We needed to pass through Customs in Rome before being able to get to our next gate. Thankfully it was quick and easy so that we didn't waste too much time.

Our next flight to Catania was scheduled to take-off at 12:30pm so we didn't have much time to get from the plane to our gate. It took a while to get off the plane and then we had to walk down some stairs to a bus and then taken to the Terminal. Once in the Terminal we had to find a board to see which gate our flight was at. We needed to be at Gate B12 - so we started walking following signs for the B Terminal. We kept walking and checking the boards, walking and checking the boards, walking and finally arrived at B12 only to find an empty area and a sign over the desk for a flight to Geneva. So we went back to a board and saw this time that our flight was at gate B3. So we back tracked (thankfully not too far) and found the gate and the other passengers. Thankfully this flight was delayed so we made it on time. By the time all the passengers were on the plane it was 1:00pm and then take-off was at 1:15pm. Originally we were to arrive in Catania at 1:45pm but didn't make it until almost 3:00pm. Once in Catania we got our bags and then found our tour guide to get the shuttle to the hotel. We waited another hour for one more passenger to arrive and finally around 4:00pm we headed to the hotel. We are now in Sicily and the vacation can really begin.