On the walk back to the apartment we did some souvenir shopping. A few of the vendors were asking me about my Trinacria tattoo. The Trinacria is the symbol of Sicily and is the mascot on the Sicilian flag.

I was surprised that everyone seemed to like it because in my travels in mainland Italy, tattoos weren’t too much the rage and deemed in a way, uncivilized. So I am glad at least the Sicilians understand me! They were really interested and excited to discuss the history and meaning of the Trinacria with me. I feel really at home in Sicily. It’s a little strange, but in a great way.

Some cool souvenirs:

In the afternoon, we took a slow, leisurely walk to discover the old town of Ortigia. Ortigia is a tiny island surrounded by the Ionian Sea and connected to Siracusa by a bridge. The Corinthians arrived in 733 B.C. and colonized the island at the advice of the Delphic Oracle in Delphi, Greece.

Ortigia is a very old, small and charming city. The mostly pedestrian-only streets are about 3 people wide, winding and cold, because the sun does not reach in between their tangled web.

Ortigian streets

There are little “roncoes” where the streets end, which are like alcoves. The entire scene reminds me of a little Moorish village and is an awesome and new experience for me. I love it!

Walking all around the edges of the island to capture different views of the Ionian sea was such a serene event. The Ionian is a magnificent shade of aqua blue intertwined with hints of jade green and is absolutely mesmerizing.

We relaxed by her side and listened to her enchanting call a lot longer than we expected. Time seems to have no meaning here and I am enjoying every minute of it.

After being wooed by our new found love, we continued on to the most precious and charming place, to me, on the island – Piazza Archimede, one of Ortigia’s most characteristic squares, flanked with the 19th century Fountain of Diana in the middle. Diana, the huntress and goddess of the moon, is my favorite deitiy in mythology. She is absolutely stunning here. Legend is, one of her temples is buried under a municipal building in Oritigia.

Another of Ortigia’s most picturesque spots is in front the Fontana Aretusa, in front of the sea. There is a cluster of Papyrus Plants here and this is the only place in Europe where they can grow. The papyrus plants are thought to have initially been brought by the Arabs and the plant grows spontaneously in Siracusa along the banks of the Ciane river. The story of the fountain goes like this: Aretusa was Diana’s (aka Artemis) right hand woman. She transformed Aretusa into a fresh water spring to protect her from the unwelcome pursuance of the river god Alpheus. Aretusa, as a spring, fled under the sea all the way from Arcadia, Greece, with Alpheus in hot pursuit. Their waters merged as they came to the surface in Ortigia. As much as she didn’t want him, the story’s kind of romantic in a way, no?

And now we come to an even sweeter part of the story:
Across from the Fontana Aretusa I noticed a little bar/gelateria that boasted a sign screaming “Bignè!” at us.

I quickly darted across the street, Mom in tow, to get the one thing that I have missed so much – a bignè con gelato. I tried this sweet, filling treat last time I was in Sicily, in the town of Termini Imerese and have been fiending for another one ever since.

A bignè is a sweet roll type of thing and in this case it is cut in half and the gelato is put inside.

I told the woman behind the counter that I wanted 2 bignès, one with coconut & lemon (for me) and one with coffee & cream puff for Mom. Well, to my surprise and delight, this lady pulled out the god of all bignès and proceeded to make us both a straight up gelato sub! She finished them off with a wafer cookie in the middle.

Mmm, mmm good and oh so filling! How do you spell heaven? G-E-L-A-T-O is close enough for me!

Walking back home we passed the Piazza del Duomo, Ortigia’s most famous square.

Something that moved me more than the presence of the church itself is that the church, or duomo, was built around an ancient temple dedicated to Athena. The columns from the old temple are visible from the outside, but much more prominent on the inside.

While the inside of the church wasn’t that striking (I’ve been spoiled by Roman churches), it was definitely refreshing to see ancient Doric columns supporting the it. The original Greek temple dates back to 5th century B.C. and was known throughout the Mediterranean, getting much exposure thanks to Cicero, who visited it in the 1st century B.C. In its heyday, the interior of the temple was adorned in gold and ivory and on its roof stood a golden statue of Athena that the sailors used as a navigation point. Today, there is a statue of Mary in this same spot.

Our plans for tomorrow: Hit up the big outdoor fruit and vegetable market, have lunch at the Arabian restaurant in Siracusa and after dinner we’re off to Lynn’s house for a drink. On Monday we are going to Catania and I’m very excited about that!

And here’s something that I love about her:

It’s amazing to see so many people smiling and to hear so much laughter. The kids I have encountered – young to teenage – are all so genuinely happy and they all hang out together. There is something to be said for just sitting by yourself, with many people all around you speaking a foreign language, and you not totally understanding it, but the joy in the sounds of their voices. Ahhh, I must breathe out loud because I am totally encompassed by exhilarated feelings. And I love it. I don’t get to witness this type of stuff where I am from. Their happiness is contagious, I find myself smiling a lot here too