Siciliy - Caltagirone and Modica.

On the road from our first few days staying at the foot of Etna, down to the world that is Caltagirone. A town famous for its pottery works and tiles. After there, we progressed to the next place to stay Modica, home of ancient chocolate recipes and crazy back alleys.

Caltagirone town hall.

Ceramics workshop

the main reason most people come, are these steps and the associated ceramics.

Even the sun is happy.

The Taking of the Bell of Altavilla to Caltagirone, polychrome maiolica mosaic

Great street art using the traditional Moor heads.

more ceramic work

Not one for the vegetarians and vegans, but one for food lovers, this is Cavallo one of the main reasons I go back to Italy. Horse meat, it is a divine pleasure. And a panini for €2 you can't go wrong.

The Giardino Publico has the great mosaic gazebo in the middle.

Moorishly out of this world.

Like a physical tetris game

The park has great avenues to stroll around

You'll even see an old friend pop up.

Then onto Modica, where our apartment had this really cool view.

I love all the terracotta roof work in Sicily.

This guy wasn't too fussed

Another non-plussed local.

hoof.

Four leafed clover?

It does MATER apparently.

Just give me a street light, a gorgeous model and some sunshine and I'll make you smile.

Sicily - Taormina and Riposto

I am slowly getting through photos now that the summer is here and there is a little less work for an old teacher. Which means you get flooded with my past holidays, sorry, kind of not sorry. Here we return to Sicily, ahhhh my beautiful Sicily. I wish I'd learned Italian at school, or just from some of my Italian friends when I was growing up.

Here we visit Taormina, a place made famous by many famous people all the way back to dandiest dandy, Oscar Wilde. For me though, it didn't have the appeal, maybe I was having a bad day, but it just felt bland and cliche.

These stairs were pretty though

The side alleyways are nice.

Nothing like a pothead.

Even though these are smoking related, something I detest, they are still displayed in a nice way.

Our old buddy Etna just hanging around.

So after Taormina and a few stops along the coast on our way back to our accommodation, we decided we would like fish for dinner, so stopped at a lovely little seaside village Riposto. Probably once a grand town, not is it just a series of boarded up houses and some recently updated holiday cottages. That said it was full of rugged beauty. That and the fish was super fresh, super cheap and exquisite when I cooked it in a little olive oil. Alas, it was so lovely I forgot to take photos.

The new

vs the old

If I labelled this modern art I could probably sell if for a fortune.

At the end of the day we decided to make an environmental survey and came up with these lovelies, that are now pressed and dried as a momento. Ahhhh the simple life.

Orlen Marathon, Maraton Orlen Warszawa

I finally have dumped the photos from the Orlen Marathon earlier this year, lots of fun had by all.