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| The Italian Islands of Sardinia and Sicily split the Tyrrhenian Sea (part of the Mediterranean Sea) |
LOOKING ON a map, it would be easy to conclude that Sardinia and Sicily were two independent nations. And at one time they most certainly were. But in modern times, they are what are known as "autonomous" regions of Italy. They each have their own history, culture, and even linguistic backgrounds. But their official languages are Italian. They each have representation in the Italian main seat of government. They are essentially part of Italy. These two back-to-back stops were probably the least eventful, and probably shortest of all of our stops. This was such a full agenda, that it actually was nice to have a bit slower time. Because they were less full, I will cover them both in one post.
Sardinia was new for us
SARDINIA WAS new for us (all of us). Four of us opted for a short walking - food tour of the city we were ported in: Cagliari. A reasonably large city of over 150,000, the city center felt small and compact to us. We learned a bit about the history of the city and sampled some of its food and wine.
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| Our tour and guide in Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy Copyright Andy Richards 20220- All Rights Reserved |
AN IMPORTANT and protected harbor and Sardinia's largest and most important seaport, the time we spent in Cagliari's city center was mainly near the harbor.
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| Caglieri, Sardinia - Italy (Celebrity Edge docked in the background) Copyright Andy Richards 20220- All Rights Reserved |
FOR PART of our tour, we walked into probably the coolest wine, meat and cheese shop I have ever been in. We tasted some of their wine, savory meats, and cheeses. I bought a smoked pecorino cheese that never made it home (I am pretty certain we would not have been allowed to bring it through customs anyway, but we pretty much devoured it during our 3-day stay in Venice, later in the trip). I also have a bottle of their extra-virgin olive oil in the cabinet here at home, just waiting for the right "occasion."
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| Savory Shop - Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved |
WE SEEM to find quiet spaces in every one of the Mediterranean towns and villages we visit. In addition to the old, classic architecture, it is becoming more and more common to find street art adorning some of the walls.
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| Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy Copyright Andy Richards 2022- All Rights Reserved |
OUR STOP in Messina, Sicily was the second visit for my wife and me. Our first trip there was in 2017, with our friends, Paul and Linda. On that trip, we took an excursion to the interior of Sicily, up to the Mt. Aetna volcano, and to a mountain town of Taormina. The town is noted, cinematographically, for some scenes from the movie The Godfather, and there is a monument to Francis Ford Coppola there. This time, we originally planned a food tour for the 6 of us. But plans changed. My wife and I ended up doing the food tour in Messina, and the others took an excursion up to Taormina. I am glad they got to see it, as it is a magnificent slice of old Sicily.
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| Messina, Sicily - Italy Copyright Andy Richards 2022- All Rights Reserved |
WE ENJOYED the food tour, which was led by our guides, a local couple who were trying to establish themselves as food guides, and with a cooking school in their home for day-tourists. We found them charming hosts and enjoyed seeing a bit of Messina. Unlike many other European cities, Messina has very little classical, old architecture. This is because most of the city was destroyed by an earthquake in 1908. New building codes required buildings to be earthquake resistant and forbade multi-story buildings. Hence most buildings are only 2-story. It makes the city appear quite modern. Indeed, our feel from the city was that it was much like one of our mid-western U.S. cities.
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| Messina, Sicily - Italy Copyright Andy Richards 2022- All Rights Reserved |
BOTH OF these stops were relatively short in-port days. It was relaxing and gave us some time to spend outdoors on the ship enjoying the wonderful Mediterranean sunshine (and in my case, a cocktail and a cigar). We had one more stop on the cruise before disembarking in Civitavecchia. That stop: Naples. And it would prove to be a very full, but very fulfilling day.
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| Sunset from the aft deck of the Celebrity Edge - Messina, Sicily - Italy Copyright Andy Richards 20220- All Rights Reserved |
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