Agrigenta

This morning starts off with Andre and I packing, we have really not brought a lot of stuff on this trip so doesn't take long.  We forgot our bank card yesterday on our walks so we walk to the bank machine we have used before, then for one last visit to the Duomo.

Back home for around 8:00 and find Ron and Nancy already up and Nancy has made the fresh squeezed orange juice.

Breakfast over and Andre, Nancy and I walk to get the rental car.  It is another new car with only about 100km on it, but some one drove it crazy for 100km as there are a few scratches.  It is a nice and comfy car, we had the same make/model earlier in our trip, a Fiat 500L, lots of leg room for the tall guys and just enough trunk space for us to fit everything.

We have decided to do a repeat stop for Andre and I that we loved, Nicropolis Patnilica.  This time we drive from the other side of the canyon than the last time.  The trunk is full of all our stuff, but it is all hikers back here, and there is also a small information center that has someone working so we were pretty confident everything would be OK.  The walk into the gorge is much longer and more difficult than the other side, but we are rewarded with much nicer views.  This is a very unique place, and we are very happy to visit again.

Sortino

Small Detour

We drive for a couple of hours with some splendid view along the way.

Castlegione from a distance

then stop for lunch in Gela, we are really in a working town here.  We are really late, and everyone is really hungry, I think it was 2PM before we found somewhere to eat.  They were getting ready to close we think, but they did make us some pasta.  We parked beside some trucks selling artichokes and strawberries, artichokes were 25 for 5.00 Euro, strawberries were a 2kg flat for 3.00 Euro, if we were still in our apartment we would have been eating strawberries and artichokes for a while.

Onward Agrigenta where we will be spending 2 nights.  We are staying at a B&B that is on a street that is no driving during certain times of day.  We park near the train station and walk to the B&B, get ourselves checked in, then back to the car to pick up our luggage. At this point of course it decides to start raining  so everyone except Ron gets wet, Ron seems to wear his all weather jacket at all times, this time he is the smart one.

Back to the B&B, where we have 2 rooms that are kind of like one side of an apartment, it will work out well for us.  The owners have given us a magazine of the area with things to do.  We are staying in this area to see the Valley of the Temples, which is probably the most famous/visited spot in Sicily.  Many just do a stop here on the way to other towns, but we decided to spend some time here.  We have booked a private tour tomorrow for 9:30AM, really looking forward to it.

Rain has let up, so we all put on rain jackets and head out to explore.  Our B&B is in a great location, easy walk to everything.  we visit a couple of churches, then walk down to the promenade which has some views over the temples and to the water.  We were told the best ice cream shop is here, we will be back to visit again tomorrow I am sure when it is a bit nicer.  The rain has stopped but it is still damp and cool out.

On our way to our B&B. This is where we are going to visit tomorrow.

One of the temple in the valley of the temples

Another one

Off to a cute little bar down the street from our B&B.  We are given the best tapas we have ever had in a bar, this could have been supper for Nancy and I.

Spritz

Caponata

Next we had reservations at a pizza place that the owners of the B&B made for us.  Good pizza, and should be enough left over for lunch tomorrow.  We then went for a gelato. It has been a great first day of vacation, really looking forward to tomorrow.

Large chocolate eggs at the gelato place

Dessert shaped as a sheep

In town