Again, we set out with our travel buddies, Diane and Bill – this time for 2 weeks in Sicily. Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean, an autonomous region of Italy, and 82 miles from Tunisia, Northern Africa. We found that Sicily is the best-kept secret as a holiday destination. There are historical sites from many cultures, still part of daily use by very friendly and welcoming residents. Although there is limited English spoken in smaller towns and villages, communication with friendly folks is not difficult.

Week one, we rented an old, picturesque, stone winery on the eastern slope of Mount Etna, from which we could see eruptions on clear dark nights. There were 8 of us the first week - Bill and Diane's son and his charming wife and 2 lovely daughters joined us for the first week. We explored Etna, Taormina, and Siracusa, in addition to many very small towns and local points of interest. The highlight of the entire trip was a day spent at Calascibetta, with relatives of a local wine merchant who had befriended us. The extended family had agreed to host 8 strangers, and prepare a "Food Network" style cooking demonstration of Sicilian dishes, and allowed us to participate. There were 19 of us to dine. What a day!

Week two, 4 of us moved to the northern coast, near the charming town of Cefalu'. The view from our patio was just like being at Club Med ! We explored vineyards, olive groves, truly beautiful ancient duomos (cathedrals), where spectacular artwork is not attributed to anyone! In addition to Cefalu', Castelbuono, Gibilmanna, and Monreale were spectacular.

In the "Slide Show" which follows,you can choose to hit "Run Automatically" for an automatic presentation, or click on the Next button to advance the images manually. Click Here to see some of the highlights of Bella Sicilia.