Once again the Sicilian drivers commanded our respect as our excellent bus driver got us easily from Palermo to Syracuse while dodging road works and careless drivers and remaining cheerful. Neither of us likes the bus as much as the train. More cramped. However, we did get terrific views of a road system which flattens out the gorgeous hills and valleys by basically running elevated through large tracts. (Although every twenty km or so there seemed to be another stretch under repair!) and - at no added expense we got great views of snowcapped Etna for quite a while - see the pics)

We arrived five minutes ahead of schedule and walked the ten minutes to our unit at via Epicarmo, 5. The owner Marco was waiting for us and welcomed us warmly, showing off the newly renovated apartment he is so rightly proud of. After showing us sights on the map he left us to it and returned to his place down the hallway, saying to ask if we needed anything.

First port of call was lunch. There is a deli on wheels in front of our place so we went over and ordered fresh bread rolls with mozzarella and ham and ate them in our apartment. They were superb. Next was a supermarket trip after checking what we need in this lovely well equipped place and then a walk to the old part of the city- Ortigia- and pretty much almost around it. It is actually an island joined to the mainland by two bridges and very close to our apartment. We came upon the imposing cathedral along the way. The route around the island reminded us a little of Malta with its fortifications along the waterfront. In the sun it looked quite lovely. There is a car park built right up next to the water and it has a concrete roof we could walk on after squeezing through a barrier. Others were walking in the same area. The section over the car park is neglected and a bit sad looking and yet this would be prime real estate in other parts of the world. Across the road there was a group of immigrant lads playing cricket - probably from the sub-continent. Who knows - an Italian test team in 20 years?

Despite the fact that in Palermo we had been quite close to the ocean, there was really nothing to attract us to the waterfront there. In fact when we went for a walk one night to explore it, it was downright forbidding. Syracuse has more of the feel of Hobart, as it gathers round its harbour between the 'mainland' and Ortigia. We quickly noticed too that the comparative openness of the spaces here removed some of the sense of being cramped that we had had in Palermo, and we were not seeing the remnants of the bomb damage that were so common in the Kalsa.

Dinner was pasta and sauce in the unit and a quiet evening - and our new secret passion for watching the Adventures of Merlin- one of the two programs we can get in English in the evening! Absolute twaddle but quite diverting! (M: Confession time - and isn't it always better when someone confesses for you? Anne had her first gelato on the way back from our walk this evening. It was only the merest morsel. Really... Truly. The spoon was tiny. A mere sliver. But it was delicious!!! She said.)