Stone upon stone: an Italian sojourn: Walking Ortigia

We did our last walk around Ortigia today, so sad to be leaving. We are off to Catania tomorrow, for our last few days in Sicily before we head north. We took the southern road around the island and circled it by foot, today. Past the marina.

Past the tent-like spire which dominates the Syracuse skyline across the water and belongs to a church not far from the archeological park and museum that we were too tired to explore yesterday. The spire is built of concrete in the shape of a teardrop, supposedly, over the ruins of a church where the statue of the Virgin was said to have been found in tears for five days in 1953. After that, some 300 miraculous cures were reported: Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Tears.

Restaurants were touting heavily along this side, but we had made a beeline for the only place in Sicily we have returned to twice: and that was Mokrito, a casual but delightfully friendly eatery near the Fountain of Arethusa. We were lucky to get a seat, and we ended up with a counter one at that, but we counted ourselves lucky to be there. Busloads were still trying to find places to eat and folk did not want to go elsewhere.

While many of the other restaurants were enticing tourists with free appetisers, drinks and pretty displays, Mokrito had already filled upstairs, outside, and now their counter seats without even trying, where we sat overlooking the chefs at work. We had a fine old time and because they remembered us we even ordered our food direct from the chefs to relieve the wait staff who were run off their feet.

The food they have on offer is beautifully fresh and local, cooked to order, and delicious casual fare. Probably the tastiest meals we have had in Sicily.

There are many bars and cafes and pizzerias that we don't bother even to walk inside. Our rule of thumb being that if we can spy ready made pizza slices in their serving bay we are not going to be customers. We won't eat warmed over breads or pizzas and the like. And we are super fussy with our pasta orders, too. If there is not something rare and unusual to us: like wild boar ragu, or shredded roasted duck we are not much interested anymore, as our own home made sauces are better than most we order, so we don't.

Mokrito has been special to have enticed us back: and we loved it just as much the second time.

We wandered in areas we had not spent too much time until now and noticed little bits of gorgeous architecture that caught our fancy: A portal on the marina that is quite Arabic. Gorgeous baroque decorations topping this beautiful limestone building. The lovely soft colours of the waterfront on the Ortigia side. A tree bound and gagged to keep it alive. And flowers decorating the chipped and flaking pink painted exterior of a home where a party was in progress. It might have been a big family gathering for Sunday lunch, or a special celebratory party for something. They were having fun. As we did in Syracuse.

We had such a lovely time here.