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Francine Casalino Laura's avatar

I lived on Ortigia and then on Siracusa proper a few years ago. As beautiful as it is, I got a bit bored and relocated to Palermo, which I adore! Apollonion was my favorite restaurant on Ortigia! And you should check out the Santa Lucia market on Sunday mornings, directly across the Piazza from the church. It’s absolutely incredible; it’s primarily food, but there’s also antiques and housewares. I write about my life and travels on Wisdom She Wrote; I hope you’ll read us soon!

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Laura Itzkowitz's avatar

Thanks for the tip! I’ll be sure to check out the market on my next trip. And I’ll subscribe to Wisdom She Wrote 😊

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Francine Casalino Laura's avatar

Wonderful! We look forward to your feedback. Enjoy!

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Guy Roberts's avatar

Did you visit the old Jewish baths that were discovered under a hotel in Ortigia?? I think there is still some puzzlement about exactly where the fresh water comes from, both there and at the Aretusa basin where the papyrus grows.

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Laura Itzkowitz's avatar

No, I’ll have to try to find them next time!

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Livia Hengel's avatar

I love Ortigia, great to read about it through your eyes! And thanks for linking my piece in Forbes :)

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Laura Itzkowitz's avatar

You packed lots of great tips in there! I’m sure it will be useful for others planning trips to Ortigia 😊

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Sara Kaiyala's avatar

My husband and I will be staying in Ortigia for about 8 days at the end of October. I cannot wait! Thank you for this article! Bookmarking it so I can come back to it as I start planning.

I'm already dreaming of all of the almond granitas with espresso that I'll be consuming every day, probably a couple times a day. 😂 There is a Sicilian bakery that I can't stay away from when I'm in Rome called I Dolci di Nonna Vincenza and I always get a grande almond granita with a shot of espresso and pour it over the granita. It's heaven.

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Laura Itzkowitz's avatar

Oooh I don’t know that Sicilian bakery in Rome. I’ll have to go check it out when I need my granita fix. Thanks for the tip!

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Sara Kaiyala's avatar

They even have the granitas in winter! 🙌 And their pastries are incredible too.

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Phyllis's avatar

PS Local trains are infrequent. A trip from Taormina to Noto in 2008 was impossible without an overnight stay.

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Laura Itzkowitz's avatar

I think if you want to move around in Sicily, it’s best to have a car. We drove from Rome and took the ferry across the Strait of Messina.

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Phyllis's avatar

Unforgetable times in Sicily. It's all good. Thanks for the updates.

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Marco & Sabrina's avatar

What a beautful Baroque atoll it is. Thanks for reminding us to write about the time wd spent there a couple of years ago, Laura

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Laura Itzkowitz's avatar

I’d love to read about your experience in Ortigia!

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Marco & Sabrina's avatar

As promised, Laura- here's our take on Ortigia. Do hope you enjoy it!

https://open.substack.com/pub/marcoandsabrina/p/sicilian-rites-of-spring-part-2?r=10ijux&utm_medium=ios

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Laura Itzkowitz's avatar

How fun! I love the descriptions of Noto too.

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Marco & Sabrina's avatar

Thanks Laura. That means a lot!

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Richard Philion's avatar

Planning to go in September!

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Laura Itzkowitz's avatar

That should be a great time of year to be there!

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Lindsay's avatar

Thank you for this! I’ve always wanted to return to Italy for a long trip, but never included Sicily in the itinerary. Now it sounds like I have to include this beautiful area.

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Laura Itzkowitz's avatar

I would definitely recommend including Sicily in your itinerary! Ortigia is one of my favorite places, but there's so much to see and do on the island.

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Claire Polders's avatar

Ortigia is one of my favorite places in Sicily. They make panini at the market that still haunt me: so rich and so good. They add any ingredients you want, not just cold cuts and local cheeses, but mushrooms and pickled onions and fresh herbs. But the line at lunch time is long, so go before 11am or after 2pm.

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Laura Itzkowitz's avatar

Those panini are worth waiting in line for!

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