S.Stefano; Farm

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Ceramic factory

Monday, 9 April. It was drizzly and overcast when we got up and stayed that way much of the day. The bus left the hotel at 9:00 and took us east along the coast to San Stefano di Camastra, noted for its ceramics. The autostrada ended at Cefalu' so the rest of the drive was on the narrow, twisty coastal road. We had an interesting visit to a ceramic factory and afterwards browsed its huge showroom. One of the unusual ceramic designs from this town was roofing tiles painted and glazed with various designs, made as wall decorations. After the factory we had free time to look through some of the numerous ceramic shops in the town. We picked out a gift for our friend Rosa, who we were to visit near the end of our trip.

Pollina above us

We were caught in a heavy downpour, but a few minutes later the sun was out. We all met at the bus at 12:30 and it headed west along the coast. San Stefano was the furthest east we went along Sicily's north coast on this trip. With the clouds and mist now gone, we could see about half of the ten Aeolian Islands off the coast very clearly. After a few miles, the bus turned south into the mountains, near Castelbuono, on a tiny road that made the coastal highway look like an expressway. It turned dark and drizzly again. We stopped briefly to admire the hilltop village of Pollina, high above the road.

Soon after, we arrived at the farm (Azienda Agrituistica Flugy Ravetto) where we were to have lunch. Once part of a baron's estate, it is still a working farm, but probably derives more of its income from the "agritourist" business. This includes tours like ours, as well as six apartments (19 beds) for those who want to stay there for extended periods.

Azienda Agrituistica Flugy Ravetto

Musicians serenade us

Jane being served pasta

The meal, featuring Sicilian specialties, was great and. of course, we all ate too much - again. What made this perhaps the most enjoyable part of the tour, though, were the three musicians playing Sicilian and other old Italian music. The wine probably didn't hurt, either. When we left at 3:30, it was bright and sunny, adding to our happy mood. We even talked about bringing all our children and grandchildren to spend a few days here. We were back at our hotel at 4:40. We started packing for tomorrow's departure and finished up after a buffet dinner in the hotel's Rosa dei Venti restaurant. The buffet was very generous but, after the huge lunch, few of us could eat very much.

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