We were about 15 minutes out from our hotel in Agrigento when David remembered that he had left his jacket and hat on a couch in the hotel lobby. I said that we should return for them. Only an additional 30 minutes for our day. Roberta called the hotel to tell them that we were returning for these items so that they might find them and hold them for us. When we arrived we found that it was not just the hat and jacket left on the sofa but also two backpacks. It was a good thing that David remembered his items and that we decide to go back for them. Whew!

Along the drive we started to see more green than before. It seemed to be a healthy agricultural area. We saw almonds, olives and lots of prickly pear. Prickly pear is everywhere. Not only is it food the plants seem to be used for erosion control.

Then on to Villa Romana Del Casale, the remains of a house belonging to a wealthy Roman – thought to be in the business of trading exotic animals. The house is full of mosaics including depictions of animals being loaded onto ships. Everything seems to be left as is – including dust and other bits and pieces floating around. Although not particularly well displayed, the extent of the mosaics and the narratives they tell is impressive.

Next stop Ragusa – a hill town in SE Sicily. Our hotel was in the historic area so we were instructed to park on the edge of town in a free public lot. Easier said than done since there were only about 20 spaces in the lot. In an adjacent area was a pay to park lot with lots of space. But, David got a spot and we then had to find our way to the hotel. We had instructions for a 8 minute/no stairs way to go but we could not find it. So, we took the stairs up the hill. (Later, looking through my notes, I found one that said the hotel would arrange transport from the parking area on request.)

But, Ragusa was well worth the effort. We had the good luck to arrive on a Saturday – and a festival was taking place. The town was beautiful and alive.