Still in Siracusa a few more days...
...and I wish I could stay for at least a year and get to know this place even more
The Swede and I have been in Siracusa now for eight days, and I readily admit that we have been just doing our own thing and not really venturing out of the city. We’ve
When in Sicilia, partake in granita
It’s been hotter than usual since we arrived, so nearly every day we’ve cooled off with granita. If you’ve never had granita, I’d say – at least for Philadelphians – it’s like a combination of Italian ice (or what we call ‘water ice’ in Philly, ice cream and a slushie. Sicily is the home of the granita and they are so refreshing. When I still lived in Philly, I often had lemon, mandarin orange or coffee-flavoured granita. Ever since we arrived in Siracusa, we’ve enjoyed almond (or mandorla in Italian), pistachio (or pistacchio in Italian) and mulberry (called gelsi here).
The Swede’s favorite so far has been pistachio while mine has been a tie between almond and pistachio. If I lived in Siracusa, I would probably eat granita every single day – that’s how much I love it.
We’ve enjoyed granita at two places here in Siracusa: Gelateria artiginale Belfiore and il Mastro Gelataio. Both places served amazing granita.
Mangia, mangia, mangia!
We rented an apartment in the Borgata district of Siracusa and decided to have breakfast and dinner out every other day rather than cooking at home all the time. It’s vacation, right? We should feel like we’re spoiling ourselves. Where we ate while in Siracusa:
Agape Ristorante – we had dinner there twice and loved it (the first evening, the Swede tried their spaghetti with sardines and loved while I had the Gran fritto del Mediterraneo – fried calamari, prawns and fish – so yummy; the second evening, he devoured a steak with patate al forno while I savoured the tuna crusted in pistachio with patate al forno on the side
Photo by Agape Ristorante Biblios Café – we had delicious bruschette there (honey, dried figs and ricotta) with a glass of Sicilian white wine for me and a beer for Tord, unfortunately they didn’t have any Sicilian beer on tap, but the Swede was still happy
Caseificio Ciane – the cheese, the cannolis… Fabio the proprietor didn’t lead us wrong. A small but wonderful place for all things cheese (and other things for antipasti and dolce).
Soul Kitchen – we went here on the Swede’s birthday to celebrate. We loved their Sicilian-style tapas and the mellow atmosphere. Highly recommended!
When in Sicily, drink Moretti beer or Grillo white wine, and eat an arancini. (Photo credit: Kim Golden-Malmgren)
Treat yourself to handcrafted ceramics
The Swede and I love Sicilian ceramics – especially bowls and plates we can use for serving homemade pasta or risotto or whatever other delicacies strike our fancy. Don’t buy them from the souvenir shops. Go to a proper ceramics studio. Often, you can see the artisan at work and it makes the pieces feel all the more special.
While we were in Siracusa, we bought pieces from:
Ceramikale Laboratorio D’Arte on Via della Maestranza, 70 in Ortigia-Siracusa
Ceramiche Artigianali Dolú on Via Larga, 7 in Ortigia-Siracusa
Bere!
We made a lot of stops during our walks to grab something cool to drink and rest our feet. Here are some of our favorite places:
Vinoteca – a great wine bar on the corner of Corso Umberto I and Via Palermo. We had delicious wine and a light dinner here our second night in Siracusa. Definitely going back before we leave.
Insolito Café – Located on via Mosco in Borgata-Santa Lucia district. Nearly every day we’ve dipped in here for a pre-dinner glass of wine. Good service and wine, and friendly personnel who made us feel like locals.
Amunì Ristorante & Cocktail Bar – a beautifully renovated restaurant and bar on Piazza Minerva in Ortigia. A little expensive, but it was a nice way to spoil ourselves. Perfect when you want a retreat from the heat and enjoy a chilled glass of Grillo wine or a Ulysses beer.
We still have two more days here, but we wish we could stay longer and enjoy even more. I’ll share more tips soon.
