Ciao Ragusa...

Last day in Ragusa.  Tomorrow (Thursday) we travel to Pozzallo on the coast - about 40 km from Ragusa.  We stay overnight and then take the ferry on Friday to Malta.

Began today with breakfast of cornetti al miele e alla marmellata, followed by a wander through the streets and then home to pack.  Tempted by all these pastries, both sweet and savoury, I'm beginning to forget what a vegetable looks like...so I had a tuna salad for lunch and now I remember!  Back to the pastries...

We took a small tour this afternoon through Palazzo Arezzo di Trifiletti, which is still the residence of the Arezzo family after 900 years.  The tour is conducted by a family member and Domenico took the six of us through a number of living areas, explaining the architecture, the changes over time, how they maintain the various surfaces, including the beautiful frescoed ceilings.  It is not often that you are able to get both the history and current perspective on life in a palazzo and this was fascinating.  The windows in the rooms we visited give a perfectly framed view of the Duomo at the opposite end of the piazza.  In the largest room, used for family gatherings, the floor is tiled in hand painted ceramic tiles...with a red carpet to provide some protection.  All the rooms looked well lived in, and it really had an aura of a home...a much treasured home.  You've got to love a family whose coat of arms features four hedgehogs!

A scrumptious cup of DiVini gelati, enjoyed in the shade in the piazza...that's Ragusa Ibla...

It's been quite a treat having a balcony next to the Duomo.  We have witnessed a wedding party enter and exit up those grand steps, listened to organ practice, punctuated our mornings and evenings with the regular ringing of the bells, enjoyed the comings and goings of a colourful procession which we think was the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows...and we have watched, every evening, a tiny black and white cat who seems to know the cathedral as his safe place.

Miao Ragusa...