The Fiat 500 And What A Ride It Was...

il 23 aprile
Ragusa, Sicily

A visit to Ragusa Ibla (also a UNESCO World Heritage Site) was on this morning's agenda and, after a long walk from the Upper Town, we arrived, water bottles in tow, and ready to rest or, perhaps, eat a gelato! Along the way, we took in the elaborately styled Baroque balconies and, not to be missed, the 18th century Duomo di San Giorgio right in the center of Ibla. Several of us bought panini at a local alimentari and sat under the trees in a lovely park eating our lunch and enjoying the quiet. Walking all the way back to Ragusa Superiore would have been a bit daunting in the afternoon heat so the local bus proved quite useful. Besides, an exciting evening awaited us and there was need to conserve some energy!

Modica, largely rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake and also divided into upper and lower parts, was the evening outing...and what great fun we all had admiring its buildings and cobblestone streets. A line of vintage Fiat 500's arrived outside the hotel and we all piled in (2-3 in a car plus the driver) for what would be one of the trip's highlights. Th small, narrow streets of Modica are best navigated in small cars and what better way to explore than in a parade of Italian cars. Perhaps not a "joy ride" in the true sense of the expression, but, as our drivers maneuvered the Fiats along and through twists and near hairpin turns, it came close! Our laughter and the honking of horns filled the normally quiet neighborhoods and, or course, when our ride was over, we had to compare cars and discuss who had the best driver!