20-Jan-2025
Transition time again...
We like Virtu Ferries a lot, but their timings have been super-inconvenient... Arriving late, leaving early: Never good.
Yesterday, we got up at 0415. The ferry was scheduled to leave Valletta at 0630, and passengers were supposed to be there by 0530. Actually, the boat left at 0615. Presumably, everyone was on board already...
Conditions were a bit rough again, but nothing problematic. We engulfed our packed breakfast, and whiled away the couple of hours it takes to cross with a bit of listening and catch-up-sleeping.
And by 0815 we were docked in Pozzallo.
In harbour
Because this was such an ungodly hour, and because we couldn't officially check in to our new accommodation until the afternoon, we'd arranged to hire a car for the day. We later found we could have checked in a bit earlier, but there would still have been rather a lot of time to kill, and the car did give us the opportunity to see something of that little sticky-out triangle on the southeast tip of Sicily.
And it was a Panda! Usually if we book a "[insert make] or similar", we get the "similar". But this time, "Panda or similar" actually produced a Panda.
The first car we jointly owned, almost four decades ago, was a bright blue Panda. Modern-day Pandas are curvier and bigger-engined, but still, it was nostalgic...
We had a bit of trouble with PINs and pedals, but very soon we were off, heading for Marzamemi, and marvelling at the vast acreage of poly-tunnels that covers this bit of the island.
It soon became clear that this bit of Sicily had been well and truly battered by a storm. Whether they shared our Friday experience, or had one all of their own, we don't know, but lots of roads round Marzamemi were flooded, the sea had spat vast quantities of sand, stones, and seaweed up onto various thoroughfares, and the wind was still brisk, driving big waves onshore.
It's a picturesque little place, though:
Second breakfast, served on these cool plates. I thought this person needed a croissant beret...
After that we headed down the coast to Portopalo di Capo Passero (Portopalo to you and me). Again, very scenic:
The ruins of the old tuna-processing plant
The restored Castello Tafuri, now a popular wedding venue
Capo Passero fort, with the bronze statue of Maria Santissima Scala del Paradiso (Most Holy Mary, Stairway to Heaven)
Another Mary figure, close to the shore
Portopalo is a low-key but pleasant little town, which leads your eye constantly back to the sea:
After another cup of coffee, we continued round the coast to Pozzallo:
Our newest place-to-stay is another little cave:
We've untidied it already...
It's a recently renovated studio on the ground floor of an old house
The balcony opposite
A balcony from the posh street round the corner
Our neighbouring shrine
These were a gift from our host... They're all Sicilian almond cookies, and they're delicious, with that chewy texture that is my absolute favourite
Once installed, we used the car to go and get shopped up for the duration. That was easy.
Not so easy was finding a petrol station to top up the car ready for handover... Many are shut on a Sunday, and the two that were open weren't working (luckily for us, other customers had established this fact before it was our turn to risk our cards in the machine). The search involved a meandering drive through Pozallo's dense lattice of tiny, tiny streets. Slightly hair-raising in the dark... Eventually, we gave up, returning the car with humble apologies, and offers to pay cash -- but when the guy saw how little we'd used, he didn't charge us anything...
This morning, on foot again, we did a bit of a recce of the town. It's a lovely place to stay: Unpretentious, locally oriented, and easy on the eye. These qualities, plus the tight little grid pattern of its streets, remind me very much of Alexandroupoli, where we stayed almost exactly a year ago. Already I'm thinking it would have been nice to stay longer in Pozzallo, just kicking back, and doing little excursions into the hinterland...
Anyway, wishing changes nothing. We're here for four nights. Departure Thursday.