PIAZZA  ARMERINA lies in the province of Enna easily reachable form the autostada in any direction. The Villa del Casale defies description being the home to a major archaeological find dating back to the 3rd and 4th centuries. The Roman mosaics here rival those found anywhere else in the Roman Empire and offer depictions of everyday life during those times. The most famous, or at least the ones most talked about are
in the Hall of the Female Gymnasts in Bikinis. Unfortunately, this room is still under reconstruction as is most of the Villa. Even so,  a trip to this visually alluring part of the island is one that will always be remembered and spoken about.

 This is Cesare who has been working on restoring the floor of the great Cathedral in MONREALE which has what many experts believe to be the finest mosaics in all of Sicily. It was built under the Normans from 1174 to 1185 and in a word, is breathtaking! Cesare has been laboring for eight years on this project which he considers an honor to be taking on. He was so kind as to take time out to talk to us about his passion for perfection and intimate detail.

 Below and to the right are views of the interior  and the altar trying to give a viewer an idea of the expanse and utter majesty of the labor involved in constructing this major work of art, culture and religion.
 By the way, there are over 68,000 square feet of mosaic artistry inside the cathedral.

 Outside in the cloister area there are more than 228 arches giving us an idea of the confluence of Arab, Norman and Roman art. The workers on this magnificent garden came from all over southern Italy.

Just before leaving, we caught sight of a groom and his court so to speak. It must be quite something to get married here !

 High up in the mountains surrounding Catania is the little town of MALETTO which every June hosts an incredible strawberry festival drawing thousands to a town  of roughly 4,000. The event this year was billed for, "The middle of June" My mistake was being so literal in what that meant. So, at the end of the first week in June, I called the town to find the exact dates only to be told that,"Last night was the end"!
 Undaunted, we set out for Maletto the next day just to see what we had missed and we were very sorry. As we drove in we were greeted by huge posters advertising the event as well as elderly woman such as Giuseppina selling sweet strawberries on the road side.  We found a very typical bar whose name I lost so I can not send photos to it ! In any case, this is the gentleman who owns it along with the every day locals who pass the day playing cards, sipping coffee and an occasional drink. We sat down and treated ourselves to the most

 scrumptious strawberry cannolo with homemade riccotta cheese...TO DIE FOR !!!!!  If anyone who reads this blog happens to know this bar, i would be forever grateful.

BTW, it is so good to be getting back to posting. I apologize for the long absence and can promise more frequent and regular posts in the future.