A Day of Rest

Sunday - April 23

Today is Sunday and the plan of the day is very simple – It will be a day of rest. The reason we came early was to totally chill and adapt to Sicily time before our real trip begins. Working together, we put together a great breakfast from our shopping spree last night. We did run out of wine and beer last night, but the eggs and ham made it through the night and we enjoyed coffee and a hot breakfast with no rush. The vacation mode was kicking in.

Four of the six of us in our group are Friday Fish Eaters (Roman Catholic) so after breakfast, we headed downtown for Mass.

Arriving early, we sat in the park across from the church in the shade and watched the happenings of the morning.

Restaurants around the square were already filling up and cars were everywhere looking for parking spaces. The police were in front of the church shooing cars away from the entrance. However, this young man had the perfect vehicle and just scooted right past the policewoman. No parking problem for him.

As soon as we entered the church, we could tell it was going to be something special today. The first few rows were filled with well-dressed people that all had to be related. Then, we saw a small angel (little girl) dressed in a beautiful dress and we knew there would be a baptism today.

The Mass was in Italian (go figure) and honestly, we only understood two parts of the Mass. The great Amen and the collection plate 😊 – The rest all we can say, we were present. After the Mass, the family gathered for pictures on a side altar and I could not resist capturing the little angel and her godparents – Bella Bambina!

Walking out of the church into the sunlight, the day had begun to warm up with a gentle breeze. We hooked up with our friends and the six of us grabbed a table at a small bar right off the square. The place was happening! Family and friends had gathered and the noise level was off the decibel scale. Little children ran around the tables trying to catch the pigeons who were looking for a handout. We just had bar food and drinks – nothing special, but it took a long time to come out. By the time we finished our lunch the place was almost empty and the streets were quiet. It was the magic 2:00 hour when everyone disappears..

Walking back to the villa, the water changed to blues we had not experienced since our arrival.

Small fishing boats were moored to the jetty. Nobody was fishing today – It is Sunday!

Walking out on the sea wall provided a great opportunity to look back at Isola delle Femmine. The small fishing village is a sleepy town in a beautiful location.

Back at Villa Sara, we enjoyed quality quiet time. The day became evening and we rustled up a dinner of leftovers from our previous meals. A few of us took a walk down to the sea to enjoy another Sicilian Sunset. It did not disappoint!

It had truly been a day of rest… then the card game began! A marathon game of Phase 10 kept us laughing and talking between strategizing what card to discard until midnight!

Andy had an amazing comeback and was the winner!

Ciao until tomorrow!