The mood : Syracuse, Sicily, Italy

After spending a few days in rugged Palermo, Syracuse felt as sweet and delicate as a sugar-covered amaretto. The clear blue skies, the bright white stone everywhere and the transparent mediterranean waters made it look rather unreal, like some washed out fantasy of seaside Italy.
I’ll admit that there isn’t much to do here except wander, but isn’t it what fantasy characters do?
There is the beautiful old town, the Ortygia island, a dreamy white fortress where the salty air softly eats away the immaculate buildings. There is also the so-called new town, a 30’s grid of wide streets with low buildings reminiscent of a De Chirico painting. Either places were delightfully quiet when we visited in late November.