It always takes us a day to recover from road trips, doing laundry etc, and this one, a Friday, was no exception.  We had a couple of slices of pizza from the local shops for lunch and then walked back down the waterfront to the Santa Lucia hotel and café on the outskirts of town that we visited our first week here.  This time, it was a sunny day and instead of cappuccino and hot chocolate we had gelato for an afternoon snack.  Later, fresh pasta and pork Milanese and broccoli provided a home cooked meal—we really appreciate these after several days eating out on the road.

Saturday dawned sunny and promising to hit the mid-60s, so we grabbed paninis for a picnic lunch and set off to finally climb up La Rocca (it’s over 900 feet to the top).  There were just a few other people around and there was a wonderful view down onto the city and out into the ocean, which made for a perfect picnic spot.  We were pleased to read that while there are “vipers” on La Rocca, they stay off the trail.  Pretty well trained it seems.  In an event we did not run into any, even when we somehow wandered into an area where the only way out on a trail was to step over some “you can’t go here” barriers.  Phyllis’ ankle was just enough better for her to make it up and down safely, if slowly.  There are remnants of a Norman citadel at the top as well as the small ruins of a 4^th or 5^th century temple part way down.

After returning to sea level, we found a fairly large number of strolling locals and tourists on the waterfront and many cafes open for the first time this season.  Having been denied our granites in Noto, we checked several places until we found one where they were offered (apparently it is still a little early for most people to want an icy snack).  Craig had the traditional lemon flavor, while Phyllis opted for the less tart orange one.  They were perfect on a sunny afternoon (which nevertheless became overcast and then rainy by dusk—some things never change).  Dinner was what will probably be our last order of roast chicken from the nearby shop.  The cook and the nice young woman who takes the orders seem to recognize us now, and we told them when placing the order that we would be leaving next Wednesday.  We are starting to feel a little melancholy.