Ortigia & Siracusa -- good food & a dose of history!

We had a busy week on Ortigia, a small island which is the heart of Siracusa.  This area was once a seat of Greek power, even eclipsing mighty Athens at one point.

We took a cooking class, checked out Greek and Roman ruins, went to an awesome interactive museum dedicated to the life and work of Archimedes (Eric could count that as work, right??) and found some beautiful views.

After a visit to the bustling market, we cooked with our fresh ingredients.  Of the 4 of us in the class, Eric was the most adept at making arancini.   As you can see, he's quite proud of his Etna-shaped rice balls that are the preferred shape on the east side of Sicily.

gorgeous tomatoes prepped for sauce

stuffing calamari 

Due to its prime location, Sicily has been invaded, conquered and resurrected numerous times, and the influences of its varied inhabitants are visible in the language, architecture, culture and food.  One of our favorite examples of this is the Duomo di Siracusa which was originally built as a Greek temple in 480 BC -- converted to a Byzantine church in 535 AD -- converted to a mosque by North Africans in 827 -- modified by the Normans as a fortress/church in 1060 --damaged by an earthquake in 1693 then rebuilt as a cathedral in the Baroque style.  

Although the facade is 100% Baroque, evidence of those layers of history are visible elsewhere inside and outside the church.  

Before heading to the airport to catch our flight to Malta, we stopped at the Ortigia market again, this time to belly up for a sandwich created by the master, Andrea Borderi.  He does everything with great precision and enthusiasm, from grating lemon zest and smashing cloves of garlic to pulling fresh mozzarella apart to top each masterpiece.  In the end, the mountain of meats, cheese, vegetables, herbs and other mysterious toppings is a thing of beauty and enough to feed a family of 4.  If you have a few spare minutes, you can watch him in action:  https://youtu.be/jZHboSb1xDc

It's not just a sandwich; it's a work of art!

Packed up and ready to leave our cozy apartment in Ortigia

Ciao for now!

Peggy