May 18, 2025 Carlentini to Rome

”I haven’t been everywhere, but it is on my list” -Susan Sontag

We woke up this morning in Carlentini. We had hoped to leave by 6:30 am, but didn’t quite make it. Our Airbnb host wanted to meet with us. I was a bit unsure why, hmmm! Well, he had beautiful plate of pastries to share with us. It was a very thoughtful gesture. Because we were running a little later than we wanted we just took a couple and headed out (after all, they were from Bar Derby, and who could turn that down??). Everyone we encountered during our stay in Carlentini were wonderful and extremely accommodating. There was only one thing missing from our stay, and that was a clear view of Mt. Etna. Well today was the day. The pretty lady was blowing a bit of steam this morning.

Got the car returned to the rental agency in one piece! Yay! Nick did a great job navigating the narrow, windy roads. We learned that stop signs are just suggested and the car with the right of way is the one that gets their nose out their first. The flight from Catania into Rome was fairly uneventful. Got to our room, which is located directly across from the entrance to the Vatican Museums. We walked around found a nice place for dinner, stopped for gelato, then walked through St. Peter’s Square. We continued walking around the Vatican Walls which took us up a hill called Monte Ciocci. First day on this trip that we closed our exercise rings on our watches. Full day. Ready for more adventures tomorrow.