Treasures from Sicily.....

Was it down this street....
or was it down this street?

Tim and Sandra managed to find their way back to
Signor Fiore's art studio where they fell in love with this 8 foot painting.  The bold colors and the red roof tiled houses along the sea just reminded them of this pretty little town and they "had to have it"!  All 8 feet of it!
This is the artist, Fiore, posing with Sandra in his studio with a huge rifle on his arm .... (no idea why)... but he was very proud that day!

Over the next few days we scavenged through trash piles to find cardboard boxes and in her best Italian hand language, Sandra managed to find packing tape but "bubble wrap" was out of the question! The plan was to wrap it, hopefully fit it in the car, hopefully check it at the BA counter and hopefully carry it through the airport, on to the Gatwick Express, down Chester Row, and proudly display it in their London flat.

There was no back-up plan................It made it!  

My treasures came from the town of Caltogirone - famous for it's ceramics or "majolica".

The highlight in the center of town are the Scala di Santa Maria de Monte ~ a flight of 142 steps covered with enameled ceramic tiles.....

whew!  We made it!   Oh wait, another ceramic shop!  

How cute are these? They hang on the wall - hmmmm,

perfect for....... maybe a beach condo!  

And from every curve in the road...

Mt. Etna was watching over us!