A Sicilian Adventure

I read David Shaw’s article on Sicily (Aug. 28) with great interest and fond memories. I, too, went to Sicily and I, too, was met with dropped jaws and blank stares at the mention of my plans to tour the island.

I had heard about the wonderful ruins in Sicily and I had also heard all the horror stories about the Mafia. I still wanted to go.

I will never forget landing in Palermo after a 22-hour train ride. Dio mio! Italian trains are rolling garbage cans, but cheap. We walked through the streets in a stupor, making our way through vegetable stands fermenting in the sun and bambini dappertutto. This was Southern Italy at its best. We went on to Monreale, Messina, Agrigento, Siracusa and Taormina. Highlights included making friends with old women on the trains, getting those famosi Sicilian dolls in Agrigento, getting chased down an alley near Mt. Etna and spending three gorgeous days at a decent pensione in Taormina.

And Shaw thought he was roughing it when the taxi driver put his suitcase on the top of his cab. Hmmm?

SARAH E. BREMSER

Curatorial Assistant

Museum of Contemporary Art

La Jolla