February 24, 2026

Tuesday

Gela > Catania > Torino, Italia

Today is a travel day. We go from Gela back to the airport at Catania and then on to Torino. We arranged for a 10:00 pick to take us to Catania for our 13:30 flight. It is about and hour-and-a-half to Catania, so that puts us there about 11:30. Two hours before our flight but allows sufficient time to get through security and still have time for a bite to eat.

The car was a few minutes late in arriving. We were, of course, outside downstairs in front of the B&B waiting. The drive, the same one who brought us to Gela for Catania on Saturday, pulled up right out front in the middle of the street, well there isn’t really a middle, it isn’t that wide, and loaded our bags. He pissed off a few locals who didn’t like him stopped on the street, they couldn’t get by. However, since we were ready it took all of a minute to load our things and get underway.

We arrive at the airport just before 11:45. We unloaded and headed to security. No bags to check. Although we had fast track there really isn’t any in Catania and there wasn’t any line for security. Bags and coats on in the trays and through security in just a couple minutes. Mary’s bag got searched again due to the scissors, but they let her keep them.

Once through security we went looking for lunch. There are a couple places but we settled on a shop with panini and pizza. We both got a chicken panini. Mary went first while I got us a table. She returned and I went and got the same panino. She had mentioned it was a bit dry, so I got us some mayonnaise (at €0.30 each). The panino wasn’t bad once you added the mayonnaise. There was a lot of bread, but we just broke off some it.

We got in line for the plane just before 12:30. Boarding is at 13:00. The same flight number we came down on a few days ago arrived just before 13:00, and pulled into our gate. People got off the plane and by 13:10 they were ready to board the plane. The gate personnel screen everyone and set us down the jet way. Our way was blocked by one of those rope barriers. People were still getting off the plane.

About 13:20 they started loading the plane. We were the first to get on. Honestly, I was asleep prior to takeoff but understand we took off on time. I woke up about thirty minutes before landing, my usual one-hour nap, and Mary woke up just before we landed. Dario was waiting for us as we exited baggage claim. We got in the car and headed to our new temporary home in Torino.

We are staying in an apartment just off of Piazza Vittorio Veneto. Vittorio Veneto is the site of the World War I Battle of Vittorio Veneto in 1918. It was the major Italian victory that ended the Austro-Hungarian war. There was no one to greet us, just a lockbox on the fence in the piazza, and another at the door. Upon arrival we realized that the place is very small. It is a studio apartment. It is 25 m2 (269 ft2). Those measurements might be right if you are a real estate agent trying to sell the space and you are measuring into the center of the walls. There is a “bedroom/living room” with a pull-out sofa bed. A small kitchen with a table you wouldn’t be able to completely unfold at least not in the kitchen. The bathroom is fairly good sized in comparison to the rest of the unit. It is clean and being in the interior courtyard fairly quiet.

The sight when you first walk in

Back towards the enterance

With the sofa bed pulled out

Kitchen from the far side towards the door

From the door towards the kitchen 

From the kitchen into the bath

The other side of the bath

At first we weren’t sure it was going to work. However, we are only here for a week. There was a small problem getting the wi-fi working. The owner offered to refund the city tax of 28 euro if we couldn’t get it working. We explained that was unacceptable. After plugging and unplugging we finally got it working. The place is well stocked with items. A coffee maker, a pot for boiling hot water, plates, cups, etc.

After settling in we began to think it was going to be ok. The bed was pulled out and tested for comfort and for a sofa bed it is actually comfortable. We walked to the market and got the supplies we would need for the week. Eggs, milk, honey for my tea, tea for Mary and a few other things. We put those back in the unit and then headed to Serra’s about 18:00.

We went over for dinner and to pick up our “apartment supplies” and at least one of the big suitcases for repacking. We keep a small bag with “apartment supplies” at Serra’s. It has a joke coffee pot, frother and napkins. Sometimes it has sugar, cinnamon and other items for making our morning coffee. The pod system most places, including this one, have just doesn’t cut it for making good coffee.

Serra made a roasted cabbage dish. She sliced a large head of cabbage into “sheets” and roasted then in the over with a bit of olive oil. She may have used a drizzle of either dukkah or tahini sauce as well. She then made of tomato sauce, more chunky than that used with spaghetti sauce and topped the cabbage. Then she put a daub of mozzarella and finished it with some freshly grated parmigiano reggiano, grana padano or pecorino romano. Not sure which it was but it was from a large block so the guess would be parmigiano reggiano. It really doesn’t matter except we may want to duplicate it back in Sonoma.

I grilled some sausages on the stove. Low and slow. These are Italian sausages, they do not have the large diameter we see in the US. Luisa ate some of the sausage. Then Pietro arrived home. Then Tiziana the night nurse arrived. Tiziana took Amadea to bed, we ate dinner. Then we went back to our spacious apartment for the night.

Buonanotte e ciao,

Enrico e Maria