An enchanting drive to Ragusa...

After a fun-filled month at The Lemon Tree, we left with sadness, but in anticipation of our next destination - the Baroque town of Ragusa, Sicily.  This would normally be a two-hour drive, but since we don't believe in the axiom that the fastest way from point A to point B is a straight line, the trip took most of a day.  We decided to detour through the Hybalean Mountains and stop for lunch in the small town of Buccheri.

The roads in this area are impossibly beautiful, you could stop every fifty feet for photos.  Dry-stacked stone walls protect olive, almond, and pistachio trees along the twisting road that leads to Buccheri.  Some of the best olive oil in the world comes from this area.

 

 The town is neatly nestled into a valley as seen from the road above town.

We took a few photos as we entered town, and the sign for the "Osteria U Locale" restaurant caught our eye.  We found the little Osteria, tucked under a stone arch down a narrow alley. 

                                                      

Amazingly, the place was packed with locals, enjoying their Sunday afternoon meal.  The only table they had available was a table for two.  Honestly, I don't know how we stumble into these things.  This is an old-fashioned restaurant where everything is either made from scratch or sourced locally, very traditional, and it was delicious.  We were not able to take photos inside the restaurant, but I was able to use this one from their website...

We left Buccheri happy and full.  The road leading out of town toward Ragusa was again amazing...

We didn't stop for a lot of pictures as we were now anxious to get to Ragusa and get settled into our apartment before dark.  Ragusa is just about as far south as you can get in Italy, roughly on the same latitude as northern Africa. We are in search of Baroque Sicily and warmer temperatures....

Touch any photo to enlarge....