Piazza Armerina, Sicilia (Italy)

Woke up at 0800L. At the Business Center for a few hours - taking care of some more work emails. At 1100, went to lunch at the Galley. Came back to find my room was still being cleaned, so I hung out with Chuck for awhile. Spent about two hours working on genealogy and playing a computer strategy game. Made a few work calls late in the afternoon. Matt stopped by around 1730 to report that he had figured out where we could go to dinner at one of the famous agriturisimo sites on the island. We had to wait to eat until 2100, but with the drive we had to leave around 1945L. Up until now, I've spent several evenings outside as it got dark - but it really isn't dark until you drive into central Sicily (no street lights anywhere!). The roads aren't straight, either - by a long shot! We took backroads towards Gela and then drove up into the mountains. Our GPS was helpful, but thank goodness the Blackberry had internet - we needed it... Of course, asking the locals for directions is fun, too. The "restaurant" (if you could call it that) had a trademark "little red fox" on signs that only appeared about once every major turn. Eventually, we found ourselves on a narrow, gravel road in the fields southeast of Piazza Armerina. I won't say we were lost... We wondered (constantly) if we were ever going to find the place ("Agricasale") - but then we did. It struck me that we had found something so remote on an island with several thousand years of history - it was similar to a ranch in North Dakota. As we entered, it became clear that our hotel had called ahead for us - the host was ready with wine, water and olive oil before we even sat down. It wasn't too busy at the beginning (Americans always eat too early, apparently...). The waiter, who I assume didn't speak any English, just started bringing food - roasted onions, thinly sliced & grilled eggplant, various cheeses, sun-dried tomatoes. There were about five to six items on each little plate - enough for all of us to share. Wine flowed freely as we ate. Knowing when we finished, the waiter brought other dishes - ravioli and gnocchi, salad, lamb chops and pork chops. It took almost two hours to eat - before we got to "desert" (fruit and little pouches with something like cannoli filling). All of us were very satisfied. The owner was gracious and asked us to return for an even bigger party in September. The drive home was easier - we just headed north until we got to the autostrada (A-19). We arrived at the NAS Sigonella Navy Gateway Inn at around midnight. Watched TV for awhile and finally hit the hay.