Postcard from Siracusa, Sicily: ‘Mailed’ before summer hell ignited

The photos on these postcards should be time-stamped before delivery to your mailbox – our stay in Sicily was in late spring. Our travel schedule was designed to avoid the potential of encountering the same type of sizzling summer the island endured during 2022 – a high of 120 degrees in Siracusa.

So far this year, the temperature’s only hit a high of 117 degrees, but horrible wildfires have added to the island’s summertime blues. It’s no wonder that cacti and succulents are popular.

Here’s another batch of images from our springtime strolls on Siracusa’s small island of Ortigia.

Of course, it’s no spring picnic in Austin right now either. We’ve already experienced almost 40 days of 100+ days, and temperatures have soared as high as 108 degrees. But here, we cope by darting from one air-conditioned place to another in air-conditioned cars.

It’s nice to daydream of spring in Sicily though, perfect for slipping into a state of dolce far niente.

I’ll raise a glass tonight to the perseverance of Sicilians, known through the centuries for their remarkable abilities to rebound from invasions, volcanoes, earthquakes and summers when it seems Satan himself has wrested control of the earth’s thermostat.