Ortigia Eats
Ortigia...dreamy, effortless, tender Ortigia. This love is real.
Our recent honeymoon visit to Ortigia was not our first meeting. We were initially encouraged to spend time in this Sicilian corner a few years ago by friends who also adore this beautiful spot. They're Sicilian and they totally know what's up. It was the most wonderful recommendation - thank you, Rosa and Michael xo
During our first visit, Ben and I were on a little bit of a budget. Our backpacking days of 2009 saw us cooking dinner at our apartment more often than not. And while I adore cooking, especially with all the stunning, fresh produce on offer at the Ortigia market, Ben and I certainlyenjoyed many meals out this time around. A very big thank you to all the dearly lovely people who sent us on this trip, with their wedding well-wishes and strict instructions to live it up. Rest assured, we enthusiastically enjoyed the culinary delights that Ortigia had to offer and had a blast in the process. It was super fun to get dressed up and go out as newlyweds. Lots of vino and talks of future plans....
My favourite restaurant in Ortigia was L'Anorca. I absolutely feel I demonstrated my affection appropriately for this spot, as we visited oh so many times for their divine plates of pasta. I discovered this restaurant after finding Jenny's wonderful blog, A Taste of Travel - she's got some fab Sicily recommendations. L'Anorca guaranteed us divine seafood pasta - our favourite - and incredibly generous pours of vino. Whichever way we ordered a plate, whether sardines, mussels or prawns, we were enraptured.
And then there was Restaurant Porta Marina, Ben's favourite. Here the food was a little fancier and the waiters incredibly charming. These small plates were stunning, supremely delicious. Swordfish in citrus sauce, prawns in kataifi pastry, truffle pasta...Ben was in heaven.
Clearly.
Ok well I guess this post was really just some hardcore food porn. Sorry about that.
I suggest you go and make yourself a plate of pasta. Maybe with anchovies, pangrattato and loads of fresh parsley. That'll do the trick.
Heidi xo
Ortigia Notes
Length of stay: 5 nights. This is a gorgeous place to spend a little time just living the life - swimming, shopping, drinking, cooking... So I feel it's definitely worth spending at least a few days here, just chilling.
Accommodation: we hired an apartment through friends of friends. I recommend staying in Ortigia if you can, and not Syracuse (the larger, less quaint neighbouring town) - just to really feel like you're escaping.
Where we ate: the morning market (including the cheese shop, Caseificio Borderi, where you can get divine fresh rolls made up for ~2 euro (see next post for pics!), L'Anorca and Restaurant Porta Marina. We also devoured gelato at the little shop at the far end of Piazza del Duomo - the best gelateria in Ortigia, in our opinion. Cinnamon gelato...mmmm...
Highlights: waking each day and enjoying the simple, satisfying, sublime pleasures of life. This is perfection to me.
I'll leave you with a scene of local boys fighting the waves. This was ever-entertaining. And sometimes terrifying.
