Highs and Lows: Our TV Shoot in Sicily Wraps Up

After two intense weeks of filming in Sicily, my wonderful TV crew is home now with lots of great footage for two new episodes of Rick Steves’ Europe.

We generally had great weather and lots of local smiles in Sicily, but every shoot has its disappointments. For example, the most beautiful mosaic scene at an ancient Roman villa — the sexy couple decorating the bedroom — was covered for restoration (this photo is from a postcard).

Famous mosaic of two people on a postcard
A postcard from Villa Romana del Casale.

Often, we filmed straight through the day. (Below, you’ll see my treasured “stolen sandwich” — the last course of my hotel breakfast, squirreled away so I can concentrate on my work instead of stopping for lunch). And on our last day, we got to Taormina’s beautifully situated Greek theater with just half an hour of sunlight left for me to film the “open” of our show. I love the low light — but leaving the show’s open to the last evening is always a bit nerve-racking, as we never know what might befuddle our plans, and when the sun’s down…the sun’s down.

small sandwich made of roll and slice of meat
My treasured “stolen sandwich.”
Rick Steves selfie in ancient Greek amphiteatre
The Greek theatre in Taormina.

After saying goodbye to my crew, it was time for me to change gears. As I flew from Catania to Paris, I was pleasantly surprised to be served dinner on the flight.

 

airplane meal

 

We were 30,000 feet above my favorite bit of the Mediterranean coastline, and it was fun to pick out my beloved five villages of the Cinque Terre.

 

the coast of the Italian Riviera from above and plane wing in corner

 

Today is just Day 16 of my 100-day trip to Europe and I still have lots of travels ahead. Next up: France guidebook research with my co-author Steve Smith. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow.


Join our traveling community — connect with me on Facebook and Twitter.

Comments