Mon. 10. [10 February 1902] H [Hugo] and I went out after breakfast
and bought photographs. Miss Johnstone came to call on us. At 11
we went out for our expedition to Monte Pellegrino [Pellegrino, Mte].
To Felde by train from thence we walked (1 hour) up to the Chapel.
Rather delicious walking up the paved road through a wilderness of
stones. In one place a little corn was grown. Asphodel everywhere.
Saw Etna [Etna, Mte] far away among clouds. Lunched on our own
eggs biscuits and chocolate and bread cheese and wine which we
bought. Then to the grotto; rather disfigured by water pipes - Santa
Rosalia must have died of rheumatism. There is a wax bust in a hole
in the rock overhead where the saint is supposed to have appeared
to the ....... and told them where her bones were. The marble figure of
the saint in a gold robe, so much admired by the ingenuous Goethe is
a mawkish production. Before the Grotto is a portal of inlaid marble,
not bad of its king [sic]. Awfully funny ex voto pictures. Then up to the
Telegraphs, 20 min. Unfortunately it was scirocco and grey so the
view was not looking very pretty. We came down by the Valle dei
Porci, though the custode of the grotto lifted his hands at the idea.
Roughish going but very delightful. Full of goats and big yellow
marigolds. It brought us down into the grounds of the Favorita from
whence we made our way through olive gardens and fields of catus
and to the high road near San Lorenzo and home by tram. Got in at 4.
After which I drove out to the Cuba, so spelt but pronounced with the
proper Arabic pronunciation Cubba; a curious Arabic castle with a bit
of pendentive work inside. Shopped on the way home and met
Father and Mr Churchill. After dinner we went to see the Johnstones.
The Saracen castle building is all of the same style, very severe, the
only breaks in the walls being tall shallow window mouldings with only
a very little window in them. The two wheeled carts are a great feature
of the town. They are painted yellow and pictured all over with historic
scenes - Roger and the Saracens playing a large role. I saw in a
shop a black scarf fastened across the open shutters with Per mio
Padre on it.