My xh was stationed at Comiso Air Station which is on the SE side of the island. It was a GLCM (Ground Launched Cruise Missle) base and was still being built up even as the GLCMs were signed into history by President Reagan. It was a small base, mostly US with a small part that was Italian. I had tiny children at the time but still managed to get around the island a bit, go to the local markets regularly, get up to Rome, and also one trip to southern Germany (before moving to Germany a year later). That was on the train and it was very interesting to see how they got that train on a ferry to cross the Strait of Messina. :-)
I thought the weather was very much like the weather in the Sacramento area--hot dry summers, cool rainy winters and lots of agriculture. There was also a lot of history in our area with Parthenon-like ruins at a place called Agrigento and a place calle Monte Rosso that has a traditional Christmas nativity walk with the final stop in a cave with Mary and Joseph and the baby. It was neat. Very authentic-feeling.
The locals were in love with children. At the time I had a baby with curly red hair, fair skin, and blue eyes (Holly who just had the baby). I couldn't count the times I was stopped on the street by an elderly woman reaching to touch her hair and say, "Bellisima!" to me about her. If we'd go to a restaurant (they don't open until 7 pm) in the evening, the waiters would rush to make a little bed for the children or do something else to show concern for the little ones. I don't know if it is still that way, but I'll bet it is. There aren't a lot of children in Italy these days and they really value them.
It was over too quickly as we were there only about nine months before the base closed, but it was a memorable tour of duty.
Of course I have many more memories, but these are just a few off the top of my head.
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