Unfortunately, this is another retro-blog as Internet connections are not easy to come by.
June 1: As our flight was at an ungodly hour (5:30 am) we all slept at Judes' place and took a cab to the airport from there. So by the time we landed at Catanya airport we were already quite tired. It took a long time to get our rental but we ended up with an upgrade to a wonderful Citroen station wagon. It is brand new and very accessorized and it took us quite a while to figure things out (e.g. how to release the parking brake or adjust the mirrors). The way from Catanya to Scopello where we are staying starts on the A19 highway which goes halfway across the island west and then north towards the coast. It is a very impressive highway as large parts of it are built on aqueduct-like bridges. The view is beautiful – lots of cliffs and smallish mountains which rise very abruptly. Lots of wheat fields, vineyards, citrus groves, olive trees.... - even the steep mountain sides are cultivated. Once we arrived at the coast, the sea was added to the view which made everything even prettier.
The GPS (affectionately known as GP) was very helpful and we arrived at Scopello in good time. Giuseppe the care-taker showed us the house and we were delighted – it's just beautiful. Scopello is a tiny hamlet built around a small village square with a fountain. There is an archway opposite the fountain which opens into a large square with a couple of bars and pizza places and a building at the back with a few rental units. Our door is the green one. The place is large – 3 bedrooms and bathroom upstairs, a spacious kitchen & living room & bathroom downstairs. It is very well equipped but the best feature is the amazing back yard – lots of nooks and crannies to explore as it starts sloping down the cliff and the view from every part is different. Scopello is situated directly above an old tuna processing plant on a small cliff which has 2 ruined towers to guard it, and beyond it is the sea. This is all part of a bay which surrounds 'our' cliff and there are a few picturesque large rocks in the water there too. It's completely exquisite.
The afternoon and evening were spent in trying to rest a bit, some grocery shopping, a bit of exploration and a bad pizza dinner (very disappointing!). We saw 2 bridal parties which came to our square to celebrate – very cute! We went early to bed as it was a very long day.
June 2: In the morning we drove to Segesta. This is an archeological site which houses an amazing Doric Temple from around 500 BC as well as a well preserved Greek theater and some later ruins. The town changed hands a few times, was destroyed and rebuilt but was a flourishing community in different eras. The surroundings are also beautiful and we spent a few hours exploring and admiring the ruins.
We decided to go back via back-roads. GP took some convincing but eventually we managed to convince her and she paid us back by devising a route which was not only off the beaten track but also off the paved road – the 'road' we drove for about an hour had more potholes than asphalt and we were the only car around for miles. But the views were again amazing and we thoroughly enjoyed this. Eventually we got to San Vito lo Capo – on the north western tip of the bay (Scopello is at the southern part of that bay). It's a very cute summer resort which is apparently completely deserted in the winter (most of the tourists we see are Italian). Luckily we arrived on the first night of the Couscous Fest Preview! (the real couscous fest is in September). This meant that there were lots of people on the street, many food vendors and general jollity. We also saw the couscous judges but our Italian is not up to understanding the goings-on.
Except for some mild sunburns it was a great day. We finished it off with beers and a cheese and sausage platter at the bar in the courtyard – much better than the pizza!
June 3: We had conflicting advice about Palermo – on the one hand that it was dirty, impossible to drive and should be skipped and on the other hand that the Capella Palatina in the Norman Palace and the Norman Duomo in Monreale (which is 8km south of Palermo) are not to be missed. In fact I was told I should not come back home without seeing them! So the obvious compromise was to go just to these 2 sites. The next question was how to get there without having to drive & park in Palermo. Finally we hit on the solution: we drove to Monreale, parked there and took the bus to Palermo. The queues were not half as bad as we expected and was it ever worth it! The Capella is just marvelous. It has the most exquisite mosaics depicting Old and New Testament scenes. It is hard to believe these are mosaics – the details are amazing, the faces full of expression and the architectural styles (Norman, Byzantine and Muslim) blend together beautifully. We were utterly amazed by this treat.
After that we queued up to see the Royal Chambers – this part we could have safely skipped had we known...
The little we saw of Palermo convinced us we do not want to see more so we took the bus back to Monrale. This town is a charming medieval town and it was a pleasure to explore it and end up in a very nice bistro for lunch (excellent pasta). After that we went to the Duomo which was built by William II, the grandson of Roger who built the Capella Palatina and is just as beautiful (William II seems to have been jealous of his grandfather and a lucky thing too!) . Again beautiful mosaics depicting biblical scenes, and the church itself is a most beautiful structure. As we were getting ready to leave we realized there will be a wedding there soon so we ended up staying for the whole affair – was a lot of fun.
Then we walked around and found the cloisters behind the church – wonderful mosaic-inlaid columns all around a large square – very tranquil and pretty. It needs some refurbishing work as it is falling apart but very beautiful indeed. We were very happy to see the bride & groom again (Valentina & Valerio) – they had come there for photos!
The drive back was a bit nerve wracking until we left the Palermo area, and then beautiful all the way home. The first thing we saw in Scopello was another wedding party!
Supper in our backyard and then out for a beer.
June 4: Drove down to Trapani – a pretty coastal town. GP had some quirky ideas about the best way to enter the city but we managed to park not far from the old city. It's very quaint and pretty with crooked very narrow lanes and beautiful old buildings. Trapani is very narrow so you cross it a few times from coast to coast. We had the greatest trouble finding the fish market but the search was worthwhile as it is a completely non-touristic market and it was fun looking at the sellers, buyers and fish. Then we drove through the new and not very pretty town to the funicular stop (were 'helped' into a parking lot by a very eager young man – we figured we'd better tip him in advance if we want to see our car scratch-less when we return). The funicular ride to Erice is about 20 minutes long – Erice is 700m above Trapani. It is a very pretty medieval town and it was lovely wandering its narrow lanes. Had a good lunch and also ate the local specialty (originally made by nuns) – marzipan, which is rather too sweet. The skies were a bit overcast so the views were not as spectacular as promised but very pretty nonetheless. The way back was uneventful except for the guy who tried hard to back into us and missed us by a hair. We were sorry to have missed the wedding in the open air church in Scopello, but while admiring the church (which is usually locked but was still open as they were tidying up), we started talking to 2 Parisian couples. One of the women told us that seeing the pretty open air church she considered converting from Judaism to Catholicism!
June 5: Sunday, so we decided we deserve an easy day with no driving. Had leisurely coffee and spent the whole morning strolling around Scopello and people-gazing. There was some kind of large luncheon in the restaurant next to us. We tried to understand who were the people participating and did not arrive at firm conclusions but enjoyed looking at everybody, the children in particular.
The restful day included an afternoon nap and then we walked down to the old tuna processing plant on the beach and spent a couple of hours there. Tried another restaurant for dinner and were reasonably satisfied. Then met the French people for a drink in the bar next to us.
June 6: The plan was for a long drive south along the western cost but as it was overcast and somewhat drizzly we made it only as far as Marsala. Another pretty and quaint town. We strolled around, had a lengthy lunch, walked some more and managed to see a wedding in the cathedral (had wedding withdrawal after 2 dry days). Then we gave GP a destination which we were sure she could not navigate to via any highways and were successful – drove back through winding country lanes among vineyards and fields and very beautiful changing views.
June 7: Last coffee in the bar by the fontanella (our favorite place was closed), finished packing and then left the house for the last time. We drove all the way to the east coast – and spent the afternoon in Taormina. Easier said than done as GP became very confused a few times – took us through Catanya rather than around it and then kept sending us back to the highway when we tried to find the parking lot. Finally we managed to park and strolled around Taormina for a few hours. It is a very pretty town with a marvelous Greek-Roman theatre but it was completely over-run by tourists (and we realized how lucky we were to have spent the week in the less touristic western part of Sicily). So we ate, strolled around, had ice cream, walked some more, did some shopping.... Finally it was time to drive to the airport, say goodbye to the car and then wait for a few hours for our late flight. Another night with very little sleep but all we can do is conclude with the following conversation we overheard on the plane:
Woman 1: So – how do you summarize the tour?
Woman 2: On a scale of 1-10, it was a 9 – after all it can never be a 10.
But she was wrong – it can and was a 10!
