Unfortunately another grey day as we left and drove to the Cave di Cusa, the quarry which was used for stone for Selininte temples and abandoned after the city was sacked. It still has partly cut columns, which stand as they were left.
Walking along the path, we saw tiny frogs the size of the end of my thumb, hopping left and right, obviously able to feel the vibration of our steps, and trying to avoid us.
We continued to Mazara del Vallone, the most important of Sicily’s Moorish towns, but couldn’t get our bearings. Fortunately we bumped into Giovanna who kindly offered to take us to Piazza San Veneranda in her car. She expertly manoeuvred her little Lancia through the narrow backstreets with true Italian flair. She gave us a flyer – she is standing for councillor in the local elections next week – and we would vote for her!
The main reason to visit was to see the Greek bronze Dancing Satyr. Firstly just a leg was found by fishermen, then a year later a torso. It spent 4 years being restored and is now on display in an old church. Unfortunately no photos allowed so Wiki comes to the rescue again! The satyr is depicted in mid-leap, head thrown back ecstatically and back arched, his hair swinging with the movement of his head and in remarkably good condition for having been at the bottom of the sea. It’s exact age is uncertain but at least 2000 years!
We had a wander round the town …
Including the Tunisian quarter with its narrow alleys and courtyards …
And also brightly coloured tiled plaques.
Next stop Marsala, named by the Arabs Marsah-al-Allah, the port of God. After a long period of poverty, Marsala became home to a prosperous wine trade, developed by entrepeneurs at the end of the eighteenth century, led by one John Woodhouse, from Liverpool, who exported the fortified wine, marsala. Marsala’s fame continued when Garibaldi landed here with his expedition of a thousand on 11 May 1860, entering through the gateway now called the Porta Garibaldi, making it the first city of a united Italy.
We are staying with Celsa in her lovely B&B in a 400 year old building in the centro storico called Il Profumo del Sale, the scent of salt, apt as the coastline here is lined with salt flats and windmills that once pumped water and ground salt. There were also piles of salt protected covered by terracotta tiles.
We visited the ruins of Mozia, an ancient Phoenician town, situated on the island of San Pantaleo, and reached by a short ferry ride. There is a museum with lots of bits of pot, but also funeral stele with women in triangular skirts, terracotta masks, a collection of ancient beads and a marble statue, the Youth of Mozia dating to the 5C BC.
We wandered round the island which was lovely as the day was sunny, but the ruins were less than inspiring.
Later we went on a tour of the Donnafugata winery, including the amazing cellar below. Danila showed us round and shared her enthusiasm and knowledge, telling us about the history of the family, the grapes used and the different wines made. We then had a tasting and decided to make room in our suitcase for a small bottle of a moscato dessert wine called Kabir, whose grapes are grown on the volcanic island of Pantelleria quite close to Africa. Thank you Danila for such an enjoyable visit.
Just to catch up with the fabulous food lately, there was a lovely meal at Osteria San Lorenzo starting with an amazing antipasti buffet, then followed by greengrocer pasta for Chris and swordfish involtini for me and also at Assud including free water which is unheard of in Italy and excellent swordfish rigatoni for me.
We finally managed to photograph some gelato before we ate it … shown here Sicilian style in a brioche and also our breakfast!
We said goodbye to Celsa and were given a bag of sea salt perfumed with cinnamon as a souvenir … thank you!
Onwards now along the salt road!
We have woken to grey skies and drizzle. The road has taken us past a chimney for a ceramic factory, a thriving industry locally, and into a patchwork of farmland, including vines, and having got a little lost in Menfi, we came across a very high class vintners selling wine in a plastic bottle for 2 euros a litre!
We stopped briefly at the ruins at Eraclea Minoa, enjoying the view out to sea more than the site as very little was uncovered or explained except a theatre which was covered to prevent further weathering.
Today we drove from the north coast to the south coast. We started on a minor road, most of which have the odd broken edge, buckle or pothole …
As we left Pettralia Sottana, we got a great view of the town.
Having picked up the car, Monreale was our first stop, to visit the Duomo which was built by Roger’s grandson, William II and is huge
Greeks, Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans and the Spanish …. they have all spent time in Sicily and left their mark on the architecture, customs, food and language and here we are in Palermo, gateway to the melting pot, ready to explore.
Unfortunately, as Chris went to get his wallet for ID for the tickets, he found it missing and we suspect in the crush to enter the grounds, it found a new owner. Rather than watch the match and worry, we spent the next hour with the Carabinieri reporting our loss, then returned to the B&B to cancel the cards. We are not disheartened, they didn’t win, it was just a draw, reports Chris bravely!
The driving in Yucatan remains pretty boring, not much to see and straight stretches of road, so we made a welcome stop en route at Muyil ruins, just within the Sian Ka’an Biosphere, some 1.3m acres of protected tropical forest, mangrove swamp and marine environment. The Castillo would have been used as a lighthouse for Mayan hunters in canoes returning across the lagoon, and is decorated with a pair of herons keeping watch over the jungle.
We also stopped at Grand Cenote for a cool down on the way back to Tulum, due to its location the most expensive we’ve visited, and I still couldn’t tempt Chris in.
