Easter in Sicily
Many of you followed our Easter adventure around Sicily on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. I'll try to post new information and photos (and it will be more bullet point like).
Agrigento, Sciacca, Selinunte, Marsala, Trapani, Favignana, San Vito Lo Capo, Cefalù
Agrigento: Valley of the Temples and Scala dei Turchi - MUST SEE!!
Arrived Friday afternoon, B&B Palazzo del Teatro.
Went straight to the Scala dei Turchi ^ - white stone cliffs made of soft limestone and a blinding white marl. WOW! Back to the city and explored, beautiful dinner:
(Luca fish, Lisa grilled squid). If you ever get to experience Easter Good Friday processions in Sicily, it is beautiful!! Large statues of Jesus and Mary were paraded around the city and met in the center for a beautiful service/celebration.
Saturday morning to Valley of the Temples ^ - 1300-hectare archaeological site encompassing the ruined ancient city of Akragas, highlighted by the stunningly well-preserved Tempio della Concordia (Temple of Concordia). Amazing sites!! Be prepared to walk a bit (bring water!!).
to Sciacca: known for thermal baths and ceramics nothing was open because it was Easter Sunday. Beautiful seaside lunch though (seafood, risotto, and pasta) and onward ...
to Selinunte:
Greek archaeological site for more amazing ruins. WOW! We were so impressed by the ruins and had a great time exploring and walking/playing/running with Jake. Be prepared to walk a lot or recommend taking the little transport cart.
Really bad B&B operated by gypsies, Rose Garden. AVOID. We actually left!! Abort Mission! Abort Mission!! Found a nice seaside hotel instead (village of Marinella) - cute little city/beachy area to explore, so many pizzeria's!! No dinner, early to bed!
Sunday morning breakfast and off to Marsala: explored the city and the Piazza Loggia, had a beautiful lunch (beef and marsala pork) in an old castle. Saw some really cool salina's and piles of salt (the extraction method of Antica Salina for salt from the sea is a natural process of evaporation of sea water from basins, so interesting!). Beautiful sceneries and roads to ... Erice. We climbed and climbed the mountain only to find Erice the medieval hill town covered in a cold rainy cloud. We decided that Erice was best visited in better weather and made our way back down to ...
Trapani: checked in to our B&B and explored the city. Dinner downtown (couscous and pasta). Monday morning up early to catch the hydrofoil (really really fast boat) to Aegadian Islands.
And more specifically, Favignana. Not the best time. It was windy and chilly and cloudy and this is a beach town. We walked really far (unexpectedly) only to find nothing. Although beautiful, a little disappointed; returned to Trapani for more city exploration and ended the night with Pizza. Recommend you plan to hike the 45min trek to the castle (moderate to hard hike per a local but totally worth the view).
Tuesday morning to San Vito Lo Capo for the most beautiful water. This small town made up for the poor island visit. Enjoyed the water, the beach, the views, and lunch (famous couscous). If you're looking for a paradise getaway, this place wins.
And continued to Cefalu ^ Another beautiful tourist town, quite busy, and the day was hot! Wandered the town, duomo, and Luca had gelato. A drive home through Palermo and the center of Sicily (which is absolutely gorgeous btw!!). We have one more corner of the island to explore and our Sicily adventures are complete.
Jake approves!!