From Sea to Shining Sea ~ Sicily
“The purity of the outlines, the softness of everything, saggy of colors, the harmonious unity of the sky with the sea and the sea with the land … who saw them only once, he owns them for life.” - Goethe
As we drove the coastal roads with Palermo as the hub and traversed blue horizons, fertile valleys, weathered buildings and mountain towns, finally the Sicily that I had dreamed about and read about was revealed. We ended our journey in Giardini Naxos (Taormina) where we got to experience that clarity of light that made D.H. Lawrence call this the Dawn Coast of Europe.
The horizon was dazzling with different shades of blue as the sky met the sea and clouds gamboled as if playing with us on our journey. The legends of the Odyssey, and Iliad came alive as our guide told us stories and pointed to landmarks. Despite all my reading I had not imagined Sicily as a playground for the capricious Greek Gods but here we were.
The soil is rich with volcanic ash and all manner of fruit, nuts, grapes and olives are cultivated along the hillsides.
Marsala is at the Western most tip of the island and famous for its sweetish Marsala wine made popular by the British. Apparently, Trapani is a good place to stay the night when you’re in Sicily though we did not make it there or stay a night there. Perhaps next time.
We did stop at a winery in Marsala for a wine tour and some wine tasting accompanied by a snack of cheese, nuts and pasta to soak up the alcohol.
Having been on many a winery tour before I decided to wander on my own through the property. I loved the sense of timelessness and the touch of color from the bougainvillea and other plants and flowers dotted around the courtyard and terraces.
Controlled burns. We saw many of these along our way. Apparently, the sun gets so hot out here that it automatically ignites the dry vegetation.
Salt was once a precious commodity and exported from here to as far away as Norway. The coastline in this region of Marsala is called the Salt Road and is characterized by a picturesque landscape of shallow ponds and white pyramids of salt.
Our route did not include a visit, but we did get a chance to stop at a scenic overlook and get to take some pictures from afar.
Mature date palms bursting with fruit. Reminded me of my time at an Oasis in Abu Dabu where one of the farmers whisked up a tall palm tree to cut down fresh dates for us to taste.
The hilltop town of Erice. I was reminded of the many picturesque hill towns in France, Spain, Italy and amazed at how similar and yet how unique each one is. In addition to a castle and cathedral and the usual shops and cafes Erice has the most outstanding sea views.
I was feeling lazy after my wine tasting and pasta when we got here so chose not to wander the labyrinth of steep streets. Instead, I found a nice viewpoint and settled myself in the shade to enjoy a couple of hours of people watching and dozing in the sun.
An artist’s paradise: the many shades of blue that you can find in the waters around the island.
As we walked from the bus park to the town of Cefalu we spotted this lone man, sunbathing in the rocks with an awesome view of sea and sand. This is what I would call an unplugged vacation.
Probably one of my most favorite of all the Sicilian seaside towns and villages; Cefalu. If there is a next time for me to Sicily, I’d like to stay here a few days and enjoy the sun, sea and atmosphere.
The center of the town is dominated by a massive cathedral built much in the style of the Norman Cathedral of Monreale. The Normal ruler, Ruggero found salvation in Cefalu after a bad storm at sea and raised the cathedral in thanks. While several people in our group ventured inside, I was still satiated from our visit to Monreale and chose not to go inside.
Not far from the main square was this other church. The three friends chatting on the bench brought back nostalgic memories of my two friends who were my frequent travel companions pre-covid.
The town of Cefalu is dominated by a monumental rock known as the promontory of Hercules with a temple to Diana built on top of it.
The straits of Messina. You can see how close the Italian mainland is from Sicily. Originally, I had wanted to take the train on the ferry across the straits of Messina but was dissuaded by people who have done it and did not think it worth the time.
This whole area abounds with myths and legends. According to Homer this strait was guarded by Scylla and Charybdis two sea monsters who guarded the narrow strait and created hazards for sailors. Today the waters looked calm and clear.
After a long and thoroughly satisfying day we finally made it to our hotel on the Taormina coast.
Our day wasn’t done yet. A quick freshening up and we were ready for our next adventure: a traditional Sicilian cooking lesson and dinner in the clouds.