A Small Slice of Sicilia
Summer 2018
Home is where the heart is and my heart holds many places close. Sicilia, what a special slice of heaven. The Italian half of my heritage comes from Palermo, so every time I’m in Sicily, I especially feel at home.
Landing in Palermo airport you’re surrounded by the Longa Mountains. It’s breathtaking. Already you feel far far away. Islands have a way of isolating time, people take things slow and live to enjoy. Driving into the city takes you to another era. You can feel the energy of ancient past.
Palermo’s rich history offers much to explore. The Manifesta 12 exhibition was shown in hidden vacated old buildings throughout the city. It was time travel, almost as if you were in another world. The multi-coloured tones of stone buildings and the fusion of Western, Islamic and Byzantine architecture is culture gluttony at its best. The streets and piazzas are full of people, full of so many different smells. Mouth watering.
If you decide to hit the beach, leave early when no one’s yet on the road. Before rush hour you can hear the birds singing. The local highway is my favourite drive. Light breaks through the Italian stone pine trees that line the path. Just 30 minutes from Palermo lies Mondello. It looks like an old movie. At the kiosk ‘bar’ there’s always an older gentleman and beautiful woman ‘in carne’ complaining about the heat waiting to take your order. I’ll take one granita al caffe, una brioche al pistacchio and a copy of Corriere della Sera grazie. The beach itself is full of beds and ombrelloni for hire. You can lay your towel in front of the wooden fences that line the rental space, if you’d rather not commit. The water is bright aquamarine, surrounded by mountains that encompass a ‘mille follie’ of liberty style villas and lush palm trees.
Driving west along the coast awaits another gem, Alcamo. Just a few minutes drive from Castellammare del Golfo, is this small beach town. Locals all around. Soccer games held daily on the sand. You’ll see all the boys in town line the beach wall’s edge to cheer their friends along. The beach bars and restaurants work on a schedule only they understand. Remember island life is about pleasure first and foremost, contrary to capitalist culture. So you may find them closed at lunchtime or only open for beverages. Nothing to be frustrated about. I’m on holiday. There’s no rush. Thank goodness this isn’t New York. I needed a break. I head to one of the alimentari, grab some fresh cheeses, cured meats, olives, marinated sardines, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes and a bottle of local white wine, totalling a hefty 17 euro. Taking my fresh delicacies back down to the beach to watch the sunset, it’s about the simple things.
A day at Riserva dello Zingaro is not to be missed. Hiking along the coast discovering one beautiful caletta after another. The golden flower buds along the mountain baking in the sun over looking that deep blue mediterranean is a view to be savoured. No photo could truly render this natural wild beauty.
Last stop on the main island, Trapani porto. In just one hour and a half you feel in a completely different place yet again. The smell of sea water and bottarga overwhelm my pescatarian senses! It is, after all, the land of tuna fish and salt. Sitting at the port waiting for the little boat to arrive, you can’t help but be mesmerised. Perhaps it’s the heat or the ice cold Rossa Doppio Malto that make the light through my Ray-Bans misty and dreamlike. Ah, sweet island life.
Docked and within an hour I’m on the small Egadi Island of Favignana, also known as the Caribbean Seas of Italy. Everyone warned it would be flooded with tourists, something I desperately try to avoid coming from a city of 8 million people. But to my surprise, outside of some Italian tourists, I’m surrounded by locals. Favignana is surreal. The deep diverse tones of blue seas against the white gravel roads arriving up to Cala Trono have you feeling lost at sea. Sunset aperitivi either in town or on the coast are the moments that remind me what life is supposed to be about. Basking in the uncomplicated things nature so graciously has to offer.
Close your eyes, hear the seagulls, listen to the sound of the waves, take a deep breath in and exhale slowly. There is no place like home, my sweet Sicilia.
