San Vito Lo Capo, Sicily

We love beach towns! We really loved this one called San Vito Lo Capo.  It's mid-October, and the summer season is winding down, but it is still the greatest weather...soft breeze, perfect 78 degrees, lots of sand, and a small surf.  The town is vacation rentals, hotels, restaurants and tourist gift shops.  

 

There was just the right amount of people to make the beach interesting but not crowed.  It was the perfect time of year to visit here and not contend with the summer crowds.

On the drive back to Palermo (completing our tour around the whole island of Sicily) we discovered the most perfect bay.  The water was crystal clear, and the water was so smooth...not a ripple or a wave.  Snorkelers where exploring the shallows and others were sunning on the beach.  We needed to catch a plane back to Italy's mainland, or we would have been there too....we would still be there if we could.

We were sad to leave Sicily.  It was a wonderful trip around the island with our travel partners.  We will remember the great food (really great food), beautiful cities and countryside.  Sicily is one of the most beautiful islands we have visited.  

Trapani and Marsala, Sicily

Sunset in Trapani. It's a beautiful laid-back town on the sea with miles of coastline to walk and enjoy.  This was one of our favorite towns in Sicily located on the west side of the island.  We hope to visit it again.

The salt pans in Marsala are very interesting, but they don't compare to the salt pans on Bonaire.  Windmills are used to pump the water from the sea into the pans for drying and harvest.

Marsala has an archeological museum which houses the Punic war ship recovered from the waters north of Marsala and west of Trapani.  It's from the third century BC. The museum is continuing work to salvage and restore the boat and the artifacts found in and around it.  It was a fascinating exhibit.

Marsala's calm bay has boats tied to plastic bottles as anchored buoys in the "harbor".  From here we could see the Egadi Islands off the coast. The water was super clear but a little chilly at 72 degrees.

There is an ancient city near Trapani called Mt. Erice located at around 750 meters (2,460 ft.) above sea level. It doesn't seem high compared to Colorado mountains but the walk is straight up the mountain and the town is built on steep inclines. It usually has a tram to go up the mountain but it was closed for the season so we drove up a winding road to get to the city to eat dinner. Amazing views from the top.  This photo is of the lights of Trapani from the top of Mt. Erice.

This is another "visit again" city.  We loved the area, the sea, and most of all the fabulous weather. 

Agrigento, Sicily

We visited the Valley of the Temples outside of Agrigento on the southern portion of Sicily. The ruins of the temples date from the 3rd to 7th centuries BC. Really beautiful to see so I will just show you the pictures.
 

Two oldies standing in front of even older things.

Isola de Ortigia, Sicily

 

The Island of Ortigia is an easy walking village without many stairs or steep inclines. It has a beautiful church and we took this photo at night while there was almost a full moon.

We loved eating appetizers on the seaside with cocktails. The food in Sicily is amazing.  We overdosed on Gelato, pizza, cannoli's, pasta, seafood and bread.

Cave ruins dating back to the 7th century BC were in a park off the island and in Syracuse, a city near Ortigia on the mainland. All through the park were these cool sculptures in giant sizes.

Hundreds and thousands of tiny birds filled these trees at sundown and made the most racket you have ever heard.  You could see them flying in from all around the city.

The tiny streets in Ortigia are full of restaurants, shops and residences.

 

Taormina, Sicily

Taormina is a hill top village with an ancient Greek amphitheater.  From the top of the amphitheater there is a gorgeous view of the city and Mt. Etna in the background.  We waited all day to catch a picture of Mt. Etna without the clouds. Be sure to see "Wine Tasting" to see what it looks like when the sky cleared.

 

Taormina has a village on top of the hills and another one is down by the beaches.  From the amphitheater this view was spectacular.

Eating brioche and granita is a tradition for breakfast in Sicily known locally as a "Sicilian breakfast". We went to the Bam Bar and ordered breakfast. Sounds awful but it is so delicious to put the fruit flavored icy granita (with whipped cream) on to the brioche and chow down. Yum!

The church square at night. 

This is the view from our AirB&B patio.  this town built on the mountain requires everyone to have billy-goat strength because there are stairs everywhere and a lot of them.  When there are no stairs, the roads (which double as sidewalks) go straight up.

Incredible views everywhere we went.  We love Sicily.

Wine Tasting

 At the foot of Mt. Etna is a thriving and growing wine industry.  Apparently the volcanic soils are good for growing grape vines.  Our neighbor in Bonaire has a vineyard  outside of Taomina,  Sicily.  He invited us to visit, so we did. This is a view of the vineyard with Mt. Etna in background.

We drove up the mountain on a road with hairpin turns that snaked through tiny villages. the views were spectacular. 

 

We had lunch and lots of wine all compliments of our Bonaire neighbor. I thought you might enjoy a photo of us  before and after the wine tour and tasting.

Cefalu, Sicily

Cefalu is a beautiful village in Sicily. Breathtaking views of the sea, a cathedral in the center of town, small winding streets packed with tiny stores, and a million restaurants. 

We met up with our traveling buddies to see Sicily. We have an apartment that is on the coast.  We can hear the waves through our floor-to-ceiling doors. This is a view from our bed room.

 

Every town has a church (multiple churches) and cathedrals. This is the one in Cefalu. It's old like the 10 century  by a Norman King vying to be the head of the Catholic church. It's all done in mosaics and it's beautiful.

On our way to our next destination we stopped in Messina.  From the coast of Sicily you can see the Italian mainland.  Ferries run between the two on a regular basis.

No selfie, just pretty pots lining an alley.

Palermo, Sicily

Palermo is a fast-paced, crowded and loud city. It is also has beautiful churches, fountains, and buildings.  This is the Palermo Cathedral, famous for royalty buried here and being an imposing structure in the middle of the city. The cathedral is an impressive and imposing blend of Arab, Norman, Gothic and Baroque architecture.

At the intersection of two streets is a plaza that has all four corners decorated with statues and typical Italian filigree.

There is market that goes for blocks and blocks that is filled with vendors cooking fish, vegetables, meat and pasta.  Fruit stands, restaurants, and open fire cookers are filling the street with the best aromas of Sicilian food.

One day in Palermo was enough. We ate great seafood, saw the sights, and visited the incredible food market.  It was time to move on to see the rest of Sicily.  We plan to drive around the island stopping at small seaside towns, visiting beaches and eating the great food.