An Ionian seaside town, Avola is a mix of old and new. The town focuses heavily on the sea, with its history as a tuna fishing port. Today, the remains of the Vecchia Tonnara at the wharf are a stone backdrop to the sandy beaches. Avola dates back to a pre-Greek people called the Sicani.…
Located about 11 kilometres north of Catania, it is the perfect little commune to visit during the ottobrata – the local festivity that occurs every October here in Sicily, celebrating the fruits of the land: frutti di terra. The first encounter went wrong already 🙂 Approaching the booth with fruit, I have noticed quince – one…
If something is worth visiting in life, it is the Aeolian islands. Becasue it makes you think about winter in the south. It makes you think about simplicity of life. And it makes you realise how not to treat the tourists: just some bags of potatoes that need to be shipped from one island to…
I haven’t had a chance to spent a bit more time discovering this city. But just a glimpse and it made me think to re-visit and make it’s due. When the time will come, I promise to update with more photos. But for now, enjoy the story 🙂 Several civilizations settled in Milazzo and left…
I didn’t expect much from this harbour city, to be honest. I knew they have a great beer – Messina cristali di sale: a great Sicilian beer brewed since 1923 and one of the most loved Italian beers. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy.…
Senlis is a city in the northern French department of Oise, Hautes de France. Cute, medieval and charming. It offered us great peek into history: The monarchs of the early French dynasties lived in Senlis, attracted by the proximity of the Chantilly forest. Senlis is situated on the river Nonette. Senlis was known in early Roman imperial times as Augustomagus. During the 3rd century, a seven-meter…
The Château de Chantilly is one of the finest jewels in the crown of France’s cultural heritage. It is the work of a man with an extraordinary destiny: Henri d’Orléans, Duke of Aumale, son of the last King of France, Louis-Philippe. This historic French château located in the town of Chantilly, Oise, about 50 kilometres north of Paris. The site…
The Scala dei Turchi is a rocky cliff on the coast of Realmonte, near Porto Empedocle. It has become a tourist attraction, partly due to its mention series of detective stories about Commissario Montalbano. The cliffs lie between two sandy beaches and are a limestone rock formation in the shape of a staircase, hence the name. The latter part…
Picture this episode: we parked on a roundabout. Some local approached us (my brother and me) – we thought because we should have not park in a roundabout, but then again they all did, so… in fact the guy just wanted to ask if we have cigarettes. Ok Sicily, episode n. At the roundabout is…
Enna or as the Sicilians would say Castrugiuvanni; is a city located roughly at the center of Sicily, towering above the surrounding countryside. It has earned the nicknames belvedere (panoramic viewpoint) and ombelico (“navel”) of Sicily. At 931m above sea level, Enna is the highest Italian provincial capital. To arrive there is not a piece of cake. Passing the two viaducts Morello and…
From its dramatic natural surroundings to its historic churches, Sicily has something to offer every traveler. The island of Sicily is a unique part of Italy. Its craggy mountains, wild vegetation, and omnipresent sea have fired the imagination of poets, wayfarers, and visitors alike. Though it is one of 20 Italian regions, its history under…
Aci Castello and the other Acis around are destinations not to be missed in Sicily, especially for lovers of Greek myths and literature. It is here that the poets Virgil and Ovid gave birth to the myth of Galatea and Aci and their love story. In the second half of 1100 the town was destroyed…
The largest of italian islands, seeking for independence and great place of landscapes – it is a gift of God! My 8 days of discovering northern part of Sicily was […]
The largest of italian islands, seeking for independence and great place of landscapes – it is a gift of God! My 8 days of discovering northern part of Sicily was just not enough! 🙂
So here is how it started!
Prior landing to Palermo Airport, we flew over crater of Etna – 3,323 m highvolcano that is still active. Apparently it has long and even mythological history: Aetna was the mother of Zeus of the Palikoi, gods of geysers and hot-water springs. The giant Typhoeus or Enkelados (Enceladus) was buried beneath the bulk of the vulcano. His restless turnings were the cause of earthquakes and lava-flows.
Semi-active Etna from the plane
Travelling through the islands I admired the agriculture, fields, wineyards, smells of nature and tame villages! Everywhere we go, there were yellow flowers called mimosis!
Yellow fields of Sicily.
Mimosis
Sheeps
Being there I was eager to try some of their wines. Sicily has more vineyards than any other region in Italy; it also grows more grapes. Indeed, this island is blessed with the climate and great rows of wineyards. I tried Malvasia and Perricone. 🙂
Wineyards of Sicily
The earliest archaeological evidence of human activity on the island dates from as early as 12,000 BC. By around 750 BC, Sicily had three Phoenician and a dozen Greek colonies and, for the next 600 years, it was the site of the Sicilian Wars and the Punic Wars, which ended with the Roman Republic’s destruction of Carthage at the battle of Carthage in 2nd century.
We visited Segesta: originally one of the major cities of the Elymian people, one of the three indigenous peoples of Sicily, but later a Greek colony. There can be found a doric temple of Segesta and amphitheater. It is said, wherever the Greeks builded the temple as a place of worshipping – it must have been a speacial place to do so. Unfortunately, the city was destroyed by Vandals, like almost every ancient city of Europe of that time.
Walking around the Segesta and admiring the temple behind usSome more landscape of SegestaSegesta templeSegesta templeSegesta templeThe amphitheater with great acousticMe performing an old local croatian song from region of Zagorje. The name of the song is The tear for Hills of Zagorje.
Then there was Trapani! Founded by the mentioned Elymians, the city is still an important fishing port and the main gateway to the nearby Egadi Islands. In ancient times, Saturn was the god-protector of Trapani. Today, Saturn’s statue stands in a piazza in the centre of the city.
Main Square in EriceNarrow streets of EriceThe Fountain of Saturn
From Trapani up to the hill is the old city of Erice. There are two castles that remain in the city: Pepoli Castle, which dates from Saracen times, and the Venus Castle, dating from the Norman period, built on top of the ancient Temple of Venus, where Venus Ericina was worshipped.
The Temple of Venus in Erice
In Alcamo we had canoli – typical sweet sicilian dolci. Too sweet if you ask me, but it was a worth to try by visiting typical gelateria and buying some local products.
That night we decided to scroll down the bar and try italian liquors. 🙂 Digestivos are alcoholic drinks infused with herbs or aromas such as limoncello, fragolino (strawberry liquor), maraschino (cherry liquor) ornocino (nut liquor).
My night-out finished at 5 am, watching the sun rise over the nearby city Castellamaredel Golfo and admiring this beautiful island. 🙂 There was something so special about it.
Sunrise over Castellamare del GolfoSunrise over Castellamare del Golfo, 5 am.
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