Back to the islands: Sicilia Round-up

 It isn’t April, but we’re pretty close.

It’s been a while – almost 6 years – since we’ve travelled to Sicilia for the second time, but reminiscing is nice.

In this last episode of the ’Back to the Islands’ series, here are the highlights of our spring trip through western and southwestern Sicily.

 

Food

When in Sicily, you cannot go wrong when it comes to food. I’ll be honest; we had more delicious experiences the first time around; still, it was one mouth-watering trip. Favourite flavours? Those at Pasticceria Cappello!

As we tried sticking to our trip’s motto – Not a day without cannoli –, even some of our Sicilian breakfasts were sweet. This is how we ended up first thing in the morning at La Rinascente in Trapani, where I met its friendly pastry chef and talked about baking. Then, we went into a nearby park and devoured the incredible sweets.

Caffè Concordia, with their tiramisù alla ricotta, was an excellent way to end our day in Agrigento in gorgeous Piazza Luigi Pirandello.

 

Experiences

At first things seemed all over the place and we couldn’t find our place, but the bike ride on Favignana (when I restarted cycling after a 28-year break) made things settle. I may have expected more from Favignana; I found its energy quite bland.

On the other hand, I’ll always remember the breakfasts put together by us on the island.

My mind also wanders away at times to Cala Rossa – where you can find some of the clearest waters on the planet.

 

Places

While southeastern, eastern, and northeastern Sicily abound in places full of significance, the wilder west sees more scattered settlements. I didn’t know what to expect, but Valle dei Templi is a wonder!

 

Nature

The turquoise colours the sea, the cliffs are imposing (I did find Scala dei Turchi’s energy a bit off, though), orange and olive trees dot the landscape. 

Amidst it all, Castellamare del Golfo impresses through its vistas and hidden coves.

P.S. Loved its train station – and walked from there into town (and back).

Erice is lovely, but the road and the views (arrived by bus and left by cable car) are stunning. The food was very expensive, so I wouldn’t recommend grabbing a bite there.

 

Energy

Palermo was, is, and will always (probably) be one of my favourite cities. I love its good and bad parts, I am crazy about its streets and corners, its cuisine, even its airport!

Trapani was the nicest wow of the trip. It is a place with a kick! While we were there, high winds were also visiting; still, we had a beautiful time in the charming port town! Il Barbagianni is a great place for beers!

Agrigento’s old town is more beautiful than we pictured it to be. So, we took as much as we could in... and stayed at charming B&B Villa Pirandello.  

 

Surprises

Our traghetto from Trapani to Favignana made a brief stop in another azure port. That glimpse of Levanzo became unforgettable for me.