INTRODUCTION

Challenged by a friend of our son Geoffrey we set about gaining the confidence needed to explore the world by backpacking without firm plans, nothing pre-booked except long haul flights. This was 1989 and our first destination was Nepal. We never looked back it was exciting, revealing and one was always meeting interesting people from the target country as well as travelers of all nationalities. Above all enthralled by the chance to get an in depth feel for other countries and other ways of life. 

On early retirement in 1996 we set out to travel the world aiming  at countries with different life styles to our own. The first year went well with a 60 day trip to Sumatra, followed by a month revisiting our favourite haunts in France and another 60 days in north western India. Then all was upset by the sudden development of severe rheumatoid arthritis in Joan's left knee, a brief respite then replacement of her other knee. It was not until 1999 that we were fully ready to renew our travel challenges with another wonderful trip this time to the south of Thailand, a visit so successful that we  determined to repeat the track with our whole family backpacking  during the summer school holidays in 2000.

As a prelude we spent 28 nights in spring of 2000 on our first ever visit to Sicily. This travelogue pre-dates my discovery of on-line blogging or digital photography has been produced by transcription from my written notebook and converting analog film negatives to digital.

CATANIA and TAORMINA

CATANIA           
Sat 13 May  
We arrived by plane and bought a bus ticket at a kiosk outside the airport to a Piazza in town. Following a budget recommendation in the Lonely Planet Guide (LP) we found a lovely newly restored room in the second floor extension of the Hotel Gresi, recorded cost as 90,000 Lire so the date was clearly in advance of the Euro, though I made no record of the exchange rate. Lovely high ceiling in the bedroom and noted the rest of the rooms on this floor are being repainted and equipped with pictures.

CATANIA,  but taken at very end of Holiday

That evening we ate very reasonably at a Pizzeria on the Santa Filomena which was empty when we arrived at 8pm but soon filled up with Italians, some with families, creating a wonderful atmosphere this Saturday evening. In spite of the restaurant's name there was a full and varied menu.

Sunday 14 May
We took a bus at 8am from the station to the Sapienza Refuge on Mount Etna at 1900 metres from where we took a cable car up then walked a further 300m to 2700m beyond which it was not advised to climb because of recent volcanic activity. 

We did go somewhat higher to where snow was covering the recent black lava flow then descended on the lava scree a little scary given the precipice to which we were heading. It was cloudy and rained passing hot spots where the rock was red in colour and hot to touch.

TAORMINA    Monday 15 May 
We went to the market near the hotel and bought a piece of piazza for breakfast and the went in search of the railway station for small trains which circumvented Mt Etna (Etna Circummetrica). Joan had read that medieval Radazzo had avoided the recent lava flows which had demolished parts of Catania, I note only that we were very disappointed and the didn't get close to a gorge we hoped to see. On the train back we noticed plumes of smoke coming out of the fresh white snow which covered the flanks of Etna. Next day we found evidence that there had been a further eruption.

Tues 16 May we left the station by Interbus for Taormina after dashing around in search of tickets only to find they were sold on the bus. It was as well the bus was late starting!  We were soon installed in Il Leone with a reasonable but dark room in a small courtyard. We walked around to get our bearings.

In the afternoon took a return trip (5000L each) on the cable car to the small stony beach at Mazzaro. Nevertheless it was the start of our relaxing holiday proper so we sat on the pebbles and talked to a group of Italians in a noisy but good natured way for two hours whilst a thirty year old man took on six girls about the changing role of women 'Quale e la donna de letto e quale e la sua moglie?' 
In fact the arguments were philosophical, of masculinity and femininity and motherhood, ranging from St Paul to the fourth century, then to Moslems and more modern times. The man spoke with incessantly enunciating such with great clarity that I was able to recognise the words and verb forms without really understanding. An eight year old girl on-looker ears-dropped and was just as enthralled as me as he gesticulated furiously and pounded the stones with his hands. The girls one by one took up the gauntlet then lay down to let others have their say. The fat girl in particular held her own and made him think hard but he would never give in. Others would suddenly sit up again being spurred by something he said. Finally he laid face down on the stones and the girls lay on their backs and sun bathed.

That night we as we sat down to eat at U Bossu the Dutch couplet on the next table said we had chosen well for they had gone to several restaurants in the past week and found them OK but very ordinary. The anti pasta buffet was excellent but the fish soup had good ingredients but disappointing stock in spite of the Routard 96 outside. Ate there the next night with a similar result antipasta great as was the omlette for secondo. 

Next day I got up early to photograph in the lovely public gardens but the Olympus super-zoom failed to work again in spite of  new batteries. In the afternoon we took the steps down to the beach divided in two by La Bella Isola for which Taormina is famous.

We swam off the  steeply sloping stony beach into glorious water then ascended the 700 steps and the sloping section which took me 20 minutes and Joan 30.

Discovered the beautiful main drag with lots of interesting shops, churches and piazzas. The camera shop agreed my Olympus was finished and would have to go back to Milano and purchased a Minolla with 35/70 zoom instead, pleased to be back in business.

LEMON TREE IN PARK

That I guess was the end of the camera which had served me so superbly in Nepal in 1989 but suffered in too much hot sun thereafter with almost complete lose of the lubrication from its zoom mechanism.  

17 Sept
Breakfast including caffe latte and a jam, chocolate or cream cornetto - how my taste has changed! 
Discovered the main street extension (Umberto?) with views spoilt only by an inappropriate development of an ugly fast food shop next to the tower in Piazza San Antonio.
Swam again in the afternoon spite of the 700 step to Bella Isola beach.

Superb dinner at the Restaurante Bouganvillia followed by Spaghetti al Limone (a huge favorite in our home to this day in 2018). Charles and Doreen struck up conversation with Joan whilst I was choosing anti pasta from the buffet. He had visited in the 60's in his E Type Jaguar whilst a city gent in Merchant Banking, Insurance, and then as personal financial adviser. Very engaging personality indeed who were now on an extended holiday from Australia visiting England Yorkshire and his Dorset home in Shaftesbury, but not Doreen's hometown of Dublin who instead chose Israel where she had spent ten years in a kibbutz.

Charles had left England disillusioned  after some sort of business crisis 25 years previously and had found it difficult to adapt for the first five years but now could not speak too highly of the freedom and space to do your own thing. Charles had a very pleasant personality which we both will remember in spite of this short encounter. I have his telephone number in Melbourne and an  invitation for a meal if we ever visited. He considered the English the most corrupt con-men in the world and was surprised I had not meet the same types. He had obviously operated in higher circles and said he was good at playing the game - but now detested it and had now changed to a creative roe in making and teaching ceramics as he had always wanted. I didn't ever get to the bottom of the corruption of which he spoke but he implied it was connected with selling useless products at far more than their value. Rolled umbrella and bowler hats and Public at Colston where they punished by beating until blood was drawn. We think he was born around 1927.

His brother never recovered from his experiences at Arnhem, which was really his downfall, emigrated to Canada after the war but found the country strange so he returned to England after six months with a mental breakdown, and never worked again.

He was very optimistic about the improvements in society compared with his upbringing, especially the emphasis on rooting out the cruelty to children (no-one was allowed to hit them in Australia). Taller than me, very fit and upright, with an animated face once talking so he seemed much younger than the older impression given by his balding head. 

LIPARI, SALINA, STROMBOLI and VULCANOa

LIPARI        16th  to 24 May
Lipari is the name of this the biggest of the Aeolian Islands and its major town. We travelled by bus to Mesina then Giuntabus to Millazzo terminating just four blocks from the boat terminus where we bought a salami and prosciutto roll for lunch. The Siremar booking clerk tried to cheat by putting 50,000 of my change in a separate drawer but gave it up the moment I protested. This I think was the first and only time we were shortchanged on this holiday. The hydrofoil was full of opaque plastic windows but few passengers. 

On arrival at the island port Dominique a man came onto the boat and thrust card in my hand promising a room for 30,000 each with kitchen, balcony and sea views.  

BACKPACKERS, like us, LOOKING FOR ACCOMMODATION

His son led us to his house near the Porto Corto where he introduced to his charming wife Maria who occupied one floor with three rooms to rent only one of which was occupied by another charming lady who was initially dazed from lying down under the shade of an awning.

The old man also Dominic could speak some English and fluent French but had no German, the language of most of their guests to judge from the selection of reading books. After strolling round town to get our bearings we settled on menu turistico for 25,000 from Trattaria d'Oro choosing anti pasta with dry sauce ca muddica,  spaghetti, calamare and sweetish local Malvasia wine from Salina/Stromboli. 

20 May Walked through the tunnel to the nearby town of Canneto passed lemon trees heavy with ripe fruit  supported by wooden props. Found lumps of pumice floating in the sea and swam 1000 strokes from the beach using and a maximum of four sets of 35 crawl breathes. Comments obviously illustrative of the fact that I was trying to convert to the crawl after a lifetime of breast strokes - though my memory suggests this would have been years far earlier at the Swansea Leisure Centre.

Met an Englishman and his wife at the supermarket as we were choosing water. They were living on a boat and sailing around the Mediterranean, since we overheard them at dinner last night we presumed they were now based in Barcelona. We had a long chat noting they had been to Majorca, Tunisia, with next stop Stromboli and on to meet a friend a month later in Malta. Remembering the years of our sailing holidays which preceded the change to backpacking in 1989 in Nepal - I couldn't help but be envious. We ate a la carte at d'Oro once more noticing they chose a pizzeria but we did not make contact again. Joan made excellent choices with Proscuito Condo followed by Mussels Cozze a la Marmara, I had a different anto-pasta and the tasty veal steak with lemon.

21 May, Took the 10:15 ferry to the island of Salina passed a big bright white quarry where they were  mining pumice stone, giving rise to the only spectacular white beach in the Aeolian isles.

Saw bus waiting at the port and went on to Malfa before walking down a long footpath to a lovely stony beach with two picturesque volcanic rocks where we listened to the pounding from the sea. Returned to the port by bus at 15:45  and bought tickets for the return to Lipari 90 minutes later.

Salina is the most fertile of the islands with lots of flowers, philodendron, rambling pink roses, white jasmine and deep red bougainvillea.  Very quiet and lovely with few people around at this time of year. Liked the look of the hotel Signum at Malfa seemed like a great place to relax. All in all it was a beautiful day which went like clockwork.

22 May Went to the excellent museum at 9am which displayed things found on the Aeolian islands dating back to Neolithic times (back to 5000BC) on the oldest volcanic islands including imports financed by trade in glass flints with Campania in the Naples area. Trade encompassed  the Adriatic coast and even Palestine. You can trace development from very early pottery through to the influence of other imported styles stretching to beautiful Etruscan ware. Also displayed was painted pottery from Lipari and Cefalu. Much was found in tombs. There were also miniature of masks designed for use in plays like the Seven Old Men illustrating seven distinct characters. 

In the afternoon we took a trip to Stromboli with other travellers stopping to walk around Panaria which has been developed by well to do house owners. Stromboli brought back memories of the smaller island of Strombolicchio which we passed by sail on our delivery trips to Greece. A not very exciting meal followed by  unattractive beaches of black sand (not stone as expected). On re-boarding we went round Strombolicchio and then to the north west of the island where lava scree falls away into the sea and watched the periodic bursts of activity. The Roman Candle was a damp squid for a steel industry man like me but impressive enough as a natural phenomena. It has apparently been active for 2000 years much of the eruption being below sea level.

23 May
We took a bus to Quattro Occhi for its superb view over the island of Vulcano and then walked on the coastal path and climbed up to the Quatro Pani. It was a superb walk, sea views, seabirds colonies on off-shore rocks, a huge range of flowers, gorse, yellow cactus and Vipers Blugloss. (Joan always teases me about my poor recognition of flower types and never fails to prompt me on this last one).

Nevertheless the heat was exhausting and the only shop at Quattro Pane was closed leaving us to wait two hours in the sun for the bus back 

24 May  Not content with the sea view we took a ferry to Volcano and were soon convinced it was somewhere not to be missed. Just over from the port was a hot pool of mud where, under supervision, people bathe and cover themselves with light coloured mud like natives preparing for battle - though it had a more attractive effect on topless, shapely young tourists.

The only real danger is getting it in your eyes, the remedy being to wash it out with clean soft water and bathe them in chamomile tea. Otherwise there are warnings that bathing should be avoided by pregnant or menstruating women or anyone with heart problems.

It was at the end of the day that Joan ventured in on the basis that it might help free her stiff joints (though she over exercised her wrist which was sore for several days). After allowing the mud to bake hard in the sun you finish by bathing in a section of the sea bubbling with gas.

The earlier climb, the most challenging ascent for Joan since her last knee operation, up the mountain was well worth the effort. A very friendly woman indicated the access road, fully developed for cars rather than the footpath indicated on the map.

The path zigzagged up volcano cinders for three quarters of the ascent preparing for a difficult over rutted baked earth to the summit before finally changing to ash and stone again.

The view of il cratero was superb with  a vast range of colours in the rock from yellow sulphur through browns and grey to brilliant white. The sulphur vapour made us remember Berestagi Sumatra and think that we aught to leave a lit cigarette on a forked twig as a peace offering to the mountain gods.

At this height you could walk around the crater offering fabulous views in the haze of Lipari, Salina, Aliendi , Panarea and Stromboli as well as the minute mud pool.

Home by return ferry at 20:05 along with Dutch cyclists we had met earlier whilst bathing in the warm shallow sea. That evening we ate at Pizzarette and found it better that Trattoria d'Oro. Joan's Piazza was superb, thin bread crust and lots of tasty filling whilst I had Zuppa di cozze (not quite the equal of Moules Marinier in France) and excellent lasagna.

We also returned to the Sicily proper the next day by the same large Ferry for half the price of the hydrofoil on which we had arrived, a far more pleasant experience.

The large car ferry which connects the islands with the mainland was virtually without cars of lorries, can be seen at the end of this posting- I doubt if it still runs at such a loss.

AEOLIAN INTER ISLAND FERRY

FERRY CAR DECK

  

CEFALU and CASTEL BUONO

CEFALU      25 to 28 May

Up early to catch the 6:30 ferry back to Milazzo, vitually half the price of the hydrofoil and much more pleasant on the open  decks with excellent coffee at bargain basement prices. The light was superb, but unfortunately I had finished my last film on Vulcano or there would have been magnificent shots on leaving the harbour and castle of Lipari. I asked in the Siremar office in Milazzo about buses to Cefalu but found the only transport was by train, 'take the bus to an Octopus sign and buy tickets in the Tabacchi'. 

Once in Cefalu we went looking for the Rough Guide recommended Locando Cangolisie - but stayed only one night as one had to traverse their living room and table to reach the small but adequate shower and toilet and the owners seemed unfriendly. The tourist office nearby gave recommendations for three hotel/pensionne and we choose La Giarra in the old city for 104,000 choosing it above the excellent  Routard recommended Hotel Mediterano on the basis of location. 

We strolled around the old city before going for a swim. After which I (the onlooker) and four young men (the target) were treated to a real performance by a young girl tourist getting dressed sitting on the sand and legs angled with care from the skimpiest of bikini bottoms for half an hour. Grooming her hair and tying it back, putting on platform shoes, carefully arranging her hat, before pulling her boob tube down over white knickers and feet, before caressing her breasts. Finally standing to wrap around the shortest of mini skirts, zipping it up the front  - and departing. 

The bar /gelateria outside the Locando was excellent for the high quality of its beer and campari in the evening and breakfasts of cornetto and coffee.

The clientele being a mixture of local old men and tourists. That evening we ate in the Pizzeria L'Antica Corta so popular there was a queue for tables outside and a courtyard within. Ham followed by Pasta con sarde (with fennel) though Joan has her eyes on spaghetti al limone for the next meal. 

26 May    Transferred to Hotel La Giarra in the heart of the old quarter and took the my rucksack for repair and re-stitching in a strap at a local shoe repair shop. He did it while I waited for just 2000 (60p). 

In the afternoon we climbed up both levels in the cool to the castle giving a fine view though it was overcast with black clouds over the mountains. From the very top one could see the old  and new towns. the sandy bays and the port in the opposite easterly direction.

Joan is doing well and her wrist is much improved. That evening we ate in the Portocoillo restaurant in the street next to the hotel under red awnings attracted by the fact that the vast majority of the diners were Italian. I chose an excellent starter of mixed smoked fish then Involtini de Spada (Swordfish), Joan chose seafood salad and tortellini with cream and ham we shared a bottle of Corvo 1999. The meal cost 87,000 and was far better than anything eaten in Taomina.

27 May 

CEFALU IN THE RAIN

Overcast again so we visited the cathedral where we particularly impressed by the mosaic representation of Christ and the altar area with modern stained glass in an abstract style, which looked fine inside but outside they appeared almost opaque rather like fibre-glass. At first we had the church to ourselves until the first of many tour parties arrived, amazing how rapidly the atmosphere changed for the worse.

The next day we coincide with tour parties speaking Italian, French, German but few speaking English. We watched a wedding party arrive and enter via the front door, usual entrance was by a side door, and waited until they reappeared as a man and wife. The guests were mainly dressed quietly in black, grey or occasionally in light beige.

In the afternoon we walked east along the coast but found we could not get to the headland which features on the tourist map because the access is now restricted by owners of some very splendid holiday housing.

Found that Tagliatelli al limone was now crossed off the menu at L'Anitica Corte. So settled for Alici Marante starters and Pizza Marinade.      

Sunday 28 May   The streets were barricaded to control pedestrians whilst the town was converted into a cycle race track for groups of school children in different age brackets. At last the sun started to shine.

In the afternoon we took the only bus to Castel Buono at 12.45
only to find the castle, church and museums were all closed. We settled in a bar after the patron Mario had spotted us studying the advertised contents of the special Manetto cake of the region and invited to have a free generous portions to taste, served warm.  It was made from the hard Manetto wheat flour, egg yolk and white separated, orange, lemon and honey. The outside is covered by a white cream like substance, which turned out to be the sweet manna obtained locally by bleeding ash trees (tapping as per rubber).

At the last moment we realised the church was open so a quick guided visit to see the fully painted murals in the crypt before rushing to the castello for the briefest of looks but sufficient to tempt us to return and stay there the following day - above all encouraged by the friendliness of the locals. We returned to Cefalu after perhaps only three hours by the 16:15 bus, 

That evening we had the best meal so far, Joan with her favorite Moules and a tasty soup. I had Rustico a Sicilian vegetable starter then we both followed with Pepite with a shrimp/ artichoke sauce, the for main course I had Involtini again rolls of cooked ham and stuffing, Joan had fresh Calmare and shrimps. The restaurant menu gave a choice of three each for the Antipasta, Primo and Secondo courses, was unusually written only in Italian, which was echoed by exchanges with the clientele. Only one German couple and us braved the language challenge. The quality throughout was superb as was the white Colombard 1999 and all for 66,000. I did not even record the name of the restaurant, Trattoria, Pizzeria, Bar and Spaghetti are the only probably misleading clues. 

CASTEL BUONO 29 May only
Up early to catch the 7:50 bus which we shared with several groups of children who were going there to school. Put our large rucksack
in left luggage at the station. Checked in at the Ariston in the triangular piazza, the only hotel in town cheapest so far at 50.000. Old style room without on suite but clean enough with a balcony overlooking the street giving a view of the mountains.

Later that day we walked up to the private castle which had three high quality apartments at 800,000 a week, according to a very friendly informally dressed German who found the owner very attentive to his guests and that the rooms were booked through Agri Turismo or as we discovered later by phone in a number given in the tourist pamphlet  for this Ville Levante.

VIEW OF TOWN FROM CASTLE

We spent the day seeing the sights, the castello 1300 with its magnificent church founded in 1600 by the Ventimiglia family. It was owned cooperatively by the town who bought from the owner in 1920 and has been extensively restored.

In a separate part of town the church mausoleum and convent with large walled grounds is also being restored with Palermo money. The town is well supplied with excellent restaurants and given a quality hotel could well take off as a tourist destination in the mountains.

We went back to the church and crypt then to one of the museums (originally the old prison cells), the ground floor held priestly clothing and church valuables whereas upstairs displayed local art some donated by the town doctor who also founded La Robinia Gallery in Palermo.

The afternoon we spent visiting the private castle, my directions as usual were astray, there was a more direct route by the main road from the other side of town, but the aimless country walks were excellent, particularly given the huge variety of butterflies of all colours and sizes. 

Everyone was helpful and friendly. One of the keepers of the castle, from whom we learned a great deal in a mixture of Italian and French. The guide from yesterdays visit to the crypt greeted us enthusiastically in the Exp Bar of course, as did the friendly German we met earlier at the private castle. 

The advised restaurant was Cycas but unfortunately that was closed on Mondays, so we ate at the Nangalamuni just over from the bar where the anti pasta was excellent choosing from three different dishes one being hot vegetarian with mushrooms and with chilli, the other wild boar sausage and the third of ricotta cheese. The next two courses were served on the same plate, first a porchini (mushroom) risotto, then a home made paste with tomato. All finished off with a mixed salad and different cheeses. Not bad for 23,000 each plus wine for 16,000.       


   

PALERMO & TRAPANI

PALERMO    30 May to 1 June 2000
Took 7:10 bus to return firstly to Cefalu again, with a bus full of schoolchildren, strangely following our direction again, they had perhaps been home for the weekend.

We transferred to the 8:13 train from Cefalu to Palermo where I left Joan with our luggage at the station (our normal system). Checking out the hotel list given by  the Tourist Office. The first on Via Lincoln was a good standard aimed at business men for 140,00, then Sicilia on Via Divisi offered a huge well lit room for 90,000. 

We went to the Teatro Massimo and bought tickets for the evening performance by the number one cast for £30 each in the available box seat on the lowest of the six levels. Then to the Information Office for a great deal of help (all in Italian at my request), including onward buses to Trapani where to catch those to Monreale, recommendations for other churches and ferries for the island of Ustica. An excellent lunch snack chosen from a fine list of pizzas and panini I had a large beef bap and Joan a pizza, at a small restaurant next to MacDonalds. 

That afternoon we went to the beautiful capella at Palazzo Real, staggering beauty in this mosaic decorations, Byzantine in the dome, decorative at lower levels plus two levels depicting major events in the old and new testaments. I was delighted to find I could understand a guide talking to an informed party of Italians. 

La Boheme was excellent thankfully the friendly elderly arthritic couple sharing the box soon let Joan overcome nervousness of being dressed in sandals, she had chosen not to wear her black trousers and shoes. Also sat in our box was a middle aged woman who seemed snooty but the all three wished us buena sera on leaving at the end. I wasn't the only one without a suit and tie. The theatre had been restored then reopened in 1977  after a period of disuse. It was done beautifully and said to be similar to the Berlin Opera House, large stalls surrounded by vertical sides with six levels each having  24 boxes.

I had a second row seat and had to lean over a great deal to see to the right of the stage, but Joan had a good view. It was a huge stage with impressive scenery especially for the Paris street scene in Act 2. The performance was excellent with strong Mimi and Rudolfo. There was an interval of 20 minutes after each scene giving us plenty of opportunity to look around the theatre including upper some rooms still to be renovated. It was wonderful to mingle with the crowds especially on exit down the imposing steps. 

We took a 103 bus to the restaurant recommended by our hotel with the advice to eat fish. Anti Pasta buffet, Charcoal grilled prawns for Joan, fish of the day selected from the table at 6,000 per kg, ananas, white Corro wine, lemoncello and Amero all excellent value for 86,000.

31 May
Catch bus 385 to Monreale Duomo astounded by the view over Palermo from the heights. The church itself seemed rather like a bigger version of the capella seen the day before. 

All the walls were covered in mosaic pictures of Christ, Madonna, plus old and new testament stories and at the lowest level of the outer level were Arabic patterns. We had to pay to visit the cloisters with ornate capitals to the pillars but without the atmosphere expected.  

A wedding party arrived - surprisingly in a Rolls Royce car!

In the evening we ate at the Primervera, just off Victor Emmanuel,  on beef and veal steaks but noted our bill almost was overcharging 10,000 for the wine. On drawing the attention of our original waiter he immediately got the bill changed from 91,00 to 60,000 a much greater reduction than I had expected.

1st June 
We got up early and took a return ferry trip by boat rather than hydrofoil to the island of Ustica.

MAIN STREET USTICA

A very pleasant trip over the ocean taking 2.5 hours each way. Ustica itself is quite delightful and almost without cars. Buses run from the port to the central square and around the whole island entirely without charge. Every where seemed in good state of repair but in certain areas access to the sea was prohibited for it is a marine reserve also an outstanding location for scuba diving for fish , corals and turtles.

We ate excellent fish for lunch at the Hotel Ariston which had a very friendly owner. Later took a bus around the island getting off at a natural piscina recommended for swimming. I swam enthusiastically, watching for rocks but in clear warm water. Joan  who was having increasing problems with her right knee didn't swim.

ROCKY COAST IN USTICA

The rocks were black - volcanic, but the sea was bright blue and the nearby lighthouse a brilliant white. A ledge which looked natural had in fact been created to give a side to the swimming pool. We walked around the coastal road admiring the scenery through Zone A which was protected and swimming was prohibited. We saw ladies picking capers, the tightly rolled buds have to be picked in full sun for me this was a new discovery - which neither of us has forgotten.

A LADY HARVESTING CAPERS

It completed a memorable day. My final remark is 'a very pleasant island, ideal for a relaxing break'  - ie one much longer than a day. 

2 June Trapani
Up early fully laden with heavy rucksacks on an over crowded bus bound for the main bus station at Politico in rush hour. Tragedy struck when I changed my mind to get off early to take a photo of the Piazza Verdi and the Opera house. I found it unexpectedly difficult to get off the bus and was nervous of struggling too hard for fear of dragging others with me and my wide rucksack. But thought nothing more of the incident whilst I took the photo and walked to Politico to rejoin Joan. It was not until I went to get out my wallet to pay for tickets at the bus station that I realised that my wallet had been stolen. Thinking back I deduced I had been held back by a smart casual dressed six foot 75kg man 35-40 years old whilst an accomplice crowded around me to do the deed. A lot of people got off but surprisingly he didn't. 

I was able to buy a telephone card at a bookstall to call Card Protection CPP with the details held in Joan's wallet within 25 minutes of the theft. We had just about enough Travellers Cheques £400 & $100 to serve for the remaining 9 days of our holiday. CPP told me to report the incident to the police and get written confirmation.

I returned to the hotel in the unlikely case I had left my wallet there but there was no trace, the man on the desk was none too pleased with talk of theft but he did indicate on my map the police office to attend. It was very difficult to find between the streets of Genoa and Roma but eventually inquired of the old man seated in the foyer of a big building who directed me to police on the second floor. The police were quick and very helpful and gave me a form in English and Italian to complete. I could not help noticing that everyone there was filling in similar forms.

Two hours later than intended we got the 10:10 bus through fertile land to Trapani. After a rest at our Hotel Maccotta we took a round trip by bus to Erice, a beautiful medieval town, with warning of high charges and a history associated with the mafia.

It was in a wonderful state of restoration looking hardly touched in centuries. On the hill top were staggering views inland over the fertile plains and over Trapani bay and the headland. Erice is truly a sight not to be missed! 

At night we found only a single busy restaurant the Taverna Paradiso which had featured in a Victor Stallone film. Clearly this was the place for the well-off to be on a Friday night. The middle aged woman on the next table was wearing a huge gold bracelet on her left wrist. The place was alive with conversation and laughter. One particularly smartly dressed balding man of middle age and his wife plus the cut of their gold bracelets dominated the main table. I mused he might be they might be the god father of the mafia and she his moll. It was that kind of setting for he would stand up and have an earnest word with new male arrivals. Their main table was full of good humour and joking

After that their ordering started, unfortunately we arrived at 9:30, a little too soon to learn what the majority was ordering, but maybe we were fortunate to get the only free table, following a 10 minute wait whilst it was cleared. In retrospect clearly we should have started with pasta with lovely looking sauce followed by either Crayfish ( beautiful white flesh in a big body) or huge grilled prawns - I had just two with my mixed fish grill. At 100,000 we were charged slightly under the menu price with no addition for service - clearly one for the future.

TRAPANI
A lovely town full of beautiful old building on a small peninsular with sea on three sides. 

Pity we were now in a hurry for I concluded it deserves a much higher tourist rating.

3 June
We got up late and visited in Trapani the best fish market we were ever to likely see . 

Fish of all shapes, sizes and colours from the dark red flanks of whale/shark/dolphin which looked like meat.

Through to pale tuna and multi coloured fish. 

Followed by breakfasting on panini in the local panificio with lovely fist full of breck?? soaked in olive oil and with parmigiano and anchovies to add flavour. By far the best as well as the cheapest panini yet! 

SELINUNTE, AGRIGENTO, PIAZZA ARMERINA

SELINUNTE 3rd and 4th June

The bus to Castelvetrano was easy enough to find in the bus station or auto stazione as it was called. But on arrival there no-one seemed to know of a bus to Selinunte or even its nearby village of Marinella di Selinunte so we missed our connection. A very helpful woman showed us where to wait on the basis of information she had gleaned by asking at a local bar, but that turned out to be wrong for it left from the train stazione where we sat waiting for four hours. Watching a small man selling tickets helped by a very tall man from the local bar whilst an third man looked on stick up the new time table valid from 28 May - a bit late. The amount of good humoured discussion ('left a little' , 'up a little') plus some scribbling on the walls was quite amazing between these three men at a station almost without trains. I began to see why suddenly I was having so much trouble in understanding  the Italian - there is a very different slurred accent here in Western Sicily

The train did arrive in Selinunte on time and 'the son' meeting the train promised us a good room at Il Pescatore for 60,000. When we arrived his mother wanted 80,000. Joan was furious and we settled on 70.000. We were in fact getting a half share in an apartment  with a living room, kitchen and two bedrooms. Each bedroom had identical keys but we felt relieved that the other half were also English so there was no communication problem. According to Routard '99 Il Pescatore is rated excellent with very good full breakfasts with lots of coffee, fresh bread, fresh fruit and granite.

That evening we went down to Marinella and were amazed at the large number of restaurants open and the number of Italians driving here for their evening meal this Sunday. All the restaurants initially empty had filled up by 10pm.

4 June   went around the Temple twice in the early morning and again before sunset to take photographs in differing lights. 

In between we went down to the sandy beach to swim and sunbathe, both excellent.

VIEWS FROM TEMPLE SITE

The ruins, 16 metres high and one of the biggest in the world have a nice feel. It is a large site with reasonably complete temple, the partially restored ruins one a km to the west. There were tour groups visiting at the same time but they were not intrusive. The evening visit was especially memorable as we clambered amongst the giant pieces which once formed another big temple.

A man from one of the parties told us his sister lived in Norfolk where she went to rejoin an Italian interned in Britain from 1939 to 1943. I recalled as a primary school child in Warwick that Italians were then interned in a wired camp set up on the race course then part of the huge common. It was there my grandfather, who owned a bakery, was allowed to keep horses for his Sunday visit to church in Leamington Spa by trap, another to pull the cart delivering his bread, and a third now retired which I was allowed to feed. saddle and ride around the country lanes.  
  
I was getting informal lessons in Italian from the two pleasant barmaids in the local pub. In response to my question qual e il ristorante preferito? and  pago alla cassa mutua - pay the old man at the cash desk. The answer to the first was the Athena700m on the route into town - excellent well worth the visit. In fact it is the ristorante serving the camp site with food of a high standard.     

5 June AGRIGENTO
Decided to have another swim and to catch the 13:35 bus to Agrigento where I found the Tourist Office and got details of the Belvedore who offered a large and nice room. Though we eventually settled for a scruffy three bedroom room at the Concordia at half the price but where the restaurant was excellent. A fine starter All'Italia e Rustico. Joan settled on a large plate of prawns and I a big plate of lamb ribs for first course followed by Calmare and Pasta al vongole. Both our bills including a carafe of wine were under 50,000.

A free local bus took us to the temple entrance. The site had been excavated and restored by Captain Alexander Hardcastle ex Harrow and the Boer and 1st World War until the financial crash bankrupted in 1929. He died in poverty.

 Two of the temples were Concordia and Giunone but both are small in comparison with Selinunte but a very pleasant walk. Hardcastle's house with it's posters were poignant when reflecting on his outcome. Again we returned in the evening to take photographs.

6 - 8 June PIAZZA ARMERINA
Took bus there and once again started with the Tourist Office which yielded info on a new hotel Ostello del Borgo . It in fact belonged to an organisation devoted to providing the opportunity for holidays and study worldwide, Limerick in Ireland, USA and Canada etc. An old church building had been restored and converted by Jubilee money and opened just a couple on months ago. Four or five very friendly men ran the project providing 18 bedrooms and a conference room seating 120 people. The rooms were excellent with high quality new furniture with heavy wardrobes fitted into holes cut in the thick stone walls, heavy polished shutters etc. A room with breakfast including as much coffee as you could drink was 75,000, though you had to pay 5,000 each to join the organisation. It also offered a 15% discount for food at a local restaurant.

Piazza Armerina is a delightful old town full of character, friendliness including an old gent who turned out to be a returned Yank, as the Irish would say. The first day we went out to see the local attraction mosaici (pronounced MosIchi) of a Roman villa which was recovered from under a mud slide to reveal mosaic floor patterns and usually pictures in every room.

The next day we took a bus to Aidone followed by help from a woman who took us to the start of a 5km walk to the remains of Pumic/Greek town of Morgantina. 

A pleasant walk on a cooler overcast afternoon in a city of 20,000 excavated by Prof Bell from Princeton in the 1950's. Remains which illustrated a structure of Government. The Legislative Assembly reported to the Peoples Assembly who would accept, revise or send back legislation, ie a poor man's House of Lords.

There were two kilns, the larger for making bricks, tiles and pips, the other foe ceramics. Two friendly men at the gate explained a great deal, we learned foe example that the city was 2km x 2km in size so what we were seeing was just the centre. On the way there and back we stopped at a bar for ice cream then beer and lemonade, the friendly woman spoke slowly and deliberately in well pronounced sentences allowing quite a lot of conversation in Italian.

9 June The 8am bus went very slowly along winding roads to Castla Giro then by main road to Catania. I think the man at the desk in Hotel Fresi was a little surprised to see us in spite of our reservation but he found us a room.

Delightful interlude with the old lady in the Panificio when buying pizza. She gave us two red rolls, which were soon discovered to contain chilli, then another two with less chilli but with olives. She laughed and repeated out loud my phrase Acqua Minerale freddo. Copying my scribbled text 20 years later I am amazed at the instant but friendly reaction - . Freddo and fredda are both cold but freddo does not agree with the nouns gender here. Perhaps it was simply caused by Joan's usual reaction to Chilli.