Sicily's West - Life in diversity

Tobias Heller
29. Dez. 2016
5 Min. Lesezeit

Right after the christmas festivities Gianfranco and I decide to do a trip of two days to the west side of the Island Sicily by car, which would enable us to go easily from one location to the other. On the list are three different spots: The seaside city Trapani situated at the western coastline, the mountain village Erice on top of the similarly named Mount Erice and last but not least, Marsala with it's flat outstretched salt evaporation basins.

City & Sightseeing

Trapani - Phenomenal Sunsets

After about an hours drive from Palermo by car, we arrive in Trapani, do the check-in at the hotel room we booked for one night and then walk around in Trapani's center, which seems to be deserted due to the siesta. Therefore we walk along the coastline, climbing around the rocky stones deeper into the blue endlessness of the ocean, from afar a long walkway is to be seen with a cubic building at the tip. Gianfranco soon declares that he is hungry, as well as I am, so we try hard to find something that is open, which is harder than we thought. After finally finding something we fill our stomachs and we are able to proceed walking the area.

It is already very late afternoon and the sky has started to turn from a deep blue to a softer pastel blue tone and soon turns yellowish. The further down the sun sinks toward the horizon, the more spectacular this sunset is. The sky keeps alternating into an orange-red color now, dark clouds gathered collectively in clumps while layers of vapor in the air paint white streaks in a frantic pattern across the sky. We sit here, together watching this wonderful sunset, while everything is touched by the golden glow of light. We proceed to walk towards Trapani's outstretched tongue, which we have spotted from afar previously. The sky once more does a final change into a vivid violet, and I am amazed once more by the beauty nature it self creates.

We arrive at the end of Trapani, once more climbing around the coastline. The last rays of sun are still illuminating the sky, though after several minutes darkness settles upon the sky, which would be the last change of color for today.

Hiking & Village

A hike up to Erice - Village in the Mountains

We park the car near the cableway that connects Trapani with the mountain village Erice. Due to strong winds unfortunately the cable way has been shut down temporarily and a few day tripping tourists are waiting in front of it. I propose to walk up there, as I have done often enough in order to skip overcharged tourist bus and cableway prices. Despite that the exercise might be good for us after those days of feasting during christmas. We follow the street that leads sideways of the cablecar and pass several houses while constantly climbing upwards a long broad street until the way changes into a proper gravel covered hiking path further up. The large main road lies to our feet and climbs down steeply until it flattens out with busy traffic, which we can observe from our uplifted level.

Not taking the cable way was indeed one of the best options we could have made, as the way up is neither difficult to walk nor too far and would take us only about one and a half hour to arrive at the peak. Additionally the walkway leads upwards in nice slopes and the view downwards improves by the rising meters of altitude. We cross the cableway, which didn't move for a while but finally sprang into action, operating again. At least we would go back down by cable way in order to safe time for Marsala, those various outstretched salt basins are already visible in the southeast, not appearing to be very far. Below the coastline two Islands are also visible on the horizon and I feel happy to be up here enjoying the simplicity of a work.

When we arrive on the top, we pass the cableway and enter into Erice through the main gate, finding a church and a tower to our left. Spiraling upwards we go onto the tower, that overlooks all of the village to one side, and the outstretches of Trapani with the adjacent salt basins along the west coast to the right. This view though is only slightly better as from below, whereas the village Erice itself can be seen way better from here.

A broad street leads up from the main gate into Erice's heart, those floor is specially plastered by small long stripes of stones, which would follow all the way and alternate with lines of larger bricks, thereby creating a unique pattern along the winding streets of Erice. The village indeed is tiny with several small streets that lead past wine bars, cafes and handcraft shops. In it's core, a small square opens up between the houses, where market stalls are set which sell various things, though they are completely orientated for tourists, as the prices are high and the goods are mainly souvenirs for visitors to take with them to their homes. After a walk around mostly all of the village we sit down to have a coffee. Funnily I meet Robert here, whom I met in Syracuse while staying with Beth, who is currently traveling around the west side of Sicily, and whose meeting invitation while he was in Palermo had to decline due to busy christmas days with Gianfranco's family. Afterwards we walk to the cableway, which strangely does not seem to be occupied, though it is operating obviously. We encounter a man sitting in a small office, who tells us to get onto the cableway but pay the tickets once we are down. When we get out of the short ride, we similarly encounter no one, and thus we leave to get the car. Despite this not really being our fault, we are feeling like little criminals. But cool ones. Real badasses.

Seaside

The salt Basins of Marsala

Fortunately we started the day early enough, once we are down from Mount Erice we still have time to go to Marsala's salt basins and fetch something to prepare a sandwich for later. While we head in the direction, the from postcards familiar windmills are spread all around the place and being puzzled at first large white piles are on the side of the roads. This is the salt they win in the flat basins, though I would constantly keep on declaring it to be snow. I eagerly jump onto it, in order to sink into the white massive salt pile, but indeed as it is neither snow nor sand, the surface of the salt is hart and solid, the salt crystals have melted together superficially.

We once more move on by car - for the sunset we want to go to a nice spot along the coast, from which the view should be one of the best onto the salt basins. But before we stop again along the way, marveling at the beautiful landscape. The water here engulfed large strips of land, and leaves small grass islands to stick out of the water, with windmills and small towers spread everywhere. They sometimes appear to be growing out of the water instead of sitting on an actual solid underground.

We arrive at our last point for today, and while the sun is about to set we prepare some sandwiches with ingredients from the supermarket in Trapani and eat them happily enjoying the last rays of sun while letting our eyes run over the majestic landscape in front of us. The small passageways of land that go in intersecting stripes throughout the water are framing the basins, separating them. The scenery is picturesque and so wonderfully harmonic. The sun is already very low, starting to drop down, dipping into the horizon. Similar like yesterday, the sunset is marvelous as the sky changes from blue to yellow over orange to violet-blue once more until darkness sets in and we finally get in the car to go back to Palermo. What a perfect trip!