Paceco

We spend several nights at Marina Arturo Stabile in Trapani city and enjoy taking a break from weather watching. A thunder storm or two roll by and we don’t mind at all.
The small marina is in the city centre and run by a family so there is a nice atmosphere here. Colm enjoys spending time up in the shaded seating area and chatting to Muhammad the night watch man. I am excited at the prospect of a proper shower and there are several options here 1) A tiny cubicle with scalding water. 2) A medium size shower with a blocked drain. 3) A large cubicle that stinks and has a cockroach in residence- all three come with mosquitos. Over the next few days, I treat myself to a shower in each one.

The city is a mix of pretty streets and run down areas. On our first evening here we feel a little uneasy as we walk through a badly lit park full of litter and dirty pavements. That uneasiness is immediately dispelled when we see generations of families and friends gathered around benches chatting and laughing together.

The Sicilians we meet are helpful and relaxed and I am struck by their friendly, easy-going way. When Colm and I are finishing up at the self-service laundromat, the owners, their children and the grandparents come in to check on things. The Mum walks us to the door and waves us off down the street with thanks and goodbyes.
People in cars on the other hand are not so friendly and drive with a ferocious urgency. At zebra crossings they only begin to slow down when we are right in the middle of the road and some get cross when we don’t start running.

We have a great day trip to the hilltop town of Erice and take the cable car up and down. As we ascend the views over the city and out to the Aegadian Islands are spectacular but a little blurred because of the dirty windows. We enter Erice through the old gate and buy an ‘access all areas’ ticket for the bargain price of six euros. We can now go into any church we want to and there are many to choose from. We wander around the cobbled streets, climb old towers and descend into crypts. We have cannoli and continue to the Balio gardens to see the incredible views. When we look eastwards we see the ruined castle perched on the cliff top overlooking the cultivated fields far below. When we walk to the other side of the castle there are views to the north out over the sea with beautiful headlands and bays. And finally we cross the gardens to look westwards to the city of Trapani far below us and beyond it, to the Aegadian islands . We have a drink at the garden cafe and enjoy the incredible view as the sun goes down behind the islands. We are looking forward to nightfall because we have been told that temperatures drop quickly up here. There are jumpers in our bag that haven’t been worn for months and we are very excited about wearing them. It is that comforting, snuggly feeling we take for granted at home that now we yearn for in the constant heat. These days we dream of duvets, blankets and hot chocolate. We put our jumpers on and enjoy them with our dinner. As the cable car returns us to Trapani, the heat increases with our descend and the jumpers are off again- ah it was lovely while it lasted.

The next day we are back to weather watching because it is time to sail on. We came to Trapani because it is the jumping off point for visiting Aegadian Islands. The weather in the coming days will make for rolly and uncomfortable anchorages in Isole Egadi, so we decide to skip them in favour of moving eastwards.Read more