San Vito Lo Capo

First stop was Erice, a town perched on top of the enormous isolated mountain which dominated the landscape and stood out among the flattish plains around it like a pebble on a table. Excitingly we were to get there by cable car which gave definite Flashbacks to skiing holidays. It felt incongruous to be arriving in shorts and without skis. The cable car took us up above trapani and delivered increasingly spectacular views of the city, then coast, then entire region of north west Sicily as we rose higher and higher.

Arriving with the familiar bump and clank of a ski resort we emerged to be reminded it’s actually quite cold up mountains. And we’d forgotten that in our sunny holiday gear. Thankfully it was ok as long as the sun remained out. Trying to ignore the gathering clouds we headed up through the gates and wound ou way along the pretty, marble cobbled streets of erice.

We ambled through the town, window shopping and exploring a few of its many many churches which were decorated in a white stucco style - pretty restrained in comparison with the heavy decoration typical of the east coast churches. stopped off for excellent pastries and coffee as the wind picked up and the cloud increased. We finally popped out the opposite side of the mountain looking down on the plains far below as if from a cruising aircraft. The weather was definitely on the turn. Missing warmer clothing we headed back to the cable car while the mists swirled around. A quick lunch of arincini before the 10 minute trip down through cloud and out into pelting rain. We dashed to the car which having sat warming in the heat of the past few hours was an oasis of heat to get into. Absolute bliss.

With the weather looking sour we weren’t too sure what to do with the afternoon. We’d previously intended to head to the beach resort san vito lo capo and in the end we stuck with the plan. Who knows maybe the weather will pick up. We took the coastal road through the rain driving north through villages and countryside, around the back of the same spectacular mountain range we’d seen on our arrival on Thursday. Arrived in san vito lo capo under leaden skies. In the British-style weather it had the slightly sad feel of a resort out of season but with a spectaclar mountain backdrop. Wrestled with parking machines before having a trudge along the beach and a coffee from a beach cafe. We drove a little further along the coast but turned back, a little concerned about the road petering out. Headed instead to the lighthouse overlooking the bay. By this time there were patches of blue sky and things started to look up. We scrambled around the shoreline and admired the view - it’s amazing what a bit of sunlight can do to a place. We drove back into the town. By now people were playing on the beach and even a few brave souls in the sea -despite the sharp wind. Enjoyed an aperativo at the same bar which by now seemed a totally different place before an early, excellent dinner of Cous Cous and tagine at a North African restaurant before picking our way home with glorious coastal views from the last of the daylight.Baca lagi