Sicily & the Tyrrhenian Sea

Day 3 - May 13


We leave the hotel in Palermo, which lies on the northwest side of the island, and head south for a day trip to Agrigento on the southern coast. Toured the countryside by bus through very rugged, mountainous, rocky & dry land, but also pretty. Olive groves and vineyards everywhere. Hard to believe this land can be very productive, but the grapes & olives apparently love it. Arrived in Agrigento for a visit to Kolymbetra Gardens, an ancient garden naturally protected by the valley walls that surround it, lying adjacent to the ancient Greek ruins of the Valley of the Temples. Loads of citrus and olive trees, and many others here. Even a 500 year old olive tree! Still hard to believe that anything can produce in such a harsh environment, but they had the largest lemons I'd ever seen - the size of a grapefruit! We were treated to an incredible picnic lunch of lots of Sicilian specialties - cheeses, fruits, veggies, sausages, mini pizzas, and the best orange I've ever eaten...a blood orange. So good! Sweet red pulp and a taste unlike any other orange. Mmm. It's always nice to picnic outside under the shade of a tree, but this was beyond good. Could've lingered under that tree all afternoon.

Next, a short hike up the hill for a visit to the Valley of the Temples. This area of Sicily used to be ruled by Greece and was known as Magna Graecia. The temple remains date back to 5 BC. In the 6th century AD, a temple was converted to a church, which largely explains why it's remains are intact today.
Tried to imagine hiking up that hill every Sunday morn. Couldn't do it in heels, that's for sure. But the worship experience must've been special, because the view of the valley was incredible with the Mediterranean nearby.


Back on the bus for the return trek to Palermo to catch an overnight ferry to Naples. We crossed the Tyrrhenian Sea with what seemed like every Sicilian schoolkid on the island. And they were enjoying their field trip to the max - vocally. We could tell because the walls of our tiny 4-person cabin were paper thin, and the wake up call of 5am came way too soon. No rest for the weary...more ruins to see! Pompeii next!