As we approach the one-year anniversary of our 2022 Girls’ Trip to Italy, this week La Dolce Vita Travels will publish a series of posts recapping our trip last October. I do this for several reasons: as a means of transcribing my travel journal, to provide fellow travelers with names of restaurants/hotels for their own travel journals, and to plant seeds of interest for our next trip (and there will be another one).
This is an overall recap of the official itinerary. There were pockets of free time almost daily, and while I share what my sister and I did during these times, the truth is everyone will have a different story. Some were shoppers, some were explores, and some were diners … there was something for everyone.
The series will be three parts—Part I: Naples (Days 1-4), Part II: Sicily (Days 5-11), Part III: Rome (Day 12). Our time in Naples was the most intense; after all, it is an intense city and we packed a lot into our itinerary. This meant we did the heavy touring the first few days of our trip, then enjoyed the slower pace of Sicily on the back end.
Day 7: Erice-Trapani-Agrigento
(Oct. 11)
After our magical evening, it was hard saying arrivederci to
Palermo. But we were headed to Agrigento with a few stops along the way, starting with Erice.
Getting to Erice meant driving on switchback mountain road
with a steep drop down the to the sea. People were either “ooooh!” look at the
sea, or “yikes!” we are going to die. But we were in good hands with Giovanni,
our bus driver. At one point we encountered a bus coming in the opposite direction,
and by backing up and clever maneuvering both buses squeezed past each other
without a scratch. It was such a phenomenal feat that we spontaneously applauded.
The town of Erice is perched on the top of mountain, and its
narrow streets and tall lookout towers made it a defensive stronghold during
the Medieval times. It was so charming, and with the gift of free time we set
off the explore the town. No matter in which direction we set off, every alleyway
eventually led to Castello de Venere (built by the Normans), and with its
gardens and scenic overlook you swallowed beauty in big gulps.
From Erice we traveled to Trapani to see the salt pans where
salt is extracted from the sea according to ancient traditions, including the
use of quaint windmills. The mounds of white were not snow drifts, or piles of
sand, but great big piles of sea salt. Needless to say, we are all coming home
with sea salt.
What do you do when you are in Italy and it is lunchtime? Go
to an agriturimso, a working farm with a restaurant and wine cellar. So we drove
to Agriturismo Casa di Latomie for an olive oil tasting and lunch! The olive
oil was liquid gold (we all came home with olive oil) and lunch was absolutely delicious.
Appetizers
(olive
oil, seasoned olives, aubergine caponata, panelle, gratin tomatoes, fresh
ricotta)
First
course
(casarecce
pasta with Trapani-style pesto)
Second
course
(pork
tenderloin with rosemary potatoes)
Dessert
(cassatelle with ricotta)
Lunch also involved live entertainment in the form of two wandering singers. At one point Rose Ann and I were pulled out of our seats, adorned with a bright red scarf and beret, and handed a tambourine. There are moments in life when you have a choice: melt into a puddle of embarrassment or just go with it. We went with it. Now, there may be a video floating around somewhere but I’m choosing to pretend it does not exist.
Our next stop was a treat because it was not part of our itinerary. On the way to Agrigento, Giovanni drove a little out of the way so we could see la scala dei Turchi (The Turkish Stairs), a rocky cliff made out of sedimentary rock with a characteristic white color. White cliffs + Blue Sea = Breathtaking Views
By late afternoon we arrived in Agrigento for our one-night stay. Within 30 minutes of checking in at Hotel Della Valle, we explored the grounds and met poolside for an Aperol Spritz. Dinner was on our own, and many opted to dine at the hotel. I had a delicious plate of linguini alle vongole.
Tomorrow we are getting our Greek on with a visit to The Valley of Temples, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Day 8: Agrigento-Ragusa (Oct. 12)
After yet another delicious breakfast, and after we checked out of our hotel, we met a local guide at The Valley of the Temples. Here is an interesting fact: 2,500 years ago, two of the top three cities in Ancient Greece were in Sicily. First, of course, was Athens, then followed Syracuse and Agrigento. And here we were in Agrigento, visiting Greek ruins that were better preserved than any in Greece.
Following our excellent tour guide, we walked the Via Sacra (Holy Way) to admire the Temple of Concordia, the Temple of Herakles, and the ruins of the Temple of Zeus. The sun was shining so brilliantly that the ancient stones glowed, and surrounded by centuries-old olive and almond trees it was easy to imagine life two thousand years ago.
Lunch was on our own at the nearby town of San Leone. Since the Mediterranean Sea was right there, seafood it was. I ordered an arancina (rice ball) with a twist: the filling was black because it was made with sepia (cuttlefish). It was so good that my mouth is watering just writing about it. My sister ordered seafood stew but while beautifully presented, it was a little more seafood than she expected. We had a good laugh.
Afterwards it was a three-hour bus ride to Ragusa, stopping halfway for an afternoon espresso and a dolce. Molto Italiano of us.
In Ragusa, we checked into our hotel—Mediterraneo Palace—for two nights. We had some free time before dinner, so some of us went exploring but, alas, we did not get very far because we discovered a leather shop and … well, let us just say that all my guys received wallets for Christmas.
When we met for dinner that evening two of Rose Ann’s sisters—Amy and Helen—officially joined our group. They arrived that afternoon via London where they had gone to see the Green Bay Packers play, and they will be with us for the rest of the tour. Over lasagna alla Ragusana, we shared stories about our travel adventures. We are happy to have them!
Finally, we were off to bed because tomorrow we needed the energy for lunch at an agriturismo AND a chocolate tasting in Modica. Life is so hard in Italy.
Too much to see, too little time!
