The pleasant drive through the town of Marsala is threatened by ominous cloud. I spot the street sign with the name of the town and I suddenly feel thirsty. This is wine country, and many a bottle of Marsala has been enjoyed in fine company.
The coastline comes into view and a religious statue framed by a tall cactus plant catches my eye. This is Sicily, and by now I have grown accustomed to the omnipresent statues of saints and madonnas.
Tablet Inscription: Lavoro Eseguito da d’Aguanno Pietro 1980
Through a heavy blanket of cloud, the silhouettes of the Egadi Islands come into view. The archipelago is made up of three islands with Favignana, the largest of the three, Marittimo the oldest and the most distant and Levanzo, the smallest island.
Favignana (L) Marettimo (M) Levanzo (R)
The islands can be reached by hydrofoil and are known for bays and coves, transparent waters, and grottas with Paleolithic and Neolithic cave paintings. It takes 20 minutes by hydrofoil to reach Favignana and Levanzo, and an hour for Marettimo. But this is not a trip for today.
As the cloud shifts towards the islands taking the rain with it, salinas come into view.
White hills of salt dot the seascape. These are some of the oldest salt marshes in the region of Trapani, an area renowned for salt production.
At Contrada Nubia in Paceco, there is a salt museum, Museo delle Saline, which celebrates the history of salt production using ancient methods.
Further along, the vista takes on more colour as windmills punctuate the skyline.
The colourful windmills are used to pump the sea water from the basins and grind the salt after harvest.
The coastline between the towns of Marsala and Trapani is a picturesque stretch of road.
There are small beaches, B&B accommodation and vineyards, making this part of Sicily a pleasant place to unwind and spend a spend a few days exploring the Egadi Islands.
Marsala-Trapani salt marshes
This post brought back memories of my first trip to Sicily, where my cousins took me to Erice, Trapani and tour of a salt mill. Thanks.
That is exactly where we went! 🙂 We passed the salt mills on the way to Erice. Such an enchanting place!
Beautiful photos!
Thank you! 🙂
Magnificent cloudy photos!!! I love them, the sky all brooding and powerful. 🙂
Thank you 🙂 As much as I would have loved to be there under sunny skies, I think the cloud/rain adds a certain mood that makes you fall in love with the scenery.
[…] the ancient ruins at Agrigento. We drove through Marsala and Trapani with their characteristic salt marshes. We ascended the beautiful town of Erice where the view blew us away. We took a bus ride to Palermo […]
[…] Valley of the Temples in Agrigento is located 130 km from Palermo, 175 km from Trapani/Erice and 99 km from […]