June 5, 2024
A beautiful sunrise while walking the coast was a promise of another day exploring Sicily!
Back in the coach we are headed to Museo del Sale, a semi-working salt museum in the province of Trapani. To get to Trapani we drove through a windmill-dotted landscape set against dramatic mountains. At the museum, we viewed the 17th-century mill and learned how the region has been shaped by the age-old Trapani tradition of salt production and refining. The windmill is used to grind the salt!
Then we board a small boat for a bracing and windswept ride to the small island of Mothya. Some 2,700 years ago, the Phoenicians built a settlement here, and it was once a thriving trade outpost. We did a walking tour to delve into the island’s history and its ancient fortress. Jaka included in our walk insight into the ingenious causeway with which the island—now only accessible by boat—enjoyed easy access to the mainland.
We are in Sicily so of course we needed to eat!! We made the most of the island’s scenic views by having picnic lunch sitting at stone picnic tables featuring a variety of Sicilian dishes while enjoying the perfect weather.
After lunch we continued to explore the island in greater detail with a walk along a network of footpaths connecting Mothya’s interior to the shore. Along the way, we viewed the ongoing excavation projects that continue to reveal new insights into how the island’s relatively small amount of real estate was developed and used to its full potential. I really want to volunteer for a archeological dig.
After our walk, we boarded our boat for the ride back to the mainland to return to Mazara del Vallo.
Our group made a short walk to a local restaurant where we took part in a cooking class lead by a Michelin star chef who won Master Chef and had the perfect Gordon Ramsey personality!!! We learned how to make Sicilian parmigiana, traditional pasta, and Sicily’s famous pesto alla trapanese—a pesto combining almonds, cherry tomatoes, basil, garlic, and olive oil. To top off our culinary pursuits, we learned how to prepare an almond parfait. The best part of cooking class is you get to eat your work!!! I meant to take pictures of each course but sadly I was hungry and forgot. A fun evening with lots of learning and even more laughs.
OMG! I hope you got recipes!!!!!