Friends of Sicily

If taking a break from civilization is what the doctor ordered, than sailing is for you…endless amounts of free time spent to pondering your existence, and yours alone…unless you are traveling with your family in my case a skipper husband and two cats.  But other than your immediate family orbit, sailing offers you the certain cut off from the grid.  But sometimes you are pleasantly welcomed by friends along the way and spending time with them is all the more memorable.

On our trip down to Sicily from Sardenia, when we were escaping the turbulent weather which greeted us on “the perfect anchorage” (see previous post) we were first welcomed by an armada of dolphins who befriended the SaltyPaws.  No fewer than 15 dolphins were dashing in an out of the waves at the bow with the same 8 knts as we were.  They managed to invite their friends from the area to play at the bow of our boat for about 30 min and were our guides into the northwest island of Fafingnana just off the Sicilian coast.  It was such a warm welcome to familiar territory of Sicily.

I had visited Sicily a number of times before this trip.  I spent 2 weeks in university learning about the ancient people who had a penchant for temple building.  I had been in the Mediteranean for 6 weeks already and at that time I had voted Sicily my most favored stop.  The combination of charm from the locals, beautiful beaches, and density of UNESCO sites gave it the “I’m coming back here” mark in the travel registry.  More recently in 2010 I had a week visit for a family friend’s wedding where I had probably the best meal of my life, the same friend I had visited on this trip (thank you for inviting me Alicia (aka Torti).  I will never forget the 13 course meal topped off with a deliciously boiled octopus and a multi-layered cake with gelato...it was surreal.  They played and danced to a Sicilian waltz which by the way was inspiration to Beethoven when he wrote Beethoven’s 7^th symphony.  And that is the sort of place Sicily is, inspiring.  No wonder it has been ruled by so many empires and civilizations, they just got used to the “good life”.

Our hosts during our visit (Alicia, Francesco, and Luca) were so much fun to hang out with.  They were so generous to help us out with our usual odds and ends in boat life (groceries and laundry) but also showed us the crown jewels of their hometown in Caselvatrano, the temples of Selinunte (ancient Greek site on the sea) and the Sicily’s St Peter basilica (a beautiful medieval church at the heart of Castelvatrano).  I learned that Castelvatrano was the capital of that part of the Spanish empire under Aragon where today you see his palace and churches that he built.  The Prince of Aragon is buried in this church.  I only know this because Torti called up one of her friends who happened to be a historian to give us a personal tour.  We finished the day with Alicia and Francesco at a wonderful dinner in town to celebrate their anniversary, another meal which would go down in life’s top ten list. 

We left Sciliy bellies full and missing our friends in Castelvetrano.  I will always think of you Torti when we sip your luxurious limoncello on the boat.  Next stop Malta.