In Sicily we were able to explore beaches and towns by foot, which gave us the full experience. Walking allowed us to discover new places that are not always accessible by car. We climbed the Turkish steps, and enjoyed the glowing white rocks. We took a vineyard tour, even strolling through forest to see the source of the bottle’s cork. We even discovered a hidden away museum that contained tools from long lost professions like barbers, potters, and straw weavers. Had we not taken our time to walk through many of these destinations on the island, we never would have met the amazing people we did and experienced the beautiful sights we saw.
The capital of Baroque, Ragusa Ibla is one of the most beautiful towns of the southern Sicily. I wished we would have sleeped here one night just to check the city lights that give the town a very romantic look. The Cathedral of San Giorgio in Ragusa Ibla stands magnificent and takes your breath away.
This was my first time on a walk with a donkey. Pina the 17 year old donkey took us through the hills of Monterosso Almo. The scenery of rocks and hey fields didn’t have any building in sight for kilometers. It was a real opportunity to connect with nature and have a quiet afternoon.
‘Why donkeys? Well, walking side by side with donkeys is an intriguing way to revive memories from a distant past, when walking times and rest stops were dictated by the animals …an amazingly different experience along old and new trails of the Hyblaean plateau.’ – Il Paso del Asino
When I was told we were going fishing I though we were waking up at 3am for a real fishing experience, but fortunately now there is also the so called tourism-fishing that can be done by day. Tourism-fishing is a new way of getting to know the sea in Sicily and the world of the professional fishing, a world of knowledge, hard work and respect for the nature. We enjoyed the landscape beauties of of Licata and learned about the ecosystem.
I must admit my ignorance regarding wine corks. I didn’t know that there was a specific tree from where the cork is extracted. What we learned was a fascinating way that cork has been extracted for centuries from cork oaks. The tree of Quercus suber forms a thick bark containing high levels of suberin (waterproofing waxy substance) that is harvesetd every 9-12 years to produce cork. The ecosystem around the cork forest of Niscemi is very rich in fauna especially for butterflies likethe local Polissena and the Silvano azzurro.
Niscemi is a small Sicilian town of 27.000 people. Here time seems to have stopped and I counted more churches than people.
A museum of the past that made us reflect on the future. A place where the history of a long lost lifestyle is preserved to teach the generations to come a culture of hard work, creativity and life before internet. The Farmer’s museum of Niscemi curated by Toto Ravalli Totò Ravalli, a man which has dedicated his life to preserving the past so that Sicilian can’t forget where they came from. A man that with great excitement can tell you stories about every piece of the collection from wicker baskets, to children’s toys. An avid photographer he himself has been taking pictures of Niscemi for decades. The fashion blogger in me wanted a picture to from Totò so I quickly wore the typical Sicilian black linen-wool head cover.
