Sicilia la bella

We woke to a glorious sunrise across the Golfo di Catellmmare, which was a totally free show from our breakfast spot, looking across the verandah. Favoloso!

We breakfasted, did some washing and headed to the Riserva Naturale Orientata Dello Zingaro. It was the first such reserve created in Sicily. It was created in 1980 when some locals decided to protest the running of a road along this coastline. They had already dug a tunnel through the limestone cliffs to start just past Scopello, and metres past our villa.

It was humid work walking along the path cut into the steep drop from limestone cliffs to the Mediterranean. Apparently there is quite a bit of wildlife, specially bird life in the area. We did not see much, some very green skinks, some gulls and a small chirpy black and grey bird.....something line a thornbill.

Wherever you looked it was beautiful. Glorious cliffs dripping to a beautiful sea. There were a few pretty flowers, though we have been told spring is the time for a full display.

Some scenes were a picture...............the reserve information had dropped out......so I thought "Why Not?"

There were a few houses, some of which had been turned into museums/staff housing/information centre. There also appeared to be one private property on the water belonging to Massimo Amadeo. No idea about his story beyond his name on a gate.

About half way we dropped down to one of the many beaches and I had a swim. The water was glorious, though getting in and out on a pebbly beach is a bit of a struggle. We had chosen this spot in the hope of having the beach to ourselves, having split with a couple of young Australian girls for the other beach in the area. As it turns out we shared it with a couple of middle aged topless bathers. Well I say bathers, but really they both paddled their toes, had a smoke and got dressed again. Not sure if topless smoking is thing anywhere else but it is in Zingaro. By the way smoking is actually forbidden in the reserve, so I did not feel kindly about these women.

We probably did about 4-5 Km and Marjan was starting to feel the pinch, and we had not packed enough water for the humid conditions,  so we headed back.

It was embarrassing to be passed by a French couple and their son. He had an artificial leg and she was piggy backing the kid! There was lots of people on the path on the way back, and whilst mostly I got a 'Buon giorno!' back, there were some people who seemed to have smeared dog doodoo under their upper lip. Towards the end of the walk we actually passed a couple. Collective weight 215Kg and collective age only a little less.....still we passed someone...…

Our original plan had been to head straight to lunch, but we were both dripping wet, so we headed back to our villa for a shower. We got lost on the side roads...again.....and Marjan had to get out and help negotiate a particularly tricky bit where some one had left their car on a road exactly 90cm wide......OK 120cm.

Anyway we headed down into Scopello after a shower and change and found Bar Notturno in a charming little square. The bar had been recommended by Guglialmo, our host, who had particularly advised that we avoid eating anything, and especially the seafood, but the pizza from the pizzeria next door. The square was accessed via a gate and had four restaurants surrounding a magnificent eucalyptus. Not sure of what type but it starred.

Well it starred until the food arrived. Marjan had a local dry, astringent almost, white and I had a beer. The white was awesome (Grillo grapes). The beer was OK. I had the sea bass fillets wrapped around red prawns, Marjan had black pasta (ink from squid we believe) with fruit of the sea. Whilst my sea bass was awesome, it was put in the shade by Marjan's pasta. She likes a good marinara, but this was from a whole other planet. We enjoyed it so much we had some dessert to follow. A glorious meal.

We had a short walk around Scopello, without any climbing, and then headed to the supermarket to buy some dinner makings.

A brief rest at the villa, yes we managed to find it first time this time, though I did have to go into a side street to let another car pass. The roads are barely a car wide....and the bits that are not privately owned have been paved using a bunch of broken boulders, over which some cement has been haphazardly thrown before being jackhammered into attractive pieces. I have to drop to first to get up the start of the 'road'.

Then down to the beach that settles beneath us. We were too lazy to walk so took the car out again. We got lost getting to the beach. It is on some private roads and we took the wrong one. 2 hours of manoeuvring later we got to where we wanted to go. A much more crowded beach with life savers present. The life savers appear to go saving people in the sort of paddle boat they have in Silvan lake. Not very comforting. Lots of young Italian men disporting their bodies.....I kinda fancied the one in the white speedos.…...and lots of people with boat shoes for getting in and out of the pebble beach.  A glorious swim, yes Marjan too, and we felt the day was complete.

We are sitting back at the villa enjoying the continuous changing seascape of the Golfo. Marjan has been following a rainbow that seems to appear and disappear. Chilled.

Two postscripts:

1. Sorry Liz, today was not your kind of holiday. No museums, and in fact apart from our villa we only spent 10 minutes inside a building....the market.
2. I am withholding judgement......yes I am...…..but I am likely to have some stern words to say about rubbish

Ciao