We left Marsala for a 2 hour bus ride to Agrigento. Andrea explained that in this part of Sicily, the roads are poor. There was a very short autostrada that we took for about 20 minutes. Beyond that are the roads used by the farmers who need to get their crops to market. Apparently it is tricky to get very perishable items to distant markets without spoilage because of 2 lane roads.
We exited the “highway” at Castelveltrano on the way to Agrigento. There are fields filled with olive trees. It began to rain hard. Then there was thunder and lightning followed by hail. The edge of the front was visible as we traveled north. Eventually the sky lightened and the rain diminished. It was good to be safe inside our big bus.
We passed Verdura, a fancy golf club, where Google holds a yearly “camp” meeting. Top officials all over Europe join the group. Andrea, our guide, organizes travel from airports to black limousines to Verdura. He works with a company that arranges activities inside Verdura as well. It is a “secret” meeting.
We had a stop for a snack and bathroom break at an amazing pastry and gelato spot with a full parking lot. Porto empedocle is the town.
We drove a short way to reach Agrigento. The new city is visible on the hillside beyond the archeological park. We were met by a local guide, Alice, who is an archeologist. She was full of enthusiasm and information. We visited several temples that have survived in various states of repair. The main temple of Concordia built in 440-430BC is the finest example of a temple outside of Greece. It survived apparently because it was used as a church in the 17th century. Original city walls and other structures’ stones were used for building other buildings as the area was conquered. Luckily the rain had stopped and we had a sunny but windy day along the coast.
We left the temples to have lunch at a private home. Our hosts Rita and Marcelo were proud to explain that nearly everything we ate was either home grown or locally made. We began with olives, cheese, bruschetta, sun dried tomatoes, bread and lettuce with home made olive oil and vinegar. The main course was pasta with chopped tomatoes, chopped zucchini, basil and mint. We were watched by a group of cats outside clearly waiting to be fed. Dessert was fresh fruit with lemon sorbet and a red wine sauce drizzle. When we asked how often this couple served lunch, they replied about 220 times per year!!
After lunch, we were brought downstairs to see a unique workshop. Marcelo’s father made carts for farmers to use both functional ones and fancy. The fancy ones are in his private museum space. They are works of art. We watched a short video about how his grandfather made a wooden wheel surrounded by metal. He was an amazing artisan.
We left our lunch hosts to drive to our next spot, the villa Trigona in Piazza Armerina. The villa has been the private home belonging to the Trigona family. The house is now divided into many private rooms that are all different. We began by having wine in the parlor followed by a huge Italian meal. I am now trying to stay awake to digest all of today’s food. Tomorrow several of us plan a garden hike before breakfast. We need it.
The Adventures of Anne 