An autumn week in Sicily

Believe it or not, but I was able to escape for a week in October, after a dull summer waiting for the Covid vaccine. But once I got that second jab, I was off and I only realised during my travels how much I missed it and how refreshing it is to see something else than the concrete jungle that London is. Don’t get me wrong, I love living in London but like everywhere if you haven’t left a place in a year, you realise how great it is to have a change of scenery. I know, it’s November, it’s cold and dark outside, maybe travelling is not possible at the moment where you are. But maybe this report on Sicily might cheer you up or even give you some inspiration for your next holiday.

PALERMO

The plane touched down in Palermo and I had my first pasta norma and cannolo siciliano that evening. Palermo has an interesting charme and is a very busy city. If you like food make sure you go to Mercato Ballaro, a street market that leads through Palermo’s narrow roads. You will see everything from pan e panelle (white bread with deep fried chickpea flour batter), fresh fish if that’s your jam (not mine), fresh fruit and veg, olives, spices and fresh bread. To add to the real Sicilian experience you can also hear the market vendors shouting the best prices at you across the streets, it’s really something not to be missed. Otherwise make sure you get your hands on some Arancini (they usually have some veggie ones too, vegan may be trickier), have a stroll around the old town and all its squares and enjoy some cannoli.

TRAPANI

After a few nights in Palermo we spent the rest of the week in Trapani. The apartment was a little outside the city centre but within 10 minutes we were in the old town. And let me tell you, it’s such a pretty town with lots of bars and restaurants. There is even a fully vegan trattoria called Locanda dei Poeti. They serve everything from pasta pesto trapanese, to vegan starters and desserts. Oh and as pasta toppings they give you nutritional yeast, a seed mixture and breadcrumbs, absolutely loved it. All this in the middle of a very meat and fish heavy cuisine.

Next up in terms of food is Osteria La Lanterna, a lovely place also serving veggie dishes, pesto trapanese is always a winner and they also had a pasta with rocket pesto. If you fancy dessert or a granita you need to go to Gelateria Liparotti. Their granita di mandorle is something else. In case you’ve never had it before, granita is a bit like a sorbet but much better. Liparotti is literally on the lungo mare, so you can even enjoy your granita with sea view, what else could one ask for.

MARSALA

Marsala is a pretty little town south of Trapani and there is a shop that only sells cannoli. Let that sink in, a place dedicated to only sell cannoli in all shapes and sizes. I was beyond amazed. You choose the size of the shell and they fill it in front of your eyes. No soggy shells but super crunchy. Honestly, I never really understood the hype around this dessert, but I get it now. I just never had the ones from Sicily, the ones you get in London are usually the soggy, non crunchy types and they are just not the real deal. I don’t remember the name unfortunately but if you are ever in Marsala, look for this place, you won’t regret it.

In case you think all we did was eat (that’s all we did), let me give you some recommendations where to go around Marsala. There are the Saline de Marsala; salt fields on the coast for sea salt production. If you ever wanted to see mountains of sea salt this is the place to go, it is impressive. We had a walk around, but it seemed like you could also get on a boat with a tour guide to get around the saline.

SELINUNTE & SCALA DI TURCHI

To further create the illusion that we did not only stuff our bellies with delicious Sicilian food, we went to Scala di Turchi and Selinunte. The first is an impressive cliff formation with a long sandy beach. It was very windy that day which not only made our homemade pasta on the beach very crunchy but also created high, impressive waves. We were prepared for a sunny day on the beach with our parasol. If you knew how strong the wind was, you’d have a good laugh now. For our defense, it was a desperate attempt to pretend it’s summer and, you know, the sun, the warm temperatures, and people wearing shorts (mainly tourists, the locals were wrapped up) made you forget that autumn was in full swing.

Anyway, after a while of having sand blown into our faces we decided to take the car and drive to Selinunte, an archaelogical park with Greek temples. Really enjoyed walking around and looking at ancient stones (I mean it, it was nice!). The great thing about travelling off season, is the lack of people (and sunny weather, but let’s leave that fact to the side for now). Also accomodation is usually much more affordable during autumn.

ISOLA FAVIGNANA

One sunny day (yes we did have a few sunny days, we also had torrential rain but I won’t show you these photos) we took the ferry to Favignana. Arriving on the island, we rented some rusty looking bikes for half the price since it was off season and cycled to Scala Rossa. The water was so clear, I couldn’t believe my eyes. The bikes were a winner (despite their rustiness) as they took us to different beaches, and I even went into the sea, which, considering the time of the year, was quite impressive in my opinion.

MORE ON FOOD

Back to what really mattered during that trip. You need to try pan e croque. It’s like pan e panelle but instead of the deep fried chickpea batter, you’ve got deep fried potato croquettes between two slices of white bread. I absolutely loved it, what a genius invention to put potato croquettes into a sandwich. Judge me for the caloric bomb, it was heavenly and I do not regret anything.

Another thing you should try when you are somewhere in Sicily are the different varieties of almond pastries. Go into your local pasticceria and treat yourself to one, two or three of these mouthwatering pastries.

Something we learned on our trip was that in Trapani they serve their pasta pesto trapanse topped with chips. Yes actual chips (fries). On pasta. Weird but nice weird, if you know what I mean. Pesto trapanese is a sauce made of tomatoes, almonds and garlic (all the garlic you can imagine); it’s as amazing as it sounds. Oh and how could I forget to mention caponata! It’s a cold dish made of aubergines and olives. We had it pretty much every evening we went out for dinner. The best one I had in Trapani (as far as I can judge) can be found at Salamureci. Nice restaurant, bit on the fancy side but the food is great.

So and that’s the end of my little travel report, if you made it this far, thanks for reading.

Buona serata, amici!