In the third installment of her diary, Catherine continues with her recent cruise around the Mediterranean, with a few days exploring Sicily. The diary highlights the many tours and places that Catherine visited on her 14 night voyage and there is no better way to explore this enchanting and historical island.
Saturday, 3 September – Agrigento, Sicily
Agrigento, Sicily
A sanctuary of Chthonic Divinities, a Doric temple of Concord, and a crumbled temple to Zeus that was once four times the size of the Parthenon, even Christian catacombs and wall tombs – all this awaited us in the Valley of the Temples, the showpiece of this southwestern Sicilian port. Enzo was our guide to Akragas, as the Greeks called this ancient city of Magna Graecia. Though called the Valley of the Temples, the site is actually set on a high ridge with that unerring Greek instinct for property with stunning sea views.
En route we learned that the Akragas name derives from a kind of crab found in the two local rivers. Beside one of the rivers stands the remains of a temple to Asklepios, where patients took the healing water treatment, no doubt similar to the one we learned about in Epidaurus. The city itself, said to have a population of 200,000 in antiquity, thrived in Roman times as well. It is easy to imagine Cicero coming here, as he did, to dig up “the goods” on a corrupt local politician he was prosecuting in a legal case. The temple zone at Akragas is particularly impressive with one to Hera, another to Hercules and another, perhaps the most impressive of all, dedicated to an unidentified deity, called Concordia.
We walked the sacred path, passing Christian burial sites carved in the ancient city walls, a labyrinth of underground catacombs, and an immense Atlas statue that once held up the weight of a temple roof on its shoulders, until an earthquake shook it down – or was it those pesky Carthaginians who burnt the place in 406 BC?
Jerry and I pondered this mystery as we each sipped a spine grande (large draft) of Sicily’s excellent Nasturo Azurro beer and relaxed under the almond trees where an old woman supervised the work of three even-older men sassed her in Sicilian as they beat the trees and shook down a harvest of bitter almonds. (Which reminds me, I must get some of the area’s famous marzipan.) Late last night this treat materialized just as the last set of jazz was winding up in the Charleston Lounge, wheeled in on a cart heaped with goodies.
Following our morning amid the temples, the Aegean Odyssey sailed for Trapani at noon, hugging the Sicilian coastline as she headed northwest. To put Malta in perspective I attended a lecture by the Medievalist, Dr. Nigel Ramsay, on the Knights Templar and Knights of St. John held in the Ambassador Lounge. The presentation was delivered in the Ambassador lounge, surrounded by windows that granted views of the passing coast. I learned of the economies behind the Crusaders’ successes and failures as I sipped a Mediterranean Breeze, the drink of the day, an indulgent blend of rum with orange and pineapple juices, creme de banana and pina colada mix.
When we docked in Trapani this evening, I couldn’t resist disembarking for an after-dinner stroll through the old town with its baroque churches, winding streets and tempting shops. There’s much to do tomorrow, and plenty of time thanks to our overnight stay and midnight sailing tomorrow. What a great place to be.
Sunday, 4 September – Trapani, Sicily
Segesta
Bright and early, a drive takes us from port through rolling hillside to Segesta, site of a 5th-century BC Doric temple said to be built by the Elyminians, a native people of Sicily whose members are thought to include refugees from Troy. The tufta limestone of which the temple is constructed has stood up through the centuries and at one point, in a stroke of civic PR, the entire temple was painted bright gold to convince Athens that Segesta was wealthy even though the community was having financial difficulties at the time. How–contemporary. And how that golden temple must have “popped” – set on a steep slope surrounded by pine trees and backed by a dramatic ravine where a river once rushed. I wonder if the Athenians fell for it?
On a neighboring hill we visited the site’s beautiful Greek theater with vistas of Trapani Bay. Sublime views seem to have been a prerequisite for Greek theaters. We discussed this over lunch on the terrace, where I couldn’t resist the stuffed eggplant, crispy pizza wedges and a plate of stilton and brie accompanied by a tiny crisp pear.
Jerry doesn’t like heights, but he agreed, the hilltop town of Erice which we visited in the afternoon was worth it. The trip there was gasp-inducing as our bus wound slowly up the steep, steep hill to the grey stone village at the very top. Here we entered the town’s thick Norman walls – our guide pointed out letters from the Phoenician alphabet carved in their surface– and wandered narrow medieval streets of stone polished by centuries. The sober walls of Chiesa Matrice, the main church, hid an interior embroidered in the styles of subsequent centuries. Still, the fine bones of the original structure showed beautifully in the two side chapels. Even though this church is described as Norman, our guide says its history dates back to the Phoenicians, and it was built in the 14th century with stones from a temple to Venus.
Erice is a town made for people who like to walk and browse. The shops near the main cathedral are especially tempting with almond pastries (a specialty) and pastel-tinted marzipans shaped like peaches, pears, tomatoes, watermelons, everything imaginable. At every turn, narrow alleys open on another square – and another church, and as it was Sunday so the bells were ringing.
We wandered the length of the town to arrive at the best of all: Pepoli Castle and Tower with their Norman window slits where archers once stood and splendiferous, dizzying vistas of the Egadi Islands, the Tyrrhenian Sea and all the surrounding area as viewed from 2,500 feet above the sea. Surely we were suspended in heaven? “In winter it is very misty and can get quite cold in Erice, but is very quiet.” Our guide offered as consolation on our drive back. Still sounds like heaven.
Monday, 5 September – Palermo, Sicily
Over breakfast on deck we regarded Monte Pellegrino, the rocky sentinel soaring above the harbor. “Well, at least you won’t have to go to the top of that,” I assured Jerry, remembering the breathtaking drive to Erice. Palermo is Sicily’s big city, the island’s capital since the days of the Arabs. Today we mean to explore the remains of more splendid times.
The mount I regarded over melon and coffee is where Rosalie, the sainted daughter of the Duke of Sinebaldo lived in a cave. When the city was being ravaged by the Plague, her remains were discovered and the Plague miraculously retreated, rather like the lava at Etna when confronted with the effigies of the Virgin. That is one miracle. The other is how our coach driver, Pietro, made it out of town in Sicilian rush hour traffic to Monreale, where yet another miracle awaited: the Byzantine mosaics of the grand Norman cathedral and the splendid arabesques of the adjoining Benedictine cloisters where hundreds of double columns culminate in unique capitals that each tell an individual story.
Monreale Cathedral
When we entered the cathedral, we were unprepared for the glory of walls covered in 24 carat gold leaf tiles depicting scenes from the Bible and lives of the saints. It is one thing to see the image of Christ Pantocrator (Ruler of All) in art history books, quite another to stand beneath its splendor. I was sure that sort of awe was what King William II intended when he started the cathedral built in 1172, though I don’t suppose he’d have approved of my insouciant licking of a walnut gelato cone after my visit. Jerry fretted if the artists were paid. They were, we were told. William wanted to create a showcase and hired any master artisans he could get. He had good relations with the local Arabs, whose hand can be seen in the exquisite abstract mosaics. So they were paid. But, as always with history, new questions arose: he wanted to learn if they were fairly reimbursed for such art?
This morning’s traffic moved so slowly we had excellent views of Palermo’s monuments en route to Monreale, but this afternoon we will see it all even closer and enjoy a walking tour, than cap it off with an exclusive event at the privately-owned Palazzo Gangi. The palazzo was the opulent setting for the ballroom scene in Visconti’s film The Leopard, which is being screened tonight on the ship.
Palermo, Piazza Pretoria
When we sailed into the harbor this morning and I glimpsed the shrine atop Monte Pellegrino, perhaps my first thought was “Well, at least Jerry won’t have to ascend that height.” (He was still smarting from the steep drive to Erice). I should have known that our afternoon walking tour would start with a drive to the top of the mount, another twisty, panoramic journey that thrilled the photographers. Things evened out when we got back down to earth and drove through Palermo’s tiny seaside suburbs to the city’s bustling piazzas. We visited the church of Santa Caterina, a baroque masterpiece dedicated to the saint killed on the wheel.
Then we strolled further past the impressive Opera House to a small square made famous by the War of the Sicilan Vespers. This is home to one of the city’s most lovely Rococo palazzos, the Palazzo Gangi, in the process of being lovingly restored by its owner, the Principessa Carine Vanni Mantegna. As guests, we were greeted warmly and given a tour of an interior that steadily grows more impressive. We passed through the Suicide Room (so-called for the paintings detailing such famous suicides as Cleopatra clasping her asp), the Red Room, the Blue Room, the Dining Room and, then–oh, wonders–the ballroom with its Murano glass chandelier, the leopards painted on the tile floor, the tiny adjoining rooms with a secret staircase to, as it was put “the room of love.” Later we sipped French champagne and nibbled on a dizzing array of Sicilan sweets from cannoli to marzipan as we wandered from the gilded rooms to mingle on the beautiful terrace. Sweet.
Palermo Harbour
Tuesday 6 September- Winding through the Aeolian (Liparian) Islands to Stromboli
Alicudi Island lies outside our window and the volcanic isle of Stromboli lies ahead, timed for a 9:15 PM visit, where we will drift in the waters and hope to witness some activity, which will certainly be dramatic against the night sky. I have my fingers crossed. Captain Roland Andersson announces the schedule as we relaxed in our Deluxe Oceanview stateroom. Tonight is the Captain’s soiree, so we’re putting the finishing touches on another remarkable day in Palermo.
Last evening we enjoyed an exclusive peek into the privately-owned Palazzo Gangi, where–as guests of the Principessa Carine Vanni Mantegna–we were given a guided tour that included the wonderful ballroom seen in the film, The Leopard, along with champagne and Sicilian sweets on the patio overlooking the square made famous by the War of the Sicilian Vespers.
This morning we walked through kapok and carob trees to view the Palatine Chapel. Our guide regaled us with tidbits, such as the fact that the Arabs once used the carob seed to weigh gold, hence the word carat. Little could prepare us for the sight when we stepped into the chapel with its gold-leaf mosaics, hierarchical saint’s images and grand Christ Pantocrator presiding over them all. For me, the chapel was a condensed, more intense version of the utter magnificence we had viewed the day before in the Cathedral at Monreale.
Following the Palatine Chapel, we wandered through the austere stone arches of a mosque converted to a church, then visited the city’s cathedral where the exterior boasts an impressive Romanesque/Norman/Arab fusion of styles and a 19th-century interior. Then, negotiating the madness of Sicilian traffic, our driver Guiseppe delivered us to the port. A dip in the pool, a stretch in the sun on the plentiful teak deck chairs, and then it was time for cocktails with Captain Roland, a delicious dinner of flavorful Palermo swordfish and then – wonder of wonders–a full half-hour of volcanic eruptions as we glided in the bay before Mount Stromboli, gasping as it shot molten lava into the air and grand red streams cascaded down its sides. Actually, two areas on the volcano began to erupt at the same time. All this plus moonlight on water and champagne. Heaven. To sip champagne, think of the gold of the Palatine Chapel and see the red of Stromboli erupt against a velvety Sicilian night sky.
