RIDE TO TORRE SALSA-Montalegro
The weather forecast was for sirocco winds, clouds, and then rain. So Wednesday night I stayed outside reading for an extra long time just to enjoy the mild fall weather (no, I did NOT strain my eyes!). But Thursday morning-well, it was so beautiful it was like a dream, especially after the dire forecasts.
We decided to check out a few places we had heard of and go for a long Barchetta ride. A scenic ruin at Torre Salsa was a place people had told us about, so we headed toward Agrigento to the southeast. When we got there, two roads converged, and following the high road, we got to a point where we had to pay $5 Euro in order to continue. An agriturismo had taken over the road that led to the scenic section. Not knowing what the other road led to, we stopped at the gate and I took picture one below.
Retracing our steps, the low road led along the Salsa River to the WWF wetland reserve. It was just beautiful. And yes, we came into contact with wet wet lands, and after three or four close calls, we finally turned back (see picture). But before that, we came upon some interesting rock cliffs and further on, ruins that probably dated back many centuries. I say probably because I cannot find mention of them in any of my reference books. We got back to the crossroads again and took a path up another hill, always looking for the damn tower. But climbing that hill, the woodlands in the sunlight were like a Persian rug, they were laid out so symmetrically and perfectly. We found some quartz and marble slabs on the way down that someone had obviously dumped there, and they now sit recycled into a path in my garden among the small white rocks.
We decided to forget about the other destination, La Scala Turkea, for another day, and head into the beach at Agrigento, San Leone, for their famous fish lunch. But before Agrigento, we found some views of a familiar ruin, the new town of Montallegro that has the ruins of the old town above. The story goes that about 1500 the people decided to come down the hill to live for some reason and slowly, over a couple of centuries, abandoned the whole hillside town. Fascinating stuff.
And the fish pranza at IL Molo is about as amazing as you can get. For $15 Euros you get all the fish, bread, wine, and pasta that you can eat. They advertise that there are always 10 different hot and cold seafood antipasti and 3 different pastas or risottos, and it is true. We discovered this place with Jr and Jo and will never forget our delight in it the first time. It has continued to delight every other time since.
And today, Friday, dawned hot and clear again. The swimming in the Mediterranean was fantastic! I love it when the forecasters are so wrong.
We decided to check out a few places we had heard of and go for a long Barchetta ride. A scenic ruin at Torre Salsa was a place people had told us about, so we headed toward Agrigento to the southeast. When we got there, two roads converged, and following the high road, we got to a point where we had to pay $5 Euro in order to continue. An agriturismo had taken over the road that led to the scenic section. Not knowing what the other road led to, we stopped at the gate and I took picture one below.
Retracing our steps, the low road led along the Salsa River to the WWF wetland reserve. It was just beautiful. And yes, we came into contact with wet wet lands, and after three or four close calls, we finally turned back (see picture). But before that, we came upon some interesting rock cliffs and further on, ruins that probably dated back many centuries. I say probably because I cannot find mention of them in any of my reference books. We got back to the crossroads again and took a path up another hill, always looking for the damn tower. But climbing that hill, the woodlands in the sunlight were like a Persian rug, they were laid out so symmetrically and perfectly. We found some quartz and marble slabs on the way down that someone had obviously dumped there, and they now sit recycled into a path in my garden among the small white rocks.
We decided to forget about the other destination, La Scala Turkea, for another day, and head into the beach at Agrigento, San Leone, for their famous fish lunch. But before Agrigento, we found some views of a familiar ruin, the new town of Montallegro that has the ruins of the old town above. The story goes that about 1500 the people decided to come down the hill to live for some reason and slowly, over a couple of centuries, abandoned the whole hillside town. Fascinating stuff.
And the fish pranza at IL Molo is about as amazing as you can get. For $15 Euros you get all the fish, bread, wine, and pasta that you can eat. They advertise that there are always 10 different hot and cold seafood antipasti and 3 different pastas or risottos, and it is true. We discovered this place with Jr and Jo and will never forget our delight in it the first time. It has continued to delight every other time since.
And today, Friday, dawned hot and clear again. The swimming in the Mediterranean was fantastic! I love it when the forecasters are so wrong.
posted by Sicilian Mama at 6:04 AM
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