We left Palermo with the intention of driving to Agrigento – a city on the southern coast famous for its Greek and Roman archeological sites – but first – Chris wanted to find the perfect canolli – or just one – canolli! Turns out, the pastry experts say you need to climb the medieval hills of Erice to find it!
This cafe-pasticceria is run by Maria Grammatico, Sicily’s most famous pastry chef. The story goes that her family was very poor and she was sent to live in a convent. Here, she learnt her considerable baking skills from the nuns of Erice. Her cannoli, dolcetti al liquore(almond liqueur-filled chocolates) bring people from all over the world to her tiny shop. Chris was happy!
On the road – unexpected treasures!
The Greeks set up colonies and then full settlements going back to 300 BC. Many of the cities were destroyed by the Carthaginians. Later Rome fought the Punic wars here. Later the Arabs arrived. Sicily has a rich and complicated history.
Selinunte -a city forgotten by time
Agrigento – The Valley of Temples
Agrigento is a hilltop city on Sicily’s southwest shore. It’s known for the ruins of the ancient city of Akragas in the Valley of the Temples, a vast archaeological site with well-preserved Greek temples.
It’s also the place where we continually got lost in the myriad of tiny medieval streets. We got so twisted around on our first night, that we almost couldn’t find our car to retrieve our luggage the first night. Google maps doesn’t always “speak” good Italian!
Our Airbnb was in a central part of the historic district and we enjoyed shopping in the local markets and Chris even cooked! We ate the freshest artichokes ever!
Chris and Ellen’s 2022 European Adventure 