My Grandfathers Town

It is another beautiful day in Sicily. We are taking a day trip to Marsala which is the town my Grandfather ( my dads father) came from. Both of my grandfathers died before I was born so I never got to know them. I am glad that my children were fortunate enough to have many years of fun with my dad.
We walk to the train station planning on catching a 0938 train. We get there around 0920 and I look on the schedule and do not see a train at that time. I go to the ticket booth and ask about the train to Marsala and she tells me the next one is at 1200. The Sicilian system has gotten the better of me this time. We walk over to the bus station to see if there is an earlier bus. A man approaches us and asks if we need help and walks with us over to the schedule. The bus doesn’t leave any earlier than the train. The man than says he will drive us to Marsala and back for the same cost as the bus which he claims is 20 Euros each round trip. I know that there is no way the bus costs that much but it is not a bad price to get there now verses later in the day when things close. I am still hesitant until he throws in that we do not have to pay him until we return. Carol and I discuss it and decide to just go with it as I really want to see Marsala. If this is the last thing you read about us, the guy’s name was Salvatore, so have the polizie start their search there.
As we leave Trapani, he stops by the Salt beds and museum for us to get out and see it.

Drying Salt Piles

In the 1500’s these salt pans were built and Trapani became wealthy and important as a result. They are still using them today to pull salt from the sea. Sea water is diverted into these pans or lakes and then the salt is pulled, piled up, and dried from June to September. It is pretty interesting. We get back into Salvatore’s small car and are off to Marsala. We get a little bit of history along the way and then get to the outskirts of Marsala and enjoy the treat of Sicilian driving techniques. Stop signs are advisory in nature and pretty much ignored by all. Right of way is whoever is more right at the time. All kind of interesting to observe from the street level of a small vehicle verse the buses we have been on. I have my seat belt on, but Carol is more nervous in the back as there is none for her to put on. I asked Salvatore about a wine place that is in all the guide books that makes Marsala wine and has tastings for money. He says it is not of very good quality. A little later I ask him if other places let you taste and before long we stop at a winery on the edge of Marsala.

Marsala Wine

We look around and no one seems to be there. Then Salvatore speaks to someone and they open a door around the front of the building. We try a few very good wines, one sweet and one dry. They are both Marsala wine which over here is not just used for cooking but also as a dessert wine. I like the sweet and Carol likes the dry, so that means we walk away with a bottle of dry. We also noticed that they had wine barrels in the tasting room and watched as a man brought in a jug and they filled it with one of the wines. There is a red one there labeled 1.8 E a litro which is about 2.25 for a liter of wine which we are sure is good right out of the barrel.
Back in the car we drive into central Marsala which seems to be a busy place. Salvatore starts asking people where he can park and we find a side street where he pulls over. He asks if we have a phone and we did not bring one. He says if we want he will walk with us until we are ready to go unless we want privacy. I ask same price and he says yes so why not let him walk around with us. He doesn’t know exactly the best way to the historic center from where we are parked but is not afraid to ask. We start walking and he goes into a travel agency and comes out with a map. Now we have a little more direction and make progress toward the old town. We pass a piazza with a donkey statue that he is familiar with and says that in a friendly rivalry with Trapani, they make fun of this Marsala Statue.

Carols New Friend

We then walk through a small fish market and he asks if we want to touch the sword of the swordfish. Carol is hesitant so I of course have to encourage her. Wanting a photo, the fish guy moves in to the picture and Carol has a new boyfriend. There is something fishy about him though, so she comes to her senses and returns to me.
We reach the old part of town and go to see one of the old gates, Porta Garibaldi. Then we just start walking up streets and come to a small tree shaded square with a fountain. From there we walk to the main piazza, Piazza Repubblica. It is very nice and has the government town hall and the Chiesa Madre flanking it. We go into the church and Salvatore tells us to take our time, he will wait in the square. The church is not as extravagant as others we have seen but is still very nice. It was damaged in WWII so maybe that has something to do with it. We emerge and Salvatore is waiting with maps and tourist information that he got at the info place while we were inside.

Piazza Repubblica

As we walk along, a sign on a wine shop says free tastings so we have to go in. Salvatore talks to the owner and we try a few different types of Marsala. They are good but Salvatore points to a bottle and tells us that is a really good one, very expensive as it comes from a small island off the coast. He convinces the owner to let us try it. It is very tasty indeed. Salvatore than tells us to tell them we are staying in town for a few days and will be returning to the store as they expect you to buy something. He then tells,them this in Italian and they invite us to come back tonight for tasting and appetizers at what Salvatore tells us will not be inexpensive.
We spend another hour or so just wandering the streets and getting a good,feel of the historic center. Trapani seems nicer and a little more successful than Marsala. I also think that not having known my grandfather, makes Marsala a little less personal for me. I am still glad that we got to see where the Zerilli name came from. I did forget to mention that when we drove through the edge of Marsala on the bus from Agrigento to Trapani,Carol saw a store sign with the name Zerilli on it, but we could not figure out what street it was so we could get a picture. We both feel that we have seen enough of the city and tell Salvatore that we are ready to go back to Trapani. We take a different route back to the car and pass some old Roman ruins and another church that we go into.

Best Church Seating Ever

This one has some of the best and most comfortable church seats we have ever seen. When we exit, Salvatore shows us a sign and it says that the church has been converted to a small theater which explains the seating. Still, stadium seating could be the wave of the future for future churches.
Getting out of Marsala was not as easy as getting in as Salvatore tries to figure out the one way roads and directions. He stops to ask directions a few times, which often starts a horn symphony from other drivers. It is quite comical in my opinion and let’s me know what may be in store for me in southern Italy. We find the main drag out of town and drive back to Trapani. Even though, Salvatore squeezed an extra few Euros out of me, I think the price was very reasonable considering we got transportation, saved money by not going to an inferior Marsala wine tasting, and him walking around and telling us about some of the gates and pointing out the English information signs as well as getting some questions answered by asking locals, made it worth it. We were gone for over four hours so it came to like 12 dollars an hour. We also get back to Trapani with time enough to have a light lunch and relax this afternoon.
After our afternoon siesta, we decide to walk around a bit before dinner. We are considering an island trip tomorrow so we walk a short way to the water on the opposite side of the isthmus, where the boats dock. Along the way we discover a bus stop for the Palermo bus right by the port and only 3 minutes away from our place. A travel agency has a sign that they sell the bus tickets so I go in and ask about Friday and a bus schedule. I find out you buy the tickets Friday for the Friday bus and get a schedule, so we are all set in that regard.

Jesus Being Whipped

We check out some island ferry trips and prices to dwell on later, and then continue to explore streets previously untraveled by us. We come across the Purgatory Church and it is open. Going inside, we see that they have 20 groups of statues that recall the Passion of Christ. These are carried through the town in the Good Friday Procession and were made in the 17th and 18th century. A few were damaged in WWII but have been reconstructed or rebuilt by local townspeople. I can imagine that my Nana saw these statues as they were carried down the streets in the procession. It is all very surreal to me.
Continuing and getting ever so closer to our dinner, we pass a building with statues on it that was apparently the old jail and in use as such until the 1980s. We get to La Tramontana and check out the seaside before going to the restaurant. It is much calmer and without the wind, a much more pleasant evening than yesterday. We get seated with our sea view and order. We order one pasta dish, a monkfish pasta with mint and other spices, and then two Cous Cous di Pesce as neither of us wants to share this tonight. A 5 Euro liter of the very good house white wine, with a toast to my grandfather, and we are set.

One Each Today

The meal is just as great as last night and the cous cous is as Carol likes to say, ” to die for.” When I go to pay my bill, the waiter/owner asks if we would like a shot of Limoncello, which we gladly accept. As we leave I thank him very much for the Limoncello and he says I don’t have to thank him, we are paisan. This is an honor meaning we are cut from the same roots. It was a wonderful finish to our meal.
When we leave the restaurant, we go to the adjacent sea wall and walkway and just enjoy the evening air and view. Then we grab a couple of Gelatos from a place across the street and go back and sit some more. We both are very content here and loving the Trapani experience. We are looking forward to another good day tomorrow.
Expenses
Ride and Guide to Marsala 45E
Bottle of Marsala 8E
Snack Food 5.5E
Purgatory Church 1E
Dinner and Wine La Tramontana 35E
Gelato at 5E
San Pietro Casa Vacanze 52E
Walked 7 Miles