On to Trapani Province

We reached the province of Trapani in the northwest of Sicily around lunchtime, and fittingly, our first stop was at an agriturismo in the vicinity of Segesta. 

We're in Trapani province now.

If you’re not familiar with the term, an agriturismo is a farm that offers accommodations and meals to tourists. The agriturismo idea came about in the 1980s because the Italian government was concerned about the economic impact of many independent owners of small farms giving up their properties for financial reasons. By renting out rooms and serving meals, agriturismo owners are able to remain on their properties and continue farming. Much of the funding that allowed farmers to upgrade their properties for this purpose came from the Italian government and the European Union. 

Our pranzo (lunch) began with a crusty loaf of rustic, golden semolina bread, which we drizzled with addictively fragrant olive oil made from the agriturismo’s own olives. The antipasto course included several local products, such as marinated green olives, tomato and basil bruschetta, roasted potato wedges, a vegetable frittata, and deep-fried batter-coated broccoli florets. We washed all of it down with glasses of the farm’s white and red wines. 

This is the antipasto course.

Then dishes of pasta with broccoli and tomatoes and pasta a la Norma appeared on the table. The latter is a typical Sicilian dish, which originated in Catania. The name references the opera “Norma,” composed by Catania-native Vincenzo Bellini. It’s actually a simple dish – macaroni with fried eggplant, grated ricotta salata cheese, and fresh basil – but so delicious when made with the freshest of ingredients. 

Pasta a la Norma

We hardly had room in our tummies by the time dessert arrived, but no one could refuse slices of sweet Sicilian melon and the luscious warm mezzaluna filled with sweet ricotta cheese. 

After our multi-course meal, Sonia suggested a “digestive walk.” Several of us decided to hike for a couple of kilometers through the hilly countryside. 

This gave us an opportunity to walk off a few calories and to linger over views of prickly pear, vineyards, groves of olive trees, and an extremely well-preserved ancient temple perched above it all. Archaeologists now believe that the temple of Segesta, which is in the Doric style, was built by the indigenous Elymian people, in consultation with Greek colonists, in the 420s BCE. 

Prickly pear is cultivated and also grows wild in Sicily. 

The grapes had already been harvested.

The Doric-style temple is remarkably intact. 

After our walk, we were happy to climb back onboard our bus to make our way to Mazara del Vallo. This city, located on the west coast of Sicily in Trapani province, will be the subject of my next post.