May 20, 2004

The three of us awoke early, had a quick breakfast at the hotel and headed straight to the ruins of Agrigento. It took us about an hour and a half on a smooth blacktop. Agrigento was founded as Akragas around 582 BC by a group of colonists from Gela, who themselves were the immediate descendants of Greeks from Rhodes and Crete. Akragas was renamed Agrigentum by the Romans only to be christened Agrigento in 1927. After seeing Agrigento, I can say that no trip to Sicily would be truly complete without a visit to this ruined city, and especially the temple area called “Valley of the Temples”.

Also on the sight were a small amphitheatre and several auditoria, and a fine archeological museum that should definitely be visited - many of the items uncovered in the area are displayed there. Most of the temples at Agrigento are in ruins, with pieces strewn about, and several appear to have never been completed. Part of the Temple of Juno, built around 450 BC, is still intact. Its style has been compared to that of the temples at Paestum, near Salerno. The Temple of Concord built around 440 BC, is in far better condition, and apparently at night the illuminated temple is even more impressive. Despite its location virtually in the shadow of a modern city, the Valley of the Temples is surrounded by olive groves and almond orchards that render its ambience altogether natural, though a number of ugly houses mar the landscape.

After visiting the ruins, it was time to turn back to Menfi. Because we liked Baglio San Vincenzo so much, we decided to return for a second night. This gave us the opportunity to backtrack along the coast and make some fantastic stops. The first stop was Eraclea Minoa. It should be noted that we would probably have gone to a place called Scala dei Turchi (Turkish steps) if we didn’t have our daughter with us. We had heard that this place was supposed to be the most beautiful spot on the entire southern coastline. Apparently, there is a narrow beach below a steep, chalky cliff. Alas, we had to make do with Eraclea Minoa which turned out to be beautiful. We admired the cliffs and then fell asleep for an hour’s nap.

View image of Eraclea Minoa

Our next stop was Sciacca, which is a very pleasant and attractive town not far from Eraclea Minoa and close to Menfi. We had missed lunch so we bought fruit from a local vendor. We then returned to Baglio San Vincenzo where we were treated to a triumphal dinner which consisted of several courses (cheese plate, meat plate, pasta, fish, etc.) Everything was solid, tasty and simple. It was just what we needed.

Food is of utmost importance to us when we travel. One of the reasons we went to Sicily was specifically for the food. The same conquerors who built the temples and cities also brought with them parts of their own culinary traditions. In Sicily, food and children are Kings. Other than perhaps some parts of France, I have never traveled to a land where food is so much discussed. And everyone everywhere always seems to be eating or drinking something fantastic. Be it the espressos in the cafés, gelato and granitas that men in business suits lick as they walk to mid-afternoon meetings, the canoli and pastries in so many shop windows, the seafood that enhances almost every meal. The wines, fresh produce, fresh pastas and pizzas. The tomatoes. The anchovies. And the spices from North Africa that find their way into many dishes. It’s amazing how serious these people are about food. But the seriousness is casual. There are very few formal restaurants. People don’t have the cash they do up North so meals out are treated differently. There is little pretension. And there are no fast food restaurants (except perhaps in Palermo). In addition, restaurants went out of their way to make sure that Emily was happy with her food. Several times, Emily decided she didn’t like the food – at which point another plate would arrive to see if she would like it any better. The second plate would always do the trick!

We were unfortunately never able to eat at Il Pescatore in Agrigento due to our lack of time. The place sounded great. According to Frommers, “Set directly on the waterfront of Agrigento's beach resort of San Leone, this is the most famous of the 10 or so restaurants that flank it. It's noted for its fish, and also for a staff whose brusqueness is legendary but which, almost perversely, has added to the restaurant's fame.” Open Tues-Sun 12:30-3:30pm and 7:30-11:30pm. We had also really wanted to make arrangements to visit the Fattoria Mose, an agriturismo belonging to a member of Sicily's organic agriculture movement. The Fattoria has belonged to the same family for several centuries, and is run by Chiara Agnello and her mother. The place was recently featured in a New York Times article that had come out several years ago. The cost is $50 for apartments with a 2-night minimum.