On the way to Marsala we are captivated by the views of hills of olive groves and the Tyrrhenian Sea. We stop at an agriturismo for lunch and a short hike between rows of grapes with a view of a restored Greek Temple on the property.. The olive oil is superb. After arriving in Marsala we make friends with Fabio for a glass of wine before our gourmet dinner.
In the morning we head to Mazara which was founded in the 9th century by the Phoenicians and has a large Muslim population. Antonio, a Tunisian gives us a tour of the kasbah with its labrynthine pathways and colorful tiles.
Home of the largest fishing fleet in Italy, Mazara houses a treasure found by a fisherman, The Dancing Satyr, which experts believe dates back to the 4th and 1st century B.C. A surprise awaits us after a serenade in a restored theater….we meet the fisherman who found the statue and have lunch in his home with his wife and step-daughter who is completing her 5 yr pharmacy degree and hear about his other step-daughter who is a physician. They sing along with Boticelli on the radio while returning us to the bus.
Marsala is famous for its wine…there are groves of grapes everywhere, but also its salt. They harvest salt from the Tyrrhenian Sea by old and new methods. We have a salt tasting! We try salt on bread, flavored salts and salts on different fruits.
Despite the threatening rain, the weather clears and we take a boat to a nearby island of Mothya to visit the Giuseppe Whitaker museum loaded with ancient Phoenician and Roman artifacts.
We had a wonderful cooking class learning the technique to make Sicilian parmigiana, pasta, pesto alla trapanese (combining almonds, garlic, basil and olive oil) and an almond parfait.
