sicily pt 1 :: kindness, hitchhiking, & a temple

wildflowers in Sicily • heart keyhole •  cat in Erice
Our trip to Italy's triangular island was filled with fresh air, beautiful landscapes, some frustrations, and new friends. My draw to Sicily is attributed to the fact that so many types of sites and cultures are contained within one island - plus every Sicilian that we've met has been one of the friendliest people ever. The stereotype here in Italy is that the farther south you go, the nicer the people get.

As soon as we got off the plane in Trapani we were eager to test our theory to see if Sicily was full of kind individuals. I wasn't extremely tired although I'd only slept for 2 hours the night before as we had to wake up around 2:30am for the airport. We waited for the bus into town and were slightly amazed to find it arriving 45 minutes late (you see, this is also a stereotype - the more south you to, the slower things get). From the first person we talked to, it was so evident that the people were extra warm and that we'd be using our Italian more frequently and with less reservation (because English isn't common there and also because the people are easy to make conversation with).

The bus driver was sure to tell us where to go when we got off and after we stopped in a cafe for our first Sicilian pastry - we asked directions to the main square in town. The waitress even took us outside to point the way, asked where we were going exactly, and told us divertitevi (enjoy yourselves).

We reached our destination - a small farmhouse between Trapani and Erice, where we were hosted by a man we contacted through CouchSurfing.com. We'd hosted a girl through this site before in Florida, but this trip was our 1st as guests. He showed us around the house with mosaic walls, the garden with an outdoor bathroom, and to our camper in the olive grove.

We mentioned that we wanted to go up the mountain to the medieval city of Erice that afternoon and asked if there was a bus or something. He just flicked his wrist with a "uph" as he said that we should just hitchhike from the main road by this house as someone would surely take us.

our host house • walking towards Erice on the hill • we met on the road
We smiled and decided, "why not - this is Sicily - and it's full of nice people". So we grabbed our day-pack with water and headed up the dirt road, past the big pine and red villa which were landmarks to come back, then started up the main road with our thumbs out. After about 10-15minutes as we approached the small village of Valerice, a Smart Car went by on the other side of the road. The driver motioned asking if we were headed towards the town. I nodded and he smiled and told us to get in as he turned around. He introduced himself and we shook hands. He's a 25 yr-old sports store manager in Trapani. We headed to the town as he asked if we'd like to stop for a caffe'. He recommended a typical Sicilian pastry, and as we ate we chatted about where we were from, why we were traveling, etc. (all in Italian of course). We went to pay, but the barista told us that our new friend had already paid. Then back at the car, he asked where else we were going, and we said up to the top of the mountain to Erice. He laughed and said we'd been walking the wrong direction, but he'd accompagnarvi (accompany us). We arrived at a cable car station in Trapani, exchanged contact info, and said goodbye.

temple in a cloud • on a cloudy road • sun peaking out
Chris and I boarded the cable car and headed up on a 10 minute steep climb. After we got off, the entire town was in a cloud, but still in good spirits we asked the ticket booth operator which road went to the castle. He closed the booth, came out and pointed us towards the right way. We showed him the map in our guidebook and he flipped through the pages and asked where we were from. Almost all the people we met would ask this and would mention something or someone they knew from the States.

I also noticed that the Siciliani touch a lot more and stand quite close when they talk, which just shows more of the warm spirit. When we were riding in the Smart Car, Chris said something funny and the driver reached over and grabbed Chris' knee as he laughed. Also, the cable car operator got right in our faces interested in where we were from and amused that we were visiting. Also, even though cheek-kissing is common throughout Italy, here it seems even more so, especially between guys in their 20s.

Erice, founded in the 7th century B.C., sits on a mountaintop that seems to rise out of nowhere since all around it is plains, small hills, and the sea. In the years of the Norman period, a temple to the goddess Venus was constructed here since it seems to be a natural "lookout" over the dominion. When we reached this ancient temple, the cloud was so thick that we could barely see, but we walked back through town and found a place for lunch while we waited for the weather to change. During our 2nd loop around the town, the cloud had moved and we took in the beautiful view. It's said that one can see from Africa to the south and Mt. Etna to the east on a super clear day.

sunny temple • view from top • ancient step • cablecar ride
After the ride back down the cableway, we got on a bus that would connect us in the center piazza with another bus back to the outskirts where we were staying. I told the driver where our final destination was and when we got to the plaza, he got out and asked a fellow driver if he could make an extra stop for us so that we wouldn't have to wait for the bus that we'd normally have taken. "Vabe'" (sure, that's good) - and we were off.

For dinner we ate an Indonesian meal prepared by our host's friends from Amsterdam who were also visiting, and the next morning we were headed to Palermo...

...stay tuned for cannoli, markets, and a restaurant guarded by automatic weapons...