Oveview
We left Francesco and drove to Erice, discovering that our GPS guided us to Trapani instead. Our US GPS then took us to Erice. We had just enough time to walk the town for half an hour before leaving to meet Alessandra at our Trapani apartment in Citta Storica, the old town. Erice is a quaint medieval town that is now more touristy than authentic. Be sure to pay for parking at a kiosk and do not use Turkish coins, they do not work! I wish we had seen the castle from above. Our Trapani apartment is exactly as presented in homeaway’s photos: it is comfortable, well located, and complete. It lacks charm, but the town easily makes up for it. We are still heavily jet-lagged. Even so we had a wonderful meal at Osteria la Bettolaccia, which we highly recommend. If you cannot get in early consider getting a table late, it is worth it. Trapani does not sleep on Saturday night.
Don Ciccio’s Sea House, Carini Sicily
At this bed & breakfast, breakfast closes at 10AM and checkout is at 11. We awoke at 11:30, oops! The day was half over already. After a quick shower we went downstairs to find Francesco had set out our breakfast. “No Worries. I knew you would be tired. Normally we close the breakfast at 10, but we kept it open for you.” We were the only people at the house that morning. The espresso and hot milk had cooled, but we were not about to complain. Francesco put a pot of water on to boil for tea and opened a door to the veranda. “It is a beautiful day. You may want to eat outside.” Which we did. The fruit and cheese filled croissants were excellent. We were definitely in Italy.
While we ate, we watched an elderly couple tending the grounds, trimming and watering plants. It was clear that the house was being readied for tourist season. As with this trip, we prefer to plan our excursions to avoid peak tourist season. We find “the locals” are more relaxed and open to conversation. After breakfast Francesco introduced us to his finance. Francesco told us that Ciccio is a diminutive of Francesco, his father’s name. He introduced us to the couple we had seen tending the grounds. They were his father and mother, the owners of the property. Francesco showed us the swimming pool and an outdoor kitchen with a wood fired oven. Both are for their guests use and both open in May, though they often prepare a welcome pizza in the oven for guests when they arrive. Francesco said it is not unusual for a group to rent the entire house for a week in May or June.
Lucky, the property’s guard dog, is a sweetie. He is a large Labrador mix who craves attention. Simply making eye contact was enough for him to come bounding to me and slobber all over my hands. His was probably the loudest of last evening’s chorus of barks.
We hit it off with Francesco. He waived the late check-in fee and offered us a special rate if we chose to stay an extra night or two. He very graciously wrote a note to a restaurant owner he knows in Palermo introducing us as his guests. He also provided information about Palermo, what to see and do and suggested three websites in particular. My iPhone’s touch screen failed while he was giving this info. I was more focused on fixing my phone. As a result I left his note to the proprietor on his desk.
The Road To Erice and Trapani
Driving away from Carini
Ah Italian.
Trapani in English is pronounced tra PAH nee, but in Italian it is TRAA panee.
Erice in English is pronounced ehRICHeee, but in Italian is is ERRicheee.
Capi in English is caPREEE but in Italian it’s CApree.
We left for Erice and Trapani at mid day. I understood enough of the Volvo’s nav system to program it for Erice/Trapani. The Garmin system we brought with us appeared dead at first. I had purchased a map of Italy for the Garmin before we left, not knowing if it would work or not. Unless your GPS location is on the map, the map will not show. Here we were cruising toward Trapani with an Italian nav system that I could work with, maybe and a Garmin system that appeared inoperative. Once the Garmin found our location it popped up the map! It works! Ellen programmed it for Erice too. We often do this while travelling, using one nav system to double check another. It helps avoid getting lost.
The scenery of northern Sicily is dramatic. There are cliffs that drop straight into the sea. There are rolling hills and bridges spanning deep ravines. There is a sense of desert inland. It is reminiscent of the California coastline. Scattered on the tops of hills are large stone buildings or small towns long abandoned and falling into ruin. It takes centuries or millennia to erase these once magnificent stone structures. I was tempted to stop and explore some of them, but we simply did not have the time.
Though most Italian road signs are pretty straight forward, I recommend getting familiar with their signs before you drive in Italy. There are a host of websites that show all the signs. Most important are the parking signs which list days of the week when parking is prohibited and cars will be towed for street cleaning, and the city center limited access signs that mark ZTL zones. Entering a limited access zone as a tourist will earn a heavy fine.
I received a call from our Trapani rental asking when we would arrive. Our connection was bad, Alessandra’s English was fair and my Italian is poor. Still we arranged that Alessandra meet us with the keys at 16:00. Ok she said and rang off.
Headed toward Trapani & Erice
The road between Carini and Trapani is a very good four lane highway with two lanes in each direction. Work zones are well marked. A long tunnel was under repair and our two lanes funneled into one lane, crossed the median, took a lane from the opposing traffic, and entered the working tunnel. There were ample signs warning that one lane would merge with the other and speed signs that marched down from 100kph to 80 to 60 to 40 kph. The last time I drove in Sicily this happened and I was unprepared for the sudden lane change. I had to drop from 120kph to 40kph rather abruptly.
For Italian drivers speed limits are a suggestion. I usually drive fast. It is not unusual for Ellen to calmly suggest that I am going far too fast. Not infrequently I’ll hear, “Could you slow down, please? The typical speed limit on the road to Enrice is 100kph. Our rented Volvo was quite comfortable at 120 and even at that speed I passed perhaps three cars. Most everyone passed me by.
Somewhere along the route the two GPS systems disagreed. The Volvo said go straight toward Trapani. The Garmin wanted to turn left along the coast. We followed the Volvo. It took us into the residential section of north east Trapani. I suppose that’s what the nav system meant by Erice/Trapani. Erice is high in the hills above the sea. Trapani is on the coast. We were now negotiating narrow streets in an unknown city. We chose to ignore the Volvo Gps and work with the Garmin for now. It directed us down a few one way streets, which we did not do. We circled around a few times getting our bearings. There was some event taking place and there was a vast amount of foot traffic and cars converging on us. In one case I had a woman veer in front of us trying to force here way through a turn. I almost hit her. She had a look of terror on her face as I stopped just in time. I wonder what my face showed? She did win out and made her turn.
Which way do we go?
The Garmin brought us up a series of hairpin turns rising from the sea shore high up in a bluff overlooking the bay. The twists and turns put Ellen on edge and I kept our speed down. We arrived Erice at 14:30. Erice is a wonderful small medieval town with a castle built into the hillside. Parking is limited and can be impossible in peak season. We had no trouble finding a spot. I did have no success getting he parking kiosk to take Turkish coins. Off I went to get bills changed to coins. The restaurants will not make change, they need their change. The info kiosk, remarkably not busy at that moment, did not make change. They directed me to the police office who had buckets of change. Back I went and purchased a parking pass for an hour and we set off to tour the town. It was now 14:30. We hurriedly walked the up the main street, past numerous vendors of tourist trinkets, hotels, B&B’s, and some quality shops. The streets were mostly filled with Italians, though I heard some German, Spanish, and English spoken. We passed the main square and a few churches then realized we did not have time to climb to the castle and make it to Trapani’s old town by 16:00. We turned back at 15:00.
Arrived Erice
View from town of Erice
Local or a Tourist about to have a reckoning?
Here we turned back and walked to the car, never reaching the castle
The drive back down the hairpin turns went slowly. The driver ahead of us was extremely cautious and kept his/her speed below 30kph. It was almost painful. I took a turnout to let the cars behind me pass to see how the locals handled a slow driver. Did slow-poke take a turnout on the way down? No. We drove all the way down slope at 30 kph. The locals too kept their distance and did not attempt to pass. At the outskirts of Trapani I zipped past and could drive at my own pace, which in the city was just about 30kph.
Trapani and the Egadi Islands
Slow Poke
The Garmin unit could not find our rental address, but the Volvo’s did. The main street in old town Trapani is a pedestrian street lined with outdoor seating for cafés and restaurants. The GPS directed us down that street! I knew something was wrong when I noticed awnings and people seated a block ahead. I turned left in time to avoid having to back up. Walking this street since I have seen more than one driver have to back-up at the same spot.
Moments before we arrived, both our GPS units failed. We had entered streets so tight and with surrounding buildings high enough to block satellite signals. We were “blind”. Almost immediately we saw Via Tintori, turned left, and passed #18. A small sign announced Rosa dei Venti Apartments. We parked in a locals only parking spot thinking this would be OK for ten or twenty minutes.
We had arrived at our rental about five minutes to 16:00 and just ahead of Alessandra.
Rosa dei Venti Apartments
Stairs to the 3rd Floor (2nd for an Italian, they count from zero)
Our Central Courtyard, Trapani
Alexandra is a good looking no nonsense woman in her mid 20’s I’d guess. She was friendly in a business kind of way. She took payment, gave us our keys, and went over what some of the high points of Trapani and surrounding areas. All this in the hallway just inside the entry, at her “office”. behind a locked cupboard. She said we would have no problem parking where we were for a short time, but we should move soon or we’d be towed. Yes, other visitors had had their car towed. Not from there, but because they did not read the parking signs. Each area of Trapani has parking closure some days of the week early in the morning for street cleaning. If you are parked when street cleaning is scheduled, your car will be towed! The good news? Parking is free on Sundays. We should park along the marina, pay the fee between now and 8 PM, then parking will be free until 8AM on Monday provided we do not park in a zone that has street cleaning Monday morning!
We are on the third floor, a walk up. Stone stairs in a central courtyard.led up to “Levante”, our apartment. Alessandra pretty much said, “here it is, here are your keys” and split. I followed her downstairs to get our bags. The walk back upstairs with two bags was “fun”. Our bags are not overly heavy though they grew heavier with each step. We left the bags and went off to park the car. Parking was easy. Both finding a spot and using a kiosk to pay for a parking ticket. The kiosk would not take any of our credit cards. We paid in Euro coins and went back to unpack.
Alessandra had recommended two restaurants and a sea food place for lunch. I called both restaurants: Osteria la Bettolaccia and Tistorante Serisso 47. Bettolaccia is closed on Mondays. The former did not pick up. The latter did but had nothing available for this evening. “Yes, we can seat you tomorrow. What time would be good for you?” We had reservations for the next day at Serisso 47. Google had a different number for Bettolaccia. A male voice answered and said, “no, we have nothing available until 10 pm. Do you want to reserve a table then?” I declined.
Trapani and Osteria la Bettolaccia
At la Bettolaccia
Lover’s Lane Trapani Style?
We walked Trapani for a while getting familiar with the scope of the city. The old town, Citta Storico, is small and quite walkable. The two main streets are closed to traffic with restaurants overflowing into the streets. It was early for Italians who typically eat around 8 to 9pm. Even so, there were families and couples strolling and taking in the evening air. Today was a beautiful warm but windy day. Perfect weather. Walking to the northern side of the city, we found what is probably the local “lover’s lane” for strollers. Here we found late teen to mid 20’s couples and a few groups of 4 sitting on the sea wall watching the sun set. This was Trapani’s equivalent of lover’s lane I’d guess.
Early Out on the Town
A Typical Well Maintained Courtyard
Heading “home” we found a nearby supermercato to buy some shampoo and body wash (packing light, we had not brought any) and headed back to #18 for a rest. Ellen slept while I blogged away. A few hours later, refreshed, we went out for an evening stroll. It was now about 8:30pm. The streets were now full of Italian families and couples out for dinner or just for a stroll. There were many more people out now. We joined the throng and headed in a different direction. Like Vietnam with its extended families, the only privacy people have is to get out of the house and get away from parents or grandparents. Culturally this had led to the evening stroll that can last well into the night. There were elderly couples, families, dating couples, teenagers, groups of buddies of both sexes, all walking in their best semi-casual evening attire. Friends unexpectedly met ;each other and embraced in the street. Some shops were open late. It was a grand festival of life and one of the things I truly love about Italy. We walked for an hour then I suggested we find Bettolaccia and see if they have a table free. That restaurant was on my short list of places to eat while in Trapani. It is #1 on Trip Advisor’s list of best local food in Trapani.
As we had no idea where this restaurant was, I enabled cellular on my phone, entered the restaurant address, and we were off. The restaurant was a few blocks away from #181 Again the GPS got us close but marked the restaurant on a corner of an intersection when the restaurant was actually on the other side and down the street half a block! Ellen noticed a gal in a cook’s hat walk out of a doorway and headed in that direction. Sure enough, that was the place. The owner ushered us in. We asked if there was availability for dinner and he pointed to a table for two in a corner. Great. The owner took our order! We ordered a mixed appetizer plate, a side of potato and a side of mixed veggies. Ellen ordered grilled prawns and I ordered strips of veal in balsamic sauce. Now for wine. With prawns we should have white, with balsamic veal, red. What to do? Our “waiter” suggested we have two half carafes of house wine; one white and one red. Problem solved. I have read that it is best to order house wine in Italian restaurants as their wine will be quite good. We were not disappointed in either the wines nor in the meals.
Ellen had questions about the flavors in some of our dishes and about the menu. Our waitress, who spoke some English, would scurry between the kitchen and our table to answer her questions. One menu item listed “fruits of the forest’ as an ingredient. Our waitress could not translate the Italian for us. She was most disappointed, even after we reassured her that it really didn’t matter.
The appetizer was very very good. I’ve never had veal cooked as a steak and cut in strips. It was excellent. Ellen’s prawns were quite large and very delicious. Our cannoli desert was unusual. The ricotta filling was heaped in the center of the plate. The cannoli was broken into pieces and pressed into the filling then drizzled with a chocolate sauce. The presentation was perfection, It was scrumptious. Another thing I love about Italy, if you eat locally, is the quality of the food and its price. Our meal of an appetizer, two side dishes, two main dishes, a carafe of wine, and desert came to 70 Euro at one of the best small restaurants in Trapani. We considered going there the next day, Sunday, but they are closed.
An Original Cannoli Presentation
On our way out we stopped to thank the owner for an exceptional dining experience. He was most gracious as Ellen explained that we were only in Trapani for another day and could not come back Monday and that we were driving to Messina. I mentioned Palermo and Cefalu and he beamed. You have to visit Tindari and there’s an old rock outcropping that dates back to very ancient times. He mentioned Druids. “Like Stonehenge?” Yes, here I’ll write it down for you. It’s not very well known. It’s between Cefalu and Messina. With a million thanks, we left the restaurant. He wrote: Tindari and Montalbano Elicona on a piece of paper for us. I was thinking, boy that Commissario Montalbano sure gets around!
By now it was around 11:30 and streets were overflowing. Most but not all families and “old folks” had gone home. The streets were owned by the young. The pedestrian streets were alive. Some apparel shops had re-opened, wine bars were lively, some had loud driving music filling the streets., The city was vibrant. We walked for another hour before finding our way back. One street was standing room only for the length of the (short) street. This was the hot spot in Trapani on a Sunday morning. I never once felt the tiniest bit of fear this entire evening. In that massively crowded street I was very aware of my pockets though I probably need not have considered it at all.. What a wonderful way to cap off the day, by being part of this evening’s celebration of life.
A Short Clip of Trapani’s Night Life at 12:30 Am 4/2/2017
