Sciacca

Scott-Free’s blog
Steve & Chris
Wed 27 Aug 2008 15:00
37:30.214N 13:04.679E
 
Sciacca, which is just sixty miles or so along the southern coast of Sicily, is a breath of fresh air after Trapani.  It has a large harbour which is shared between the local fishing boats on one side and a marina on the other.  We arrived just as the sun was setting after a cracking sail along the coast, and were welcomed to a pontoon belonging to a local yacht club and helped with the lines.  Don't worry about checking in tonight, we were told, tomorrow will do. 
 
So we gave the boat and ourselves a quick shower, and went in search of food.  We met a local couple who didn't speak a word of English, but we just about understood that there was a good trattoria just along the road from the marina.  It turned out to be just what we needed as, with a set menu, there was no need for us to try to work out what to order, when neither of us has a word of Italian.  Well, Steve does a wonderful impression of an Italian speaking, but it is totally incomprehensible, being made up of all the Italian words he can think of!  The meal consisted of fourteen courses, including sea urchin (not particularly tasty) and several that we didn't recognise but enjoyed eating anyway! 
 
Having been checked in this morning by a very friendly vice-president of the yacht club who took Steve on a drive around the town looking for the local electronics guy (unsuccessfully unfortunately, so the radio will continue to need the emergency aerial), we went for a walk around the town.  It is a mixture of old and rundown buildings and modern well-kept ones, and the shopping centre has some quite expensive looking shops located in some pretty rundown buildings.  We stopped in the main square which has a balcony overlooking the bay, and stopped for a beer/coke at one of the pavement cafes.  From where we sat we looked down on the boat in the harbour, and pondered over how lucky we are - we are taking nothing for granted - we know we are extremely lucky in doing something that most people only dream of.
 
 
Whilst sitting there, we discovered a treat neither of us has come across before - brioche con gelato - literally an icre-cream roll!  Several people around us were tucking into them, so we had to have a try.  This one is filled with pistachio and coffee ice cream and it was delicious!
 
 
The people on the boat next to us, a Canadian boat in its second season in the Med, recommended a pizza place up in the town square, where the pizzas are cheap and tasty, so that's where we will head for dinner tonight.  We have booked in for two nights (at less than the cost of one in Trapani) and will be heading for Syracusa on the East coast tomorrow.