This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
“this is the IN-DePtH way to eXPeRIeNCe these GREAT DESTINATIONS”


amphitheatre – hewn straight from the hillside to build the amphitheatre – is now a citrus-laden garden. We were invited to imagine what it would have been like to be a slave working the stone. Hard to believe in this day and age, but they worked, ate, lived and died in that quarry, never realising there was a bustling centre of activity mere metres away. Travelling south-east, we arrived next in Trapani and got set for a full day tour. On arrival, we visit the ubiquitous Greek temple and another intact amphitheatre offering stunning views of the valley below. The ruins of the settlement show there were churches built on top of mosques built on top of pagan sites, a typical occurrence here. Selinunte is the next place to visit and we will


have to backtrack 45 minutes down the coast to reach it. Founded in 600BC, this is the largest archaeological site in Europe and covers many miles. The ancient town was built entirely on a grid system and the gleaming temples that once existed would have been seen for miles out at sea. Unfortunately, there was time to take in only three temples, notably the magnificently rebuilt Hera Temple, which is a tiny fraction of the site, before having to leave for lunch. This was greatly disappointing to history buffs and an organisational problem that has, apparently, now been amended. After lunch, we head to the Masala wine factories to hear about the creation of this important local product and buy a bottle or two of the Sicilian version of sherry (I bagged a lovely Florio for €8). We learn that nearby Mozia Island – bought by John Whitaker, one of the founders of Masala wine – was inhabited by the Phoenicians. Year after year, farmers would come and show


Mr Whitaker artefacts and it slowly dawned on him these belonged to the long forgotten civilisation,


 Autumn 2010 I WORLD OF CRUISING 33


THE VALLEY OF THE TEMPLES – AGRIGENTO


“No, NO, the Greeka namea fora Agrigento isa spelled A K R A G A S – pronounced Akragasa,” said our petite Sicilian tour guide, Sara, as she peered over my shoulder at my hastily scribbled notes. Confusingly, she added an ‘ah’ vowel to nearly every word. But her accent created a wonderful legato and hypnotic speech pat- tern. Though initially difficult to follow, we admired the breadth of her knowledge and ability to speak for minutes, seemingly, without taking a breath. We were at our third port of call in Sicily and the tour group was visiting the Valley of the Temples archaeological site. Having just been herded through yet another turnstile to view the crumbling Temple to Zeus, Sara implored us to wait: “I musta go anda retrievea our groupa tickets.” Walking away, and still speaking into her microphone for all to hear, she complained in frustration the turnstile ticket collector had not given back the tickets for our tour group. Within a few moments, with microphone still transmitting, she angrily castigated the ticket operator in finest Sicilian, her fingers pinched together and her hand waving in the air. After a heated discussion, we heard her say “Grazia,” after finally


retrieving the documents she needed. Then she returned to the group as if nothing untoward had happened.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92
Produced with Yudu - www.yudu.com