MARSALA - SICILY (Sun 14 June)

We left Agrigento this morning bound for Marsala (as in the wine), which is one of the westernmost cities in Sicily. It was a short 2.5 hr drive and pretty uneventful. Very similar landscape to that of the last few days. Dry, brown with sparce trees. We have been wondering where all the vineyards are from which they make their fantastic array of wine and Grappa. We were told later in the day that they are all in the hills, and probably not a good idea to go there as you will never find your way out of the maze of so called roads and tracks, all unmarked of course.
We arrived in Marsala at about 1pm, and managed to find our room and check-in before siesta kicked in. Siesta time is particularly evident in these smaller places, and the whole town/city seems to shut up shop between about 12:30 and 4:00pm, but then everything stays open until at least 10:00pm.
We are staying in a place called ‘Hotel Garden’, which from the street looks … really bad. But the inside surprises. Run by an older woman who doesn’t speak a word of English. But we managed to find a middle ground of communication, or at least with the basics, and lots of gestures. We ended up with a large room, double bed, private bathroom, hot water, clean towels, balcony, secure parking … all the things that we cherish in accommodation these days.
We went for a walk mid siesta and discovered a ghost town, that was quite depressing. Rubbish everywhere, everyplace that has tried to be beautified, is unfinished complete with dead plants and trees, with brown grass a metre high. But we had a destination in mind, the ‘Museo Archeological Regional Baglio Auselmi’ (try saying that three times fast). It is the museum that houses the remnants and reconstruction of the only remaining evidence of a Phoenician Galley. The only evidence of their true seafaring superiority. This boat is about 3000 years old and would have weighed about 120 tons, with it’s lead coated planking, and would have carried 78 rowers to power it.
After soaking ourselves in Phoenician artifacts, we walked along to a little wines shop where we were immersed in an impromptu wine tasting of the various different types, and ages of Marsala and Grappa, and even some cactus marmalade. We also found out how they make the almond milk drink that we had been given in Briatica. After all that we felt bad just walking away with the one bottle.
The town was starting to wake up by the time we got to the church. There was some kind of service going on, with lots of people in all different colours of ribbons, sashes, and very large medallions. We were soon to find out. The service was followed by a procession around the streets, with the participants organized according to their colour and brotherhood. At the tail end was the High Priest complete with torch bearers, personal canopy and an armed guard. We have no idea what it was all about, but it seemed like a big deal.
We finished the day with a pizza in the old town and watching the sky change shade. We decided that you should judge a town by how it looks at siesta time.