Scopelo, Palermo and Cefalu

After a week or so in the marina in Trapani, it was time for a sail and a nice quiet anchorage somewhere, so we headed east with the sails up and the motor at low revs. We tried out the pole, spreading the genoa full abeam to catch as much of the wind as we could – it worked well. The Sicilian coastline along here is spectacular: mountains and sheer cliffs that drop into vivid blue water, extraordinary rock formations, and nestled amongst all this, small villages, cultivated fields and deep green pine forests.

Genoa poled out, a nice sail

At about 14.30 we found a beautiful small bay near the town of Scopelo. In between almost vertical cliffs of golden limestone, an old tunny fishery had been transformed into an attractive small hotel, The water was crystal clear and I didn’t need much persuading to jump in to check that the anchor was set. Unfortunately it wasn’t visible, buried deep in long seagrass, but we seemed to be holding ok. We spent an idyllic afternoon, swimming and snorkelling around the bay which, unusually for the Med, was teeming with fish; reading, relaxing, enjoying a cold beverage or two. As the evening drew in, we became less confident about our holding and re-anchored further from the rocks. Then, as so often happens, a perfect daytime spot turns into a bit of a nightmare as the wind strengthens and changes direction and you get that rolly motion of wind against swell. Well, we got through the night, regularly checking our position, and were happy to be up and off early next morning.

Converted tunny fishery in Scopelo

 

 

A bit of weather seemed to be threatening and we needed a few supplies, so the obvious shelter within range was Palermo Harbour itself. We’d spent a week in Palermo previously, staying in a B&B, but visiting a place by water is always a different experience. It’s a busy harbour with many competing yacht clubs and marinas (each really just a pontoon with a sign) so we decided to head to the Agip fuel dock to top up our diesel and proceed from there. In the end we didn’t proceed far as the fuel dock runs an adjoining dock and they offered us a reasonable deal for three days. We were right next to the rowing club so morning coffee was taken on deck watching teams of extremely fit young people negotiating their craft between yachts, fishing boats, tour boats and various other obstacles. They would certainly take medals for a rowing steeplechase!

Crowded marina in Palermo

Rowers in the harbour

 

Most of our time in Palermo seemed to be spent shopping – or rather, wandering the narrow alleyways trying to track down slightly obscure items: a certain type of clip for the fenders, Hercules pegs (the big curved ones that don’t break or let stuff blow overboard), upholstery cleaner, beef stock cubes, Greek yoghurt, a flagstaff ...       We discovered some of the more ‘alternative’ parts of the dignified city we saw on the first visit, and it was fun using ‘un poco Italiano’, ‘a leetle English’, amusing mimes and Google to identify and purchase our things. Our local bar was the ‘Beachfront Bar’ – literally on the beach – dominated by a huge art installation resembling the prow of a ship which veered around with shifts in the wind. The bar, and indeed just about anywhere in Palermo, is a great place to watch the passing parade – Sicilian life seems to be played out with drama and high style, and very much in public!

On the way to the Beachfront Bar, sculpture in the background

Palermo graffiti

 

But now it was time to move on, a little further east before crossing to the Aeolian Islands. From the Cruising Guide, Cefalu looked like a promising spot, and it turned out to be very pleasant – we had no idea it was Sicily’s second most popular holiday destination, after Taormina. You can see why. The coast is ruggedly beautiful with ‘La Rocca’ towering over all (and guess what’s on top of the rock? Yep, a castle courtesy of our old friend Roger the Norman!

Cefalu from the water

 

Views on the walk to town

Temple of Diana, halfway up the 'hill'

 

Look closely - this is someone's back garden, overlooking the sea

 

Roger was here

It’s an old fishing village transforming itself into a tourist resort: relics of the past alongside restaurants and boutiques, but in a way that feels authentically Sicilian (ie a bit chaotic and haphazard but lively and interesting!)

The harbour is on one side of the promontory and the town on the other, so it is a bit of a walk, but there are awesome views of the sea below and the Aeolian Islands, not to mention ‘La Rocca” towering overhead. Terry managed to make it to the top, securing another Geocache for the collection, but I only got as far as the ancient Temple of Diana about halfway up. It is a beautiful, peaceful spot to rest, take in the views and commune with the old gods of the Med for a while. Swimming is a weird sensation here as cold fresh water flowing from mountain springs forms a top layer of about ten centimetres, while under that the water is salty and warm, perhaps even heated by volcanic activity.

We enjoyed a Last Supper in Sicily at a very nice restaurant /enoteca called  Trinacria (after the three-legged symbol of Sicily) watching the pink and gold sunset over the islands, before heading back to prepare ‘Common Sense‘ for the passage past the volcanic peaks of the Aeolians to the Italian mainland.