Sicily Part II: Secret Cove & Segesta

During our first day in Sicily, Callum begged incessantly to go to the beach.  So, on day two we made our way to the Riserva di Zingara on the north coast to hike to a special swim spot. 

Wildflowers carpeted the sea-side cliffs and green lizards scampered off the path as we walked. 

We reached an overlook and spied an idyllic cove with high cliffs and crystal blue water. 

We hiked down and set up camp in the far corner of the cove on the pebbly beach.  Luckily, we had hauled our trusty beach blanket with us and it made the perfect place to sit.  Along with our beach blanket, we also had brought wet suits for Tyler and the kids since the water was about 60 degrees. 

We immediately donned our suits behind the cover of the beach blanket and dove into the crisp and clear water.  We spied lots of fish swimming around the submerged rocks and sea grass as we snorkeled around.

Laura thought it looked like too much fun to miss out, so we swapped so she could go for a swim as well. 

We swapped one more time so Tyler could take the kids around for another snorkel and they each got to find the 'secret' beach that was on the other side of one of the cliff walls.

At lunch time we had one of our classic Italian picnics with olives, cheese, salami, oranges and little crunchy breadsticks. 

It was a wonderful time on the beach with a warm sun and 70 degree weather. 

 

With a little bit of time left before closing time at the tourist sites, we made our way to the ancient Greek settlement of Segesta.  Set amidst mountains and rolling hills, Segesta was one of the city-states in Sicily founded by Greek settlers.  The first thing we saw as we drove up was the temple sitting stoically elevated on the side of a hill with no other structures around it. 

Both children were asleep in the back, so Laura stayed in the car while Tyler climbed up the hill for a kilometer to the Greek theatre.  Along the way up the hill were various ruins of a gate, watchtowers and unearthed houses.  At the top of the hill were the remains of the city with two millennia of rubble dotting the landscape with an absolute abundance of wildflowers carpeting the landscape.

  There were foundations of churches, mosques, and Greek walls perched upon the top of the mountain with sweeping views over the surrounding area. 

The theatre had the best view of all facing north with a large valley in between it and the next mountain and then a view of the sea further to the side. The theatre was extremely well preserved with most of the stone seating preserved, even some stone chairs carved with back supports remained.  The entire structure was chiseled out of the mountain side as opposed to built with stone blocks.  That's one way to survive 2,500 years relatively unscathed.

It was amazing to see how well preserved this city was from so long ago. 

Laura texted and said both kids were awake and they walked up to the ticket office to get the kids a gelato while Tyler walked back down the hill to meet them.  The temple was imposing close up with massive Doric columns supporting to the still intact pediment and peristyle. 

The sun was setting behind the temple and started to cast shadows as we wrapped up our visit and headed back to the car.  The serenity of the area was incredible with not more than a few dozen people visiting while we were there. 

We found a ristorante on the way home and stopped for dinner, and Claire started to act differently.  She sat curled up on Laura's lap during the entire meal, not wanting to eat and only taking sips of water when we persisted.  Right as we finished our meal she started to vomit at the table.  Luckily, Laura caught it all in her empty pasta bowl.  Oh, the joys of parenting.  She was sick for the next three days as we tried to figure out whether it was dehydration, stomach bug or something else.