Motor Boat & Yachting - January 2016 UK

SICILY

5

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The Egadis are a marine park with
restricted access for boats, but
moorings are available in many
sheltered bays and friendly staff and
Carabaneiri regularly patrol the islands
to collect fees and ensure visitors
observe park rules.
We cruise to Marettimo Island and
berth in a small marina as there’s no
sheltered anchorage in the prevailing
wind. Here we dine at the stunning La
Scalatta restaurant overlooking the
marina and made famous after a
review from Jamie Oliver. There’s no
menu and chef Giovanni serves
whatever delicious fare he feels like
conjuring up on the day, with a heavy
fresh seafood bias. He serves us a
six-course treat of bruschetta, clam
chowder, grilled tuna, prawn risotto,
mixed grilled fish and lemon cassata,
of course washed down with copious
local wine. Sicily produces some great

wines and a favourite is Nero d’Avola

with its famed plum and pepper

flavours. Here we discover another

mouth-watering local treat – cannoli,

fried pastry tubes stuffed with

sweetened ricotta cheese.

IN THE LIE OF THE GOD OF LOVE

Nearby on Sicily’s west coast, Trapani

Harbour offers safe shelter from the

strong winds that sometimes lash the

Egadi Islands. A must-visit is the

fabulous medieval walled village of

Erice, set atop Monte San Giuliano,

756 metres above Trapani and

accessed by cable cars providing

fabulous vistas for miles around the

surrounding landscape. Here we

listen to an enthusiastic busker

outside the Norman Castello di Venere,

built upon the ruins of the Temple of

Venus once famed for the ancient Cult

of Venus in which acolytes took part in

sacred prostitution.

The marina at

Castellamare del

Golfo proves an ideal

base for exploration

by rental car and we

visit the notoriously

bustling litter-strewn streets of

Palermo. A unique attraction is the

ghoulish Catacombs of the Capuchins

where thousands of mummified

bodies dating from the 1600s to

1800s are displayed in a gloomy dim

labyrinth of underground passages.

The bodies of men, women and

children are still reasonably intact

dressed in clothing from that period,

but it’s all very macabre and we agree

the bodies look like props from Michael

Jackson’s Thriller.

The village of Cefalu is one of Sicily’s

gems and our picturesque anchorage

is over-looked by La Rocca (The Rock),

278 metres high and topped with the

ruins of a 13th century castle. We are

almost spoiled by having wandered the

cobbled streets of so many medieval

old towns, but Cefalu reminds us they

each offer something unique.

Next stop is the Aeolian Islands, a

group of seven stunning still-active

volcanic cones about 15 miles off

Sicily’s central north coast. At Isole

Vulcano we anchor off a perfect sandy

beach called Gelso and can’t resist

having cocktails in an atmospheric

palm frond-thatched beach bar. On our

way back to Envoy we’re joined by a

pod of frolicking dolphins rounding off

a perfect day.

Near the island’s main village is a

large geothermal mud pool said to

have therapeutic healing powers, and

there’s no shortage of tourists

frolicking in the mud and putting this

theory to the test in various states of

undress. First settled 6,000 years ago

Lipari is the main Aeolian Island and

we find plenty to explore ranging from

the impressive and largely intact

hilltop fortress to the narrow

cobblestone streets of the Old Town

and the glorious west coast beaches.

After a 15 week circumnavigation

we’re back in the Strait of Messina.

Conditions are calm but the Strait is a

major shipping lane with swirling

currents and whirlpools making an

extra sharp lookout essential.

From the litter-strewn streets of

Palermo to the pristine sandy beaches

of the Aeolian Islands and from the

awe-inspiring ruins of ancient Greek

temples to the fertile slopes of Mt

Etna, Sicily is one of the truly great

cruising destinations and we will be

back for more. Laurie and Di Cranfield

Catania’s fi sh market

is a feast for the eyes

and the belly

Taking time out to enjoy a

picnic on the black sands

of Volcano Island

The Valley of the

Temples in southern

Sicily is not to be missed

Rough seas

pound the harbour

walls of Syracuse

BOAT MASTER OURBOATS

JANUARY 2016 89

Syracuse was well

established by the

4th century BC