Sicily, Italy

Agrigento Sicily

Sometimes the GPS doesn’t direct us to where we want to go. We were doing very well until we reached the outskirts of Agrigento. Then we had to persuade ourselves that the machine was right, up until it told us to go the wrong way on a one way street. We also found out it is important to bring your cell phone with you when trying to find a B&B you have booked.

It was another blue sky day. We took the scenic yellow (secondary) road to Sciacca (pronounced shacka), much to the chagrin of our GPS. I turned off the audio to avoid the admonitions of the lovely lady telling us where we should have turned. It would make a great bicycle route with little traffic and smaller hills through vineyards and olive groves with views of the sea and the mountains inland, a good choice.

We drove into Sciacca and found a parking spot near the 16thC Porta San Salvatore, one of the three gates remaining in the old city walls. We had time to wander the streets, stopping at the interesting Chiesa Santa Marguerita, in the process of renovation. Photos of before and after restoration illustrated how difficult it is and how much effort is involved in restoring these heritage buildings to their original glory.

We didn’t feel like a large lunch so Restaurant Miramare with tables on the terrace of Piazza Scandaliato with a view of the harbour met our needs. We shared an appetizer plate of pizza pieces while Ray had a coffee but they didn’t have tea so I had a Campari with ice and lime slice, sort of an Italian Sangria. I didn’t miss the tea.

After lunch we carried on to Agrimento on a good mostly divided highway that still had good views of the mountains and the sea. We had never been able to get an exact reading for Residence Cavallieri di Malta, the B&B we had booked. Ray had tried to tell the GPS we wanted to go to Piazza Vittorio Emanuelle, right in the center of town. This town was built on the side of a steep mountain. The GPS led us up switchbacks that were getting tighter and tighter. We were finally being directed to proceed on a one way street. After circling a small round-about we had to park wherever we could. We got out of the car with the address for our B&B and started walking. No one spoke English and most had never heard of the street we were looking for. We finally figured out it was about 500M further on and to look for stairs on the left. We found our B&B at the top of four levels of stairs in a small alley. The bell on the door marked Entrance didn’t work and no one answered our knock. We finally gave up and walked to the large Piazza Vittorio Emanuelle nearby and found the Information Center. They had a map and we located where we were, where the B&B was, and where we had left the car. Our next step was to return to the car, retrieve Ray’s cell phone and move the car to a pay parking lot in front of the Info Center.

It was a good thing we got to the car when we did. A police car was patrolling and indicated we were in a handicapped spot. I think he was looking for a parking spot for himself as he let us leave without a ticket. From there it was back to move the car to a pay parking lot on Piazza Vittorio Emanuelle, use the cell phone that had been left in the car to phone our B&B and tell them we were nearby. We dragged our rolly bags up the stairs to the B&B only to have no one hear our frantic knocks. Another phone call finally brought the young attendant who showed us how the bell worked. Oops.

Courtyard at Residence Cavalieri di Malta B&B

We signed in and were shown to our room, through a courtyard, into an adjoining building and down a double flight of stairs. This is not a hotel for physically challenged people. We thought we were descending to the basement but Agrigento is built on a hill. Our large comfortable room had French doors opening onto a small dead end street I recognized from our walk finding our B&B. Residence Cavalieri di Malta (AKA the Knights of Malta, an order known for its charitable works among the poor and sick) has been recently revamped from the ruins of an ancient hospital into a spanking new hotel and B&B. Everything is brand new and very clean, plus there is a nice courtyard sitting area. It just takes a lot of climbing stairs to get anywhere. At least we are up to the task.

We found out there was free parking for guests in a parking lot beside the train station, close to the B&B. We moved the car from its current spot on our way to dinner. Our host recommended Kalos, across from Piazza Vittorio Emanuelle, for dinner. It was our best meal so far, a bit more expensive but worth every penny. The free sparkling wine before dinner drink and the wine helped our mood. We were ready to enjoy the town, and tomorrow, the archaeological site Valle dei Templo.