Trapani (Part 2)

Our mooring in Trapani was almost next door to the fishermen’s quay and close to that is a piazza where, in summer, a daily fish and produce market is held.

Having been at anchor for about a week, we needed to restock the fridge and, as it so often the case when we get to visit a local fresh fruit/vegetable stall, we came away with vast quantities of cheap fresh food. The strawberries, in particular, were wonderful, some perfectly ripe and tasty and ready to eat and some which would last a few days. Just as well really as we had to buy a tray (probably over 1kg) at a time, and all for the princely sum of a couple of Euros!

In places, Trapani is a lovely city with some fantastic Gothic churches, beautiful carved window surrounds and elegant balconies.

And should you find yourself down a disappointing alley, just around the next corner you will be heartened to find a building to lift the spirits complete with a piazza or a pavement taken over by a restaurant and the serious business of coffee and/or gelato underway.

Chiesa del Purgatorio   

Apparently, the time to visit Trapani is Easter. On Good Friday, the city comes alive with the 10-hour procession of the Misteri – 18^th century carved cork and wood images of the Passion. Each of the twenty scenes is associated with one of the city’s trades (fishermen, saltworkers, etc), whose representatives maintain the biers and parade them annually. Quite by accident we stumbled upon the Chiesa del Purgatorio when it was open and, for a token donation, we were able to take a close-up look at the Misteri.

Misteri on display in the Chiesa del Purgatorio   

Our main reason for visiting Trapani was to see Érice plus routine admin of re-stocking the fridge and wine cellar, however, like many of the Sicilian towns we have visited, the place has a few more delights up its sleeve. Like the other Sicilian towns, first impressions from the sea are of a slightly scruffy mid to late 20^th century concrete jungle. But the trick is to definitely to give time for exploring. Only by wandering around have we seen the older, more elegant buildings and felt the genuine warmth and helpfulness of the people. With next to no Italian we have, at times, found it a little hard to find the bits and pieces that we have needed but consistently the Sicilians have been keen to help and have often gone well out of their way to help us.

So, with Trapani ‘done’ we were keen to move north and then east around the coast of Sicily and on towards Naples. However, it seemed that the wind might have other ideas and it might be that Trapani would be our last Sicilian stop. Only with the forecast the next day could we make an informed decision.

Trapani, Sicily, Italy