The Sites of Segesta and Cala Mazzo di Sciacca Beach

Sicily boasts some incredible ancient wonders and we were excited to see the Temple and Theater at Segesta. Well, some of us were excited to see them. 

What goes around, comes around! When I was 6 years old, my family went on a month-long road trip in our new minivan from Maryland to California and back, stopping in almost all of the National Parks along the way. I have a lot of memories from that trip and am hopeful that Jude will have life-long memories from our recent adventures. My parents certainly remember (and love to remind me) that I would whine and fuss on every hike they took me on. The only thing that seemed to motivate me was the promise of a stop in the gift shop and a souvenir at the end. There wasn't anything that was going to motivate our kids on today's adventure, a 1.25km hike uphill in the heat to an ancient Greek style theater. Usually, there is a shuttle bus that you can pay to take, but maybe it wasn't running due to COVID? The shuttle bus from the parking lot to the site was still operating. You could tell the place was set up for crowds and blessedly, there were none. Once off the shuttle bus, an official took our temperatures via our wrists, one of two times that happened this trip (the other on our tour to the Aeolian islands). 

I really tried my best to motivate them, recalling all of my camp counselor tactics. We made it part of the way up. 

Then the tears began. Jude's legs were "just too tired." Maeve comforts Jude. They are both oblivious to the wonder behind them.  

Another hill. More tears. More comforting from Maeve who is not used to seeing Jude cry.

We gave up and took turns staying with the kids so that Pete and I could see the theater. 

Beautiful countryside

A hike to get there, but the view! 

After a snack break in the shade, we headed the short 250 meters to the temple. Even that was a big ask for the kids (note to self: get the city kids used to hiking). Pete and I enjoyed our stroll around it while they sat in the shade protesting. 

After the promised popsicles back at the parking lot, we took off to visit a beach near Scopello, which had been recommended by a few friends. The Assodys were already there and the kids were thrilled to be reunited and to be at a beach, not a magnificent cultural site. 

Pit stop on the drive had the most amazing views over Castelmare del Golfo. We would return to one of those far beaches the following afternoon. 

Cala Mazzo di Sciacca beach was our fist rocky one of the trip. It is at the southern base of a natural reserve and it would have been lovely to walk the coastal trail to some other beaches, but, kids.  

There was a lot of card playing at the beach on this trip: Unicorn Uno, Skipbo, Go Fish, Old Maid. 

This spectacular day was not over yet. After a restful drive home, we got dolled up for easily our best meal of the trip at Ristorante Mamma Rosa in Partinico. The setting next to the train tracks wasn't anything to write home about, but the food was excellent. Proscuitto and melon to start, pizza and pasta for the kids, amazing steaks, and lemon granita for the (exhausted) kids for dessert. A very memorable day! 

Rest Day in Trapetto

After our big day out, we had a chill day at the house. Swimming, hanging out, and kids' shenanigans. The kids were gone a really long time in the house and then presented us with drinks in shot glasses: jam, honey, and water. Only the alcohol was missing ;) I did steal some of the fruit that they cut and made a pseudo sangria. Later in the afternoon, things got really quiet and I walked through the house to find the other three adults fast asleep. A real vacation day! 

That book would have put me to sleep also ;) 

I was really hoping to find ricotta gelato, like the one from Cafe Constanza in Noto that I still dream about. There was a gelato shop in Trapetto with good reviews so we set out with Alyssa to search for it! No such luck (here or anywhere else on this trip), but we enjoyed walking through this sleepy fishing village. 

Gelato squad

I really wanted to see the sunset over the water and since our meals were so late, we headed down to a beach cafe. The sunset was really perfect and the kids splashing in the water and the horses running along the beach were an added bonus. A few days in and we felt worlds away from real life and the stress of the past few months.