I remember how nervous I was last year when I went to Salemi for the first time. I don't feel comfortable in a new environment and it takes me a while to adapt especially when I have no idea what to expect. Well, I knew that I was going there to build my skills, but there were so many question marks that I really didn't feel relaxed. That changed as soon as I entered the school grounds, and long story short - this year I couldn't wait to go back. And instead of a 1 week programme I choose a program that would last 2 weeks. What a change!
I was excited for several months before my travel. I arrived at the airport ready to meet new people, and all went well until it didn't. We were on the way to our taxi when I tripped over and fell on my right side. I'm not going to describe how it happened, just tell you that I truly hope that the lady who caused it had the worst time in Sicily. And I'm only saying that because she didn't care at all and simply left. My new friends helped me get up and I realized that my finger was bleeding heavily.
Luckily, there was a pharmacy at the airport, but I had two weeks of pottery school with a cut finger ahead of me which doesn't sound like fun at all. I will jump to the end of the story for a sec. About 3 months later I went to see my doctor because the finger still hurt and it was unbearable anymore. They made a Rontgen and it turned out that my bone was chipped! I was walking for months with a broken finger. At that stage they couldn't really do anything, so they advised me to wait it out and it took about 1 more month for me to feel that it healed.
Now that I got this of my chest I can show you around beautiful Salemi and tell you how much I enjoyed my time there again.
The students arrive on Sunday for a city presentation in the evening. We were greeted by Francesco who remembered me from last year which made me so happy. We walked around the city, and listened to his stories. He loves Salemi and you can feel it in every single word that he says about the city. At first, I was not sure if I would join the tour again as I thought it could be a bit boring, but I'm so happy that I did as it was like I heard all of it for the first time.
And this time, we even managed to go to the castle, so there it is - something new again! The origins of the castle date back to the 11th century, and there is literally nothing to see inside, but when you walk up that tower you will be mesmerized by those views. Let's have a look!
Salemi was hit badly by a devastating earthquake in 1968 which destroyed a big part of the city. There are still many ruins in the old town, and many houses are empty as they were never renovated and their inhabitants left to build a new part of the city which we can see here. We can say that the old town is kind of a ghost city which is getting its soul back as many foreigners are buying the houses and renovating them to either rent them out or use them as their residences. I must honestly say that I've been playing with the thought of buying a house there too, but first we need to focus on the renovation that we've been doing for so long already.
Salemi is located in Trapani which is a hilly region about 1 hour from Palermo and 30 minutes from the nearest beach. There are many archaeological sites closed to the city and many other places that are worth a visit. If you're not a beach kind of a tourist, this is really a great place to be.
Yes, the sun was low and it was impossible to take a photo without some shadows. We were about 20 people, so there was always somebody next to me.
Far, far in the back we can see the sea!
Sicily is such a diverse island. I am so happy that my pottery journey took me there as I love places with mixed cultures, and here you can see the Arabic, Spanish and Italian culture blending in something very special.
There are plenty of Agriturismos around Salemi. These places offer meals at their home often accompanied with cultural experience. They use local ingredients, are passionate about their island, and will often sing and dance with you. I was looking to enjoy Nana Vita's cuisine the entire year!
Sunsets in Salemi are out of this world...
I love beach, but I would prefer such landscape anytime...
This might sound random, but last year we didn't get a chance to go the main church of Salemi dedicated to Sant’Ignazio di Loyola. It might sound strange to say 'the main church', but there are around 200 churches (I don't remember the exact number) in such a small place! Salemi was a wealthy place in the past, and it was common that many families owning a palazzo built their own church next to it.
This is one of a few churches that are still active.
The church was closed when we visited, but we got a special treatment and could enter. It was so quiet and peaceful. I could have spent there much more time, but it's difficult with a group eager to get their dinner.
Let's have a look around!
People always say that it's difficult to get vegan food in Sicily, but I know that it is not true. The food is so colourful, fresh and tastes amazing. Every year I replicate the dishes at home for months after my return.
This was such a delicious combination! Local olives are so good!
These cracker-like thingies are traditionally vegan. They are made out of chickpea flour and taste so good. The stew in the small bowl is called caponata and I recommend you to look for a recipe online and make it at home. You can thank me later.
Dinners in Italy are huge, so it's always good to go for a walk afterwards. And that's exactly what we did every day. There are plenty of stray dogs around Salemi that the locals feed and I love seeing them just lazily laying around and ignoring you. I was looking for two particular dogs who 'walked' me home every night last year. Unfortunately, I didn't find them and people at school told me that they didn't see them for a while. I just hope they are safe.
Don't feel sorry for those dogs as they are living their best life. They are free to go wherever they want and they get the best food.
This is Banderas. He belongs to the school manager. If you feel like you need to bring your ego down a notch then I truly recommend you to try and get close to Banderas.
Dogs love me, they really do, but this little sh1thead made me feel so bad about myself. I've tried to connect with him for 2 weeks. Every single day. When he sees that you're trying to get his attention he literally walks around you. He doesn't let anyone touch him except of his family.
They say he is shy, and I can say that I have never met a dog like this. Even now when I see this photo I remember how much I wanted to cuddle with him. And I'm convinced that he knew it and had a great time not letting me touch him. I even gave him his dinner which he refused to eat until his owner took the bowl and placed it a few centimetres away. Before you say anything, I was not the only one trying to get closer to him, so I am not the problem 😊
On the other hand, this beautiful dog on the photo below is called 'A little Star' which is the perfect name for her. She is the cutest!
When you think about Italy in summer you probably don't think about rain. We were so lucky to get some rainfall during our stay. The locals told us that it's very unusual for so much rain to fall in June. We loved it as it was almost as warm as the water when you shower.
We did a few day trips during those two weeks, and I will share them with you next time.
Until then...