On the Road in Sicily: Part Two A Drive, Historic Towns, and a Spa

Our short but harrowing lift, from La Bella Palermo to the car rental agency, was thanks to a hair-raising ride by our very own Parnelli Jones. Our taxi driver seemed both skeptical and disdainful of the fact that I, a “woman of a certain age,” would be sharing the driving in Sicily with my friend Nigel, who normally drives on the other side of the road in England. He suggested that we take lessons from him – a dreadful idea, as he skirted within a hair’s width of cars and motorcycles as he raced us to our destination. 

You’d have thought I was about to have a bambino – despite my age. Thankfully, the car rental from Drivalia was easy. And soon we hit the road.

Piana degli Albanesi

While most tourists visit Palermo, Taormina, Cefalu, Mt. Etna (when she’s not exploding), Noto, Siracusa/Ortigia, and other spots, very few make it to the small commune of Piana degli Albanesi located between Palermo and the coast (and not far from the more famous town of Corleone). The route may not be on many itineraries, but the drive through the island was the most picturesque of all roads taken on this journey.

Our very special stop in the town, formerly known as Piana dei Greci – when my great-grandparents married there on a beautiful spring day on April 19, 1891, before emigrating to America via New Orleans – began at the town hall followed by a tour of the Greek Orthodox/Byzantine church led by winemaker Rossella Gioia, of Xeravuli winery, who hosted us for wine tasting and one of my favorite meals during my 10-day sojourn. She and her husband, a dentist in town, founded the award-winning winery that honors his familial roots. A simple “degustation” menu of local flavors, prepared by the very modest Rossella (we used Google translate on our phone to communicate), included the most delicious local breads, the best caponata I’ve ever had (a cold eggplant appetizer), the sweetest dried tomatoes and capers from the island of Pantelleria, drizzled with olive oil from her farm and topped with the thinnest slivers of orange rind. She also served us mackerel in olive oil with fava beans as well as a platter of excellent local farm cheeses and cured meats.

Naturally, we wanted to wash this all down with copious amounts of their excellent, small-production organic mountaintop wines – but Nigel was driving and in the event I relieved him, I minimally tasted the Catarratto (a delicious and popular Sicilian white varietal) and bought two bottles to take with us, including a Nero D’Avola from their high-altitude vineyards. We said “ciao”– too full to sample the famous cannoli here – leaving reason to return. 

ADLER Spa Resort Sicilia

Our next stop was the two-year-old swanky but sublime ADLER Spa on the coast. The drive was incredibly beautiful – the landscape carpeted with colors from springtime wildflowers as well as dotted with the reddest wild poppies (the Turkish opium variety, I later learned) I’ve ever seen.

The spa appears to be better known to German and other European tourists, and I seemed to be the only North American at the spa. The setting and contemporary architecture is spectacular – set right above the sea with very Zen-like rooms.

Three terrific swimming pools – a warm indoor-outdoor, a cooler lap pool, and one other a bit warmer – also boasted Mediterranean Sea views. The busy spa was a study in calm – well-staffed with guests extremely well looked-after.

There was an outdoor Thalasso jetted pool and two of the best saunas I have ever been in – one with fresh herbs; a larger, hotter one with ocean views through a huge plate-glass window. Once you get into the rhythm here (which is very different from bustling Palermo and other cities) and join other guests wandering quietly in matching hooded robes (“It looks like a cult!” my friend Nigel commented) you will be “in the flow.” This is a good break if you plan to spend time exploring the island, or would make a great first stop for some jet lag recovery.

The restaurant is also a stunning modern setting, offering a mix of buffet and menu service for dinner, and a terrific buffet for breakfast. I was over the moon to concoct a huge green salad from the buffet for my dinner starter. Salads as we know and love them (hello Tom Shepherd!) are strangely difficult to come by in Sicily. We only stayed one night and missed lunch – so can’t report on this – but it is offered buffet style by the trio of pools.

The ADLER Spa resort includes yoga, Pilates and other fitness classes. We engaged in an excellent, consciousness shifting 50-minute gong/sound bath before departing. 

On to Scicli

Our next stop was one of my favorites – the town of Scicli – with a wrong stop in Modica (famous for its chocolates) that was rather hilarious. My iPhone put in the address of our booking for the night – but we ended up at a small hair salon – where the proprietress kindly let me use her very tiny bathroom. Same street name, same street number, wrong town!

Once in the correct town – and after multiple rounds about the town trying to find our completely charming two-story apartment (built into stone walls), we had a delightful and inexpensive dinner and wine at Ùmmara – Vineria con Cucina, which we stumbled upon quite by accident, as the restaurants recommended were fully booked. 

The next morning, we discovered a swell flea market in the town square – where I bought lovely embroidered vintage linens before we happened upon a tiny outdoor kiosk with wee tables and chairs where we had a typical Sicilian breakfast ($5) of coffee, the sweetest orange juice, and a pastry.

More explorations – Nigel went off to take his photo in front of the building where Inspector Montalbano was filmed – before moving on to Siracusa and the island of Ortigia for Nigel’s raison d’être: the continually operating 2,000-year-old outdoor Greek theater – Teatro Greco – for a performance of Fedra. Stay tuned!

Details

Xeravuli Vini – Small production winery with lovely stone tasting room; degustation menu open weekends. Via Morea, 40/a, Piana degli Albanesi, Sicily 90037 phone: +39 338 598 3284. info@xeravuli.it

ADLER Spa Resort – Transport/trips for guests to the nearby ancient Greek ruins of Agrigento as well pick-up and drop-off from Palermo Airport are also part of the scheme. ADLER Spa is also a child-friendly retreat for families. Contrada Salsa, 92010 Siculiana, Sicily www.adler-resort.com

Ùmmara – Vineria con Cucina – “winery with food” in Scicli, charming small destination with indoor (few) and outdoor tables (make reservations). www.ummara.it

Dammusi Beneventano – Two level lodging built into the stone in Scicli. www.booking.com/hotel/it/dammusi-beneventano.html