9 days on the road in Sicily (West Coast)

An itinerant journey on the road along the beautiful west coast of Sicily, rich in history, culture and delicious food.

Budget: 600 euros (excluding flight - booked on skyscanner.it) Accommodations: hostels booked on www.hostelworld.it, private rooms booked on Arbnb.it / Booking.com Car: booked well in advance (2 months in advance to ensure 300 euros for the 9 days) Luggage: 40L backpack, small day trip backpack and a pouch.

Itinerary 1- Landing in Cinisi (Palermo Falcone and Borsellino Airport) 2- Visit to the city of Palermo and Mondello beach Accommodation: Hostel Exclusive Dependance (excellent location to easily reach the historic center, spacious and clean rooms, the price per night is 15 euros) What to visit in Palermo: - Cathedral and Norman Palace - Massimo Theater - Promenade and port Mondello is easily reachable by public transport from the center of Palermo. Unmissable stop: - Piccola gelateria Brioscià for a real Sicilian brioche with homemade ice cream.

Street Art in Palermo

3- San Vito lo Capo A little corner of paradise. I had arrived in the afternoon and I struggled to find a place for my towel, so I recommend going there early in the morning. Accommodation: Hostelleria Hostel in Trapani (the hostel is modern and in the historic center, there is also a shared kitchen and free breakfast, the price per night is 13 euros).

4- Trekking in the Oriented Natural Reserve of the Zingaro To reach the Zingaro Nature Reserve from Trapani, a car is highly recommended. The trek connects San Vito lo Capo and Scopello and presents various walking options. I walked the easy one of 7km that runs along the coast. It is possible to stop in the various coves that meet. It is preferable to go trekking in a whole day as the coves are quite distant from each other and the trekking is quite tiring, especially in summer with the heat. The entrance to the park costs 5 euros and it is possible to visit it from 7:00 to 19:30 in summer and from 8:00 to 16:00 in winter.

Useful tips: - Bring a packed lunch and water (there are NO refreshment points inside the park) - Bring a hat and sunscreen to protect yourself from the sun - Trekking with sneakers (I didn't even wear flip-flops) - Bring a beach towel - Bring shoes for the rocks (I would have taken them if I had known it previously. I would have gladly avoided foot pains for the rocks and rocks) - Bring a diving mask or goggles

It is impossible to get lost!

Disa's cove

5- Egadi Islands: Favignana Before leaving for Favignana, an obligatory stop at the Antica Pasticceria Colicchia for a granita and a cannolo!! From Trapani, Favignana is easily reachable by a ferry that can be booked online (25 euros round trip). On the island I recommend renting a bike (10 euros) for the whole day.

Useful tips: - Take the first ferry that leaves Trapani at 7:30 am to avoid the hordes of tourists that crowd the island during the day. - If you don't want to spend a fortune in the bars and restaurants on the island, I recommend buying food and water before leaving. - Sunscreen, hat, diving mask and shoes for the rocks are essential.

Red Cove

Bue Marino Cove

6- Erice and Mothia's salt pans at sunset. Erice is a medieval village perched at a height of 750m s.l.m. It can be easily reached by car (parking is subject to charges) or by cable car which was closed when I went. I recommend getting lost in the streets of this wonderful village and enjoying the breathtaking view. The salt pans of Mothia are easily accessible by car. I did the tour in the Stagnone Lagoon, circumnavigating the Island of Mothia, for the modest sum of 10 euros. I then waited for the sun to go down on the salt pans and color them a beautiful bright orange. A unique show ( for free!!). Accommodation: AG Guesthouse in Marsala (very central location, clean room and bathroom, the cost per night 45 euros)

Erice

Sunset on Mothia's salt pans

7- Visit to Marsala and Selinunte Archaeological Park Visit in the morning to Marsala. After lunch I headed to the Selinunte Archaeological Park, a real open-air museum. The park is huge, covering more than 270 hectares in total. I only covered a small part on foot but it is also possible to go around the park with a paid train. In the park it is possible to see the acropolis which is by far the most suggestive part because it ends overlooking the sea, numerous temples, a small museum and two necropolis. The cost of entry is 6 euros and entry goes from 9:00 to 18:00. Accommodation: Hostel Dimora in Agrigento (a little inconvenient to reach, but the rooms were really spacious and the bed very comfortable, the price per night is 15 euros).

Acropolis

7- Archaeological Park of the Valley of the Temples and Turkish steps in Agrigento The Valley of the Temples is an archaeological park famous all over the world and easily accessible by car and public transport. The entrance to the park for young people aged 18 to 25 costs 5 euros (from 25 years upwards 10 euros). The park opens from 10:00 to 19:00 from Monday to Friday.

Useful tips: - Bring a sun hat (In the summer months it seems to be in the middle of the desert, it felt like laughing 45 degrees) - In the park there is a refreshment point and a couple of fountains with drinking water

Turkish steps is a white granite rock facing the sea that was, unfortunately, inaccessible to tourists when I went there (August 2020). However, it is still possible to admire it from above. Wonderful! Absolutely not to be missed!!

Valley of the Temples

Turkish steps

8- Cefalù Cefalù is an adorable seaside town not far from Palermo (which I however reached from Agrigento). Advice: - Take the takeaway dinner and enjoy the sunset on the panoramic terrace Bastione di Capo Marchiafava. Accommodation: Art Decò B & b (room and private bathroom, excellent location not far from the train station and the historic center, price per night 35 euros).

Sunset seen from the panoramic terrace

Street of the historic center of Cefalù

9- Cefalù and back to the airport

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