Wobbling Winos: Day 4. Trapani to Granatello

EDay 4: Trapani to Granatello (near Marsala). 40km.

A self-catering breakfast in our spacious apartment was followed by a walk around the old town of Trapani. There are many impressive Baroque buildings with a Moorish influence in the main concourse.

We cycled out past the Trapani Port and then the salt works. We passed heaps of smallholdings before turning back to the coast to the old salt works. Salt has been harvested from the sea for many centuries here. There is a massive, yet very shallow bay, dotted with a few islands like Mozia on which extensive Phoenician artifacts and ruins have been found.

We visited the Salt Museum at the salt works of Saline Ettore e Infersa where salt is still produced using a manual system. There is a series of pans where the water is pumped by windmills or hand to pans with ever more concentrated solution. The impurities such as carbonates and sulphates precipitate out in the initial pans, and eventually the salt becomes very high quality, and the Fleur de Sal is scooped off the surface using sieves. The water then evaporates further allowing crystallization of the major proportion. The salt museum is housed in one of the old windmills, with a great view of surrounding pans from the top. The working parts of the mill are made of wood due to problems with erosion.

From here we found a bay teaming with kite surfers giving a great display in the stiff breeze. Great to watch as we had our picnic lunch. Then a short hop to La Arcate, our Agriturismo overnight stop. It is also a function venue where a well dressed crowd were celebrating their children's confirmation. The delightful old owner trotted around helping us with a big smile, shaking his head and gabbling on about "biciclettas biciclettas".

For dinner we were given a huge platter of antipasti and a choice of pasta. Jen settled for ravioli with borage sauce, while I had a generous helping of busiata with sausage and tomato in preparation for the next day's long haul. We are however yet to find wine that gets more than 5 on the WW scale.