Wobbling Winos: Day 5 Granadillo to Sciacca.

Day 5 Granadillo to Sciacca.129 km.

Agriturismo is accommodation that ticks all the boxes and there are some wonderful perks for members. They receive a tax rebate and in return they have to run a restaurant that serves authentic dishes that are made from the ingredients produced in the area. In this way the culture and specialities from the area is preserved.

The friendly farmer waived us on our way after a substantial breakfast.The route was flat and took us through the winelands of Marsala and along the coast where we stopped at Mazara del Vallo, a big fishing port, for a cup of coffee. In 1998, a local fisherman caught a statue of a dancing figure in his nets. It turned out to be an ancient bronze satyr, cast between the fourth and second century B.C.

Further along the coast we passed through seaside villages and that became more like Tunisian villages. Rows of flat roofed houses mostly vacant, probably holiday homes, and roads covered in sea sand.We stopped at Tre Fontane to have a picnic lunch on the front stoep of one of the houses. There was not a tree in sight!! The man who was renovating the house arrived and was quite happy for us to sit there. The last 30 km took us through rolling hills covered in vineyards through Memfi, one of the wine growing areas in Sicily. There are so many vineyards, I am not sure where all the people are to drink the wine. The Sicilians do not drink a lot.

About 10 km out of Sciacca Ian turned on the Garmin to direct us on a cycling route into the city. It put us on a disused road into the town which was blocked off by wire fencing and great big concrete bollards. It was just too far to turn back, the only way out was to lift our heavy bikes over the bollards, no mean feat with the panniers on, but we did. Garmin was not having a good day as it sent us on a very round about way to our hotel , Vittorio Emanuele B&B in the old town for the night, which was very comfortable.

Supper was at Osteria Cappellino which was absolutely delicious. Fish was the main ingredient, sardines, white anchovies, swordfish, local fish, smoked salmon done every way imaginable and very large helpings too! Just what we needed to revive us after our mammoth cycle. We had a fabulous bottle of wine made from Grillo grapes ( same varietal that is used to make Marsala) from Alessandro Di Camporeale. This was a delicious dry white which had good minerality and acid balance. (WW8).