Monday, June 12, 2017

Marsala is definitely a lovely town. It is fairly clean (despite some dog owners who do not believe in picking up after their pet) and we could have easily have spent a week here to discover more hidden treasures! Because there is so much to see and do in the area, our 4 days stay will barely suffice… But with a “less is more” frame of mind, we will thoroughly enjoying what we can do!

As we were visiting the main church (Chiesa Madre), we had a personal encounter with one of the church coordinators who so enthusiastically shared his knowledge of the church history and architecture. He then proceeded to take us to a smaller baroque church in the neighbourhood and left us with the custodian, who told us about some renovation projects that took place within these beautiful walls. No organized tours can provide you with this kind of personal encounters… they are so special!

We continued our walk towards Piazza/Porta Garibaldi and came about a large township building (on the left) with a lovely square in the centre: no traffic, no noise, a tall fountain and some tables under some huge trees… What do you say? Lunch? For sure! The only restaurant is called Bar Comunale and if you find it, stay for a while and relax. It is family operated and the Sicilian “Pasta al forno” is home made and delicious.

Mondays are your unlucky days if you plan to visit any museums in Italy! It is baffling, but that’s how it is. We will have to postpone our visit of the Baglio Anselmi museum to another day, hopefully fitting it in on Wednesday morning, before leaving Marsala.

As the evening unfolded, we had to great experiences. For the first one, you would have guessed right if you thought it involved… dinner, of course! Guessing the second one would be very unlikely because it involved live singing by a powerful gospel group on the steps of the cathedral. WOW!

We had dinner at Porkao (www.porkao.it), a superb steakhouse! I never thought I would enjoy a steak in Italy, but my tournedos was perfectly cooked. The restaurant atmosphere was refined, the service impeccable, and everything we ate was delicious!

After you are shown to your table, you are welcomed with a complimentary bruschetta and a glass of champagne. What I love the most when you dine in Italy is that you can take all the time you want… there is absolutely no rush. There is usually a table fee (varying between 2 and 4.50 euros), meaning that the table is yours until you decide to leave. The restaurant was recommended by Andrea, our very nice host, and it definitely has our vote too!

After dinner and music, time for bed!

Ciao,

Anna