We do not have quite so far to drive today, so our pace has slowed a bit. Glenda was up early to watch the sunrise from the veranda. Facing east, it provides a nice view of the valley below and hills beyond. We brewed coffee and had a leisurely breakfast, catching up on emails and blog postings. (We're still behind!)

Fausto and his mother met us as we were loading the car . They both are so warm and friendly, the perfect hosts! (Fausto has a vivacious personality and his lilting accent makes it sound like he's singing when he speaks Italian.) This apartment is definitely on our "return again" list.

Today's plan is to visit the ruins at Segesta, then tour the village of Erice. The roads leading from Monreale to Segesta gave us beautiful views of the mountains and valleys of western Sicily, as well as the Gulf of Castellamare off to the north. While not far from the Autostrada, the ruins of Segesta are located in an area that's quite rural. This gives the ruins a very different character than those we had seen in the crowded cities (Rome), villages (Volterra) and suburbs (Pompeii). Although relatively remote and several miles from the sea, Segesta saw a succession of inhabitants dating back to pre-Hellenic times (5th century BC).

Once again we had beautiful weather, but our late start meant that by the time we got to Segesta the temperature was already in the 30s (near 90º F) . Our first stop was Segesta's famous Doric temple. A short walk from the park entrance, the temple sits on a hill overlooking a deep canyon. Now well past noon, it was getting quite hot, so we opted to skip the steep 2 km climb up to the theater and took an air conditioned shuttle bus instead. This proved to be a wise choice as there was very little shade anywhere along the route to the top. (One wonders what they did for water up here all those centuries ago?) The theater itself was quite impressive, as were the views from its location atop Mount Barbaro. This is definitely one of the best views of any theater we've ever visited. (Although actors might not be too pleased at being upstaged by the views of the countryside.) 

Spent by the mid-day sun, we made our way back to the car and headed onto our next stop - Erice. Since it was mid afternoon we decided to stop in Valderice, where our 'hotel' was located, to check in and get refreshed. This also meant we would be free to do as we pleased for the rest of the day and not have to worry about finding the hotel on a Sunday evening . It turns out that our 'hotel' was formerly a seminary and, while the rooms were somewhat sparse, the complex was large - with lovely grounds and gated parking. We certainly feel safe here, as the Carabinere use this facility to house cadets in training.

The road leading from our hotel to Erice is the site of a weekend road rally, so we are advised to go west and use the road from Trapani to Erice. Never ones to pass up an adventure, we opted instead to take the old road to Erice - a very steep and windy road up the southern side of the 2500 foot mountain. While the curves were a bit hair-raising at times, there was very little traffic. We could only imagine the traffic - buses and all - on the only other road open to traffic this afternoon. We had this road to ourselves and got absolutely stunning views of Trapani below and the fortress above.

Erice is well known for its Norman fortress and its pastries - especially marzipan . We found street parking very near the heart of the town, then walked up the winding maze of streets to the center of town. Lying atop a mountain, most of its centuries old buildings are still intact. We lost count of the churches, alleys and piazzas in this little city. We toured the gardens around the Norman fortress and walked along the pathways outside the fortress that overlook the valley to the south and Trapani to the southwest. Along the way we stop into several of the pasticcerie shops to see the marzipan creations and other dolce for which Erice is famous.

By early evening we were getting hungry and bit tired. Unfortunately for us the restaurants were closed until 8:00 pm, so we decided to head back toward our hotel for dinner. We stopped by the front desk to ask for some ideas and Fheron, the front desk clerk, suggested we try a restaurant on the edge of town.We had noticed the place on our way back from Erice becasue it was packed when we drove by. (It was obviously popular with the locals.) Except for a tuna appetizer that was a bit salty, the food was wonderful - especially the busciatta di mare (a local pasta with seafood). The waiter also suggested we try a Nero d'Avola, an excellent Sicilian red wine that we had read about in The NY Times.

After dinner we returned to the car. It was only then we realized how precarious a parking spot we had chosen. There was no parking at the restaurant, so we parked near a farm field alongside the the busy road that runs past the restaurant. It wasn't the goats grazing in the field that worried us. (They will eat anything - but bumpers?) What worried us was that in the darkness we had parked in a spot that left the front passenger wheel hanging in the air! After very carefully backing out, we returned to the peace and quiet of the hotel.