Favignana island is not what you might expect of a natural park. At this time of the year everything is parched and dusty, but we had a view of a castle, the swimming was wonderful and there was no sign of the mosquitoes that had been plaguing us in the Trapani anchorage. On Monday, Roy and Joanne walked into town and rented bikes for the day while Rick and I caught up on a few chores onboard. We decided to go into town for dinner in the evening, but overlooked one small detail- Favignana town fills to bursting during August. Oops, we should have made a reservation. After trying every restaurant in the town squares, we finally snagged a table and thought our problems were over. Initially, we were distracted by people-watching but eventually we realized we had been there for two and a half hours and still had no food. When numerous pleas to our waiter proved fruitless (he seemed to be saying there was a problema with the cucina) we eventually gave up, settled the bill for our wine and hiked the 1.5 km back to the boat, where we cooked a midnight feast of prosciutto tortellini. In spite of the problem with the restaurant, we had really enjoyed the evening and realized that we'd had most of the fun of dining out, without actually dining! If you hope to eat out in Favignana, I would advise you 1) to make a reservation and 2) to make your reservation somewhere other than the Bar Cono.

We lingered in the anchorage until noon on Tuesday, had one last swim and then headed back to Trapani, where Roy and Joanne treated us to a wonderful dinner and an evening to remember at Cantina Siciliana. At the crack of 10 a.m. on Wednesday, we were on the bus to Segesta, where we toured a 5th century B.C. Doric temple and theatre. The experience of standing inside a 2500-year-old temple was really quite surreal.

On Thursday morning, we picked up our rental car and headed toward Selinunte, where we planned to tour the ruins of an ancient Greek colony. On the way, we stopped at the saltpans of the Riserva Naturale di Stagnone. The site of Mozia (an ancient Phoenician city) was a short boat ride away, but we got distracted with coffee and pastries, debated about whether the detour was worth the time and money and eventually decided to drive on. Beyond the industrial wasteland on the outskirts of Trapani, the views gave way to fields of grapevines, olive trees, melons and wheat, old stone farm huts and the occasional villa. Our Tomtom GPS took us on a wild ride along what appeared to be a farm service road, but we eventually reached Selinunte in the early afternoon. We made a short pit stop to pick up some prosciutto paninis at roadside ristorante, (I suspect that the senore behind the counter has been making paninis since the days of Mussolini) and when we pulled out of the parking lot the car thermometer was reading 41 degrees. We decided we'd better fortify ourselves with a swim before exploring the ruins. I can't remember ever experiencing such intense heat- the heat of the sand burned right through my shoes to the bottoms of my feet when I walked toward the water. It was a bit of a surprise to discover that the temperature of the water was quite bracing, but it was just what we needed. It's hard to beat the experience of treading water in front of an ancient Greek temple! We wondered if we had the stamina to tour the site on such a hot day, but the ancient town planners had obviously chosen an ideal location- with the cooling breeze and lots of shady places to rest, it was actually very pleasant.

The ruins at Selinunte are massive and the fact that visitors are permitted to wander freely through the tumbled columns on the site provides an unforgettable experience. Selinunte dates to the same era as Segesta, but the two cities were not on friendly terms. The enmity was so fierce that Segesta called on their friends the Carthaginians to attack Selinunte, resulting in the city's destruction in 409 BC. Enough remains to give a clear impression of the scope of the original town. On one side of the gorge is an acropolis area with the remnants of five temples. On the other side of the gorge is a magnificent temple, whose isolated position on a grassy hill allows visitors to fully appreciate the beauty of its fluted columns and graceful proportions.

Unfortunately, our wonderful day ended with a mishap when Roy took a tumble on the companionway stairs. (Having made a similar spectacular leap myself just last month, I am wondering if we should install a mattress at the bottom!) Initially, it seemed that no serious harm had been done, but the next morning even getting into the dinghy was difficult. After a visit to the hospital, an X Ray, an ultrasound and more language challenges than we ever want to face again, he was told that he had three broken ribs and should apply ice and take anti-inflammatories. Coughing and laughing should also be avoided. (OK, it was Roy who threw in those last two.)

For Roy, not laughing would be almost as hard as not breathing, and those of you who know him will not be surprised to hear that he maintained his usual upbeat attitude throughout the entire experience. In view of the difficulties with boarding and disembarking from the boat, he and Joanne decided to move to a hotel for their last night in Trapani, but when Rick and I arrived at their door at 7 p.m. (may I borrow your shower, please, oh please...) they had somehow found the time to buy and chill a bottle of Marsala wine. We took the wine to the rooftop patio of the hotel Chiavi di San Francesco and sat looking at the view of Trapani's church domes, then had one last dinner together in a waterfront restaurant recommended by the hotel.

Our adventure was still not quite over. The next day, we took a drive along the shore at Mondello (where finally, we fully understood what people mean when they talk about crowds on Italy's beaches in August) and then drove to Monreale outside Palermo where we toured the magnificent Norman cathedral built by Willam II in 1184. The cathedral has elaborate mosaics depicting biblical scenes on almost every square inch of wall- impossible to absorb it all in a short visit. The adjacent cloister is a lovely, peaceful place, where the intricate carvings and mosaics on the arches and pillars that ring the perimeter have a distinctly Moorish flavour. Just as we were leaving the cathedral, the organ struck up the Wedding March and an Italian wedding began- no one asked the tourists to leave so Joanne and I stood to the side and watched the bride come down the aisle.

After one last gelato, we drove to Palermo and dropped Roy and Joanne off at their hotel, where hopefully they had a nice evening seeing some of the sights before getting on the train to Rome for their anniversary celebration. What will they see on the rest of their journey? We can't wait to hear!

The photo above is of the temple at Segesta- the one below is Selinunte.