Number 32:
Drinking the third best water in the World and curious Sicilian villages.
One of the enduring pleasures of walking is water and Fred carries many litres for us, so it was such a treat to stop at the Saracen fountain, to drink deeply from the fast flowing, ice-cold water and to fill all our bottles for tomorrow's hiking. The fountain is at the base of Geraci Siculo, our destination on day 2 of our hiking.
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| Saracen Fountain, Geraci Siculo |
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| Geraci Siculo, in the distance, seen from our walk, what looks like rock is the town. |
The towns in this central mountainous area of Sicily cling to mountain tops, the houses spilling down the steep slopes and they have histories dating back to prehistoric times, Greeks settled here in 550 BC, then Romans, then Saracens, then Arabs, then Normans and so on until the feudal era in the eighteen hundreds.
And now their story is one of decline!
Our guide book quotes General George Patton in 1943, as having said that Gangi, one of these remarkable hill towns, was 'the most curious village that I have ever seen'.
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| A favorite moment on the hike, been watched by Sicilian goats. |
I rather agree, having stayed in Enna, hiked up into Gangi and now into Geraci Siculo to our Casa Albergo Maggio with its awesome views, these villages are curious indeed.
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