走進童話世界 - 意大利Alberobello (Alberobello, Puglia, Italia)

決定到東南意旅行，除左因為見到Matera的靚相外，另一個吸引我的便是那些蘑菇屋 - Trulli。第一次在網上見到，覺得這些屋仔很可愛，整個鎮也很可愛，所以最方便的便是Matera, Alberobello等地方放在同一個trip，一次過滿足晒自己的願望。

到Alberobello，交通也不是太多選擇。最方便的，還是從Bari出發，可乘由Ferrovie de Sud Est 營運的火車或巴士，一個半小時便到，費用也是一程4.9歐羅，一日來回也很好 (當然，想慢慢的感受小鎮文化及嘗試住進蘑菇屋，2-3天也是不錯!)

火車
一日大約有5-6班火車，集中在早上，同樣地由Bari Centrale出發，到Alberobello。Bari 車站也是在Bari Centrale stazione 旁，建議去到問問當地職員，不要誤會是Centrale stazione 的platform呢。

可能東南面的地方大多是小鎮，星期日及公眾假期也沒有火車到Alberbello的，所以我們也只可搭同公司營運的巴士。

巴士
一日大約有5-6班，全天也有，方便下午沒車到Alberobello的人，可下午/晚上才到Alberobello，價錢較火車便宜一點，只是4.1歐羅，車程也只是1小時45分鐘多一點。中途也停很多不同站 (可到營運公司網頁看看有什麼站呀)，不過因為有一半人也是到Alberobello旅行，所以到站時司機也會提你下車呢!

至於上車地方，則與下車不同，所以記得預先上網看看上下車地點，再看看地圖! 特別是上車回程的地點，車站十分不顯眼，是在一間街角Cafe & Bar的對面，也很少人上車，所以我們初時也怕找錯了地方呢! 但可以到Cafe & Bar問問職員，他們也會很友善搭你的呢!

車票呢? 巴士的車票不可以在網上買，只可以到時間在店買。在意大利有一個很特別的習慣，就是可以到Cafe & Bar,或是報檔買車票~就連長途車票也是呢!

今次到Alberobello旅行，也是遇著復活節，商店沒開，只好試試到Cafe買票。在網上查了一下可買票的Cafe，盲摸摸的周圍找，由於怕找不到，我們一早便出門，也走了好一段路，才找到Cafe & Bar的街道 (要知道，有時間在意大利街道名稱確是很不好找!) 但兜了又兜，也找不到網站上寫明的Cafe名，唯有走入另外一間Cafe問問! 真好遇著一個超好人的Cafe老闆，他帶我出去Cafe外的報檔，還幫我和報檔老闆說呢! (始終我的意大利文還是一般般，而最重要的是，我說得出意大利文，但聽不明他們說什麼呢!)

但東南意的美麗之處就是，這裡大部份人也很好，特別可能較少亞洲人到這裡旅行，他們都好喜歡和你們談天，(我用有效的意大利文溝通，而他們大部份也不懂英文的!)

由於時間尚早，便在Cafe吃個早餐，再到車站等車。同樣地，這條街也有2-3個站，而每個站也是不顯眼的。我發現，在Puglia地區，車站牌是高高的掛起，沒有圖畫或LOGO，只有細細的車公司名，你也不能確定對不對的呢! 有時候要留意是車站牌還是給駕駛人士看的路牌呢!

下車後，最好問當地人怎樣到Trulli，因為下車的地方是在一般的街道，而且城鎮較細，只好問人怎樣走。

說回Alberobello，Alberobello以她的蘑菇屋聞名。這些蘑菇屋名叫Trulli，那圓錐形屋頂是由一塊一塊細小的石頭疊砌而成，當中更沒有用任何水泥興建! 聽說在中古世紀時，當時的農民漁民收入不高，為了逃稅而砌成蘑菇屋，到收稅時把屋頂推掉，裝成沒人住的，便可以不用交稅，然後數天過後再從新興建。

居民更會在屋頂上以白漆畫上不同得符號，有的說是宗教色彩，亦有人說是用來驅魔。而Alberobello亦於1996年正式納入世界文化遺產。

大約走15分鐘，見到遊人開始多，便知道差不多到了，當一路走仍是普通的白色小屋時，突然間，你會發現，對面馬路便是一整排的蘑菇屋! 好有 柳暗花明又一村的感覺! 一見到蘑菇屋，我真的十分興奮!因為實在太特別，太神奇，又好唔真實! 隨意走走，每一角落也是影相位!! 當然，一個地方漸漸開始為人熟悉時，遊客商店也自然多了 (幸好在很多外國遊客當中，Alberobello仍然不是很有名，所以整體仍不會有那種人山人海的感覺)。

Alberobello有3條蘑菇村，我認為只走一條也夠了，而且村落很細，走2-3個小時便可以走完了~! 當然，也可住進蘑菇屋酒店啦!

回程時若是乘火車的話，必經另一小鎮Martina Franca，也是一個值得一去的地方，可惜我們當日沒有火車，所以也沒機會和沒時間到那裡走走呢!




Besides Matera, the Trulli in Alberobello are the other things I want to see during my South-eastern Italy trip. The first time i saw the "trulli" photos on the internet, I just found it so lovely. The whole village is just like a wonderland in storybook. As Matera and Alberobello is not far away, it's good to visit these 2 places during my trip.

There is not much choice on transportation to Alberobello. Again, the most convenient one is taking train or bus from Bari, which are operated by Ferrovie de Sud Est. It takes around 1.5 hr and the cost is around 4.9 euro. It is good for a day trip from Bari. (of course, for those who like to explore the culture, you can choose to stay in the "Trulli" hotel for 2-3 days!)

Train
There are around 5-6 trains to and from Bari and Alberbello, setting off from Bari Centrale, but most of them run by the noon time. Again, the platform is not in the main area of the Bari Centrale stazione, and it is better to check with the station staff for the right platform

Maybe because most of the cities are small towns or less tourist known cities (just I guessed), most of the trains don't run on Sunday and Public holidays (same as trains to Matera), and thus, we have to take bus to there last time.

Bus
There are 5-6 buses whole day, so it is more convenient for those who want to go to Alberobello in the afternoon or at night. For bus, it is slightly cheaper, just costs 4.1 euro and takes you about 1hr 45 mins to get there. There are more stops before arriving Alberobello but the driver will let the tourists know once arriving Alberobello.

However, the location taking the bus back Bari is different from where you get off. So, you should check the location on the map or on internet in advance. We had some difficulties to locate the bus stop when we headed back to Bari, the stop is not obvious (and indeed most of the bus stop in south-east italy are not obvious...), it is located across the street with a Cafe & Bar at the corner. You may check with the staff at the bar anyway.

What about the fare? We can't buy the bus ticket online so you have to get to the shop. And in Italy, they will sell bus tickets in cafe & bar, or newspaper stands!

As it was Easter holiday when we went to Alberobello and most of the shops closed during holiday, we can only buy the tickets in the cafe. After checking the internet the addresses of the cafes, we just went and tried to find out where the shop was. It's not easy to find, even we went to the right street. At first, we couldn't locate the shop as shown in the website, and so, we just went to one of the cafe and asked the boss. Luckily we met a nice nice Italian and he led us to the newspaper stands just outside the cafe and brought the tickets. We have chatted for a while too. (But it's difficult to communicate with them with my "un po' italian")

What's the beauty of South-east Italy that attracts me? It's the people there. Maybe because not many Asian people travelling there, they are all very nice to us.

After buying the tickets from the newspaper stand, we had our breakfast at the same cafe and waited for the bus at the bus stop. There are indeed 2-3 bus stops on the same street and the bus stop sign is not obvious! They don't have any company logo or pics or bus graphics, but just some italian only. You have to check clearly if the bus stop is for your bus!

Once arriving Alberobello, I suggested to check with the locals there the direction to the trulli village. The place where you get off the bus is just a normal street and it's not easy to figure out where you are indeed.

Talking about Alberobello, it is famous for its "trulli" houses. A trullo is a small dwelling built from the limestone, with conical roof. It was said that in the middle ages, the peasant workers designed the trulli to avoid taxes and fool the authorities, pretending no one was living there as the trulli could be disapossessed easily. And a few days later, they can then reconstruct the house again rapidly. 

Some of the roofs have a symbol painted on it, such symbols may include religious symbols or with astrological meaning. In 1996, Alberobello became the UNSECO World Heritage.

After walking for 15 mins, you are almost there! It was so excited to find the "Sea" of trulli in front of me and they were just amazing! Everywhere just catch your attention and your camera, too! And of course, when a place becomes more popular, tourist shops are getting more but for Alberobello, luckily the situation is still acceptable as I really don't like crowded place.

There are 3 trulli villages in Alberobello and I just went to one of them, (to me, i think it's enough). And the village is quite small so it just takes you 2-3 hours to walk around. But of course, you can stay in the trulli hotel and experience the beauty of it overnight!

If you are taking train back to Bari, you can stop by another small town, Martina Franca, which is also worth to go. I would definitely visit it if I have time next time!

這個Cafe 老闆很好人的呀!教和幫我買車票，仲專登整熱三文治 (剛剛開店沒有暖的) 給我呢 (我不太喜歡吃凍的三文治)

He is the nice nice guy from the Cafe! He even heated up the sandwiches for me (I don't like eating cold sandwiches...) 

在進入真正蘑菇前，會經過一些普通的店 

Before arriving the Trulli village, you have to pass through this street 

就連教堂也是蘑菇屋頂呢! Even the church was built in the same "trulli" style!

部份蘑菇屋屋頂漆上符號，有些帶有宗教或驅魔意思

Some of the roofs have a symbol painted on it, such symbols may include religious symbols or with astrological meaning

令人嘆為觀止的 Matera (Matera, Basilicata, Italia)

不知什麼時候，在網上看到有人分享Matera的照片，然後，一眼便愛上了。Matera是一個歷史悠久的城市，現在分為新城和舊城，而吸引我的，就是舊城Sassi區，亦即是因地形而成，古人依山洞而建成的一個又一個洞窟小屋。

於是，亦決定到南意旅行時必要到Matera走走。

Matera這個地方，就在高跟鞋的鞋跟處，交通其實有點不方便。一般可以由Napoli果邊坐巴士去，但我因為主要到Puglia地區，所以只可從Bari坐車過。其實從Bari到Matera，只有Ferrovie Appulo Lucane (FAL)營運巴士或火車 (價錢一樣是4.9歐羅)

火車
從Bari Centrale 到Matera Centrale 車站，約一個半鐘多少少，每日都有約10多班火車來往，所以十分方便，但是火車只可去到Matera Centrale 車站，與Sassi 區約20分鐘路程，只要出火車站後，面向車站的停車場，左手邊出口是馬路，向前方走便會看到~!

但是有一點要注意，火車星期日和公眾假期是不行走的!所以大家一定要上網檢查一下時間表才出發!

可以先在網上訂票，但其實不會太多人，而且不是設指定座位的，所以建議大家不用先行訂票，可以Flexible 一點~

提提大家，Bari-Matera路線在火車站的另一邊月台,即是在哪? Bari Centrale 其實係大車站，主要用作城市與城市之間的長途火車，是trenitalia的火車多，而FAL 其實是Bari Centrale毗鄰在一起的車站，所以入到Centrale車站，最好問問人FAL月台在哪~或是從Centrale火車站外面找找一幢黃色的建築物就是FAL車站喇!

巴士
假日和公眾假期，就只可以選擇巴士喇! 時間也是1小時45分鐘，較火車耐15分鐘多一些，所以其實也不錯的! 而且巴士也舒服，不怕太舊

巴士站在Bari V. Turati Mater Dei 到Matera P.za Matteotti，其實從Bari出發，會停好幾個站，我自己在Bari Centrale火車站那條大馬路，平常會有不同長途巴士在這裡上落客，較易找到巴士站，Matera站也是在Matera Centrale旁，所以不難找。

由於巴士是設座位的，我建議大家可先行網上訂票，把確認信印出來上車便可。想Flexible多一點，也可以到店買，但我去時因為是復活節，很多時商店也關門了~所以也不知在哪裡呀!

到Matera主要都是為了Sassi區，走進舊區，其實也只是在城裡走走，可到教堂看看，教堂在山涯旁，在側面看過去，便會看到Matera地勢的特色 --- 石灰岩 ，因為地質鬆軟，造成很多大少不一的洞或裂縫，當地人便在這些地方建房子，成為洞窟小屋，最後被稱為 Sassi。

在matera古城望過對面山，在山頂上有3個大十字架，為什麼呢?原來以前有套戲《受難曲》在Matera取景，建了這３個十字架，所以很多人也會專程到對面山看看，而且，從對面上望回舊城，可以一覽整個舊城風貌呢。

不過怎樣過對面？問過酒店，可以叫的士載過去，因為好像沒有巴士過去的，而我們呢？由於慳家嘛，所以決定來個行山！！怎樣過？在舊城馬路邊，有２個位置有樓梯落到山坡下，到山腰後，其他兩山之間是隔著河的，然後怎麼辦？就看看大家大膽與否，就是想辦法自行找個較安全的位置過河喇！　過了河後，再找找山徑，（因為很多外國人也這樣做，所以是有條山路可走上山的）其他整體也不太危險的呀！

大約過到對面山，我想應該用２－３小時吧（加上中間影影相，休息等等）
回頭路怎算？也是從原路走回對面山吧!

或者也可問問Tourist office 有沒有其他交通吧!

到Matera遇上復活節，很多餐廳下午也只做復活餐，我們揀了一家在舊城區望向內城的餐廳，雖然價錢好像是30歐羅一個人，但真的吃得好飽好飽!吃完前菜後，來了另一碟前菜，再來了Pasta，以為夠了!原來還有肉 (因為意大利人的餐一般是Antipasti, First Course, Second Course 才是肉的!) 最後，甜品也有2款，吃了足足3小時，加上有紅酒和白酒，真的飽到我們晚上也吃不了什麼!

到Matera,建議住進由洞窟改建而成的酒店，因為這樣才能深深感受一下古時人民的洞窟生活。我更加大力推薦Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita ，詳情可看另一篇blog!



The first time I saw the photo of Matera from the internet, I knew that I have fallen in love with it. Matera is a historical town, with a newly developed part and the old town -- Sassi. Because of the limestone rocks, cave houses dug into the rocks and made this as the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage.

Therefore, I decided to go to Matera during my Easter trip to Italy.

Situated on the southern part of Italy, actually the transportation is not that convenient. Some people travel to Matera from Napoli by bus, as my trip was mainly based in Puglia area, the most convenient way to Matera will be taking train or autobus from Bari. The transport is operated by Ferrovie Appulo Lucane (FAL). (Both cost 4.9 euro)

Train
The train takes about 1.5 hrs from Bari Centrale to Matera Centrale, and there are more than 10 trains to and from Bari. After arriving Matera Centrale, go out from the train station, you will find the car park connected with the station. Facing the carpark, on your left, there is the main road and from there, keep walking for 20 mins and you will arrive the Sassi district.

But remember that train doesn't run on Sundays or public holidays and therefore, you have to check the time table before travelling there!

And you can also buy the train tickets online but to my opinion, as there is always seats available so it's not necessary to buy it in advance!

And you have to bear in mind that the FAL train station actually is adjucent to Bari Centrale (not in the Centrale station as it is mainly for trains of trenitalia) So where is platform for FAL trains? If you go through the Centrale station, you better ask the staff there for the FAL platform instead! Or from the outside, you can find the yellow building next to Centrale station and that may be easier to reach the platform!

Autobus
During Sundays and public holidays, only autobus runs from Bari to Matera, and it also takes you around 1 hr 45 mins, just a little bit longer than train. So it is indeed not a bad choice!

The bus stop -- Bari V. Turati Mater Dei  to Matera P.za Matteotti; there are several stops in Bari and the one outside Bari Centrale station should be the easiest one. There is a main road just outside the station and you can find various bus stops taking up tourists there. Just ask and you will know! And the bus also takes you to Materal Centrale station (bus stop is next to the station)

As there is limited seat for each bus, it is better to buy tickets online in advance. Just print out the e-ticket and show to the driver when you onboard. You can also buy tickets at shop, but most of the shops close during Easter holiday when I travelled there last time, so I highly recommended to buy it online!~

Visiting the Sassi area of Matera, you can just walk around, visit the church, etc. The church was built on the edge of the hill and you can see the limestone structure from there. 

From the Sassi area, you will find 3 huge crosses on the opposite mountain. Why? Because it was the movie scene of "The Passion of the Christ"  and it is now becoming one of the tourist spot of Matera. And the view from the mountain is great too as you can also have a magnificent view of the Sassi area.

But how to get to the mountain? We checked with the hotel staff, they suggested us to call taxi to get there as it seems that no bus will go there. Of course, we will save the money from that, and decided to go hiking! There are 2 road getting down the hill and you will find a small river. Just find a safe path and cross the river, then you will find another path go up to the hill. It will take around 2-3 hrs (including some rest time, and taking photos). And how to go back? We chose to use the same road back......

Or maybe you can check with the Toursim office and see any other ways to get there then!

It was Easter holiay when we visited Matera and therefore, many restaurants just offered Easter meal. We chose a restaurant with a stunning view of part of the old sassi area, the meal costed around 30 euro per person but you will definitely get so full after having the lunch! We had soup and some salad, then a pasta when we were almost full, they gave you another dish -- meat! And then 2 more desserts, too! (Also red and white wine.....) 

We booked a hotel - Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita , which transformed the caves into hotel room. We highly recommended you to choose these kinds of hotels so as to truely experience the culture and lifestyle of people in the past! You can find out more and the photos of the hotel in another article in this blog.

  

這條小路走下去便是山腰

大家自行找個安全的位置過河吧! Just find a safe place to cross the river!

意大利麵包條 Grissini

意大利麵包條大家一定試過! 其實也不太難做!

參考了網上的不同做法，我大旨上也用了台灣CAROL老師的食譜，

可是因為第一次用錯方法，本想早一晚準備好老麵麵團，最後還是第二朝一早再重新做過



(份量約可做20,30多條，視乎你喜歡每條的厚薄)

老麵麵團︰

高筋麵粉 125g

速溶酵母 1/4 tsp

冷水 75g

鹽 1/4 tsp



我用BOSCH M5

1. 將麵粉過篩，加入鹽、酵母，先用1度攪勻，再轉3度，慢慢加入水，直至成為光滑麵團

2. 表面噴少少水，放入盆中，用保鮮紙包好，發酵2-3小時至2倍大 (如早一晚造，可將麵團放入雪櫃冷藏至翌日




主麵團:

老麵種 100g

高筋麵粉 250G

全麥麵粉 50g (我沒用，全改用高筋麵粉)

Parmesan cheese 3 tbsp (可以不用，其實隨意也可，視乎你多喜歡芝士啦~)

速發酵母 1/2tsp

砂糖 10g

牛奶 180g

無鹽牛油 20g



1. 將高筋麵粉、麵種、砂糖、速發酵母、cheese混合搓揉，(1度 à 3度)

2. 上勾後，慢慢加入牛奶，最後才加入牛油，搓揉直至起蔣膜

3. 將麵團滾圓，放入盆中發酵1小時至2倍大

(若天氣開始冷，一般我也喜歡放入焗爐，加杯熱水有助發酵，因為天氣太次會阻礙酵母活動)

4. 取出排氣，麵團靜至15-20分鐘

5. 將麵團擀成長方形，(建議可以薄一點，這樣才能較脆口)，用刀切成一條條，每條之間需有少少空間，表面掃蛋白(或水也可)，灑上白芝麻 (也可不加，或加CHEESE芝好~)

6. 作第2次發酵約45-60分鐘

7. 預熱焗爐170度，焗15分鐘至表面金黃色便可!



Grissini is one of my favourite Italian food and it is more yummmmmy if you can just make it at home by yourself!

Taking reference recipes online and I have used Ms Carol (from Taiwan)’s recipe. Unfortunately I planned to do the sour dough a night before, but I just got something wrong and have to do it in the morning the other day……



(servings: around 20-30 pcs, depends the thickness of your grissini)

Sour dough:

Bread flour 125g

Instant yeast 1/4 tsp

Cold water 75g

Salt 1/4 tsp



I use my BOSCH M5 (^.^)

1. Sift the flour, add salt, yeast and mix it @1, adjust to @3, gradually add water until a smooth dough is formed

2. Put in the bowl, you can spray some water on the surface, wrap it with film cling, set aside until doubled in size, around 2-3 hour (if you make it a night before, put the dough into the fridge)



Main dough:

Sour dough 100g

Bread flour 250g

Whole wheat flour 50g (you can use bread flour)

Parmesan chees 3 tbsp (optional)

Instant years 1/2tsp

Sugar 10g

Milk 180g

Unsalted butter 20g



1. Sift the flour, add sour dough, sugar, yeast and cheese, (bosch M5, @1 à @3)

2. Gradually add in milk until a smooth dough is formed, add butter at last, mix and knead until it is smooth and elastic (you can test if a thin layer is formed)

3. Gather the dough into a ball, put in a bowl and cover it with film cling, set aside for around an hour until doubed in size

(usually if the weather is getting cold, I like to put the dough into the oven with a cup of warm water; it can help accelerate the yeast’s activity while cool temperature may stop the yeast from working)

4. Take it out, stretch and roll the dough to free the air inside, set aside for 15-20 mins

5. Roll the dough into rectangular shape, (if you like a crispy texture you can make it thinner), cut into pieces as breadsticks, leave some spaces between each breadstickers; brush the sticks with egg white (or water) and sprinkle with white seasame (or cheese if you like)

6. Set aside for 45-60mins

7. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees and bake for 15 mins until it is golden brown

《尋找西西里的美麗傳說》- 沉醉於TRAPANI海岸線 (Fallen in love with Trapani) (Trapani, Sicilia)

Trapani是西西里島西面的沿岸城市之一，不少西班牙或歐洲航班也飛抵Trapani的Birgi Airport (其實大部份歐洲內陸航班也選擇西西里首府Palermo或第二大城市Catania)。

很多人說Trapani沒有什麼特別, 待一天多便夠了。或許就是沒有期待，卻為今次的旅程帶來更大驚喜。

從西班牙Giorna機場飛抵Trapani 約2小時，不少旅人也會再在Trapani立刻起程到Trapani附近的山城Erice 或鹽田Marsala, 但我們卻選擇在Trapani逗留2天~並作為今次環遊西西里的起點，探索西西里的美麗傳說。

Trapani擁有美麗的海岸線，不論是清晨或是黃昏，那攝人美景實在令人陶醉其中。黃昏時份，海面平靜如鏡，泛著金黃的餘暉，加上沿岸充滿地中海風情、高低不一的矮樓，在這裡更能感受到西西里美麗的神話。

到Trapani旅遊，亦可選擇前往附近的Aegadian Islands (Isole Egadi) 與西西里東面的火山小島Eolie Islands (Isole Eolie) 相比，Egadi名字較為少人熟悉。Isole Egadi在Trapani西面，由3個小島組成，從Trapani乘船(USTICA lines)出發到其中一個小島較近的小島Favignana也只是20分鐘 (快船，也有便宜一點的慢船，由另一船公司營運，約1小時航程)，十分適合作為一天旅遊。小島擁有藍天碧海，當地人靠捕漁為生，尤以吞拿魚產量最為豐盛，所以到Egadi一定要吃當地的吞拿魚。

西西里出名是黑手黨的古鄉，皆因是歐洲黑手黨的發源地。不少人說到西西里旅遊很危險，但說實在的，在這10天的行程中，我不但一點危險的感覺也沒有，卻在西西里感受到在其他歐洲大城市沒有的熱情。或許西西里仍不是亞洲人的熱門旅遊之地，在Trapani我們沒有遇見到一個華人，當地人每每看見我倆黑頭髮黃皮膚的經過，總也投以友善的目光，更試過有個西西里人從對面街特意大聲和你SAY HI!! 我們也試過在公路山截順風車呢!

 西西里的美麗，不單是源於西西里的醉人美景，卻是因為當地人的好客與熱情。The beauty of Sicily, is not only from the picturesque scenery but it is because of the passion and the hospitality of the locals.

Trapani is one of the coastal cities in western Sicily. Some flights from Spain or other European cities fly to the Birgi Airport of Trapani. (Most of the flights choose to fly to Palermo, the capital city of Sicily or Catania, the second largest city of Sicily instead)

Many people said that there is nothing special or worth to see in Trapani and a day there will be far more enough. Maybe because I didn’t have much expectation when first arriving Trapani, it turned out to be a big surprise for me.

It took me 2 hrs to fly from Giorna, Spain to Trapani, and most of the people like to head to Erice (situated on a hill above the sea and Trapani) or the seaside town, Marsala which is famous for its marine area with salt ponds. Instead, I chose to stay at Trapani for 2 days and began my exploration of the beauty of Sicily.

Trapani has a marvellous coastal line. Whether it’s at the sunset or at dawn, its fantastic scene just made me speechless. During sunset, the sea is as calm as a mirror, the reflection of the golden sunset together with the highs and lows of Mediterranean Italian architecture, unveils the myth and the beauty of Sicily.

Staying in Trapani, you can also visit Aegadian Island (Isole Egadi), a group of small mountainous islands off the northwest coast of Sicily. Comparing to the Eolie Islands (Isole Eolie), Egadi may be less known by the tourists.

  

From Trapani to Egadi it just takes you around 20 mins by ferry (of course, there is a cheaper one with an hour’s trip), it is perfect for a short day trip out there. With the blue sky and the green sea (yes, it is green to my opinion!), people there make their living from tuna fishing, (as the water are known as the “highways of tuna fish”) and that is why you shouldn’t miss having tuna dishes for lunch or dinner when you visit there!

Sicily is the motherland of the Mafia. Many said it’s dangerous to travel in Sicily (even I heard the locals said so). But during my 10-days trip in Sicily, what we felt is the warmth and passion of Sicily instead of dangerous, which you cannot find in any other large European cities. Maybe Sicily is not a popular travel destination of people from Asia, I haven’t seen any Asian in Trapani, thus when we were there, people always look at us with a friendly smile! A Sicilian even said HI to us across the street! And we got a free ride from them when we missed a bus stop visiting the Valle dei Templi (Valley of the Temples) in Agrigento! The driver and his friend even asked if they need to pick us up after our visit!

Tranpani日落景色十分醉人 The stunning and romantic view at Sunset

到Favignana可選乘快船，約9歐羅一程，也不便宜呀!  Taking ferry to Favignana costs around 9 euro one way! It's not cheap indeed!

在小島可做什麼? 當然可以租單車環島一圈吧! 約5歐羅便可租一整天，我們用了2-3小時隨意的走，也走了差不多細半個小島!

What you can do on the island? Let's rent a bike! It costs around 5 euro for a day and we cycled for 2-3 hrs and visited less than a half of the island!

  

 為什麼我愛上西西里? 其中一個原因是它那綠綠藍藍的海，而且整個小島遊人不多，有時真的很害怕到滿街旅客的城市旅遊的! 

Why I fall in love with Sicily? One of the reasons is the blue blue sea. I just can't express how much I love the sea in Sicily! And since it's still not as popular as other European cities, at least it won't have too many tourists around

Favignana地圖，島可大致分為左右兩邊，碼頭在島的中間位置，我們從碼頭向左走，繞了半圈，在廣場中吃克午餐便回程了

The map of Favignana. Basically this island can be divided into 2 part, the pier is in the middle of it 

在西西里一定不能錯過任何一次食海鮮的機會! 青口從來不是我的Favourite ，但這裡的藍青口簡直鮮甜、超級嫩滑得我想一吃再吃!

You shouldn't miss having seafood in Sicily! I'm not so into mussels when I am in Hong Kong, but I just couldn't resist the freshness of the mussels on the island!

巧遇西西里的傳統節慶 

 西西里的傳統美食 -炸飯團 Traditional food of the Sicily -- Arancini!