I have just returned from a week long retreat in Salemi, Sicily. It was an unexpected trip as I only booked it a couple of days before it started. I received an ad on social media, and I was so excited when I read the details that I booked it right away. Once I booked it I asked my husband if he can take care of the garden for a week 😊 He agreed and I was ready to plan my trip.
We were supposed to spend all days in the studio working on our pottery skills, learn how to make traditional Sicilian pasta, visit archaeological sites, enjoy amazing local food, relax with yoga and meditation, and have fun with a group of 8 people plus our teacher and a coordinator. I was so looking forward to this trip, and I must say that it exceeded all my expectations and I had the best time.
I left home on Sunday at 4AM as I had an early flight. I arrived in Palermo very early, but luckily I had organized transport to Salemi where I could check in quite early, and spend the afternoon in bed as it was very hot and I was too tired. We met late in the afternoon with the group and a local guide who walked with us through the city and talked about its history and many interesting details. When I saw other people in the group I knew it would be a good week as they all looked so nice. And I was not wrong.
Today, I'd like to show you the place that was my home for a week. When you happen to be in Sicily, make sure to go to Salemi - trust me, you will love it!
Let's go!
Salemi is a small town located about one hour away from Palermo. It's situated in the hills and the entire town consists of long narrow streets going up and down the hills. The cars barely fits in those streets, so when you see one coming your way you have to hide in the entrances as they would not be able to pass by otherwise. We had a lot of fun with that on Sunday. Our tour guide told us that it's very quiet, and then he was surprised as the cars kept coming and we kept hiding all the time.
It looks like all the houses are built out of same stone, just with different shades of sandy/yellowish/orangey color. The houses are compact, and it almost feels like they were about to hug you.
Salemi was badly damaged in the earthquake of 1968. Most of the old town was destroyed and people moved to the new town down the hill. There was a project to rebuilt the old town, but the population didn't return to this part of the town and most of the houses remain empty. In some parts, it is like a ghost city. These days, there are foreigners who buy these houses to turn them into investment properties though.
Salemi is full of Arabic, Jewish and Christian influence. The narrow winding streets are the reminder of the Arab influence.
Can you see those red flags? Salemi is the third most beautiful place in Italy, and this is why we can see those flags everywhere in the town.
At first, I was confused as all streets look the same, but then we started to joke that all streets in Salemi lead somehow to Piazza Liberta, and it turns out to be true. My Airbnb was only a few meters away from Piazza Liberta, so I always managed to get back.
The old ton is full of various artworks - there are murals, painted stairs, ceramic pieces hanging around, and photos. It reminded me somehow of some streets in Barcelona. It's the perfect place for the retreat!
The photographs show the life in Salemi before the earthquake. I think we can say that the old town is a huge open-air gallery.
There are only a few original elements from the old balconies across the town. These doves are among the last animal sculptures that are preserved as most of them were destroyed in the earthquake. They are precious to the locals.
The earthquake is still present in the town. Some places were reconstructed, but many of them were left in ruins as this disaster is part of history and should be remembered.
I was excited to approach this square as it was the first place from where we could enjoy the views...
And here we go! There is the sea in the back, but we couldn't really see it because of the clouds. You can see that Salemi goes way down the hill, and I knew that that's not where I would go that week as walking back up in that heat would be too difficult.
A fun fact that we learned during our tour was that Salemi was the capital of united Italy for exactly one day 😊
If you feel like going back up, you can walk down the stairs...
Once we enjoyed the views, we continued our walk. We could see that our tour guide was passionate about the town as he kept talking and talking, and we were already running late for dinner 😊
In Salemi, there are many places devoted to various saints, so it is not uncommon to see a sculpture of St. Mary. This square was one of my check points on the way to the studio to make sure that I was walking in the right direction.
Just a few more streets before we reach the convent...
And here we go!
Our ceramic studio is situated in this beautiful former convent. I couldn't wait to go inside...
Wouldn't you enjoy spending a week working in such a place? I loved it! I'm not going to talk about the school as I don't want to promote them here, but you can easily google this place if you wish.
The studio is hidden inside, and when we were not working we were sitting outside enjoying our breakfast, coffee break, and lunch, or we were just simply taking a break to chat and get to know each other. This place brought peace in my soul, and I was feeling true happiness every time I walked through the gate. As soon as I entered on Sunday I knew that I will come back again (although I still had one week ahead of me, but you understand what I mean 😊)
We were really late for dinner, but that's not a tragedy in Italy, so we continued our tour on the way to the restaurant.
We walked along abandoned places...
As well as places full of life...
We also saw the Town house which was so big for such a small place! it was an election day, so it was busy and we couldn't go inside.
There are many dogs living on the streets. In the beginning, it made me feel sad, but then I realized that they just relax all day, come for some pets whenever they want and the locals feed them regularly, so it can't be that bad.
If you look carefully you will see a big dog on this photo. Actually, I only saw big dogs, but they were all so cute and friendly that I wasn't afraid of them at all.
On the way to the restaurant we walked by the castle from where we enjoyed beautiful views...
I didn't visit the castle as I preferred to stay in the studio as much as possible, but I will go up the tower when I visit it next time.
The restaurant was just behind the castle, so we ended our tour and enjoyed tons of food which was so delicious that I couldn't stop even though I was full already. Honestly, I think that I ate as much food in a week in Salemi as I eat at home in a month 😊
Their
Thank you for reading!
Cheers,
Martina
No vida, takže ty jsi tam vlastně byla pracovně :) Třetí nejkrásnější místo Itálie a já o něm nikdy neslyšel, ostuda! :D To by mě zajímalo, kdo a jak ten žebříček sestavoval :)
Krásné městečko, připomíná mi trochu Maltu. Geograficky je to vlastně hned za rohem. Tam jsme taky občas museli autům uhýbat do výklenků ve zdi :D
Moc pěkný článek, těším se na další díly! ;)
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Greetings @delishtreats
What a delightful post....so happy for you that you had opportunity to go and that it met your expectations....how amazing is that?
Oh yes...the food of Italy is part of the experience, memorable, delicious faire.
All the best to you and yours,
Cheers!
Hello @bleujay
Thanks a lot for your kind words. Yes, it is indeed amazing. It all happened so quickly, and I'm really happy that I did it 😊
Actually, the food in Sicily is a bit different to the rest of Italy because of the Arabic influence. You have lots of traditional Italian dishes, but they also season them a bit differently. If you ever happen to be in Sicily make sure to try Caponata. You will love it 😊
All the best to you too and have a lovely day!
Thank you @delishtreats ....appreciate hearing the differentiation in the regional food...I have always wanted to visit Palermo...and your trip was just north of there...so ancient, it will have to be included...as well as the dish 'Caponata'.....sounds intriguing.
We have visited Italy a couple of times..but of course one must visit the 'must see' sites first...and now we have introduction to another region through your beautiful and enlightening post.
Kind Regards,
Bleujay
"The third most beautiful place in Italy"... And in all fairness!... What a beautiful place to walk around and take photos of this style, the streets are so narrow and seem frozen in time... Awwww... Beautiful report, excellent photos @delishtreats friend... As usual, very high quality and 100% appreciable content!... Thank you for sharing!
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Thanks a lot! 😊 It's always so nice to read your comments...
I have seen places where the houses/buildings have different colors which encourages individuality and uniqueness. But seeing the different shades of yellow/orange/brown, I feel it also looks beautiful and elegant. I find the different elevation in the streets interesting. While walking could be difficult for older people, it really gives a lot of character to the place.
I agree, the streets do look elegant 😊 It's difficult to walk there for everyone as those stones are soooo slippery. I can't imagine walking there after the rain 😁
Hope, you're doing well!
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Salemi city is a very beautiful place and I am sure I won’t want leave there if I ever visited there
Also, I’m glad you enjoyed your stay for the week and it is really a good place that fits one’s creativity
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God what a beautiful place to walk around, stroll and enjoy, spectacular views and I love those little streets and the lampposts!
It transports me to that place and with those great pictures even more!!! Thank you so much for this @delishtreats 😃
Thank you! But it's better to really go there and experience it than only enjoy the photos 😊 When you get a chance you should go for it 😉
I am of Italian descent, I would love to walk those streets and I will!!!!
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What a unique, beautiful, and historical place. Superb photography!
Thank you! 😊
I see Sicily as the place to go home officing off-season for a couple of weeks as the island has generaly good connection. And your post only empowered this feeling of mine :) Next May, perhaps - fingers crossed.
Go for it if you can 😊, just bear in mind that Sicily is not a typical Mediterranean island. It gets quite cold off-season and the wind can get very strong. When I was there we had 30 degrees, but it went down to 16 at night and it was really cold with all that wind...
That's kinda typical for Mediterranean islands :))
Not in my experience.. 😊
:)
Thank you for your post! Sicily has a lot of beautiful villages (Noto, Caltagirone, Enna and so many others); same stands with the rest of Italy..Lucky you!
Developing pottery skills sounds like such a cool activity! Never thought about trying it on my own even though I've always found it interesting. But getting to learn it from genuine sources which have been doing this for ages feels nice!
Now, I am going to keep this location on my list, I heard Sicily was beautiful but after seeing your post, I am confirming the location on my bucket list...
It was my first time in Sicily, but I'll be coming back. I find it quite different to other islands in the Mediterranean and so interesting. And that food 😍
I also heard food from Sicily is just chef kiss, too good... Definitely will go to Sicily...
wow, what a cool little town! :)
and what a life it would be to be a dog there.. :P
Well, a bit hot I would say 😂
😜😂✌️
HOT DOG!
Yeah ...all streets look the same ... before the earthquake how beautiful it was ...
The view from the height is absolutely beautiful 👍
Martina, one always wants to go back to beautiful places and this is one of them. Hey, but where are the people from Salemi? 🤔
How did you find the garden upon your return? 😇
I usually don't show people in my posts 😊
My husband took great care of the garden and actually still does because I had an accident there and cut my finger very bad. If you want to see the garden you can check @plantfuljourney as this is where I post about it 😊
Oh, :( sorry about your finger injury. That is painful. I wish it heals soon.
Thanks for the info, I was missing out on those posts. 🙂
Aww, a place exactly to my taste, amazing architecture, narrow streets, all the ingredients to make you want to explore this city even more.
Thank you for showcasing such a charming place.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Hello there 😊 hope you're doing well and enjoying summer.
It's the place to my taste too 😉
Have a great start of the week!
Priceless 🙂
such beautiful views. What a wonderful retreat! such a fun activity to build a week around. Studio time, beautiful views, wonderful food. I could see you getting used to this 😜
Thank you. Oh yes, I'm already looking to book another retreat as I've been missing it so much already.
Hehehehehe I can imagine you all hiding and hiding😂😂 I would love to see a picture of you all hiding when the cars were passing.
Oh, that was really funny indeed, but I'm not sure if anyone has pictures 😂
Lol I can imagine😂😂
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