White cliff steps, golden temples, pistachio everything, warm waters, and perfect pink sunsets everyday.
Scala dei Turchi, or “Staircase of the Turks,” is surreal. Rocks so white against the blue of the sky and sea. And those perfectly straight lines running across the rocks? They look man-made. Turns out, nature has been working on this masterpiece for millions of years. Layers of sediment built up over time, then shifted and tilted as the land rose. Wind and water gradually wore away the softer rock, revealing those striking lines and ridges. Pretty amazing.
We visited the Valley of the Temples at sunset, and the golden hour lighting made it even more impressive. The Temple of Concordia is over 2,400 years old and incredibly well preserved. It was cool to visit what was once part of a thriving ancient Greek city, with thousands of people living and working here.
We hiked up to the ruins near Montallegro, where an an ancient stone settlement once stood. From the top, we had incredible views of the Mediterranean, the surrounding countryside, and the valleys below. The town below is small and quaint, with a view of the past.
We visited a family-owned farm that grows pistachios, almonds, olives, and more. It was really interesting to see how much work goes into growing and harvesting nuts. Both pistachios and almonds have an outer "skin", then a hard shell, and finally the nut inside. All that work for one tiny nut! And they only get one harvest a year. The freshly toasted almonds were my favorite. Pistachios are everywhere in Sicily, and they seem to find a way to put them in just about every dessert.
Slow, peaceful days at the beach. The sand was so soft and silky, almost like flour, and you could walk for miles along the shore. The Mediterranean sun was warm, the water was also warm, and there was nowhere we needed to be. It really felt like paradise. The kind of place that reminds you to slow down and enjoy doing nothing.
We got lucky with beautiful pink and purple sunsets every single evening, right after an Aufguss sauna ritual. The air was warm and still, and everything felt incredibly peaceful. The coolest part was seeing the sun setting over the sea while the moon was already up in the sky.
Next place
Bhutan