Volume 10 - Issue 1, February 15, 2008 - Lake Chapala Review

Page 36 Lake Chapala Review
February 2008
Monreale to the Virgin Mary. With its lavish Arabic,
Byzantine and Norman traditional Romanesque architecture
it is a breath-taking sight to behold. Mosaics made from
small particles of colored glass placed on tesserae tiles
emblazon 6,340 square metres of the interior walls and
ceilings. It is the second largest display of mosaics in the
world. This cathedral also houses three Royal tombs, a
reddish, porphyry one of King William 1,”The Bad”, and
the white marble tomb of his son, William”The Good”
and that of his mother Margaret of Navarre. I visited
this magnificent Cathedral on my trip to Sicily and was
inspired by the everlasting mosaics depicting Biblical
historical events from the birth of Christ to his death and
much more.
Since, time was running out on our trip we decided
to follow up the invitation of our young Sicilian friend,
Angelo, and visit his home in Trapani where we received
an exuberant welcome. While not as large as most
ancient Sicilian cities it became important in 260 B.C.
when it was known as the harbor of Eryx (Erice), the
name being derived from the Greek word “sickle” as both
t he city of Messina and Trapani at opposite ends of the
island have sickle-shaped promontories making them
excellent harbors. Trapani is almost two cities, the one
section with its narrow streets and fantastic fish markets
(couscous being their specialty), and the new town with its
maze of one-way streets and rather hideous architecture.
The shallow lagoons south of Trapani have been used
for salt production since ancient times. Traditionally
windmills were used to pump the water from the great
pans. However, the trade is now undergoing a revival with
modern methods. .
After our exuberant welcome to Trapani Angelo insisted
that we spend our last two days here so he could show us
some of the most fascinating sites. And so it was that on
our last day in Trapani Angelo and his charming fiancé,
Lolita took us on a trip to Mount Erice, his favorite haunt.
We drove through a lush agricultural area where groves of
fragrant orange, lemon and olive trees and vast vineyards
of Marsala grapes lined both sides of the road en route to
the steep winding road up the mountainside. We passed
the Temple of Venus, the Pepeli Tower, the Church of Saint
John, the crumbling remains of the Baliol Tower, and a 16 th
century Church. Little wonder these mystic mountains
are called Aholy mountains.
Angelo pulled off the road in the shadow of the crumbling
ruins of an ancient convent and parked in the shade of a
spreading almond tree. We sat on gnarled benches while
he told us many fascinating stories of how the grey-clad
nuns wearing wing-shape hoods ministered to the poor
mountain folk, courageously defending them and the
Convent in the face of grave danger from marauders.
While we listened to accounts of these ancient saints
lovely Lolita was busily laying the most exotic picnic
lunch she had prepared, complete with Trapani’s famous
Marsala wine served in small, exquisite goblets. Angelo
blessed the food and we ate in reverent silence. Seated
here on the mountain overlooking the calm blue Ionian
Sea one could feel a soothing spiritual presence of the
holy women who once dwelt here. Following a toast to
our friendship and another to the upcoming nuptials,
we reluctantly left this sacred place and headed back to
reality.
It’s precious moments such as this that have enriched
the tapestry of my life and confirmed the sage advice of
the poet who wrote: “Strangers are friends we haven’t
met. So pass no stranger with unseeing eye, God may be
sending a new friend by.”