Favignana & Marettimo, Egadi Islands, Sicily
Our last day in Sicily found us anchored off the small town of Favignana in the Egadi Islands. Our intention was not to go ashore but rather bring onboard an important person from the area called the “Rais” (an Arabic word meaning the chief or leader) who was the person in charge of the traditional Mattanza, an annual catch of migrating blue-fin tuna that were corralled into an enormous cage-net system which took a month to set up. The Rais explained in detail how this all worked and gave us an interesting insight to his own long life in the tuna industry and how important this was to the island economy and social structure. However, the dilapidated buildings of the old tuna processing plant we could clearly see from the ship showed the effects of the collapse of the Mattanza.
The theme of food was continued later in the morning when our guest culinary expert, Joyce Goldstein, gave a demonstration of how to cook the traditional Sicilian dish known as “Caponata.” Based around eggplant, this colourful and flavourful dish can be made in a relatively short period of time and by the end of the demonstration we were all able to experience this little taste of Sicily. Simultaneously, in the Wellness Centre, our Wellness Coordinator Rocio Tencio was hosting an ‘open house’ for those of us who like to keep trim and in shape while onboard despite the temptations of Joyce and the galley crew – not an easy thing to do.
During lunch we repositioned to another of the Egadi Islands and the picturesque town of Marettimo. This small fishing village is dwarfed by the surrounding mountains and sparkles brightly against the waters of the Mediterranean. The Zodiac drive was long, but once ashore we had several options for the afternoon. The hearty amongst us followed Robyn up the steeply inclined path to the ruins of a Byzantine church, high on the mountainside with spectacular views over the village and the entire island group. Others took a more leisurely stroll with William, identifying and admiring the profusion of plants that grow in this warm climate. Those who chose to simply remain in the village enjoyed the quiet, narrow streets, gelato and samples of the local honeys that were offered in one of the few shops on the island.
After dinner Massimo, our resident National Geographic photographer, gave a talk and slide show of his photographs for a cover story he did for the magazine a few years ago. This particular article was very aptly dealing with the Island of Sicily. His images were stunning and his explanation of just how much work goes into planning, shooting and producing a National Geographic assignment was fascinating.
So, this evening, we said farewell to Sicily and Italy and headed northwest to France and the Island of Corsica.
