West Coast Sicily Day 17 Terme di Segesta -Calatafimi

Perhaps because of the windswept walk along Alcamo beach I wake up with a streaming cold. What better solution then, than the Terme Calde di Segesta, not the official ones but the free baths surrounded by reeds and tamarisks and the rocky walls of white travertine streaked with pink. It's quite easy to find by turning off the road to the official spa. We see cars parked and people getting changed and follow the path through the reeds. As often happens in Sicily in such places (like on the beach the day before) there is a man apparently just watching. Never mind, there are other ordinary people, couples and friends already bathing in the first pool or sitting around the edge drying off and we soon join those in the water. The hot sulphur water is incredibly relaxing. After a while we follow the stream upwards, the water flows from the spring at a temperature of about 47 degrees so it's well nigh impossible to get too close to the spring itself, 

but we paddle around happily in the warm water and then retreat to the car to get changed. We came armed with plastic bottles to rinse the most important bits and our feet but the sulphur smooths the skin and leaves a pleasant feeling. According to Greek legend, the water is so hot because the god Krimisòs raised the temperature to heat the nymph Egesta, who had escaped from the city of Troy destroyed by the war.

After, we continue by car to Calatafimi, we visited Segesta in the past and are not so interested in archaeology. Our aim is to picnic up at the castle but we are side-tracked by the interesting Museo Etno-antropologico Comunale - a museum of country life which hosts a collection of tools, ceramics and ancient things that give a good idea of local life in past centuries. There is a very helpful and enthusiastic guide who gives us detailed explanations and brings everything to life. The guided visit is free and well worth stopping for. Afterwards we carry on up to the castle for a picnic. 

There is a beautiful view of the temple of Segesta. After lunch we spend longer exploring Calatafimi, despite the scepticism of the barman where we have coffee it's a pleasant little town, the walls of the narrow streets up and down the historic centre have ceramic tiles with proverbs and sayings in Sicilian dialect and which we spend a while trying to decipher and mostly succeeding. 

We also visit the Casa-Museo di Garibaldi, once again made interesting by the guide who fills us in on some aspects of Italian history which Andrea knew vaguely and I not at all. People are really friendly in Calatafimi and its position among the hills and the views around make it a very pleasant place to spend a slow afternoon well off the beaten track. When we finally decide to go back down towards the sea it's late afternoon and our visit to the actual town of Balestrate ends up being short. My cold is making itself felt despite the sulphur and we head back to the apartment to tidy up and get ready for Palermo the next day.