Mazara del Vallo
I awoke this morning to the sound of birds and the sight of vineyards; a sense of calm and
repose enveloped me. We began the day's exploration with a walking tour of the city,
home to the largest fishing fleet in Italy and one of its leading fishing harbors, and a most
interesting visit to a local archaeological museum where I felt privileged to see the °Dancing Satyr°, a Greek bronze statue found and brought up by fishermen in 1998 after a 2,000 hiatus on the seabed. The beauty and grace of the statue and the sheer mystery of its past left me imagining the story behind its birth.
Lunch was at a local restaurant; the difference here was that we made it ourselves...the pizza, the pasta, the eggplant, and the dessert. We had a grand time during our cooking class and were quite proud of ourselves with the outcome. The only addition to the meal that we didn't make was the wine and, once again, that was consumed a plenty. When in Sicily, one must follow the local custom; it's as simple as that...
Later that afternoon we walked through the Mazara Kasbah quarter; home to approximately 3,000 Tunisian and Maghreb Arabs and an example of the blending of two very different cultures. The evening's highlight for me was a couscous dinner prepared by two local women and then followed by an explanation of the work and hours it takes to make this dish authentically; a far cry of when I prepare couscous at home and the few minutes it takes to make it.
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