Sicily trip: Dec 23, Tenuta Stocatella

The first thing that strikes you in the countryside after Palermo is how neat and clean everything is. (Palermo is pretty dirty: you need to always keep an eye on the ground and dodge dog shit.) It was a very pleasant drive to the south, and the day was gorgeous:



Our agriturismo, Tenuta Stocatella, is located up on a hill, about 3 km from the sea. You could see the sea from there:



It is a big farm, with vineyards, olive groves, etc. Also a little orchard:



We spent 6 days there. Would I recommend it? Possibly, but for a shorter stay. It is off the beaten track, with pretty countryside around, close to the sea, next to a huge forest reserve for long walks, convenient to major attractions on the west coast -- Segesta, Selinunte, Trapani, also not far from Agrigento.

There was little "agri" though, mostly "turismo." The place seems to be run by two friends and their wives; one of the men is the chef. They didn't want or had no time to deal with us much. No chance to learn anything about their farm, no animals (except dogs), no real hospitality. We expected a warmer reception.

There were no other guests, except one couple with a kid -- they stayed for a couple of days. But they had two big banquets, about 80 people each -- people came for pranzo, stayed for a few hours and left. Is that their main business? I'm not sure. That was Christmas time.

The room was comfortable; no Internet. The food was reasonably good but not spectacular. A carafe of freshly squeezed orange juice in the morning made my day. There are good restaurants in Sciacca, about 20 km away.

We arrived around 2:30 and went for a walk, accompanied by a friendly dog:



"Smelled the roses," so to speak.



And made plans for the next day: