There are few hotels in Corleone - The Leon D'Oro is certainly a one-off and forewarned by some interesting comments on Booking.Com I was prepared to risk it - for convenience (and good price)
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| This is what I wrote |
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| Here are the noisy electrics outside my room |
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| Corleone |
Corleone feels a bit "edgy" - its poor and has suffered from some awful 'development'.
Here is why:
"Beginning in the 1960s, the town became infamous for its Mafia, being the town in which some well-known clans had their headquarters (the Clan dei Corleonesi).
The most notable recent event in Corleone was the arrest in 2006 of Bernardo Provenzano, "Boss of Bosses", who had been in hiding for more than 40 years. This gave rise to much celebration. "Liberation Day"
on April 11 (the date of Provenzano's capture) and naming a street "11
Aprile" shows just how much the arrest has affected Corleone. Gaetano
Riina, Corleone's recent mob boss, was arrested on July 1, 2011."
The bloke on the supermarket checkout looked like a young Marlon Brando.
And then off on twisty roads to
Agrigento to see the Greek ruins. The traffic in the town was really terrible but a switch to "Italian mode" got me through OK and straight into "World Heritage Site"
Valle dei Templi.
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| Agrigento |
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| A whole lot of Temples - this is the most striking |
The archaeological sites were very busy indeed - so many tourists! Worth the trip though - and then I stumbled upon the real highlight... hidden away in a steep sided valley:
"once a garden with an artificial lake, to provide fish for Theron's dinners - the Kolymbetra, dug by Carthaginian prisoners captured at Himera, but later filled in. It has recently been restored, and opened as the Kolymbetra Garden."
It appears to be in the care of a local eco-charity and they have done a brilliant job - green, quiet, peaceful - just a trickling noise from the irrigation channels and the wind in the trees. There is every kind of fruit tree here - and most were bearing (some naughty Italian tourists broke the rules and engaged in some illicit harvesting and snacking)
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| Citrus trees in Kolymbetra Garden |
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| Prickly Pear in Kolymbetra Garden |
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| This is where the water comes in - hand dug tunnel |
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| Traditional water channel |
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| Hmmm - persimmon? |
Aim to be in the garden an hour or two before sunset - for the best light and to escape the afternoon heat.
It was dark by the time I made it to my hotel - and the Restaurant had closed for the season - so they phoned ahead and booked me a table at their sister resort (down by the sea in San Leone. This being the
Dioscuri Bay Palace - full of coach tour parties - so I was a little bit worried about the food - but no - for the price of just a steak at the
Clontarf Castle I got all this -
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| Some confusion over the starter - I ordered the sardines - but no - you get ALL the starters. The sardines were great however - 'beccafico' stuffed with breadcrumbs - yum |
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| Now the 1st course - that is shrimp risotto (with ground pistachio) and then grouper/anchovy ravioli |
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| Second course - Swordfish and Shrimp and Squid and Potatoes and Vegetables - by now I was struggling | |
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| Still room for desert... not sure what is was - rather nice though |
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| The lobby entrance |
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| Here is the proof - notice wine is included. Waiter was great fun - he did not speak English, nor I Italian but we coped and he was very helpful and I was most appreciative. Italian waiters are clearly the best in the world - lot of big parties at the other tables and still the solo traveler gets good service. |
I still cannot see how with Ireland and Sicily in the same common market and using the same currency - and often with the same eastern European workforce - can be so different in cost!
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| Back in my own hotel - a nice glass of the second most expensive grappa. Personal rule - never go for the most expensive if it is also in a flashy bottle. |
Hint: Italians seem to be particularly pleased if you try grappa and especially if you are complementary about the experience. Made from winemaking leftovers it should not really be good - but it is.
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| This was the one I had for my little bed-time drinkies (watching Sunset Boulevard) |
