In the last of my five weeks in Sicily, the Scirocco churns over Lo Stagnone for a few more days. The heaviest day drops back down to 12 degrees and peaks of up to 45 knots. Hardly anyone is outside, and even the friends and locals who ride this ultra-strong storm with the smallest kites don’t break their best marks.
I take a break and don’t go out again until a day later. The Scirocco continues to blast along at a slightly less rough 20 to 35 knots. I no longer fulfil my “Don Dodeci” mission, but I am satisfied with the 9.4m height I have achieved. The last few days my knee finally gives out. I can’t even edge without screaming – let alone jump off or even land. (more…)
Corleone & thermal baths of Segesta
As big fans of “The Godfather”, Corleone was naturally at the top of our list as the home town of practically all of Sicily’s big mafia bosses. According to four different sat navs in the car, it takes an hour and a half to get there. None of them is right. The country roads turn into dirt tracks several times.
The first two routes are completely closed. We ignore the third complete closure. After a few kilometres with potholes until just before Australia, the road quickly drops 40 cm across its entire width. We get over it, but definitely not back. After two and a half hours we arrive in Corleone. (more…)
The mysteries of Trapani are solved!
The Mysteries of Trapani are one of the most important Christian festivals in Sicily. In a 24-hour procession, hundreds of believers carry twenty statues of saints weighing up to a tonne through the old town of Trapani on Good Friday at 2.00 pm. They are accompanied by numerous large brass bands.
We arrive in Trapani’s old town centre in time for the start and are immediately blown away by the sound. The first band seems to be playing the Godfather’s theme music. A slow Jesus rave in a minor key begins with marches around 70 BPM. Despite the cool weather, the porters are sweating from the very first minute. The mysteries of Trapani are the essence of the Catholic faith, which is celebrated even more powerfully in Sicily than in Bavaria. (more…)
In the Zingaro National Park
The Zingaro National Park is located at the north-western tip of Sicily between Castellamare del Golfo and San Vito lo Capo. It can be reached within an hour by car from Lo Stagnone, regardless of whether you choose the northern or southern entrance. We drive to the entrance via narrow winding roads and the south. The entrance fee is five euros.
In the 1980s, the largest environmental protection movement in Sicily to date was formed here. The government wanted to build a road from Castellamare del Golfo to San Vito lo Capo. The entrance to the national park is the only completed tunnel in the project. The conservationists won. (more…)
Salemi & Selinunte
My friend Tom and my wife are visiting me in Sicily. The first day together offers a good, powerful Scirocco and a bright, cool sunny day on the beach. I’m out kiting for almost three hours in total. Tom has unfortunately forgotten a lot in the four years since his beginner’s kite course in Egypt.
During his course, I realise for the first time what a hell of a sporting achievement the kite instructors here are. Running after the student for 100 metres dozens of times in soft mud up to 30 cm deep is extremely exhausting and frustrates Tom too. (more…)
Sicilian post-corona blues
I was absolutely certain: corona is a mental illness and it mainly affects those who don’t have it. I was wrong. Just two weeks after testing free from my corona infection, I’m still finding it hard to breathe. I set off on my first big trip in two years and fly to Sicily for the first time with Ryan Air. The checkout is a true masterpiece of superfluous “offers”.
The taxi driver charges me €50 for an eleven kilometre journey from the airport to my first accommodation. The hostel manager confirms that the price is the same everywhere. Nothing mafia. Just Putin. The driver said it was because of the petrol prices. They are currently about 40 cents lower than in Germany. (more…)
The Author
Frank Woelky, born in 1973. Kitesurfer since 1998. Since 2006, I have been combining kitesurfing and web design on trips lasting several months off the beaten track.