I have just returned from a week long retreat in Salemi, Sicily. It was an unexpected trip as I only booked it a couple of days before it started. I received an ad on social media, and I was so excited when I read the details that I booked it right away. Once I booked it I asked my husband if he can take care of the garden for a week 😊 He agreed and I was ready to plan my trip.
We were supposed to spend all days in the studio working on our pottery skills, learn how to make traditional Sicilian pasta, visit archaeological sites, enjoy amazing local food, relax with yoga and meditation, and have fun with a group of 8 people plus our teacher and a coordinator. I was so looking forward to this trip, and I must say that it exceeded all my expectations and I had the best time.
I left home on Sunday at 4AM as I had an early flight. I arrived in Palermo very early, but luckily I had organized transport to Salemi where I could check in quite early, and spend the afternoon in bed as it was very hot and I was too tired. We met late in the afternoon with the group and a local guide who walked with us through the city and talked about its history and many interesting details. When I saw other people in the group I knew it would be a good week as they all looked so nice. And I was not wrong.
Today, I'd like to show you the place that was my home for a week. When you happen to be in Sicily, make sure to go to Salemi - trust me, you will love it!
Let's go!
Salemi is a small town located about one hour away from Palermo. It's situated in the hills and the entire town consists of long narrow streets going up and down the hills. The cars barely fits in those streets, so when you see one coming your way you have to hide in the entrances as they would not be able to pass by otherwise. We had a lot of fun with that on Sunday. Our tour guide told us that it's very quiet, and then he was surprised as the cars kept coming and we kept hiding all the time.
It looks like all the houses are built out of same stone, just with different shades of sandy/yellowish/orangey color. The houses are compact, and it almost feels like they were about to hug you.
Salemi was badly damaged in the earthquake of 1968. Most of the old town was destroyed and people moved to the new town down the hill. There was a project to rebuilt the old town, but the population didn't return to this part of the town and most of the houses remain empty. In some parts, it is like a ghost city. These days, there are foreigners who buy these houses to turn them into investment properties though.
Salemi is full of Arabic, Jewish and Christian influence. The narrow winding streets are the reminder of the Arab influence.
Can you see those red flags? Salemi is the third most beautiful place in Italy, and this is why we can see those flags everywhere in the town.
At first, I was confused as all streets look the same, but then we started to joke that all streets in Salemi lead somehow to Piazza Liberta, and it turns out to be true. My Airbnb was only a few meters away from Piazza Liberta, so I always managed to get back.
The old ton is full of various artworks - there are murals, painted stairs, ceramic pieces hanging around, and photos. It reminded me somehow of some streets in Barcelona. It's the perfect place for the retreat!
The photographs show the life in Salemi before the earthquake. I think we can say that the old town is a huge open-air gallery.
There are only a few original elements from the old balconies across the town. These doves are among the last animal sculptures that are preserved as most of them were destroyed in the earthquake. They are precious to the locals.
The earthquake is still present in the town. Some places were reconstructed, but many of them were left in ruins as this disaster is part of history and should be remembered.
I was excited to approach this square as it was the first place from where we could enjoy the views...
And here we go! There is the sea in the back, but we couldn't really see it because of the clouds. You can see that Salemi goes way down the hill, and I knew that that's not where I would go that week as walking back up in that heat would be too difficult.
A fun fact that we learned during our tour was that Salemi was the capital of united Italy for exactly one day 😊
If you feel like going back up, you can walk down the stairs...
Once we enjoyed the views, we continued our walk. We could see that our tour guide was passionate about the town as he kept talking and talking, and we were already running late for dinner 😊
In Salemi, there are many places devoted to various saints, so it is not uncommon to see a sculpture of St. Mary. This square was one of my check points on the way to the studio to make sure that I was walking in the right direction.
Just a few more streets before we reach the convent...
And here we go!
Our ceramic studio is situated in this beautiful former convent. I couldn't wait to go inside...
Wouldn't you enjoy spending a week working in such a place? I loved it! I'm not going to talk about the school as I don't want to promote them here, but you can easily google this place if you wish.
The studio is hidden inside, and when we were not working we were sitting outside enjoying our breakfast, coffee break, and lunch, or we were just simply taking a break to chat and get to know each other. This place brought peace in my soul, and I was feeling true happiness every time I walked through the gate. As soon as I entered on Sunday I knew that I will come back again (although I still had one week ahead of me, but you understand what I mean 😊)
We were really late for dinner, but that's not a tragedy in Italy, so we continued our tour on the way to the restaurant.
We walked along abandoned places...
As well as places full of life...
We also saw the Town house which was so big for such a small place! it was an election day, so it was busy and we couldn't go inside.
There are many dogs living on the streets. In the beginning, it made me feel sad, but then I realized that they just relax all day, come for some pets whenever they want and the locals feed them regularly, so it can't be that bad.
If you look carefully you will see a big dog on this photo. Actually, I only saw big dogs, but they were all so cute and friendly that I wasn't afraid of them at all.
On the way to the restaurant we walked by the castle from where we enjoyed beautiful views...
I didn't visit the castle as I preferred to stay in the studio as much as possible, but I will go up the tower when I visit it next time.
The restaurant was just behind the castle, so we ended our tour and enjoyed tons of food which was so delicious that I couldn't stop even though I was full already. Honestly, I think that I ate as much food in a week in Salemi as I eat at home in a month 😊
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Thank you for reading!
Cheers,
Martina