When I saw our itinerary for the first time I was a bit concerned as we had many activities planned during the day when it was supposed to be crazy hot. In the end, we were lucky as although it was quite warm it was also cloudy and windy, so it was pleasant to be spending time outside and exploring the island.
One day after lunch we jumped in our minibus and off we went to Segesta. I'm getting carsick, and usually it is not a problem to sit in front, but this time there were two other people who also get carsick easily, so we all ended up sitting in two seats which was not very comfortable, but we all made it without being sick. It was surprising that nobody got sick because the roads were not only winding, but also bumpy, so it was like driving in the fields. It was the longest 30 minutes in my life.
When we finally got there, our driver gave us the map of the area and audio guides, and told us that he will wait for us in a cafe. We could choose to walk up the hill for about 30 minutes or take a shuttle bus, and the choice was obvious to us - we waited a bit for the bus 😊
When we got off the bus these were the views that welcomed us - it was going to be a good day...
The archaeological site is showing us the remains of the ancient city Segesta. The city had a turbulent history and changing influence of different cultures, so the structures show various architectural styles. There are still ongoing excavation works to uncover more and more of the city with the hope to find all its ancient remains.
I'm not sure how many structures are there, but I think that there were 14 on the map. Here we can see the area of The Onasus square and the food market. Onasus was a member of a notable family of Segesta who benefited the city at his own expense.
It actually all looks like a big pile of stones, but there are many details that show us where the square was located and which part belonged to the market.
There are a few viewing platforms from where you can have amazing views of the surroundings...
Let's have a look!
These are the remains of a church and I wonder how they figured out that it wasn't just a random house...
There are no paved roads in the park, but rather stoned or natural pathways. At some point I was really happy that it was partly clouded as there were not many places to hide from the sunshine.
One of the most important structures is The ancient theater. The first published image of the theater of Segesta was released in the 18th century, and it looked nothing like today. It was overgrown with vegetation and heaps of ruins. The monument had to wait for a century to get the reconstruction it deserved.
The construction has the typical form of Greek theaters and could host up to 4000 spectators. We don't know when exactly it was built, but some recent investigations reveal that it could be in the 2nd century BC.
I have never visited a theater like this, and it was an amazing feeling to stand on top of it and take in its size. It's not so visible from the photo, but it is huge. The stones are large and it wasn't easy for me to walk down, but the tour continued in that direction, so I had no choice.
Just before we left, there was a group of people gathering at the bottom of the theater, and I thought that they had a guided tour, so they came all together to listen to their guide. And I was wrong! Suddenly, they started to sing. The songs sounded religious (although I didn't recognize them), and their voices spread across the entire area. It was an amazing performance that brought tears in my eyes, and I'm so grateful for this experience. It was so pure and strong.
But the tour continued - we had enough time, but not all time in the world, so we had to keep walking...
I was told that there in the back is the sea. Well, I chose to believe it even though I couldn't see it 😊
I think that the beginning of June is the best time to visit Sicily. We enjoyed the vineyards, grains fields, and lots of other plants. It was colorful.
There is also the first known remains of a mosque in Sicily in the archaeological parc. I found it interesting considering how much Arabic influence is present on the island. The Islamic community settled on the mountain before the castle and the church were built. The life of the mosque was short as it was dismantled as soon as the church was constructed.
There was a castle in Segesta too! It is situated close to the church and the mosque with a cemetery nearby. It was a multiple story building even though only the ground floor remained. We know that there was a second floor because it collapsed and the material fell inside of rooms. There are signs that there were some utility rooms, a guardhouse, a latrine, a stairwell, and a central courtyard.
Imagine all those buildings standing tall and proud on top of the mountain surrounded by such amazing nature. I could see myself living there 😊
From afar it looks more like a castle...
I was enjoying the views so much!
Honestly, I don't know what this construction is, but I do like the photo 😊
Do you remember how I said that we took the shuttle bus to get up the mountain? Well, we came from down there, so you can understand why we took the bus. And yes, we were about to take the shuttle bus back too.
Before we go, we will walk around a bit more...
We had a couple of people from the US with us, and they said that these plants are common in their state. They were surprised to see how large this particular one was, so they took plenty of photos with them next to the plant for comparison. Just to give you and idea, an adult person is about 1/3 of its size.
We didn't wait long for the bus, and even though the ride only took a few minutes it was horrible. The bus was full with no air-co, and I only hoped not to get sick. I was so happy when we got off the bus. We got some coffee and started walking towards the temple on the other side of the parc.
Let's go!
It was a short, but steep walk, and we had to wait for some people from our group as they were getting tired. It was also getting hot even though it was clouded.
The Doric temple is the highlight of the Segesta city. I was in awe of such amazing craftmanship from so many centuries ago. The temple as we see it today is almost complete, so with little imagination we can understand how it looked like when it was constructed.
You can see it from far away, but it is worth the trip. We spent almost an hour there admiring the structure and all the details.
It was built by an architect from Athens, so its resemblance with the Greek Parthenon is not incidental. It dates back to the 4th century BC, so it's a miracle that it survived in such a good condition.
We met our driver once we walked back to the entrance and drove together to a home restaurant to learn how to make pasta. And let me tell you that it was one of the best dining experiences of my life. We had more than 10 appetizers and after that we enjoyed the pasta that we made. It was so good!
I hope, you've enjoyed our trip.
Thank you for reading,
Cheers,
Martina