My Trapani Getaway: Mia –Godiva

Ciao, a tutti!

 

I left work early, and we were on our way to Trapani (pronounced: Tra-pan-ee). Located on the west coast of Sicily, Trapani was founded by the
Elymians to serve as the port of the nearby city of Erice. 

Two ancient legends tell of mythical origins for the city. In the first legend, Trapani stemmed from the sickle which fell from the hands of the goddess Demeter while she was seeking for her daughter Persephone, who had been kidnapped by Hades. The second myth features Saturn, god of the sky, who eviscerated his father Cronus with a sickle which, falling into the sea, created the city. In ancient times Saturn was the god-protector of Trapani. Today Saturn's statue stands in a piazza in the centre of the city.*
  
After driving three hours to transverse the island, our first stop was to gas up. Still flexible about our Trapani agenda, we wanted to make sure we had enough gas in the tank…and with these few Italian holidays so close together, we erred on the side of caution and made a quick stop along Via Ammiraglio Staitti (the street along the port) to see an old friend, Salvatore. For 40 years he’s been working for Esso, 36 of them at this station in Trapani. We prefer to stop here because Salvatore takes NATO gas coupons! If you are lost, look for the fire station. The Esso station is across the street.






















We finally made it to the hotel, and I was captivated by this oasis behind a locked door…I won’t tell you what we had to do, and how we managed to finagle ourselves into this space…but we did it!

Next stop, dinner! We were turned away from another restaurant where we enjoyed a great meal last summer, so we wandered the streets of Trapani (don’t worry, in the pedestrian district, everyone (and their kids) are wandering…doing their evening passigiata –walk, before dinner). We didn’t go far before we saw a crowd outside this little pizzeria, Calvino Pizze (Via Nunzio Nasi, 71 phone: 092-321-464)…rule of thumb, if the locals think it’s good, it must be…and it was!

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We got there at 8, and it was packed…and that was just to order pizza to go.  The wait for the dine-in area was 2 ½ hours without a reservation!  Open for 65 years, they make over 30 different named pizzas, and of course  you can request your favorite toppings.  We ordered Pizza Romana: tomatoes, cheese and prosciutto…delish!

With a full belly, it was bedtime…tomorrow the adventure begins!

Baci!

Stella Notte

A Quick Shoe Review

Here is my review of these shoes on Amazon.com dated June 5, 2009…I gave them 3 out of 5 stars…to which I shall modify to 4 out of 5:

Beautiful, but…

I bought these shoes some months ago...they are absolutely beautiful and I received many compliments when I wore them (only one time). But unfortunately, they are as uncomfortable as they are beautiful. My feet ached so much that I had to remove them before midday. When I got home in the evening and removed them, I could barely walk, although I did get a foot massage from my husband :) These shoes get 5-stars for aesthetic appeal, but get 1-star for comfort, hence the 3-star rating overall.

Day 78: 06-06-2011

Shoe:  Mia –Godiva

Color:  Brown

Style: Platform Gladiator Sandal

Heel: 3 ¾ inches (9.5cm) Platform: ¾ inch (1.9cm)

Material: Leather Upper

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trapani