If you ever get the chance to go to the west coast of Sicily do it, the beauty and the light there is indescribable And as long as you’re there, go visit the salt flats south of Trapani at sunset.
Granted, salt is one of my favorite subjects. An ingredient which is so essential to our survival and to the culinary arts and to our tasting and enjoying the simplest of foods, whose history is so old and tied to struggle, war and wealth, it’s incredible to contemplate.
These salt flats are ancient, having been started before Roman times by the Phoenicians, at least. The salt is concentrated and evaporated by the sun, then scooped up and washed with brine, then milled to the desired coarseness by windmills right out of Don Quixote.
Mountains of salt are piled up into perfect long mounds and covered with terra cotta tiles to protect it from the wind and rain. The reflection of the light off the water, the glare of the white salt, the clarity of the sky, all mix to give one an idea of paradise.
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