Page 453 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

lunch & dinner.

Il Timone da Enzo Via Garibaldi 11 334 342 7177. This trattoria is more
engagingly idiosyncratic in reality than it is in the pages of Camilleri. Located on a hill
above the port, you can’t miss it – it’s the shack with the battered boat on its roof,
several hastily erected chipboard walls and the broken plastic (once-illuminated) sign
on which you may (or may not) be able to make out the word “ENZO”. It usually
opens in the evenings, doesn’t usually open at lunchtime, and often has the kind of

dishes that would bring tears of joy and nostalgia to the eyes of Montalbano …
polpette made of neonati (newborn fish), spaghetti al nivuru di siccia (with squid
ink) and glistening fresh triglie (red mullet). About €25 per head, including carafes of
the strong local plonk. No set hours.

Scala dei Turchi

About 7km west of Porto Empedocle, following signs for Realmonte, the stunning
Scala dei Turchi beach lies at the bottom of furrowed and gleaming-white cliffs.
Prone to landslides, the road above it collapsed in the winter of 2013, and was
barricaded off to traffic at the time of writing (though you can still walk down to the
beach). This only adds to the traffic congestion during the summer and on sunny
weekends. If you want cliffs and sands without the crowds, continue on to Torre Salsa.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: SCALA DEI TURCHI

By car As there are no bus connections to Scala dei Turchi from Agrigento, the easiest
way to get here is by car.

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING

Lido Scala dei Turchi Scala dei Turchi, Realmonte 0922 814 563. At the top of the
steps leading down to Scala dei Turchi beach, this lido restaurant provides welcome
sustenance in the form of delicious seafood meals for less than €25. Daily lunch &

dinner; closed Mon Sept–June.

Scala dei Turchi Via Grande 171, Realmonte 0922 816 238. A little B&B in the
village of Realmonte – the main attraction being that it is close to the stunning white
cliffs of Scala dei Turchi and the unspoilt beaches at Giallonardo, near Siculiana, and

Torre Salsa, between Siculiana Marina and Eraclea Minoa. €50

Torre Salsa

Protected by a WWF nature reserve, and stretching for endless kilometres, the long
sandy beach of Torre Salsa, backed by cliffs of mark and selenite crystal, has none of
the crowds of Scala dei Turchi. For most of the year, underground springs make the