Tuesday 25 March 2014

My favourite places to visit (continued)




Old church door, watercolour























To continue my virtual  tour around Sicily I delved into my sketchbooks and chose to visit Erice, a mediaeval town high on a hill 750m above sea level.



There a two ways to get up to Erice (unless you have a helicopter), you can drive up the steep and winding road or get on the cable car from Trapani....not for the faint-hearted!








Once you're there it's like going back in time.  The old cobbled streets, ancient churches and two castles give you a real sense of history.   The origins of Erice go right back to the Elymians, but it was also conquered by the Arabs and the Normans giving  the town an original architectural and cultural mix found only in Sicily.










You can fill a whole day exploring and looking...or tasting some of the local pastries!


















Admire the breathtaking views along the coast, it's said you can see Etna on the other side of the island on a clear day.



9 comments:

Unknown said...

Cathy, the colors that you're using to paint these scenes are gorgeous! I love the lavender hues in there. It makes every seem so romantic and beautiful. I'm enjoying your tour of Sicily ver much. My favorite so far is the church door.

Shirley said...

The church door is perfection!

Laura said...

Cathy the colour choice and blends in old church door are stunning. Thanks for showing us Sicily withyour sketches and photos.

Polly Birchall said...

Oh what a beautiful place, thank you for taking me there. And that door painting is exceptional.

Lorraine Brown said...

Your door painting is lovely and drew me in to read the rest of your post which I really enjoyed

Cathy Holtom said...

Thank you for the lovely comments, I'm pleased you enjoy seeing some of the island of Sicily.

Lesley said...

So many wonderful memories Cathy! X

Judy said...

I love your tour around Sicily, Cathy! That church door is so beautiful... lovely colours!

Unknown said...

What a great post. I especially like your church doors drawing.