We went for the Greek temple and ruins, and ended up with the flowers.
It’s not that the ruins weren’t interesting, or the temple impressive—they certainly were, and so was the realization that the small mountain we climbed mainly by shuttle bus was for centuries the home of people who went up and down it for farming, for religion and to defend themselves against invaders.
But what ended up dominating my attention, and my photos, was the mid-March array of wildflowers, wild fennel and other flora that lined the paths with a constantly changing palette of colors and shapes.
Even when the same flowers appeared, they were keeping company with different neighbors, or even showing their same selves in different colors.
So, instead of a blog about the Segesta ruins and the people who lived there, I present a gallery of flowers with only a few ruins. For the ruins, be sure to see DrFumblefinger’s excellent TravelGumbo blog by clicking HERE.
Along with the flora, a bit of fauna…
…and the amphitheatre at the top of the mountain, still used in summer for concerts and presentations of Greek plays. It’s all good seats with great views—but a long way to the restrooms!
And the other fauna: the snails, which stood still for their portraits better than most of the birds.
At the highest levels, brilliant views…but a discouraging commute to any neighbors on the next hill, where the rest of the town was located.
Everywhere we went in Sicily, we found wild fennel, including in the markets. But before this trip, I’d never thought of fennel as a flowering plant. The color is delicate and gorgeous.
