A bench. That’s why Costanza Chirivino absolutely wanted to take us, on a hot and sunny day, to the top of her hills. A bench, up high, overlooking these lands. A place that invites you to remain silent and to work with your eyes and your imagination.
We are at Sallier de La Tour, one of the five estates of Tasca d’Almerita.
We are in the DOC Monreale, in that lesser-known part of Sicily, inland between Palermo and Trapani.
I must confess that I find it difficult to write this article. Difficult because my drone can convey what my eyes have seen, but not what I have felt.
Difficult because hospitality is something that must be experienced, not told. A hospitality made of many small details, of simple but refined dishes, driven by the desire to put on the plate “that” Sicily, those aromas and flavors, and perhaps to do so with that touch of flair that never hurts.
Feeling at home. Feeling uncomfortable when you remember that in a few hours your plane will leave and you have to go. Trying to distract yourself by letting yourself be fascinated by that Syrah which, at the estate, represents 50% of production. First with the alluring aromas and fruits of the rosé version, “Madamarosé”, and then with the depth and gentle spiciness of the Syrah “La Monaca”.
Many times I found myself exclaiming, “…this part of Sicily is surprising!”. Well, here we are again.
This time without the sea, without volcanoes, without salt pans, but with many other things still capable of moving you.
