I’m with my brother and his family, Chiara and Edoardo in the town of Balestrate, which has a complex beach area, you have to watch out you are not caught out by the sea. It was always the beach we came to from our grandparents house when we holidayed here as children.
Balestrate (Sicilian: Sicciara) is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 25 kilometres (16 mi) southwest of Palermo. As of 31 July 2015, it had a population of 6,505 and an area of 3.9 square kilometres (1.5 sq mi).
The Spanish King Federico III of Aragon gave the territory of Balestrate to the town of Partinico in 1307. According to a local legend, a crossbow (“balestra”) was used to shoot an arrow from the water's edge, its landing point determining the border of the town's environs and giving its eventual name: Balestrate.
In 1672, a landowner named Rosalia Leto bequeathed uncultivated lands to the local people on condition that they cultivated them. The small town began to take shape, becoming self-governing in 1829. Its development continued to flourish in large part due to the investments of the English winemaking companies of Ingham, Woodhouse, Whittaker and the Palermitan Florio family. In many ways the early fortune of Balestrate was tied in with the rising popularity of sweet Marsala wine. In previous times it was the place where much of the grape crop was grown for the island's famous Marsala wine.
Today Balestrate's main industry is fishing and tourism. A small town of nearly 6000 most of the year, Balestrate's population swells up to almost 30,000 during the Summer season with vacationing Europeans and Italians from the colder climates seeking the warm water and sun.
It is busy here if you wanted to stay over but as day visitors it’s ok. You do have to get here early for a place on the beaches, or compete with other holiday makers and make do with not being able to spread yourself out.
We might not be here too long as it is already thirty eight Celsius and the sun is always hot by the sea. We have come away from the beach to have a drink at a bar-tabac with awnings against the sun’s intensity. We are mindful my brother’s children are younger than Chiara.
We have grandpa’s big jeep which has air conditioning so we can be comfortable driving back to Montelepre this afternoon. It’s about twenty three kilometres to the house but the road is very slow because of it’s twists and turns.
