I arrived to Sicily feeling a bit under the weather. My first meal there, caprese salad and tiramisu, was tasteless. I tried a few other foods and couldn’t taste anything. Oh no! To be in a food paradise and not have access to taste… my covid tests came back negative.

My sense of taste returned about a day later. Covid tests: still negative.

The grocery store near me had a lot of “Made In Sicily” foods, so I loaded up on souvenirs/groceries. I rationalized that the spices were fresher and that the prices were actually cheaper. My backpack became very heavy. I think I purchased too many bruschetta seasonings, pistachio liquors, and pestos.

On my last full day of leisurely travel before starting the journey back to the USA, I asked myself “what is the most European thing I can do?” So I decided to go to a nude beach. It was an interesting experience.

The internet informed me that there was likely a nude beach somewhat nearby the town I was staying in. It would take two bus rides totaling a little over an hour of travel time, perhaps longer if considering the unreliability of busses.

I headed for the beach with some water and snacks, and I planned to dress or undress according to the etiquette of the fellow beach dwellers. This nude beach was a small rocky trail away from the larger, fully-clothed beach.

When I arrived, there were three umbrellas with men lounging under them. One of those umbrellas had two men lounging under it. I had not brought an umbrella, but I had a towel. All of these men were fully nude and quietly enjoying the beach and minding their own business. I assessed the situation, stripped down, and laid face down on my towel, as I got used to the idea that I was publicly nude on a nude beach. It was a freeing feeling.

The beach was small. Some men left, some other men arrived. Most of them were quiet. Good! I don’t think it’s polite to chat people up at a nude beach.

I occasionally felt stares from the men on the beach, but I did not feel endangered or disrespected from the nude men just trying to enjoy the nude beach.

At one point, the beach had two men arrive who were in swim trunks. I felt a bit uncomfy by them. They did not participate in the nudity. One even offered to help me rub in my sunscreen as he took a sip from his boxed wine. I told him “NO”, probably with a disgusted look on my face. And then he tried to start a conversation with me. I told him I wanted silence and turned away from him. Those men were not good for the nude beach. I was glad when they left.

All in all, the nude beach was cool. This beach was a bit small, so I think I’d enjoy a larger beach better – safety in numbers, and not being the only woman.

I waled to the bus stop to wait for the last bus of the day home. The service stopped running pretty early. It was not showing up and I had already waited half an hour. I considered a cab, but those are expensive. Google Maps said that it was only a three hour walk home, 14 kilometers. No big deal! I decide to start my journey back to my hostel. About 10 minutes later, the bus blows past me. Oh well, I was determined! I wish that I was wearing proper footwear other than flip flops, but otherwise, the walk was quite pleasant.

It felt empowering to be able to walk home and be in charge of my own location. I enjoyed my route along the coast because I was able to see where I was headed and how far I had walked. I walked along the main road the entire time, but that road felt quaint when it went through local towns. Had I started my walking journey sooner, I would have tried to stop in one of the cute towns.

Here are some of the beautiful views.

I arrived home shortly after sunset, and I ordered pizza for a late dinner.