Mare Indaco

This is the kind of holiday spot that is written about in novels: golden days spent near the sea, sharing meals with an Italian family on their farm as the cat lazes in the sun. The immediate surrounding area isn’t picturesque, but inside the gate is an oasis of green, with an Eden-like garden that provides every fruit and vegetable one could wish for. We only stayed one night, travelling down from Catania in order to walk (and swim) in the footsteps of Inspector Montalbano. More of this below. We requested an evening meal and our host pulled out all the stops by providing us with a vegetarian feast, where absolutely everything, from the olives to the wood-fired oven-baked bread, was produced right there on the farm. The food was simply prepared with ingredients literally pulled fresh from the ground. The conversation was awkward, given the minimal textbook Italian we speak, but towards the end of the meal, I asked about the Italian citrus fruit, cedro. This caused our host to spring up from his seat, pick one of the fruits (and some onion and some parsley) from the garden and prepare us a salad so that we could try it for ourselves. Breakfast was equally memorable with two different homemade cakes and cornetti/croissants with a range of homemade jams. Our accommodation was great for the night we spent there. The bedroom had air conditioning and television and there was a shower, kitchen, and small dining area, plus a large outside veranda with seating overlooking the garden. We didn’t book self-catering, so there was a sign in the sink that forbade its use – inconvenient for sharing an evening glass of wine and washing up afterwards, but understandable – but families could and do spend the whole summer here. I did get the feeling that our hosts were friendly with the other Italian guests and they patiently waited for us to finish our meals before gathering together for more convivial socialising together without the language barrier we presented. There is secure parking and the house is a short drive into Punta Secca, which serves as Montalbano’s Vigàta in the series. We tried to book at his actual house in Punta Secca, but this place was much nicer. As for the town, Montalbano fans won’t be disappointed. Everything was much nicer than I expected it to be. The house, the lighthouse, the parking space, and the fish restaurant are all there, looking exactly as they do in the films, and there is hardly any evidence of tourism. We went in the evening and the small beaches had a few people on them, but nothing like the beach umbrella purgatory of other beaches (we were there in May, however). The highlight of our trip to Sicily was waking up early and swimming outside the house at 6. 30 a. m. Not a single other person was there, and it was just like being in the film. Great value and wonderful memories.