Before we came away I did due diligence and googled whether
there were any health issues we should be aware of in Sicily. It turned out that the tapwater was potable.
All we had to look out for was (when walking in the countryside) ticks, some of
which carry a virus. Also, bats – their bite carries a rabies risk. I relayed
this to Nigel.
‘Well, at least it should be easy to avoid those!’ How we
laughed.
Today, Nigel hired a car and drove boldly on the right hand
side of the road along winding mountain tracks.
Our goal was Pantalica, a river canyon where the cliffs were honeycombed
with ancient tombs. Our excellent guide, Paolo, showed us tombs dating from the
Bronze Age Siculan people, right through to caves re-used as Byzantine churches
in the 5th Century AD. In one place he showed us how the river had
been diverted along a millrace. The mill
had been there to grind gunpowder.
‘Of course, the gunpowder mill was here because one of the
ingredients needed for gunpowder is nitrates and nearby is a huge source of
nitrates.’
‘Really?’
He pointed to a massive cave nearby, ‘Bat guano.’
‘Oh – do bats still live there?’
‘Yes indeed. There
are eight thousand bats in that cave – five different species.’
Nigel and I flicked each other a glance. But in fact,
although we saw ravens and warblers and a host of spectacular flowers, we saw
never-a-bat. We stood much more chance of slipping on the steep rain-wet
limestone tracks than catching rabies.
At the end of the trip, we returned to the hire car and set
off on the right-hand side of the winding mountain road, the fog descended and
a rainstorm pelted the windscreen, obscuring the way ahead.
‘Phew. So glad we are safe from those bats.’
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