The coastal plain at Macari on the north-west coast of Sicily has a rich flora that competes with the tourists for space. The most eye-catching is Sea Daffodil Pancratium maritimum with its clean white flowers, but perhaps this is because it is September after a long dry summer and much of the vegetation is now parched.

The mountains between Macari and Castellammare del Golfo were bare white limestone and from afar appeared to be dusted with flour. The agriculture peters out with altitude, and on the edge of the wilderness villas now outnumber the small farms with their herds of cattle and sheep that feed on very little. We let sleeping dogs lie and avoid the others. There are a few birds including stonechats, ubiquitous Sardinian warblers and spotless starlings. The vegetation has echoes of Arabia with dwarf palms and caper bushes. But unlike the desert, this lovely patch of the Mediterranean is likely to have a rich and verdant flora in early Spring.

The local residents around Case Castellazo included a little owl that called each evening and hunted the untidy olive groves and stone walls presumably for the many small reptiles and large crickets. Overhead flocks of bee-easters moved west as did occasional honey buzzards and small eagles. The local wasps usually enjoyed our meals as much as us; a decoy prawn or two worked quite well.