The Idiot finds Odysseus on the Egadi Islands.

Had to get a buzz cut after seeing the above picture!

I’m not the only one who believes that Odysseus and his crew feasted on a herd of goats on one of the three Egadi Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The buzz is that the purported feast occurred just before everything caved in during the showdown with the Cyclops called Polyphemus somewhere in Sicily.

I spent Sunday’s MedTrek on the trail of Odysseus and the goats. And you can see that I was delighted to find, and swim in, the bay where many believe that Homer’s hero moored his ship and hosted his mid-afternoon barbecue (which gave us the expression “goatea”).

It’s easy for any global trekker to visit this historic venue by following in The Idiot’s footsteps (excuse the hat hair, money belt pouch and injured leg in the photo) with these simple instructions:

1. Get a hydrofoil from Trapani in northwestern Sicily to the largest of the Egadi Islands, which were known as the Aegates or “Islands of the Goats” to the Greeks back in the day of Homer’s “Odyssey.” Be sure to go to Favignana, which is shaped like a butterfly, and not beeline to Marettimo or Levanzo.

It's easy to find the port in Trapani.

2. When you arrive after the half-hour boat ride look for the highest spot in Favignana and climb up to put things in perspective.

It’s only 300 meters up the hillside to the fort atop Mount Santa Caterina.

Don’t worry. It gets closer with every step!

Now it’s only 200 meters up the hillside to the fort atop Mount Santa Caterina.

And if you get dizzy going up you can look back at the Favignana port.

That's an old tuna factory to the right.

4. Once at the top of Mount Santa Catarina head very carefully down the pathless hill (I cut my leg when one of those centuries-old stone walls collapsed underneath me so be sure to carry a first-aid kit) to the beach and then MedTrek along the dirt road to the lighthouse at Punta Sottile.

That's the Egadi Island of Marettimo in the background.

5. Head south at the lighthouse to the all-white tourist-oriented Villaggio “Approdo di Ulisse.” Continue on the path across the sharp, stark rock to the natural port of Cala Rotonda where it’s believed that Odysseus landed.

Walk on the soft sand and through the vacation village named after Odysseus.

This is believed to be where Odysseus moored his ship and barbecued goats.

The view out to sea, and of Marettimo Island, from the barbecue pit.

6. Enjoy the swim but watch out for jellyfish. And if it’s too difficult to get here with these instructions (you could, of course, just walk around the mountain instead of climbing it but that wouldn’t be much fun) this is exactly where you need to be:

Latitude: 37.92442

Longitude: 12.28029

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=37.92442,12.28029&ll=37.92442,12.28029&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Incidentally, I only saw a few goats and no men staring at them. Except me.

Text and Photos: Joel Stratte-McClure

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About Joel

Joel Stratte-McClure has been a global trekker since the 1970s. He lived in France for over 30 years, working as a journalist, before he turned his attention to a unique life-time-project of walking the shores of the Mediterranean. The first 4,401 kilometers are explored in his inspirational and entertaining first book "The Idiot and the Odyssey: Walking the Mediterranean." The next 4,401 kilometers are covered in the gods-filled sequel, "The Idiot and the Odyssey II: Myth, Madness and Magic on the Mediterranean,” published on Valentine's Day 2013. The last 4,401 kilometers will be discussed in the last book of the trilogy currently entitled "The Idiot and the Odyssey III: Alexander the Great Walks the Mediterranean."