Stepping into a spaghetti western

HIDDEN GEM:THE BEST THING about hidden gems is that they sneak up on you. You're in a car or on a bus, you're coming towards a new village or town, you turn a corner – and wow. Sometimes the wow factor is immense, needing lots of exclamation marks; at other times it's a gentle realisation that you're seeing something special.

The latter occurred on a recent trip to Sicily, when we arrived in Marzamemi, a fishing village on the southern coast of the island.

Out-of-season fishing villages might not sound as if they have much to recommend them, but Marzamemi, a working village of a mere 250 or so people, is different. Its fishermen work for as much of the year as possible, to maintain its primary activity of processing tuna and its by-products, including the harvesting and curing of tuna roe, to make bottarga.

The village’s main street, Via Marzamemi, is lightly dotted with bars and restaurants. The best of the latter, we found, was Giramapau, a former barn that has been converted into a spacious and bright place to eat. Farther down, towards the sea, you will find Piazza Regina Margherita, which is bordered by former fishermen’s houses that are now craft shops, bars and tavernas.

Like something out of one of Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns, the piazza (above) is honey-coloured and dusty. The only disappointment is the absence of Clint Eastwood.

Yards away is the Palazzo del Principe di Villadorata, which hosts a range of low-key boutiques and craft shops.

All of this operates against a backdrop of lazily rising and falling waves hitting the nearby shore. For a while all the burdens of the world disappear.

Do you know of a hidden gem? E-mail us at go@irishtimes.com