With the exception of Naples, our trip this year has focused around small towns – Forio, Ischia; Monteferrante, Abruzzo; Taormina, Sicily. We also had our two-day road trip through rural Sicily which was nice and quiet.
And then we arrived in Palermo. I had forgotten what city life was like. Palermo is big and bustling and loud with lots of traffic and people. Our first evening was a little bit of a shock after our pastoral road trip.
The evening passagiata on Via Maqueda near our apartment, shoulder-to-shoulder people in the street
San Domenico church
Each neighborhood in the old town has signs like this on its main street
A stately fountain in Piazza Pretoria
Now that we’ve been here for a few days, I’ve gotten used to being in a big city again. I can jostle my way through a crowd and jay-walk a busy intersection like a local.
We’ve got a great apartment in an ideal location. It’s a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment with plenty of room. When we first arrived, we took a tour of the apartment and said, “We should have the cats shipped here and live here permanently.”
The elevator in our apartment building – yes, it’s the size of a phone booth and about as ancient as landline technology
Our living room
Our kitchen
View of the building across the street
The car-free shopping street below
We’ve been exploring the city and checking out stately buildings in addition to smaller, out-of-the-way streets.
Teatro Massimo
Fascist architecture! The main post office
The Quattro Canti intersection has facades like this on all four cornes
A little side street
Graffiti of a cat that is looking at…
…this graffiti of fish across the street!
This “one way” sign caught my eye
A collection of pretty dresses hanging out to dry
There are a lot of churches in Palermo – this photo has a church in the foreground and another in the background
We’ve also been spending time with Chad’s parents who are renting an apartment nearby. Fran’s birthday was earlier this week. We spent that morning at one of the markets to pick up groceries, and then Chad made a delicious birthday lunch.
The market in the Capo neighborhood in the old town
Squash blossoms for sale
Tomatoes for sale
We stopped for a drink and a snack
Chad made a delicious appetizer for Fran’s birthday – focaccia, broccolo (giant broccoli), stuffed squash blossoms, tomato salad, fresh zucchini
One of the fun things about staying in a city for a few days is that you can catch some local activities that you might otherwise miss. In 1993, a beloved local priest was assassinated by the mafia. I don’t know why, and I really don’t understand it because you would think that priests are off-limits. In any case, yesterday was the anniversary of his death, and last night there was a music celebration at the cathedral in his honor.
The priest’s tomb in the main cathdral
A poster for the music celebration
Hundreds of people attended. There were young and old, locals and tourists, monks and nuns, boy and girl scouts, clowns and police.
The stage and audience on the main plaza in front of the cathedral
Another view of the plaza
During the celebration, a member of each music group recited one of the priest’s well-known sayings from backstage, and then the group came out on stage to perform. In addition to more traditional music, the performances included a drum circle, interpretive dance, spoken word, and a strange a capella version of Stairway to Heaven. It was a weird mix of artistic styles, but it was a nice celebration with a diversity of talent.
A recitation of the priest’s words
Drum circle women
A capella group
Another group
Absent the opportunity to actually be there, I love being able to experience these places vicariously. Thank you, Juli!