Palermo

Marzia, Vincenzo and Michael on a break during an evening stroll.
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We were up at dawn, excited to finally be in Sicily. A whirlwind of packing up our stuff, getting off the ferry, and finding a cab to take us to a café near our apartment (Salvo, the proprietor, said the apartment wouldn’t be ready until 11:00 and that we could leave our luggage with his friend at the café.) Great plan, except the café was closed, so our kind cabbie took us to another café. We were now faced with the reality of being stuck with nowhere to leave our luggage and a wait of four hours.

Teatro Politeama, once of two magnificent theatres in Palermo.
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Michael decided to call Vincenzo, the son of his cousin, Pasquale. Vincenzo didn’t answer either phone (service here is so erratic that most people own two or three cells with as many different providers), so Michael called Pasquale who left work to pick us up and take us to his home. Maria, his wife, was out running errands, but came home soon after as did Vincenzo and his finance, Marzia. They then took us to Casa Giuditta where Salvo met us (it was now noon, as Salvo said the Spaniards who had the apartment were late in leaving.) His very pregnant wife was still cleaning the place, so we took off for a while in search of a supermarket to allow her time to finish.

Casa Giuditta is located in the historic center of Palermo. We are right by Piazza Kalsa and the church of Santa Teresa in what was originally the Arab section in the 9th century. Palermo is in a constant state of restoration, even more so than other Italian cities, because it was heavily bombed by the Allies in WWII. The historic district is perhaps a little behind in the citywide renovation efforts, but this makes it all the more interesting. Some of Palermo’s greatest monuments and sites are well within walking distance.

We took possession of our apartment, a very high-ceilinged flat with a sizable kitchen and living area space (that also contains two queen-sized beds.) The air-conditioning is truly a relief. We had just enough time to throw our bags on the floor because Vincenzo arrived to take us out to the family home at Altavilla, outside Palermo and near the beach..

At Altavilla, Maria had prepared a late lunch/early dinner (pasta with salsicce) and then we headed down to the beach along with Vincenzo and Marzia. The water is quite warm and clean despite the fact that everyone and their brother is taking advantage of ferie. It was refreshing, especially after the trials and tribulations of the day. Back to the house, a shower, and then a ride back Palermo.

Vincenzo and Marzia took us on a stroll around the Teatro Massimo area. We then had a late dinner at a restaurant that grills everything fresh to order. We ended up with small plates with an “assagio” of everything ---- chicken, pork, bistecca, hamburger stuffed with proscuitto and cheese, and intestine (you heard me right, and I even tried it). A gelato finished the evening and we were home and in bed long after midnight.