We arrived in Sicily in a most unique way, aboard a train ferry whisking us across the Straits of Messina that separate Sicily from the mainland. Unfortunately it was dark so the scenery was limited.
We awoke the next morning to clear, bright skies, a welcome change from the clouds and downpours which dogged us in the north. Feeling rejuvenated in the sun, we set off on a No Mafia walking tour through the center of Palermo. Led by Ermes, we learned about the rise of the Mafia in Sicily ( a weak government creates a power vacuum the Mafia exploits) and attempts to reduce its power. Ermes belonged to an organization which loosely translates to Good-bye Protection Money and it recruits shops which display its mantra:
We walked around Palermo, to the law courts, the police station, to memorials of judges, lawyers and police officers killed in the anti-mafia campaign.
We then did some non-Mafia related sightseeing, enjoying the Norman architecture reflected in Palermoās main buildings, including its imposing palace and the Duomo:
In the evening, we joined Annalise and a French couple for a street food tour. We started with traditional Sicilian treats like the deep fried rice ball- arancini- before progressing to the infamous spleen sandwich, offal in bread with ricotta cheese:
They look better than they taste- like dry liver. The story goes in medieval times, Jews were employed by the butchers and, in part payment, were given the unsellable pieces of the cow. Due to dietary laws, they couldnāt eat the spleen, etc. so they cooked it, put it between bread and sold the spleen sandwiches.
Of course, we finished with gelato, which Palermo contends it invented. I think the Florence populace would disagree.
We picked up a rental car and drove to the Greek ruins of Segesta where a 6th century BC Temple and Ampitheatre greeted us:
The Temple is considered one of the best preserved and afforded us expansive views of the surrounding countryside:
Continuing with the Greek theme, we drove to the city of Agrigento, a one time Greek colony with an extensive archaeological park. Stretching over 2 kilometres, the park contains the ruins of 7 temples, a few necropolises and other remnants from Ancient Greek and Roman occupation. Its Temple of Concord is remarkably intact for a 2500 year old building:
Much as I love Ancient Greek temples, one of my highlights in Sicily was the detour we took to the Villa Romana del Casales, the remains of a 2nd century AD Roman Villa with the most spectacular non- religious mosaics imaginable. Itās thought to be the country house of a wealthy Roman trader and all of its rooms are richly decorated with mosaics:
A 200 foot hallwayās mosaics depict the transport of exotic animals from Africa to Rome:
After a brief stint in Siracusa, another former Greek colony, we made our way to our final destination, Catania. We splurged for a tour of nearby Taormina and Mount Etna. Daria, our guide, enthusiastically explained how the volcano has dominated life in the region for centuries. Its super rich soil dictates what crops to grow, the constant lava flows create good building blocks and various saints are reputed to have miraculously stopped eruptions:
Climbing is possible to see one of its many craters, but on the day we went up, it was only 10 degrees and extremely windy. My companion climbed up, but I settled for a short trek to one of the lower craters.
We ended our time walking around old Catania, seeing a plethora of pretty Baroque churches and an ugly, unfinished one:
After a week, it was time to leave. One last dinner of a caprese salad and pasta and a glass of Prosecco:
Ciao Italy
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