I was on my way to my brother’s wedding after my trip to Prague and traveled through Palermo on my way to the other side of the island. I had never been to Italy before, so this was a real experience for me.
I had just finished classes in both Paris and Prague (Please see the series “My walk in Paris” and “My walk in Prague”) and was exhausted from all the traveling but I had to carry on until the big day. Since I could not get to my hotel in Giardini Naxos for another two days, I decided to spend two days in Palermo exploring the city and seeing what it was all about. I swear it was an eye opener. It dawned on my where all the North Jersey traits come from. It is a carbon copy of the CIty of Palermo just that people spoke Italian there. I even heard some of the same swear words come out of women’s voices when people would stop their cars suddenly.
I was burnt out from all the flying. I had to change planes twice to get to Palermo from Prague and that was not fun. When I finally got to Palermo airport, I was frazed. All those layovers were exhausting. I had traveled in two days from Prague to Vienna and then from Vienna to Stuttgart and then had a eight-hour layover in Stuttgart, where I had to lie down on the only seats that were available (there was NO seating at that airport) and then Stuttgart to Palermo.
Then I took a group cab, which was only 13 Euros to the center of the City. The guy dumps me there and says I have to walk to my final destination with all that luggage. I looked at him like he was crazy, and he says to me, “This is why you took a group cab and not a regular one (I would find out later what he meant when returning back to Palermo it cost me 67 Euros to get back to the airport that is twelve miles outside the city).
The City square in Palermo in front of the Teatro Massimo.
I was impressed with the Teatro Massimo where I was dropped off.
I got to my B & B, the La Tua Dimora at Via Goethe 3, about four hours early and it was not ready yet. Just trying to find the place was interesting. The B & B was part of an inside complex of apartment and offices, and you needed a key for the front door, a key to the section of the building the B & B was located, a key to that section of the B & B and then a key to the room. It was a bit overwhelming when you just arrive totally jet-lagged from a flight from hell.
B & B La Tua Dimora at Via Goethe 3 in Palermo is hidden from the street
http://bb-la-tua-dimora.hotel-palermo-it.com/it/#main
My review on TripAdvisor:
Giovanni, my host met me at the door and let me in to drop off my luggage. My room was still being cleaned so I had about three hours before I could check in. The clouds broke and I just decided to walk around until I could come back to the room to relax. It was funny that he asked me for three Euros, and I could not figure out why, but I just paid it. Then I took my Google Maps, Google Translate and a map of the City of Palermo and went on an adventure.
I did not know where to start, so I took the map I had in my back pocket and the Google Map I downloaded and decided to walk back to where the cabbie dropped me off. The Town Square was so beautiful with all the purple flowered trees and the fountains and the shopping district that I saw from the cab, I thought it would be fun to explore.
I got totally lost! I just followed the walkway from the open garden restaurants that followed a road path from the square near my B & B to the harbor. I had gotten back to the shopping area and saw a group of people eating their lunch just off the square near the edge of the shopping area by the Teatro Massimo and I wanted to get a glimpse of the menu. I ended up walking block by block south down the open pathway, which was once a road, now lined with open air cafes down to the harbor.
The wonderful outdoor cafes on that Sunday morning were packed with people dining.
From there, I saw that two large cruise ships (that were filled with older German tourists) had docked and all the tourists were coming ashore and walking into the tourist shopping and dining areas, so I just followed them around the harbor and into the historic district. We walked down tiny roadways and passages through people’s homes. There were small fountains, lots of churches and many tiny outdoor cafes with similar menus. I figured all of this was geared for the ocean liner crowd that came in on the ships.
The Italian coastline is so beautiful
Walking through the side streets of Palermo from the Harbor
I never stopped snapping pictures the whole time with one block being more beautiful than the next and the architecture and stonework being more breathtaking building by building. These would be neighborhoods that would be fully gentrified in New York if this type of architecture existed (the closest thing we have is the Flatiron District which I have written about and try buying those buildings now). All the garden spots and flowering pots and statuary just makes it such a unique place to visit.
An apartment building with potted plants in Palermo
Every block was filled with one beautiful street after another. Though just off the tourist district was a pretty run-down area of the city but I figured in a couple of years this will be fixed up as well. Every block that I walked on the buildings were old but had so much character to them.
The apartments had their own outdoor gardens.
I just winded through these little streets just off the harbor, admiring all the beautiful structures and these hanging gardens on each block. I was not too sure what the German tourists were in such a rush for, but I stopped block by block to take pictures and look at statuary.
An apartment house on the side streets in Palermo
The outdoor restaurants that line this area of the city
The open-air restaurants near the harbor attracted all the German Cruise customers.
The interesting buildings in the historic section, the Porta Nuova, the old entrance to the city.
The traffic circle by the harbor
The Church by the harbor
Walking through the town squares of Palermo
As I was walking around following the German tourists through this colorful part of the city, I was also starved. There was not much food on the flights, and I was always in a rush. As I walked around the park, I stopped to see a group of tourists eating some rice balls and said to myself, “I want those”. So, I stopped in the restaurant to see what they had.
Sfrigola at C.so Calatafimi 11 in Palermo
My review on TripAdvisor:
Sfrigola is a local fast-food chain that specializes in arancini, Italian rice balls that have different fillings. I stopped and took a peek inside to see two workers only cooking rice and then adding the fillings that people ordered. They made this one item and I swear that they perfected it.
I ordered one sausage and one pork ragu arancini and added a local soda to the order, a Lemonata. The entire lunch was excellent. The rice balls were made order and then freshly fried and served hot with a side of fresh tomato sauce. I was in heaven because it was the perfect meal. I knew it would be a heavy meal, but it was so delicious. The fillings were so flavorful and rich combined with the rich tomato sauce. I really enjoyed my meal. What was nice was the young woman who worked the register spoke perfect English and helped me with my order. I highly recommend this tiny restaurant by the park.
My delicious lunch
The delicious Sausage Arancini
The Pork Ragu Arancini with the Lemonata drink
After I finished lunch, I walked over the park up the block from the restaurant and relaxed. I had not gotten over the jet lag and stay over in Germany, so I needed some time to collect myself. I have to say one thing, this guy could really sing. Talk about a nice way to spend the afternoon. I sat on a bench enjoying the sunshine and nice weather listening to songs in Italian. The singer really stopped crowds.
The Garden Square at the Villa Bonanno
The singer who entertained in the gardens
After relaxing and digesting lunch and enjoying the sunshine, I continued to explore Palermo. I used my Google Maps on my phone and just got ‘lost’, walking all the little side streets and going from extremes from rich to poor. The one thing I did see as I walked the streets around this area was the artwork on the walls of the buildings. The street art in Palermo was very interesting.
This was on one of the walls in a seedier area of Palermo
This unusual piece was near one of the restaurants.
I thought this was interesting.
On my way through the shopping district from the harbor to the main part of the city, I came across this elegant fountain that faced a square with other fountains matching it.
One of the “Four Canti” fountains in Palermo on my first afternoon
Statuary by one of the public squares by Palermo Cathedral
After exploring the harbor area of Palermo, I could finally go back to the B & B to settle in and relax after the flight from hell. I got back to room and just relaxed and unpacked. It had been a little bit of a hassle to get into the room as I had to deal with three sets of keys to get to my room. One to open the main door, one to open the hallway door and then one to open my room. I finally got inside the room and collapsed on the bed.
My bedroom at the B & B
The one thing I really liked about my room was that it had a balcony that faced the street and a really nice breeze. I was able to keep the window open and get fresh air in the room and get some rest. The room was really nice in that it was a large space with its own bathroom and a workstation. It was like being in someone’s studio apartment. I relaxed for about two hours before dinner.
I had explored the whole neighborhood that afternoon and there were several restaurants that I wanted to try for dinner but being a Sunday night when I arrived almost everything closed after lunch. When I got back to the B & B, most everything was shut down and even the pizzeria down the block from me that looked interesting was closed. So, I walk around the block, and I found Opale, an Italian restaurant on the next block over. God, what a wonderful restaurant with excellent food and service.
Opale is a wonderful family-owned restaurant in the residential district of my B & B and not a very touristy spot. The owner of the restaurant and his extended family were eating at the large table in the back of the restaurant. I saw three generations of family members enjoying dinner together and the quietist baby relaxing in his mother’s arms. I had not seen such well-behaved children since our dinners out with my parents. I could tell the whole family was having a good time together.
Opale at Piazza S. Francesco di Paola, 19 in Sicily
My review on TripAdvisor:
I knew I was in a more neighborhood spot when the waiter spoke no English and me with my broken Italian and Google translate buttons. I knew most of the things on the menu because Italian is written on the menus of all the Italian restaurants in the States as well. Somethings I could not translate so well so I thought I ordered a side salad with a pasta dish, and I got a dinner salad with a pizza. So much for understanding the translations.
The outside of Opale
The dining room at Opale
The waiter was really cool and could not have been more patient with me. I had to order with my iPhone and unfortunately, he did not speak English. I was expecting a pasta dish with sausage and broccoli, and they delivered a pizza to my table with sausage and broccoli rabe. It was the best mistake I ever made because it was delicious.
The Salad had fresh greens, homemade croutons and fresh mozzarella.
The Pizza had fresh mozzarella, broccoli rabe and topped with fresh basil in a white sauce.
The Dinner was excellent!
I could not believe how much food I ordered but had no problem eating everything in front of me. The owner was greeting friends and neighbors in the restaurant and then looked at me. I guess he was trying to understand where this tourist came from. He smiled and nodded to me, and I figured he went back to the table to talk about me because for a moment I could swear they all looked over at me.
It was an amazing dinner.
After dinner was over, it gave me a chance to walk around the neighborhood some more and explore the stores. I did not realize until the next morning that we were on the edge of a major retail corridor a few blocks away. So, I got some window shopping in for the next morning as I planned my day. I got an excellent night’s sleep at the B & B.
The comfortable breakfast room at the B & B
The next morning after a nice rest and getting my homework done for class, I went to the other part of the B & B for breakfast. There were a lot of twists and turns in the structure of the B & B and I found the breakfast room. Guiseppe had a nice spread of food for us with fresh pastries and fruit and tiny egg sandwiches. I do not know how many people were staying there but I had my fill of the buffet. The food was simple and delicious.
The breakfast spread of fresh pastries and sandwiches.
Breakfast at the B & B
Waiting for the other guests
After my broken conversation with Guiseppe and the staff, off I went to explore Palermo. I just grabbed my map, a Google Maps app and memory of where I walked yesterday, and I started on the journey. It was fun having the whole day for myself and getting lost. The only problem was the whole day was really gloomy and it always looked like it was going to rain. Still, I wanted to see as much of Palermo as I could see in one day.
I had wanted to see both the Archeology Museum and the Zoological Museum that morning, but the Archeology Museum was closed on Monday and the Zoological Museum did not open until noon, so I wondered around the back of the city and made my way around the Palermo University and explored the historical core of Palermo. It really is a breathtaking and unique city.
I started my walk in the small park near the city square. This is near where the taxi dropped me off the other day.
I made my way down the Via Volturno and stopped to take pictures at the Palermo Opera House. I thought the building was very impressive as did all the German tourists I had to elbow to take the perfect shot of the building. It was about ten minutes of waiting until they all moved.
The Palermo Opera House
I walked back towards the harbor area that I had walked the previous day and explored the theaters, churches and parks that caught my eye. I snapped pictures all afternoon because there were so many beautiful things to see.
I next revisited the shopping area that I had seen yesterday and the four fountains that faced one another. I walked the Via Salvatore Spinuzza to the Via Roma shopping avenue and spent time in this very touristy area. This section of the city was catering to the cruise ship crowd with themed restaurants, tourist shops and loads of ice cream and dessert places with higher prices than the store and restaurants around me. The Via Roma is one of the main arteries to the harbor and this area in between the harbor is ‘tourist central’.
With the Archeological Museum was closed so I decided to see other things. The first thing I went back to see was the Quattro Canti, the ‘Four Canti’, a Baroque octagon plaza with fountains and statues in the heart of the shopping district.
The Four Canti on the east side of the plaza.
The Four Canti on the west side of the plaza.
By this point it was drizzling and I could see that people were stopping for meals and snacks to get out of the rain. I admired these buildings and the beautiful fountain at the base of each of them. The day before you could not see the statuary because there were so many people here but with the rain, the plaza emptied out and you could see their details.
The tables were not full at this interesting statue by the shopping district as it rained part of the day.
The weather my second day in Palermo was not great. The clouds kept going in and out and it was light rain off and on for most of the morning and afternoon. It did not stop the people on the cruise ships (two big ones were docked at the harbor) but there was a lot of umbrellas out to dodge.
I next passed one of the most beautiful churches that I had seen in Europe.
The Cathedral Palermo in the rain
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palermo_Cathedral
The lines to get into the Cathedral Palermo
The entrance to the Cathedral Palermo in the rain
Even though I had no interesting in touring the church (the lines were really long for it), touring the outside of it and admiring its beauty was enough. I love how people built these buildings not just to last forever (Palermo was not hit during WWII) but made to be admired and loved. Just the detail work in the historical district of Palermo on the buildings and the fountains and statuary of the streets is something you don’t see anymore. In cities on the East Coast, you will see this stonework but not past 1920 and is work by the very stone masons from this region.
Seeing the beauty in the side streets and back alleys of Palermo.
I walked back up the Via Vittorio Emanuele, which is a major thoroughfare from the harbor to the Villa Bonnano Park where I heard the musician playing the other day. It is amazing how the rain kept people out of the park and quiet it was as the rain cleared. This is when I noticed the vibrance of the colors in the flowers and plantings. Again the park had many unique statues and looked like an open-air museum.
The Villa Bonnano Park
Villa Bonnano Park in the rain
There was a quiet beauty to walking around the park and admiring the trees and flowers. It is so nice when there are no crowds around and you have the park to yourself to appreciate it. As I walked up to the Palazzo dei Normanni I noticed this interesting fountain just outside the building.
There was a crowd of students waiting to get into the building for a field trip, so I turned around and walked through the park again until I reached the Porta Nuova, which was the old entrance gate to the City of Palermo.
The Porta Nuova, the original entrance to the city
A Standout flower in the garden wall
I followed the Plaza della Victoria to the Corso Tukory on my way to the Museum of Zoology and then I passed the Museum of Geology, which I had not seen on the map of museums. I stopped in to take a peek to see what the museum was like. It was very impressive for such a small museum.
Museum of Geology at Corso Tukory 130
https://www.enjoysicilia.it/en/palermo-area/palermo/museo-di-geologia-gemmellaro-palermo/
My review on TripAdvisor:
I have to say that I was very impressed by this little museum. In just two floors it was filled with interesting artifacts and displays. The Dinosaur Exhibition was really fun because not only did you get to see the skeletons but a dinosaur egg as well. There were all sorts of sea fossils on the First Floor and on the Second Floor there was a extensive Gem collection to view.
The Dinosaur Exhibition
The Dinosaur egg exhibit
The Sea Fossil Exhibition
The Gem Room
I was following around a group of school kids and their mothers who were on a class trip and their mothers. I swear like I was back in New Jersey with the way these kids behaved, and their mothers dressed. If they started to speak English, I would have felt like I would have been back in Bergen County. It amazed me how similar people were from here to home.
I ended up being at the museum much longer than I thought I would and was late getting to the Zoological Museum and the guy at the desk said they closed at 1:00pm. I thought that was when they opened, and I tried to convince the guy in my bad Italian that it was my last day in Palermo, and I could not come back in the morning to see the museum (the museum is only one room but supposed to be impressive). He would not budge. So, I decided to keep touring the city.
Walking on the Via Lincoln
I ventured back up the Via Lincoln and explored around the Train Station, the Piazza Giulio Cesare, with it beautiful Roman architecture and the statues in the front of hte train station guarding the rails. I had to ask about transportation to the other side of the island for the next day. The rail system was under renovation on the way to Castonia, so I decided to take the bus the next morning. Thank God that the staff at both the railroad and the bus spoke English. It made it easier to plan the trip.
This beautiful fountain is right near the train station.
After I left the railroad station, I continued exploring down the Via Lincoln and passed a couple of building with Chinese lettering. I did not realize that Palermo had its own Chinatown or what was left of it. It was just a couple of buildings on a corner at this point. I thought this was pretty interesting as to how the Chinese landed in Palermo.
The tiny Palermo Chinatown
By this point in the afternoon, I was starved. I was so sick of pizza and pasta I was hoping that there was a Chinese restaurant around the historical section of the city but to no avail. Then I went to one of the side streets in the neighborhood and found Snack Point, a tiny sandwich shop that I found out later was a chain from India.
Snack Point at Corso dei Mille 69
My review on TripAdvisor:
It must have been a culture shock to the owner who kept looking me over to see an American eating at their restaurant that mostly catered to locals. The selection was really nice and the food was excellent.
The menu at Snack Point was extensive and very reasonable.
I had a gyro sandwich which I was in the mood for after all the pizza I had been eating. I could not believe the prices were so reasonable for the portion size. I thought the restaurant was very fair. The service was wonderful as the owner’s wife waited on me with perfect English. I felt right at home.
The Gyro sandwich and fries was excellent and could have fed two people.
After lunch was over, I looked online and found out that the other two museums I wanted to see were closed as well so I decided to go to the Botanical Gardens at the end of the block. I hate to say it, but they were not well taken care of and needed a lot of work. It was like being on a Silent Movie star’s property and looking at the shabby elegance of it all. You can see what they once were and what they could be. I thought in many parts of the garden they were really beautiful.
The Entrance to the Palermo Botanical Gardens (The Orto Botanico di Palermo building was closed)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orto_botanico_di_Palermo
My review on TripAdvisor:
The entrance to the old Botanical Gardens were closed so I went to the other entrance. A lone security guard was feeding a feral cat by the entrance, and he just let me walk in. There was no fee for going into the gardens. They really had a shabby elegance to them. It was really quiet on this gloomy afternoon, and I pretty much had the gardens to myself.
At the entrance of the Botanical Gardens
The Botanical Gardens
The back of the Botanical Gardens
The stauary in the Gardens
The statue of King Neptune
The gardens returning to nature
Wondering along the paths of the gardens
The gardens reminded me of what can happen when you neglect these treasures. They start reverting to nature as I could see all the weeds growing in and the statues needing cleaning. The paths needed to be cut and the bushes edged. Even though they were in shabby shape, there still was a quiet elegance about them and seeing all the animals adapting to them. It was fun though to have the palce to myself for most of the afternoon.
Walking by the harbor in Palermo
I continued to walk around the city, walking down this street and that street on my way back to my B & B. I passed so many little wonderful pocket parks, beautiful fountains and great restaurants (I kept hoping that my appetite would come back but that sandwich at lunch was really filling). All I kept doing was looking at menus.
The Fountain Garrafo by all the wonderful restaurants
I wanted to stop and see the four Canti again in the historic district again and was able to get a better look without the crowds. They really are beautiful.
Canti One
Canti Two
Canti Three
Canti Four
Not being hungry for dinner, I stopped at Dane Cafe at Via Dante 39 near my B & B. The pastries and the ice cream here is incredible. The first day I went the manager was standing outside and said to me in perfect English “You should come in have some dessert.” and I said to myself “Yes, I should.” and I went inside. I had the most delicious Watermelon and Strawberry gelato cone. I swear it was so good that I thought I saw God. It amazes me when something is so good that it does not compare to anything in the past. This gelato stood alone.
The incredible selection of gelato at Dante Cafe
https://www.facebook.com/DanteCafeOfficial/
My review on TripAdvisor:
All of their pastries and gelatos looked so good, and it was only after I left Palermo that I realized that they served food here too. I was so taken by desserts I never asked. It was the perfect go to place on these humid Sicilian nights. here I had the Strawberry and Vanilla and Banana gelato.
The ‘Ice Cream Man’ at Dante Cafe with my cone creation.
As I walked back to the B & B happily eating my gelato, I wished I had planned more time in Palermo. I really admired this city on the bay. I just could not believe how beautiful the city was and how special each neighborhood in the city seemed to be.
By the time I got back to the B & B it was late and I just wanted to relax. I must have walked all over the historical part of the city, dodging cars, trying to help German tourists (but I am from the United States) and looking at every menu at every restaurant I passed. It really is a charming historical city with lots of surprises here and there. It reminded me of my walks in Manhattan where just walking down the city block yields so many wonderful things to see and experience.
I just relaxed for the rest of the evening and worked on my papers for school. I wanted to finish them before I left Palermo the next day for the other side of the island for my brother’s wedding. Then I would not be getting anything done.
The wonderful buffet the next morning.
My last breakfast in Palermo brightened up another gloomy morning.
The next morning, I prepared to leave the city. I was packed and ready to go and ready for the next leg of my trip. I had a long breakfast at the B & B and relaxed and enjoyed it. Guiseppe called me a cab after breakfast, and we said our goodbyes (via Google Translate). It was a wonderful two days in a city that was part of my family’s past, and I was glad to experience it myself. Then i left for the long bus trip to Castonia on the other side of the island.
Next stop the wedding.
mywalkinmanhattan 