Day 3: Palermo

 September 20, 2023: No problem getting to sleep last night around midnight. Woke up around 8:30am which felt so late (!), showered and up to the rooftop for cappuccino, breakfast a beautiful view of our surroundings. 

On booking the hotel originally, I didn't realize how centrally located we would be for touring some of the 

top sites. In fact, the street itself, Via Vittorio Emanuele, was the location of many of these ancient structures. A nice surprise! 

The area was alive with music, families, tourists and residents going about their daily lives. We started at a church called Cappella Di San Giuseppi Del Falegnami which was right across the street. 

Constructed in the early 1600's, the beauty, sculptures and architecture were really a site to behold. To the right is the alter area and above, the ceiling of one of the vestibules (click to enlarge). 

Next it was to Quatro Canti. This area, in the middle of Vittorio Emanuele, is surrounded on the four corners of the street by four imposing building modeled after a crossroads in Rome. A video below seemed the best way to capture it!

Just around the corner was Piazza Pretoria with the Fontana Pretoria (fountain). The fountain is not in operation, but the imposing sculptures of mythical characters were intact and really something to see (pics below). If you consider the years of war throughout the centuries in Palermo, it's hard to believe these monuments survived it all. 

At this point, we wandered farther up the street to our final touring destination of the day: The Palermo Cathedral. A combination of Norman, Baroque and Arab influences due to additions over the

years, its first structures were built in 1185. It includes the tombs of royalty and of the dioceses that are

open to tour in the underground catacombs. I really can't do it just here... we spent about 2 hours between the Cathedral and adjoining museum which was the Archbishop's palace. Not enough time, but legs can only sustain so long!

Now it was time for a late lunch at one of the famed market places of Palermo: Ballaro. Again, completely accessible by foot from our hotel, we were able to get there in less than 10 minutes. From a few blocks

away we could begin to smell the food cooking and hear the vendors bantering back and forth with one another and calling to passers-by to eat, sit at a table or come into their shops. In the video above, we chose this spot to sample some fresh fish, Arancini and pork intestine wrapped onions (not me...)!

Well, by this point we were getting a little worn out! We stopped at a cafe nearby and had our first Granita

--like a flavored icee, but richer and more natural flavors. Tom had lemon and I had pistachio...wow. The biting intensity (but still sweet) of the lemon and the rich pistachio/almond flavors were so welcome after being on our feet for hours. The heat, by the way, is completely manageable this time of year. Yes, there's humidity, but you don't have the overwhelming heat/humidity of July or August that can be debilitating. 

But with limited time to see Palermo, we had a quick stop back at the hotel to freshen up, and figured we stroll to the marina to round-out the day. I'm glad we did. We came upon a display map outlining where the original port area had been before it sank down and was replaced with the current city structures and marina.  Also took in some wall art (graffiti, but nicer?) and I always love seeing what kind of boats the marina has to offer. 

We finished out the evening with a great dinner about a 10 minute walk from the hotel. The gnocchi bolognese was outstanding. Then a rooftop glass of wine back at the hotel and off to bed!