Sharing Sicily

A Taste of Palermo

I just returned from a tour to Sicily doing a coast to coast starting in Palermo and ending in Catania. It is such a long way to come, you might as well make the most of the airline ticket and travel time and see as much as possible.

I used to offer a week based out of Palermo. For me, each town in Sicily is worth a week on it’s own.The country is so complex, having been under 14 different rulers from different countries, all them them leaving their influences.

The overwhelming beauty of the cathedrale in Monreale above the city of Palermo. You see the “golden valley” down below, gold due to the orange farms covering the hillsides.

There is a saying:

If you go to Palermo and you not visit Monreale you are a donkey

It is worth the trip up the hill. You can take a city bus, but watch out for pick-pockets.

The tiny village is also so lovely, walking through the neighborhood behind the cathedral where there are also small mosiac shops, as well as when you are heading down to the parking lot, if you drove up. Take enough time to get lost. I found a wonderful small bakery still using a woodburning oven and now it’s always a stop for a snack on my tour!

The old mosaics inside on the floor-

The new mosaics in the neighborhood-

Palermo is so full of life. Parts of it as still a little messy from when the town was bombed in the second World War and the money to restore Palermo was spent on building a new side of the city which now is filled with expensive shops.

I was pleased to see the old part now slowly is being restored by people buying places and restoring them on their own.The markets of course are some of my fv

I am including my Thatch guide to Palermo for the paid subscribers to my newsletter( a 15 euro value). I will always be adding to the guide as each trip I try to visit something new.