Only 50 minutes by train from Cefalu, Palermo is an exciting and wild city, absolutely full to the brim with extraordinary architecture and a beauty all its own. It's a big city, and always has been. It was founded by the Phoenicians in the 6th century BC and quickly became an important port for trade and one of the most populous cities of the ancient world. It was taken over by Arabian conquest in the 9th century AD and then by Norman in 11th century AD. It is a UNESCO world heritage site for its Arab-Norman architecture:
I traveled with my friends Helga (Austrian) and Pasquale (Swiss), seen here ascending the stairs to visit an interesting church which is such a Baroque explosion of glory!:
In the cloisters that connect to the church is a middle eastern style garden of tremendous delights, like bananas, lemons and pomegranates.
And there is also a little pasticcieria where you can find traditional Sicilian treats, like this Minni de Sant'Agata. It is meant to look like one of Saint Agatha's breasts. If you remember, she was martyred by having her breasts torn off. See previous post and story. It has a pastry base, topped with a lemon curd and then ricotta and chocolate chips. It is covered in marzipan. Very sweet. V V good, though.
Here is some wonderful graffiti featuring Giovanni Falcone who played a crucial role in cracking down on the mafia during the 70s. He was killed in 1992:
It includes one of his famous quotes. His work as a judge was so key to turning the tide on the power of the mafia in Sicily. His words here, "It is time to move forward!" refer to moving beyond the 19th century and La Cosa Nostra. Into the modern world.
We had lunch at a Sicilian osteria with remarkable traditional foods. Like these antipasti of arancine (rice balls made of saffron risotto and shaped to looks like oranges) and chickpea fritters and potato croquettas:
Molto buono!
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