Palermo – A city full of life, history, friendly people, & new discoveries at every turn+a sidetrip

During our half day drive from Agrigento on Sicily’s South coast to Palermo on the North coast, we made several stops at some villages where time seems to have stood still for a century. Many were high up in the hills, some with walls around the town, and all with buildings that are older than the U.S. We were hunting for the elusive €1 Euro homes that we had been reading about over the past few years. Many towns have been practically deserted, and to attract people back, the local governments have taken over abandoned homes and re-selling them for €1 Euro. Crazy, right. What we found out is that you really need a local to help with this process. There are no signs, very little on the intranet, and not a lot of help from anyone.

Although in the end we didn’t find our bargain chateau in the hills of Sicily, we did discover some interesting architecture, cute little eateries and coffee shops, friendly locals, and some stunning views over the plains. Well worth every stop.

Jos found a cool little, authentic Italian restaurant on the outskirts of Palermo, where we stopped and ate some amazing home-cooked pasta in a bustling family-style dining room, and drank good, inexpensive wine. They also made everyone wear bibs! I guess no one wants to get sauce on their clothes during lunchbreak .

We had arranged to meet our Airbnb host, Toti, outside of our next rental right in the heart of the old part of the City. There were beautiful buildings, gorgeous churches, idyllic government buildings, with a plethora of cafes, restaurants, and shopping.

As a side note, some people had warned me against driving in Palermo, and they were right. It is crazy. Cars going everywhere…driving on the shoulders, etc. Also a lot of scooters and bikes, but not nearly as bad as Naples.

We had planned on driving over to the West Side of the Island the next day, then to the beaches on the following day, so we asked our host to find us parking spot….which, is not easy to come by in Palermo. After greeting us, Toti hopped in the car and as he was critiquing my driving in Italian he led me down alleyways that were barely wide enough for our little car.

With the car parked, we walked back to check in. The Airbnb was amazing, with a huge master suite, a second bedroom, living area, bath and a generous kitchen. Unfortunately it was up 30 stairs after having to duck under the entrance door. Fortunately, only once up and one down!!

We both found Toti to be extremely accommodating and a very interesting person. He didn’t speak much English, but we were able to communicate a little in both languages, with help from Google Translate. We discovered that he worked for the town hall building right around the block. He invited us to stop by for a tour sometime during our week stay. More on our visit to the government building later.

We immediately headed out to one of the many amazing restaurants that we ate at during our stay. Everyone with unbelievably good pizza, pasta, and wine.

Old Palermo is full of history, dotted with fountains, statues, beautiful architectural buildings, shop-lined streets (some of which are closed down to vehicles), which made for wonderful evenings and days walking through the area. During our second day out, we discovered a cool little place with outside tables, that served some of the best Aperol Spritzes we drank during our trip…and of course €5 for two. Tasty!!

The next full day we drove through the crazy, windy, tight, busy streets to get out of town, and start our 2 hour drive out to the West side of Sicily. Toti and others had recommended that we visit the medieval town of Erice. Before we visited that town, we made stop for lunch in the seaside town of Trapani. After lunch, we winded our way up to Erice at 2,500 feet above sea level. This little town on the top of the hill has been inhabited since BC.

The next day, we stopped at a famous beach west of Palermo. It was a cute little seaside area, lined with beautiful homes, a boardwalk of sorts. We had a nice long walk before heading to the airport to drop off our rental car, then hopped on the train back into Palermo. Another great night out eating pizza, pasta, and fish, along with some more incredible wine.

Glad we were walking around so much or I would have put on 20 pounds!

The next day we went out for a really long walk into the shopping district. Lots of high end hotels and shops. We were in search of our first moka. At our Naples Airbnb we discovered the joys of brewing expresso in a Moka. We now own 3 of them!! On the way back, you guessed it, a stop for more Aperol Spritzes.

We finally took Toti up on his offer to come visit him at work and tour the town hall building. Toti had invited a friend to show us around, and get this, we got to meet the Mayor of Palermo. He was a portly gentleman that would fit right in with your imagination of a Sicilian politician, down to the cigar — and he spoke perfect English. He was in a hurry, so a quick hand shack and wished us a good visit, and then he left. Although he looked like he could be mafia, he in fact was one of the main forces behind breaking up some of the mafia rings/families around Palermo. We still aren’t sure what exactly Toti does at City Hall, but he has been there for 30 hears and seems to be an important fixture. Possibly the secretary.

We enjoyed many quiet mornings and evenings in our little Airbnb oasis.

We received a call from a good friend from the States to tell us more about what was happening with the pandemic. Only one case in Palermo at that time…a visitor from Northern Italy.

During our last day in the City we walked all of the wonderful streets we have started to know well. We visited a thousand year old church, with a fresco of the entire bible wrapped around the main sanctuary (The Golden Palatine Chapel and the Normal Palace). We also finally visited a church right across the street from our Airbnb Chiesa di Santa Caterina d’Alessandria. This church had amazing views of the City all the way to the sea. It also had a lot interesting sculptures and artifacts. It had a big nunnery too. We got to tour the areas where the choirs used to sing out of sight. Another great evening out with pizza, pasta, fish, and wine at a place that we walked by every day. It was quiet, with incredibly good food, and nice ambiance.

We did not want to leave this great City…one of the many places that we would like to return to someday. Sicily should be high on your list if you are going to make the trip to Italy.

The next day Toti set up a taxi to take us to the train station, where we boarded for the airport. This was the first time we started to see people wearing masks, and much more deep cleaning going on in the train, and covid announcements. There were also very few people in the airport. We had a quick flight back over to Barcelona. One of the many reasons I love the UK and Europe is the easy travel. You can get from country to country more quickly than going from state to state in the US.

We planned to stay a few days in Barcelona, then fly down to Málaga, Spain, on the Mediterranean Sea just an hour from Gibraltar.