Greeks, Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans and the Spanish …. they have all spent time in Sicily and left their mark on the architecture, customs, food and language and here we are in Palermo, gateway to the melting pot, ready to explore.
Welcomed by brilliant sunshine and blue sky, the day proceeded to warm us gently. Raffaella welcomed us into her home where she has been running B&B Piccola Sicilia for ten years and showed us our lovely room with balcony and mountain view.
Setting off in search of lunch through the Capo market, we saw stall upon stall piled high with glistening fresh fish or luscious fruit and vegetables interspersed with sellers of cheap shoes and kitchen equipment.
We then passed the Quattro Canti or Four Corners which is the crossroads marking the heart of historic centre of Palermo.
The sculptures on the four facades illustrate the four seasons, the four Spanish kings of Sicily, and the four patronesses of the city. Woe betide anyone foolish enough to try to cross here as the traffic is ferocious. Finally we reached the Antica Focacceria di San Francesco as recommended by Rafaella for Sicilian specialities.
Not being brave enough to try the pani ca’meusa or spleen roll, a culinary gem introduced by the Jews in Palermo …
… I instead joined Chris in pane e panelle, Palermo’s answer to the chip butty, a chickpea fritter flavoured with parsley and lemon in a soft roll which was surprisingly tasty, together with a delicious side of caponata, an aubergine stew in sweet and sour sauce.
That afternoon we visited Palazzo Chiaramonte Steri and were shown round by a student studying anthropology who volunteers as a guide. She told us how it was built by the Chiaramonte family, who also commissioned a huge wooden ceiling in the main hall, with its beams decorated with bible stories, mythology and chivalric stories. The Spanish made it their palace and and it was then the base of The Spanish Inquisition. The Spanish were here some 400 years and there are many Spanish words adopted into the Sicilian language. Food continued to be on our mind though, as the main reason for our visit was to see a modern painting by Renato Guttuso of another of Palermo’s markets, La Vucciria, painted in 1974.
Vucciria means confusion in Sicilian, and there is hustle and bustle and pushing and shouting everywhere. Nothing much has changed in Palermo’s markets as you can still see electric lights dangling, swordfish heads on display as well as ample piles of every kind of produce. We were told maybe Guttuso has painted himself as the central character, while the women dressed in the Italian colours of red, green and white were posed by his mistress, and his wife is carrying the shopping. It is also suggested that the butcher covering his face represents the mafia, and the fishmonger surrounded by fish represents the people.
On the way back we passed the Duomo …
… the Chiesa San Dominico …
… and the Teatro Politeama with Garibaldi looking on …
… before watching the boats bobbing in the marina at Le Cala.
We returned to Capo market in the evening to Trattoria Supra I Mura where Chris had mozzarella salad and spaghetti pomadoro I had polpetti del sarde, little sardine balls served in a sweet and sour onion sauce then a fabulous seafood pasta.
As for the rest of our time in Palermo, one highlight was Palazzo dei Normanni built by Roger II. I find it hard to keep a straight face taking about a king and hero called Roger as he sounds like a character from Blackadder, nonetheless, Roger II was the greatest Sicilian-Norman ruler who transformed Sicily from an Arab outpost into a Christian Kingdom, and Palermo into a splendid and cultured city. The jewel is the Cappella Palentina, built as his private chapel with a ceiling of wooden stalactites made by Arab woodcarvers, and walls covered with mosaics by Byzantine craftsmen. It is like a jewelled casket with every surface shimmering with light and telling all the stories from the bible including Rebecca and the Camels and Noah’s Ark.
We also looked round the royal apartments, and saw Roger’s own chamber, decorated with more mosaics, but this time of nature and hunting.
Then came a couple examples of Arabo-Norman architecture, San Giovanni degli Eremiti, set in lush gardens, which were it not for the Norman bell tower, it would seem like a mosque with its five red domes.
It was a cool and tranquil spot to spend a few minutes among the citrus trees.
Close by were Chiesa di San Cataldo, this time with three red domes, and a plain undecorated but atmospheric interior …
… and Chiesa della Martorana next door which has fared slightly differently. This church also began as a Norman church, this time beautifully decorated with more stunning Byzantine mosaics …
… including the only image of Roger II.
The story doesn’t end there though as it was later given a baroque facade, and the interior extended and decorated in the baroque style with stucco and painting.
Some building like the Oratorios of Santa Dominico …
… and San Cita were built in the Baroque style from the start, designed by Giacomo Serpotta. We preferred Santa Cita where the cherubs and angels seem to romp with abandon, and the stucco figures look down as if the visitors are the show and they are the audience!
None of this tells of the miles we feel we have walked, which is certainly quicker than driving after seeing the traffic jams, and safer too looking at the state of the cars. The back streets show another side of Palermo, not always as shiny as the shops on Via Roma.
On Saturday afternoon, we set off on the bus to Stadio Renzo Barbera with our tickets to see a football match between Palermo and Lanciano. We had already seen the pink banners all round the city advertising the home team who have been doing very well this season and have won promotion to Serie A for next year.
Unfortunately, as Chris went to get his wallet for ID for the tickets, he found it missing and we suspect in the crush to enter the grounds, it found a new owner. Rather than watch the match and worry, we spent the next hour with the Carabinieri reporting our loss, then returned to the B&B to cancel the cards. We are not disheartened, they didn’t win, it was just a draw, reports Chris bravely!
Our last night here we ate in a restaurant serving classic dishes with a modern twist. Forgot to snap the starter, but here is our pasta!
Going to pick the car up tomorrow and our soggiorno continues …
Off Travelling Together 