52 Reasons to Love Sicily #25. Sicily is a bridge where east meets west, especially in Palermo where north African and middle-eastern sensibilities blend with European ones, as illustrated by the Arab-Norman heritage of Palermo. The Arabs were in power in Sicily from roughly 827 to 1061, and many Sicilians will tell you they are…
Tag: Palermo
52 Reasons to Love Sicily | Strolls Through Public Gardens
52 Reasons to Love Sicily #22. Strolls through public gardens offer a different kind of exploring. Villa Giulia, an oasis of greenery in Palermo that was commissioned in 1777, presents you with a geometric layout accentuated with neoclassical band shells and allegorical statues. In the midst of the park, is the Villa Giulia version of…
52 Reasons to Love Sicily | Castles and Their Stories
52 Reasons to Love Sicily #21. Castles and their stories pervade hilltop towns in Sicily. This castle pictured, Il Castello di Caccamo in Palermo Province, presents travelers an especially interesting glimpse into Europe’s medieval past. Scholars think the site has been home to some kind of fortress for millennia, meanwhile, this impenetrable iteration, the largest…
52 Reasons to Love Sicily | Fantastic Feasts and Festivals
52 Reasons to Love Sicily #16. Fantastic Feasts and Festivals Sicily’s community rituals will enchant you. Case in point: Yes, that is a big artichoke! Because annually on April 25, the town of Cerda (Palermo Province) celebrates the Sagra del Carciofo or Artichoke Festival, in honor of their main crop. Cerda’s party is one of…
52 Reasons to Love Sicily | Royal Fairytales Are Real
52 Reasons to Love Sicily #6. In Sicily, “fairytales” about knights and ladies and kings and queens are not fiction. Throughout the island exists displays of centuries of royalty. In fact, you’ll find castles seemingly on every hilltop with a view! Perhaps the most particular evidence of majesty is illustrated by the crown of Constance…
52 Reasons to Love Sicily | Palermo Goes To 11
52 Reasons to Love Sicily #3. When talking coolness factor, the city of Palermo goes to 11. It’s European. It’s north African. It’s exotic. It’s got flirtatious nightlife (La Vucciria open-air market becomes a people-watching hub after dark and in nearby Ballarò, jazz clubs take over the alleyways.). It’s got high-art — the city is…
52 Reasons To Love Sicily | Take The Train
52 Reasons to Love Sicily #2. Taking a daytrip on the train from Palermo to Cefalù (or from Cefalù to Palermo) is convenient and offers excellent people watching (both at your destination and on the train itself). The north coast rail corridor between Messina and Palermo presents a reliable schedule and very prompt trains (Arrive…
Bagheria’s Cove Of The Heart
In Sicily, you’ll come upon guerrilla art often, like this heart placed at Bagheria’s Tre Piscine (the three pools), now with the secondary name Cala del Cuore (Cove of the Heart). It’s one of my most favorite places in the world. Rugged and hard to get to if you’re not prepared for it, it’s a…
Curves And Vistas In Sicily
The shortcut to Palermo through Caccamo offers adventuresome drivers lots of curves and beautiful vistas.
The Joy Of Strade Brutte In Sicily
When you take those “strade brutte,” meaning “ugly roads” that you are afraid for your car to drive down, you’ll see some beautiful scenery, like this hill that exists somewhere between Palermo and Trapani Provinces. (NB those are ruins of an ancient castle on top of the hill)