zeppole

Thanks, marija, but where we are was unaffected by the terrible mudslides and raging waters on either side of us, where people really have suffered. The storm had a broad cyclone pattern, so it lashed parts of Naples as well as Genoa and soaked Sardegna, and apparently nicked some of Sicily, but fortunately not where you were.

When the sun is shining on the Mediterranean in November, it is just stunning. Hope you encountered some great olives, olive oil, new wine and ripe grapes where you were in Sicily in addition to the sunshine.

lregula

Looking forward to the rest, marija -- sorry we didn't know each other before we were going -- we could have given you a ride

Marija

Thanks, lrgeula. We got there before you did. Walked to the bus station (15 minutes from the hotel) and took the 10:30 bus to Agrigento arriving at 12:30. We were in the hotel by 1:00! But it did cost us 8.3 E each...

HarryS

Looking forward to more of your report. My wife and I will be going to Sicily this May and we are 50/50 about renting a car while there.
Also if you were to do trip again would you have stayed at one place longer?

TDudette

More, please, Marija.

ellenem

I had similar trouble finding stamps at the tabacchi in Venice this year. Our hotel manager told us that fewer tabacchi bother to carry stamps since they are often stolen since the stamps are the equivalent of currency--too much trouble and too little reward to keep them around.

Marija

Eating, drinking and sightseeing in Palermo

It was early evening by the time we got settled in our room at the Falkensteiner. Since our day started with an errant wakeup call at 4:00 AM from the Sofitel in Heathrow (their computerized system wasn't working), Bruce suggested a rest, although after 25 years of marriage he knew this was but a pipedream. Immediately we set off for the historic Antica Foccaceria San Francesco, a noted destination for "street food." www.sito3d.it/anticafocacceria/index.php. Much to Bruce's astonishment the Foccaceria was indeed right around the corner, just as I claimed. Depending on your source, the Foccaceria prepares either close to the best, or definitely the worst , guasteddu, a roll with slices of spleen and caciocavallo. We decided to take a pass on this delicacy lest it interfere with dinner and instead sampled panelle (chickpea fritters). Since they didn't seem to serve wine our visit was short and we switched focus to searching for a place to have a drink, preferably outdoors.

We walked to the Quattro Canti, the supposed center of Palermo, and admired the curvilinear facades on all four corners, as well as the nearby Fontana della vergogna (Fountain of Shame) with its nude figures, but we didn't see an appealing place to sit. Piazza Bellini was under serious construction. In desperation we decided our destination didn't have to be appealing and sat down at an outside table at a bar on via Maqueda. Bad move. The only choice was red or white and the wine arrived in large glasses full almost to the top. We took a couple of sips and decided to just pay the bill and leave. We don't do that often. (We do pay our bills, it's leaving the wine that's unheard of.)

Before our arrival we asked the Falkensteiner to make us dinner reservations at the Sant' Andrea for our first night. ( I've learned from esteemed fodorite ekscrunchy to make sure that dining reservations are in place!) Google told us it was a 6 minute walk from the hotel in the Vucciria market but the route was most confusing, featuring dark, unlabeled alleys. If you go to Sant' Andrea approach it from via Roma, not from via Vittorio Emanuele, www.ristorantesantandrea.eu and make sure to reserve. Our first meal in Sicily didn't disappoint. We ate the usual suspects: an assortment of Sicialian appetizers, pasta alla Norma, swordfish and our first cannoli. Since we weren't offered a wine menu we drank the house wine by the glass, which was fine. It was only later that we saw that there was a wine menu available as well. Since we could see the lights and traffic of via Roma when we left the hotel we didn't attempt to retrace our Google inspired route and took the almost deserted main streets back to the hotel.

taconictraveler

Anxious to hear moee about Sicily -- i want to go, but a little nervous about the driving.

gertie3751

Those deserted streets! I was travelling alone and it was a bit spooky at times.

annhig

wow, what a fantastic website the ristorante sant andrea has. so informative!

i'm with you with the wine- leaving it, i mean. just how bad was it?

bilboburgler

wine leaving very sensible, there is so much good wine in the world why damage your taste buds. Still I had a kilogramme of red wine in Transalvania that left a lot to be desired

TDudette

Foccaceria prepares either close to the best, or definitely the worst , guasteddu, a roll with slices of spleen and caciocavallo.
___________________

Arghh! Everything else sounded great.

Marija

Thanks for the encouragement!

Palazzo dei Normanni, Cappella Palatina, Catacombes dei Cappuccini, Pupi and More Food

Today was All Saints' Day, a national holiday, and many sights were operating on an altered schedule. We had planned to go to Monreale but decided to postpone our visit to the following day when religious services would not be taking place. Instead we headed out to the Palazzo dei Normanni and the royal chapel, Cappella Palatina.

Palermo is easy to navigate. We just headed west on Corso Vitorio Emanuele, stopping to admire the cathedral and the massive Porta Nuova arch. Despite assurances to the contrary from our hotel, the Cappella Palatina was closed to visitors from 10:00-11:30 and then reopened only until 1:00. Since the service had started, we were denied pious worshipper entrance, a great cloak for comfortably sitting and admiring a church until it opens to the public. (Only once did this strategy backfire on us when we entered Santa Maria Novella in Florence for what we thought was going to be a simple Mass. After an hour or so, we snuck out of an interminable service that was presided over by a dozen clergy and their countless acolytes.)

You can't wander the historic rooms of the palace alone, you have to join a tour. The tour, given in Italian, was short and interesting--our kind of tour. We entered the Cappella Palatina as soon as it opened. Wow! Don't miss these mosaics.

Since we didn't know how long our morning explorations would take, we had no reservations for lunch. Our calls to Piccolo Napoli, Trattoria Primavera and Casa Del Brodo went unanswered. Trattoria ai Cascinari, (Via D’Ossuna 43) a Slow Food selection, answered but told us they were "completo." There were plenty of pannini and pizza surrounding us but we didn't haul ourselves to Sicily to eat sandwiches or pre-cooked pizzas. The solution become obvious--walk to ai Cascinari and plead for admittance. Bruce was not completely onboard but my inadvertently inaccurate claim that it was "not too far" convinced him. Half an hour later we anxiously presented ourselves at the door of the trattoria. During the entire uninspiring walk I mentally practiced my sob story, unsure whether for best effect delivery should be attempted in Italian or English. I knew Bruce was not going to be a happy camper if I failed. I couldn't count on him to cry, but I was prepared to shed a pathetic tear.

annhig

ooo, i love a cliff-hanger!

TDudette

No way will you be denied food!

Cappella Palatina is spectacular. Can't wait to read about your response to Monreale!

Viajero2

You are so very welcome Marija!! My "unsolicited no non-sense" style of providing travel advice is my "signature catwalk"!! LOL!

Seriously, love your open-mindedness to travel. Glad you had a great time!

Marija

After we hesitantly entered, the proprietor, without pausing to allow for my planned oration, said "due?" and promptly sat us at a table by the main door. Our new BFF suggested appetizers and pasta, no fish or meat. And of course a bottle of wine. One by one the appetizers arrived in rapid succession, maybe 10, maybe 15, maybe more; some cold, some hot, some fried, some baked. All excellent. Our once formidable mathematical skills were inadequate for tracking this meal. The excellent position at the door allowed us to witness the steady stream of customers that entered. Some merited kisses, handshakes sufficed for others, but everyone seemed to know the proprietor. Occasionally boorish souls, both locals and tourists without reservations, entered and were swiftly turned away. We smiled at each other and wondered, what were they thinking?!

We were sitting in a small room with perhaps ten other people and became increasingly curious as to where the other 70 or 80 people who had entered were sequestered. Our curiosity, of course, didn't disrupt our meal. It was only once we had eaten and drunk everything placed before us, that Bruce excused himself and made his way to the toilette. Upon returning he reported that there were seven other dining rooms, all packed with people. When I went to check his count I came up with 14 rooms, but that's because I got disoriented and found myself circling the same rooms repeatedly. No wonder people were staring at me!

Don't miss Trattoria ai Cascinari, but do make a reservation!

Although it was very tempting to succumb to post-prandial stupor and return to the hotel for a long nap, we groggily made our way up Via Cappuccini to the Capuchin Catacombs, a good half hour walk beyond Piazza Indipendenza. It's quite a drab walk with little of interest for distraction. We arrived shortly before the catacombs reopened at 3 PM. Fortunately, there's a nice cafe on the street that leads to the catacombs if you need a drink to steady yourself before confronting 8000 or so mummified Palermitans. Although the catacombs seemed offbeat enough that we thought would like seeing them, we weren't as impressed with them as we were with the Capuchin crypt in Rome. For the most part, these mummies had simply been dried out (or "drained"), dressed up in their regular clothing, and just hung on the wall. Next to the catacombs is a beautiful cemetery which was filled with flower-carrying visitors, since the following day was All Souls' Day, a traditional day for visiting graves. Tomasi di Lampedusa, the author of the classic Sicilian novel The Leopard, is buried in this cemetery.

On our way back to the hotel we stumbled upon a sign advertising a puppet (pupi) performance by Vincenzo Argento, one of the three families in Palermo that still perform Opera di Pupi: www.webalice.it/amagonio/Tea_Argentoi.htm

The show was starting in half an hour and the theater was right around the corner. We could rest our feet and see Sicilian puppetry, a winning combo. The performance which lasted about 45 minutes had an intricate plot we couldn't possibly follow but the puppetry was amazing. In Sicily, Opera di Pupi is a serious art form. Here's a clip that someone posted :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1DK5gJ5tKE

By the time we reached the hotel we were talking about food again, not a full scale Sicilian dinner but a place where we could drink some wine and have cheeses and salumi. Several of our books recommended Kursaal Kalhesa, 21 Foro Italico; www.kursaalkalhesa.it, a bar/restaurant in an old palace on the waterfront.
Although the bar was only about half a mile from the hotel and google gave a walking time of 12 minutes, it took us twice that long to walk there. Walking along the waterfront was creepy since the streets were absolutely deserted--it was about 8:00 PM. We had a hard time locating the bar since the sign on the door said "Urban Tours." Kursaal Kalhesa has a large bar/library as well as a restaurant. It was exactly what we wanted: we ate a platter of cheeses and salumi, and drank a bottle of wine. For the ride home we called a taxi since it seemed unwise to walk alone on empty streets. The half mile trip cost 15 Euro, including a fee for calling a taxi, a fee for late night, and a fee for a holiday.

annhig

phew, what a relief. you did indeed get fed.

do you remember what the feast cost?

Marija

Ann, the lunch, including a bottle of wine, was around 60 euro. Thanks for reading.

Monreale

Bruce had an early morning appointment at Museo della Specola in the Palazzo Normanni, so we couldn't linger over the extensive breakfast at the Falkensteiner. (Currently the museum is closed to public visits, for reasons that seem unclear.) On the way to the Palazzo Normanni we encountered the ticket stand for buses to Monreale, departing from Piazza Indipendenza, so we bought four tickets.

After the visit to the museum we joined a large crowd of tourists and locals waiting for the bus to Monreale. When it finally arrived the crowd pushed and shoved its way on. The ticket stamping machine on the bus was broken so that added to the chaos, since all the tourists fell obliged to give it a try. As soon as Bruce and I were reunited he started to tell me how he thwarted a pickpocketing by trapping the hand reaching for his front pocket. Before I could even congratulate him, the man behind me started yelling at the man next to him to return his wallet. The thief threw the wallet down in the aisle, scattering its contents, and then he calmly made his way to the front of the bus and exited at the next stop.

Soon a pair of thieves joined us, a man and woman. By this point all the tourists on the bus were aware of the pickpocketings, in warning pointed to possible culprits, and clung to their possessions. The woman repeatedly stared at Bruce and he stared right back, clutching his pocket. At one point she completely blocked the aisle by holding onto opposite poles in preparation for some maneuver but we never saw them make a successful move. By Monreale the crowd thinned and only the dazed , but unscathed, tourists remained. The ride back was calmer since the bus was not as crowded, but we easily identified the occupation of the man pacing the bus and pretending to read a newspaper. I had read about the blatant pickpockets in Naples but never encountered them. Palermo might just surpass Naples in this category.

As expected, the Duomo in Monreale was stunning. Despite being in a church we clung to our possessions, expecting pickpockets at every turn.

Grateful that we hadn't lost our lunch money , we headed to Caffetteria Massaro, close to Piazza Indipendenza. I don't understand how this place made it on a list of top 5 cafes. True to its name it serves undistinguished food from heating trays. Take a pass on this one.

On the way back from lunch we passed through the Mercato di Ballaro, not a particularly interesting market, despite what the books say. The Mercato della Vucciria wasn't much better. We were told that both of these markets are shadows of their former selves.

Dinner was at Trattoria Primavera, Piazza Bologni 4, not far from Quattro Canti, a Slow Food and Plotkin selection. Emboldened by the antipasti at Trattoria ai Cascinari, we ordered the selection for two instead of sharing just one. That was too much , especially when they weren't as outstanding as the antipasti at Trattoria ai Cascinari. Overall the meal was good, not great. For dessert we finally sampled our one and only cassata of the trip. Cannoli si, cassata no! Much too sweet for us.

The next morning we walked to the bus station, adjacent to the train station, and caught the 10:30 Cuffaro bus to Agrigento, www.cuffaro.info. Tickets, 8.3 E, can be purchased on the bus. The only unusual thing about the buses is that luggage is self-serve. You open the door under the bus yourself and stick in your bags. You're also responsible for opening the door and retrieving the bags. The driver doesn't deal with luggage.

Marija

Agrigento

All of the buses that we took in Sicily arrived and departed as scheduled. That's supposedly not the case for trains, although the one train we took was also on time. The buses were comfortable and in good condition, except for the buses from Agrigento to Gela, and Gela to Modica which were quite decrepit with stuffing emerging from the seats and the windows leaking rain. But even with these shortcomings they got us to our destinations.

The ride from Palermo to Agrigento took two hours and we were deposited at the bus station which is several blocks from the train station. Our plan was to take a taxi to the Villa Athena but we couldn't find one. I finally went into a little shop, bought bus tickets, and climbed on board a local bus that went to the Valley of the Temples. Since we pack lightly getting in and out of city buses, etc. is not a problem. We were let out in front of the gate and instructed to retrace the bus route until we arrived at the Villa Athena. It was about a 15 minute walk back.

I made reservations at the Villa Athena , www.hotelvillaathena.it, the only hotel in the archaeological zone, about 200 meters from the Temple of Concordia , only a day in advance since we were watching the weather and didn't want to visit the temples in the rain. The hotel has an elaborate website with many levels of rooms and rates, as well as an accurate depiction of what you see from the deluxe temple-view rooms. Before we left home I knew the room and rate I wanted. When I called the hotel from Palermo, the reservation agent quoted a ridiculous rate and when pressed was unwilling to give me the web rate posted on their site. I even said I would not book unless I got the web rate but it didn't matter. Since the internet was not working at all at the Falkensteiner, I had to go to an internet spot and make the reservations online on their website. The difference was something like 60 E so it was worth doing, but it was an annoyance. I can understand their uncooperativeness if I was asking for a book X days in advance rate or if it was high season. In off season it seems silly to play these games.

Check in was quick, as promised the room overlooked the Temple of Concordia, and soon we were on our way back to the Valley of the Temples, along a route we now knew reasonably well by now. The Valley is divided into two parts by the road: the better preserved temples are on the east side, and stays open later. Contrary to popular wisdom we started with the east side since we've learned not to leave the best for last. You never know what may happen. You also don't want to be dragging by the time you get to the highlights. The weather was gorgeous, the site almost deserted. Since we didn't stop for lunch we ate a overpriced sandwich at a cafe with a great view. The west side of the park required more imagination but was an easy walk around the ruins. Visiting the Valley (actually a ridge) of the Temples was a definite highlight of our trip. The temples are illuminated at night and we admired them while drinking the bottle of Prosecco that I had acquired when buying the bus tickets. (Since there was free internet we also rejoined the wired world.)

Reviews of the hotel dining room were less than stellar so, based on several recommendations, we set off on foot for the Trattoria dei Templi , trattoriadeitempli.com. Google maps showed it as a 20 minute walk. During the day it may have been a pleasant stroll but at night the walk was unpleasant, since we couldn't see much of the unlit and deserted sidewalk, nor did we know if the sidewalk was going to end, dumping us unfed into the busy street. The only establishment, besides the archaeological museum, that we saw was a pizza place. Five minutes or so after passing it we decided to give up our search for the Trattoria dei Templi and just eat pizza. We returned too late, the pizza place was closing. Fortunately they told us which way to walk to our destination. Seems that we missed the bend in the road and were heading in the wrong direction. Ten minute later we finally reached civilization and the Trattoria. The first order of business was to figure out how we could get back without walking. Once the owner assured us he would call us a taxi, we took our table in the full dining room. The food and wine were excellent, although I don't remember many details other than being absolutely delighted that we found the place and were finally eating and drinking. (The cost of the taxi back to the hotel was 10 Euro. Spring for a taxi, don't walk at night!)