Glorious -- 18 days in Sicily
Nov 2nd, 2016, 07:04 AM
#41
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lreynold1, a fantastic report! Amazed that you would post such a wonderfully detailed account of your trip so soon after your return.
We've never been to Sicily. Your report not only motivates us to go, but actually provides a detailed travel guide. Thanks so much!
We've never been to Sicily. Your report not only motivates us to go, but actually provides a detailed travel guide. Thanks so much!
Nov 2nd, 2016, 09:50 AM
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What a great trip report, lreynold1! Such wonderful details. We went to Sicily for nine nights last year, and just loved it--Palermo, Agrigento, Nicosia, Piazza Armerina, Siracusa and Taormina.
Unlike you, our least favorite part was our two nights in Palermo--colored I am sure by our wiggy private tour guide and our two so-so dinners (despite recommendations from said tour guide and the Palazzo Pantaleo.) We never did get to the waterfront...perhaps that's why? Can't wait to read why you loved it so.
Unlike you, our least favorite part was our two nights in Palermo--colored I am sure by our wiggy private tour guide and our two so-so dinners (despite recommendations from said tour guide and the Palazzo Pantaleo.) We never did get to the waterfront...perhaps that's why? Can't wait to read why you loved it so.
Nov 2nd, 2016, 09:57 AM
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If I don't write up these details soon after returning home, I will forget them. 
And it was a combination of terrible jet lag and the fact that I have just recently retired that opened up big blocks of time for me. I hope it will be of use to others.
And btw, today I received a mailing from the alumni association of the university I just retired from, and guess what trip they're offering in May 2017? 10 days (really 8, since they count the two international travel days) for about $3000 not including airfare. Hotels, breakfasts, four lunches and four dinners included along with standard tour stuff.
The brochure describes a visit to Catania's "Historic Museum of the Landing in Sicily" in 1943. Has anyone been to that museum?
And it was a combination of terrible jet lag and the fact that I have just recently retired that opened up big blocks of time for me. I hope it will be of use to others.
And btw, today I received a mailing from the alumni association of the university I just retired from, and guess what trip they're offering in May 2017? 10 days (really 8, since they count the two international travel days) for about $3000 not including airfare. Hotels, breakfasts, four lunches and four dinners included along with standard tour stuff.
The brochure describes a visit to Catania's "Historic Museum of the Landing in Sicily" in 1943. Has anyone been to that museum?
Nov 3rd, 2016, 08:18 AM
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Last installment -- Palermo for four nights
Day 15 -- Scopello to Palermo
We had changed our reservations to cut out a night in Scopello and add a night to Palermo. That was thanks to the encouragement I got here. I had no idea what to expect in Palermo and we were wowed.
The drive from Scopello is short and sweet, and there are several gas stations in the town of Cinisi, very close to the airport. Palermo has a new terminal, I believe, and EuropCar's drop off has been moved to be near the other companies' locations. The signs had not yet indicated that so it was kind of confusing. There is a EuropCar lot beyond the terminal, and there were customers there when we arrived, but maybe it's just for pickup and not drop off. The agent told us to circle back to the arrivals section. The parking structure is on the left, and there are two gates. Both require you to take a ticket. One takes you into the parking structure, and the other, to the left, opens the gate to the car rental area. We got a very systematic inspection on returning our car, and I was glad we had the total coverage option. The agent found some problems. A good reminder to make sure to check out the car for damage on pick-up, which we didn't do. Things were just a bit too crazy at the pick-up place in Siracusa, but it was careless to forego the detailed walk-around. I am sure that the scrapes on the side did not happen on my watch, unless someone scraped us while the car was parked and we were gone. And there was a bubble on the tire that we got charge for, and I have no idea how those things happen. But it all became immaterial since we had the total coverage. We will have to pay an "administration fee" of 50 euros and some taxes. The woman at the desk in EuropCar told me that AutoEurope must have a special arrangement with EuropCar because usually the administration fee is 90 euros. I rent a car in Portugal every year for a few days and have never used AutoEurope, but I think I'm a convert now.
The airport bus into town is efficient, has about 7 stops, and one drops you at the Teatro Politeama. Palazzolo Pantaleo is very close, and that's where we had intended to stay. But they couldn't accommodate our change to a four night stay. So thanks to google maps, I just looked around near the bus stop and found the Hotel Garibaldi. It was about three minutes from the stop, right on the same road. 81 euros, modern/minimalist, good bathrooms/showers, no charm, great staff, decent breakfast, no complaints.
We spent the first afternoon getting our bearings, and found that Palermo is a great city and an easy city for walking. There is a controversial ZTL plan (zone with no cars) for the historical center, which was in full force on the weekend, and which provoked a fairly large and organized street protest on our last morning in Palermo.
At our light lunch stop at the nearby Cafe Spinnato, we studied the map and chose a few sites for the afternoon. We decided to visit the cathedral and the Palatina Chapel in conjunction with our introductory walk-around. Again we found minimal crowds, and lots of time to explore at leisure. Since it was a Saturday, the streets were lively, lots "street food" being consumed, lots of people strolling, there's no way not to get pulled into the very vibrant atmosphere.
Dinner at Vino y Pomadoro, probably the best pizza of our trip and that is saying something. We wound up back there another night. Other dinners in Palermo were at Mercede and one other place on the same street as Vino y Pomadoro. It was a bit further down, a bit more "upscale" (if cloth tablecloths are a sign of that), perfectly fine.
Day 16 -- in Palermo
It was a Sunday morning so we knew we had limited visiting opportunities. Since rain was in the morning forecast (and boy did it come down), we went first to the Archaeological Museum. Currently undergoing a major renovation, only one of three stories is open, but the slick glossy paper descriptive brochure shows that all of the remaining work is planned and collections chosen. We were happy to see that the floor that was open consisted of two major parts -- one was some statuary in niches along the side of the cloister. But for us the main attraction were the rooms devoted to Selinunte - some panels from the friezes of two of the temples are there, there are lots of artifacts (most interesting to me were the many pieces of inscribed metal showing "voodoo"-like practices. As I understood it, people would write up their reasons for disliking, mistrusting, envying, etc. a neighbor/acquaintance. They were then left at the temple for divine intervention. The museum has very nice displays and spacing. No sense of crowding and the friezes in particular have a lot of room and a nice model showing where they were located back at the site we had visited a few days earlier.
Since it was Sunday, we knew that a lot of places would be closed in the afternoon, so we chose to follow one of the Michelin guide's four walking tours of Palermo. We wound up walking them all, and I would highly recommend it, you can of course tailor things to suit your own interests. This one started over in La Kalsa and took us around Piazza Marina, and some nice squares there. To get to La Kalsa we took a route not in the book and found ourselves walking through a decidedly Chinese neighborhood. The walk started near Piazza Armerina and took us through some parts of town we would probably not have seen otherwise. I wanted to visit La Magione, a small Romanesque church with a tiny cloister with a few capitals remaining. It is a perfect reflection of a chunk of Palermo's history -- the well in the middle of the cloister had inscriptions in Hebrew, and a column in a window in the chapel had the Arabaic words praising Allah. Interesting outside features as well.
I can't remember the exact sequence, but at some point we found ourselves at the square of San Francesco (we had not heard of the crazily busy Focacceria San Francesco, http://www.afsf.it/it/, but we were apparently the last ones in town to learn about it). We circled back later on when things had died down for some lunch. Lots of choices, definitely as they say on their website "Sicilian Comfort food." Nearby is the San Lorenzo oratory (one of several of these prayer spots in Palermo). The ones we saw were awash with stucco statuary, portraying scenes of the life of the Saint, other saints, Angels,and holy scenes). In the afternoon as we walked by we saw that the Contemporary Art Museum was open. Not only did that give us the chance to see two paintings by Guttuso (my husband was the catalyst for this, he likes his work very much), but we also saw a special exhibit with photos by Steve McCurry. Though his AFghan Girl picture is his most famous, there were many other equally haunting portraits, and we were glad to have stumbled onto the exhibit.
Walking back to the Bellini fountain, where we spent time every day, watching the people, enjoying the different ways the sunlight changed things from one time of day to the other, we also saw that the church of San Cataldo was open. I had heard from kja to be on the lookout for Romanesque, and this was classic. Loved the simplicity, lack of adornment, it is a great place for quiet reflection. And even though it was a rather hustling Sunday afternoon in Palermo, there were only a few people inside as it was close to closing time.
Day 17 -- Another day in Palermo
We decided to start at the market. Though La Vucchiera is the best known one, it no longer has much going on. We heard that the Mafia had been involved, and that the center of activity had moved from La Vucchiera to Ballaro, which we decided to visit later in the day. From there to the Puppet Museum (would not have been on my list, but my husband has never met a museum he didn't want to visit), but I love to walk, so I was happy to get another chance to head back near Piazza Marina for this stop. After that visit, it was time to feed my love of old churches, so we visited San Giovanni, another perfectly simple 12th century Norman church. This involved crossing from one end of the historic center to the other, but walking in Palermo, especially its historic center, is always a pleasure. In addition to the interior of the church, unadorned with brick domes and beautiful arches, there is a small cloister that just exudes calm and serenity. We found we could climb the bell tower next door, which gave a nice view down on the little monastic complex.
Looking at the map, we determined that the Ballaro market was nearby, so even though it was too late for peak market hours, we went to see what was happening and found there was still lots going on and plenty of places to sit down and have a good fresh sandwich. This neighborhood fit well with the mental image I had of what a market in Palermo would look like. A bit gritty, lots of noise and movement, narrow streets, a good place to sit and watch.
After lunch, we kept on meandering, basically in the direction of 4 Canti (the intersection with statues dedicated to the Spanish kings). We decided to enter a church whose door was open, and we entered the most baroque of the baroque churches we had seen. It was the Jesuits' first church in Palermo and I guess they wanted to make a statement. Lots of marble, not an undecorated spot in the whole enormous church. Riotous is how I would describe it. Jumping back a few centuries, we went from there to La Martorana, another mosaic laden small church near the Piazza Bellini.
Our days in Palermo were full but never exhausting. The tourist visits were always interspersed with stops -- mainly for coffee or gelato, depending on time of day, and we were never disappointed!
Day 18 -- last day in Palermo
We had saved Monreale for last. After breakfast, and an extra coffee in a nice cafe near the Teatro Massimo, we made our way to Piazza Indipendenza, which meant we had another chance to enjoy 4 Canti, the Cathedral, the gate dedicated to Charles V with those huge stone guys guarding the entrance. Have I said that walking in Palermo is a feast for the eyes?
The bus up was not crowded, and was probably about half tourists. We had heard that there are lots of pickpockets on this route (389 is the number I think) but we saw nothing suspicious and I assume it had to do with the fact that low season means low crowds and fewer prime pickpocketing opportunities.
I took a picture of the bus schedule. It was dated "as of 20/09/2014," so I guess the summer and winter schedules are the same.
Weekdays and holidays, same schedule.
From Palermo to Monreale: 7:30, 8:45, 11:15, 12:30, 13:50, 16:15, 17:30, 18:50, 20:10
From Monreale to Palermo: &:00, 8:10, 9:25, 10:40, 11:55, 13.15, 14.30, 15:40, 1;6:55, 18:15, 19:35.
We got the 11:15 bus and were in the cathedral around noon. That gave us 45 minutes to enjoy the mosaics. I guess I liked the more human scale of the Palatina better, but these were wow-zeroes, no doubt about it. There are a lot of the same Old Testament scenes, Noah's Ark, creation, Jacob's ladder, Cain and Able, really beautifully done. Some New Testament scenes as well, and the one that caught my eye the most was Jesus throwing the money changers out of the temple.
We had thought that the cloister closed as well for a lunch break, and that we would have lunch and then take an after lunch visit, but we learned that the cloister remains open throughout the day. So we had a little coffee break and read up on what we were about to see. 288 Romanesque capitals! I know I have an unusual affinity for Romanesque, so I will contain my enthusiasm, but this is a stunning example. The Michelin guide has very detailed indications of where to find which scene on which capital, so we spent a LONG time here. I think this may be the largest in tact Romanesque cloister I've visited, and though it doesn't have the intimacy and human scale of the typically smaller places, it is an amazing piece of architecture. Some of the columns themselves are incredible, with mosaics, twisting and turning up the column or other intricate designs. All in all it was for me a must see stop.
Monreale is used to lots of tourists so we had no problem finding a nearby outdoor eating venue for a quick lunch. Nothing outstanding, probably a little overpriced, but it filled our caloric needs and gave us a break before heading back down. It was a little before 2, so the crowds were gone, we got served quickly, and we timed our arrival at the bus stop with about 20 seconds to spare. Had we not had the Palazzo Chiaramonte on our list as the last attraction we wanted to see, we may have stayed up in Monreale for a later bus. As it was we didn't wander much around the town (though we did make a point of getting to the back of the cathedral to see the amazing apses from the outside), but the tourist shops in the main part were really of no interest, so we decided to head down.
I've already written about the surprises awaiting us at Chiaramonte (also referred to as the Steri Palace). The University rectorate undertook massive renovations of this building back in the early 2000s (this was a rich family's home built back in the 13th century) and made the decision to preserve lots of what they found along the way. It is now open for tourism (though they get very little, we were told). Our hook was the possibility to view Guttuso's painting of the Vuccheria market (Google it if you haven't seen it, it is a huge canvas full of live). There is a self-portrait in the painting, maybe even two (one as an old Guttuso and one as a young man), the wife (dressed in black as an older woman) and the mistress (apparently two or three of the women in the painting represent her from different angles, and she is portrayed as as young and beautiful woman, even though, the tour guide said, the mistress and the wife were the same age). After that the surprises started coming. There are at least five rooms where prisoners were kept during the 15th century Spanish inquisition (and Spain happened to be the ruler du jour in Sicily at that time). I don't know how, but they discovered wall after wall of graffiti painted by prisoners at the time. The tour is fascinating, and the guide points out all sorts of specific aspects of the graffiti, the painting. I cannot understand why the recently printed (2016) Michelin guide has no mention of this place. ON the way out, and almost as an afterthought, we visited some excavated ruins of what used to be a Moorish pottery operation -- ovens, spaces where pots were thrown, etc. So many layers.
The timing of the tours is kind of random. We arrived a little after 4 and were told that there would be no English tour till 6 pm. Then we were told to come back at 5 and maybe we could join the Italian tour if we didn't mind not understanding. And then when we came back, after having walked around the nearby harbor and resisted the urge to go into yet another church, we heard that there was a change in plans. The English language tour guide was ready to take the two of us around. I imagine that some of this flexibility will end if the numbers increase, but as it was, we had a nearly one hour tour that was just outstanding. On the way back to our hotel, we found yet another nice little piazza with a church and some outdoor seating, this one off the Via Roma, so we had our one last cafe experience. Dinner was back to Vino e Pomadoro, for our last Sicilian pizza.
Day 19 -- We had an 8 am flight, so at about 6 am, a taxi showed up (the hotel had called the night before for us) and we got to the airport around 6:30. 50 euros. The bus starts running at 4:15, I believe, but we just felt more comfortable taking the easy option. We got to the checkin only to find there was a huge group of local parishioners going to Rome with their priests and a number of them had messed up tickets. It was pretty chaotic, with additional agents coming to help out, which provoked a lot of line jumping and people getting angry at each other. There was a Latin American guy there who got really angry at a couple of the more brazen folks from the end of the line, and I could understand his half of the conversation, so I knew it was getting heated. But in the end, everyone got on the plane, it left only a few minutes late, and we easily made our connection in Rome on the American Airlines flight to Chicago. No additional security, though we did go through a passport check if I remember right. And icing on the cake -- our bags arrived with us, notwithstanding having to move from one airline alliance to another.
So, that's that. I have enjoyed going back and recounting things and remembering things. I am also very happy to answer questions and give opinions. There is a wealth of Sicily knowledge on this forum, and I know you will get lots of help if you want to get yourself over to Sicily.
Dayle.... I am sorely tempted, a GTG in Sicily would be amazing!
Day 15 -- Scopello to Palermo
We had changed our reservations to cut out a night in Scopello and add a night to Palermo. That was thanks to the encouragement I got here. I had no idea what to expect in Palermo and we were wowed.
The drive from Scopello is short and sweet, and there are several gas stations in the town of Cinisi, very close to the airport. Palermo has a new terminal, I believe, and EuropCar's drop off has been moved to be near the other companies' locations. The signs had not yet indicated that so it was kind of confusing. There is a EuropCar lot beyond the terminal, and there were customers there when we arrived, but maybe it's just for pickup and not drop off. The agent told us to circle back to the arrivals section. The parking structure is on the left, and there are two gates. Both require you to take a ticket. One takes you into the parking structure, and the other, to the left, opens the gate to the car rental area. We got a very systematic inspection on returning our car, and I was glad we had the total coverage option. The agent found some problems. A good reminder to make sure to check out the car for damage on pick-up, which we didn't do. Things were just a bit too crazy at the pick-up place in Siracusa, but it was careless to forego the detailed walk-around. I am sure that the scrapes on the side did not happen on my watch, unless someone scraped us while the car was parked and we were gone. And there was a bubble on the tire that we got charge for, and I have no idea how those things happen. But it all became immaterial since we had the total coverage. We will have to pay an "administration fee" of 50 euros and some taxes. The woman at the desk in EuropCar told me that AutoEurope must have a special arrangement with EuropCar because usually the administration fee is 90 euros. I rent a car in Portugal every year for a few days and have never used AutoEurope, but I think I'm a convert now.
The airport bus into town is efficient, has about 7 stops, and one drops you at the Teatro Politeama. Palazzolo Pantaleo is very close, and that's where we had intended to stay. But they couldn't accommodate our change to a four night stay. So thanks to google maps, I just looked around near the bus stop and found the Hotel Garibaldi. It was about three minutes from the stop, right on the same road. 81 euros, modern/minimalist, good bathrooms/showers, no charm, great staff, decent breakfast, no complaints.
We spent the first afternoon getting our bearings, and found that Palermo is a great city and an easy city for walking. There is a controversial ZTL plan (zone with no cars) for the historical center, which was in full force on the weekend, and which provoked a fairly large and organized street protest on our last morning in Palermo.
At our light lunch stop at the nearby Cafe Spinnato, we studied the map and chose a few sites for the afternoon. We decided to visit the cathedral and the Palatina Chapel in conjunction with our introductory walk-around. Again we found minimal crowds, and lots of time to explore at leisure. Since it was a Saturday, the streets were lively, lots "street food" being consumed, lots of people strolling, there's no way not to get pulled into the very vibrant atmosphere.
Dinner at Vino y Pomadoro, probably the best pizza of our trip and that is saying something. We wound up back there another night. Other dinners in Palermo were at Mercede and one other place on the same street as Vino y Pomadoro. It was a bit further down, a bit more "upscale" (if cloth tablecloths are a sign of that), perfectly fine.
Day 16 -- in Palermo
It was a Sunday morning so we knew we had limited visiting opportunities. Since rain was in the morning forecast (and boy did it come down), we went first to the Archaeological Museum. Currently undergoing a major renovation, only one of three stories is open, but the slick glossy paper descriptive brochure shows that all of the remaining work is planned and collections chosen. We were happy to see that the floor that was open consisted of two major parts -- one was some statuary in niches along the side of the cloister. But for us the main attraction were the rooms devoted to Selinunte - some panels from the friezes of two of the temples are there, there are lots of artifacts (most interesting to me were the many pieces of inscribed metal showing "voodoo"-like practices. As I understood it, people would write up their reasons for disliking, mistrusting, envying, etc. a neighbor/acquaintance. They were then left at the temple for divine intervention. The museum has very nice displays and spacing. No sense of crowding and the friezes in particular have a lot of room and a nice model showing where they were located back at the site we had visited a few days earlier.
Since it was Sunday, we knew that a lot of places would be closed in the afternoon, so we chose to follow one of the Michelin guide's four walking tours of Palermo. We wound up walking them all, and I would highly recommend it, you can of course tailor things to suit your own interests. This one started over in La Kalsa and took us around Piazza Marina, and some nice squares there. To get to La Kalsa we took a route not in the book and found ourselves walking through a decidedly Chinese neighborhood. The walk started near Piazza Armerina and took us through some parts of town we would probably not have seen otherwise. I wanted to visit La Magione, a small Romanesque church with a tiny cloister with a few capitals remaining. It is a perfect reflection of a chunk of Palermo's history -- the well in the middle of the cloister had inscriptions in Hebrew, and a column in a window in the chapel had the Arabaic words praising Allah. Interesting outside features as well.
I can't remember the exact sequence, but at some point we found ourselves at the square of San Francesco (we had not heard of the crazily busy Focacceria San Francesco, http://www.afsf.it/it/, but we were apparently the last ones in town to learn about it). We circled back later on when things had died down for some lunch. Lots of choices, definitely as they say on their website "Sicilian Comfort food." Nearby is the San Lorenzo oratory (one of several of these prayer spots in Palermo). The ones we saw were awash with stucco statuary, portraying scenes of the life of the Saint, other saints, Angels,and holy scenes). In the afternoon as we walked by we saw that the Contemporary Art Museum was open. Not only did that give us the chance to see two paintings by Guttuso (my husband was the catalyst for this, he likes his work very much), but we also saw a special exhibit with photos by Steve McCurry. Though his AFghan Girl picture is his most famous, there were many other equally haunting portraits, and we were glad to have stumbled onto the exhibit.
Walking back to the Bellini fountain, where we spent time every day, watching the people, enjoying the different ways the sunlight changed things from one time of day to the other, we also saw that the church of San Cataldo was open. I had heard from kja to be on the lookout for Romanesque, and this was classic. Loved the simplicity, lack of adornment, it is a great place for quiet reflection. And even though it was a rather hustling Sunday afternoon in Palermo, there were only a few people inside as it was close to closing time.
Day 17 -- Another day in Palermo
We decided to start at the market. Though La Vucchiera is the best known one, it no longer has much going on. We heard that the Mafia had been involved, and that the center of activity had moved from La Vucchiera to Ballaro, which we decided to visit later in the day. From there to the Puppet Museum (would not have been on my list, but my husband has never met a museum he didn't want to visit), but I love to walk, so I was happy to get another chance to head back near Piazza Marina for this stop. After that visit, it was time to feed my love of old churches, so we visited San Giovanni, another perfectly simple 12th century Norman church. This involved crossing from one end of the historic center to the other, but walking in Palermo, especially its historic center, is always a pleasure. In addition to the interior of the church, unadorned with brick domes and beautiful arches, there is a small cloister that just exudes calm and serenity. We found we could climb the bell tower next door, which gave a nice view down on the little monastic complex.
Looking at the map, we determined that the Ballaro market was nearby, so even though it was too late for peak market hours, we went to see what was happening and found there was still lots going on and plenty of places to sit down and have a good fresh sandwich. This neighborhood fit well with the mental image I had of what a market in Palermo would look like. A bit gritty, lots of noise and movement, narrow streets, a good place to sit and watch.
After lunch, we kept on meandering, basically in the direction of 4 Canti (the intersection with statues dedicated to the Spanish kings). We decided to enter a church whose door was open, and we entered the most baroque of the baroque churches we had seen. It was the Jesuits' first church in Palermo and I guess they wanted to make a statement. Lots of marble, not an undecorated spot in the whole enormous church. Riotous is how I would describe it. Jumping back a few centuries, we went from there to La Martorana, another mosaic laden small church near the Piazza Bellini.
Our days in Palermo were full but never exhausting. The tourist visits were always interspersed with stops -- mainly for coffee or gelato, depending on time of day, and we were never disappointed!
Day 18 -- last day in Palermo
We had saved Monreale for last. After breakfast, and an extra coffee in a nice cafe near the Teatro Massimo, we made our way to Piazza Indipendenza, which meant we had another chance to enjoy 4 Canti, the Cathedral, the gate dedicated to Charles V with those huge stone guys guarding the entrance. Have I said that walking in Palermo is a feast for the eyes?
The bus up was not crowded, and was probably about half tourists. We had heard that there are lots of pickpockets on this route (389 is the number I think) but we saw nothing suspicious and I assume it had to do with the fact that low season means low crowds and fewer prime pickpocketing opportunities.
I took a picture of the bus schedule. It was dated "as of 20/09/2014," so I guess the summer and winter schedules are the same.
Weekdays and holidays, same schedule.
From Palermo to Monreale: 7:30, 8:45, 11:15, 12:30, 13:50, 16:15, 17:30, 18:50, 20:10
From Monreale to Palermo: &:00, 8:10, 9:25, 10:40, 11:55, 13.15, 14.30, 15:40, 1;6:55, 18:15, 19:35.
We got the 11:15 bus and were in the cathedral around noon. That gave us 45 minutes to enjoy the mosaics. I guess I liked the more human scale of the Palatina better, but these were wow-zeroes, no doubt about it. There are a lot of the same Old Testament scenes, Noah's Ark, creation, Jacob's ladder, Cain and Able, really beautifully done. Some New Testament scenes as well, and the one that caught my eye the most was Jesus throwing the money changers out of the temple.
We had thought that the cloister closed as well for a lunch break, and that we would have lunch and then take an after lunch visit, but we learned that the cloister remains open throughout the day. So we had a little coffee break and read up on what we were about to see. 288 Romanesque capitals! I know I have an unusual affinity for Romanesque, so I will contain my enthusiasm, but this is a stunning example. The Michelin guide has very detailed indications of where to find which scene on which capital, so we spent a LONG time here. I think this may be the largest in tact Romanesque cloister I've visited, and though it doesn't have the intimacy and human scale of the typically smaller places, it is an amazing piece of architecture. Some of the columns themselves are incredible, with mosaics, twisting and turning up the column or other intricate designs. All in all it was for me a must see stop.
Monreale is used to lots of tourists so we had no problem finding a nearby outdoor eating venue for a quick lunch. Nothing outstanding, probably a little overpriced, but it filled our caloric needs and gave us a break before heading back down. It was a little before 2, so the crowds were gone, we got served quickly, and we timed our arrival at the bus stop with about 20 seconds to spare. Had we not had the Palazzo Chiaramonte on our list as the last attraction we wanted to see, we may have stayed up in Monreale for a later bus. As it was we didn't wander much around the town (though we did make a point of getting to the back of the cathedral to see the amazing apses from the outside), but the tourist shops in the main part were really of no interest, so we decided to head down.
I've already written about the surprises awaiting us at Chiaramonte (also referred to as the Steri Palace). The University rectorate undertook massive renovations of this building back in the early 2000s (this was a rich family's home built back in the 13th century) and made the decision to preserve lots of what they found along the way. It is now open for tourism (though they get very little, we were told). Our hook was the possibility to view Guttuso's painting of the Vuccheria market (Google it if you haven't seen it, it is a huge canvas full of live). There is a self-portrait in the painting, maybe even two (one as an old Guttuso and one as a young man), the wife (dressed in black as an older woman) and the mistress (apparently two or three of the women in the painting represent her from different angles, and she is portrayed as as young and beautiful woman, even though, the tour guide said, the mistress and the wife were the same age). After that the surprises started coming. There are at least five rooms where prisoners were kept during the 15th century Spanish inquisition (and Spain happened to be the ruler du jour in Sicily at that time). I don't know how, but they discovered wall after wall of graffiti painted by prisoners at the time. The tour is fascinating, and the guide points out all sorts of specific aspects of the graffiti, the painting. I cannot understand why the recently printed (2016) Michelin guide has no mention of this place. ON the way out, and almost as an afterthought, we visited some excavated ruins of what used to be a Moorish pottery operation -- ovens, spaces where pots were thrown, etc. So many layers.
The timing of the tours is kind of random. We arrived a little after 4 and were told that there would be no English tour till 6 pm. Then we were told to come back at 5 and maybe we could join the Italian tour if we didn't mind not understanding. And then when we came back, after having walked around the nearby harbor and resisted the urge to go into yet another church, we heard that there was a change in plans. The English language tour guide was ready to take the two of us around. I imagine that some of this flexibility will end if the numbers increase, but as it was, we had a nearly one hour tour that was just outstanding. On the way back to our hotel, we found yet another nice little piazza with a church and some outdoor seating, this one off the Via Roma, so we had our one last cafe experience. Dinner was back to Vino e Pomadoro, for our last Sicilian pizza.
Day 19 -- We had an 8 am flight, so at about 6 am, a taxi showed up (the hotel had called the night before for us) and we got to the airport around 6:30. 50 euros. The bus starts running at 4:15, I believe, but we just felt more comfortable taking the easy option. We got to the checkin only to find there was a huge group of local parishioners going to Rome with their priests and a number of them had messed up tickets. It was pretty chaotic, with additional agents coming to help out, which provoked a lot of line jumping and people getting angry at each other. There was a Latin American guy there who got really angry at a couple of the more brazen folks from the end of the line, and I could understand his half of the conversation, so I knew it was getting heated. But in the end, everyone got on the plane, it left only a few minutes late, and we easily made our connection in Rome on the American Airlines flight to Chicago. No additional security, though we did go through a passport check if I remember right. And icing on the cake -- our bags arrived with us, notwithstanding having to move from one airline alliance to another.
So, that's that. I have enjoyed going back and recounting things and remembering things. I am also very happy to answer questions and give opinions. There is a wealth of Sicily knowledge on this forum, and I know you will get lots of help if you want to get yourself over to Sicily.
Dayle.... I am sorely tempted, a GTG in Sicily would be amazing!
Nov 3rd, 2016, 08:31 AM
#48
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GREAT report. Sicily is on my list and this report will save me a lot of homework for future planning.
Years ago, you had contributed all kinds of valuable info for a trip we took to Portugal. We even followed your Lisbon 'walking tour', and passed it along to others.
I look forward to using this info for a future trip to Sicily!
Years ago, you had contributed all kinds of valuable info for a trip we took to Portugal. We even followed your Lisbon 'walking tour', and passed it along to others.
I look forward to using this info for a future trip to Sicily!
Nov 3rd, 2016, 08:35 AM
#49
Thanks for sharing all that with us, lreynolds; I particularly liked your description of Palermo and Monreale which we haven't been there yet - they are definitely on the list. Re the mafia in Palermo, in my Italian lesson we were reading about a Gambian man who was innocently caught up in a turf war between local and immigrant gangs and was shot by some would be mafiosi. The local mayor was quoted as saying that his city wasn't european any more, but resembled somewhere in Arabia. Did you see any sign of any of this?
regarding hire cars, we did check our car over when we picked it up [the off airport pick up about which I had worried so much proved ideal as there was plenty of room to look at the car, take out time, and it was a very easy exit onto the autostrada, for which we were extremely grateful!] and when we dropped it off, we had our paper signed off as no extra damage, other than the two small marks we started off with which were clearly marked on the hire docs. So i'm hoping that we will not be stung for extra charges 6 months down the line, but who knows?
regarding hire cars, we did check our car over when we picked it up [the off airport pick up about which I had worried so much proved ideal as there was plenty of room to look at the car, take out time, and it was a very easy exit onto the autostrada, for which we were extremely grateful!] and when we dropped it off, we had our paper signed off as no extra damage, other than the two small marks we started off with which were clearly marked on the hire docs. So i'm hoping that we will not be stung for extra charges 6 months down the line, but who knows?
Nov 3rd, 2016, 09:55 AM
#50
Great report, I also found Palermo quite an enjoyable city and need to return as I didn't have time to see all that I wanted. And I agree the Michelin Green Guide's Palermo walks are very helpful.
Thank you for taking the time to write this up! Glad you had a good trip.
Thank you for taking the time to write this up! Glad you had a good trip.
Nov 3rd, 2016, 03:48 PM
#51
Thanks for the great report! Definitely reinforcing my feeling I should get back to Sicily next year.
Interesting that you saw the Steve McCurry exhibition in Palermo. I saw it in Turin last year. Just amazing photos. I had been to some of the places, and my photos are just snapshots in comparison.
Interesting that you saw the Steve McCurry exhibition in Palermo. I saw it in Turin last year. Just amazing photos. I had been to some of the places, and my photos are just snapshots in comparison.
Nov 3rd, 2016, 04:13 PM
#52
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I'm glad you enjoyed San Cataldo. And it sounds like you enjoyed quite a lot of other Romanesque architecture in Palermo and elsewhere, including the Cathedral of Palermo and ooh!, the glorious Cathedral of Monreale!
Nov 4th, 2016, 03:28 AM
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Thanks for sharing your trip! A very enjoyable way to thank those who answered questions during your planning stage as aswell as to inspire others to visit!!
So glad you and your husband had a wonderful time.
So glad you and your husband had a wonderful time.
Nov 4th, 2016, 03:22 PM
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Wonderful final chapter, lreynolds1. We, too, loved San Cataldo, the Martorana, the Palatina Chapel and especially Monreale. We were lucky enough to see artisans restoring some of those gorgeous capitals in the cloister--painstaking and fascinating. We are happy we visited Palermo, and your report reminds me of its treasures. Call me shallow, but I guess we vote with our stomachs, and enjoyed the Sicilian cooking so much more elsewhere on our trip. (Plus--weird tour guide.)
Nov 6th, 2016, 11:45 AM
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This is really a wonderful trip report with so many helpful details! I really want to visit Sicily and would like opinions from you and anyone else about whether or not I can do it.
My husband is 75 and not very active. He does not enjoy walking or standing. But, we did an independent trip to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway in July and he survived! I am 71 and walking is no problem for me. We do not rent cars on trips, so we would depend on public transportation. I noticed that your report mentioned that your husband didn't always do as much walking as you did. My husband always looks for a place to rest. So, my fear is that sightseeing in Sicily would require a lot of steps up and down. We have traveled all over Europe already and Sicily seems so interesting. How tough is it? Thanks for any help!
My husband is 75 and not very active. He does not enjoy walking or standing. But, we did an independent trip to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway in July and he survived! I am 71 and walking is no problem for me. We do not rent cars on trips, so we would depend on public transportation. I noticed that your report mentioned that your husband didn't always do as much walking as you did. My husband always looks for a place to rest. So, my fear is that sightseeing in Sicily would require a lot of steps up and down. We have traveled all over Europe already and Sicily seems so interesting. How tough is it? Thanks for any help!
Nov 6th, 2016, 04:02 PM
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Marsh
Your question got me thinking. At first I thought No it would be too hard if you cant do a lot of steps, but then I realized there are many places that are flat or can be enjoyed by other than walking.
The places I visited
Scopello, main part of tiny village is flat. The nature preserve, Lo Zingaro can be visited by boat if that option interests you. This would be enjoying the beautiful coastline and coves. Anything else would involve hiking.
Erice, not an option. Mostly steep streets.
Segesta, short uphill to temple, but its right there! Shuttle bus up to the theatre site.
Selinute, they have golf cart tours if you want to pay and not walk. Otherwise, lots of walking at the large site.
Agrigento, I dont know how you could visit these temples without a long walk. If you take a taxi up to the top, the walk is all downhill, but its a long way for someone with limited walking ability.
Baroque towns, I stayed in Scicli and their main streets are flat! Very enjoyable town and very untouristed. Did not visit the other Baroque towns.
Ortigia, the oldest part of Siracusa, is basically flat. The archeological park would be out,but the museum is excellent.
Taormina mainstreet is flat but crowded. Unfortunately the theater, which is one of two main reasons to visit would be difficult. Steep climb up.
You could actually visit the beautiful town of Lipari in the Aeolians Islands, its mostly flat and very charming. You could also enjoy boat tours of the islands which are very beautiful from the sea.
Palermo, lots of flat walking. Maybe hire a guide, or private tour by car?
My thoughts for what they are worth. Hope you get to go. sicily is amazing.
Your question got me thinking. At first I thought No it would be too hard if you cant do a lot of steps, but then I realized there are many places that are flat or can be enjoyed by other than walking.
The places I visited
Scopello, main part of tiny village is flat. The nature preserve, Lo Zingaro can be visited by boat if that option interests you. This would be enjoying the beautiful coastline and coves. Anything else would involve hiking.
Erice, not an option. Mostly steep streets.
Segesta, short uphill to temple, but its right there! Shuttle bus up to the theatre site.
Selinute, they have golf cart tours if you want to pay and not walk. Otherwise, lots of walking at the large site.
Agrigento, I dont know how you could visit these temples without a long walk. If you take a taxi up to the top, the walk is all downhill, but its a long way for someone with limited walking ability.
Baroque towns, I stayed in Scicli and their main streets are flat! Very enjoyable town and very untouristed. Did not visit the other Baroque towns.
Ortigia, the oldest part of Siracusa, is basically flat. The archeological park would be out,but the museum is excellent.
Taormina mainstreet is flat but crowded. Unfortunately the theater, which is one of two main reasons to visit would be difficult. Steep climb up.
You could actually visit the beautiful town of Lipari in the Aeolians Islands, its mostly flat and very charming. You could also enjoy boat tours of the islands which are very beautiful from the sea.
Palermo, lots of flat walking. Maybe hire a guide, or private tour by car?
My thoughts for what they are worth. Hope you get to go. sicily is amazing.
Nov 6th, 2016, 06:13 PM
#59
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Thanks for the feedback, everyone.
Marsh, I think Dayle has given great advice, here are a few more comments to supplement --
Agrigento -- when we were there, there was one of those "tourist trains" that ran the length of the temples. I don't know if you could hop on and off. But if you enter the temples from the "upper" entrance/parking lot, the walk would be all downhill.
In Taormina, I think you could get a cab to the entrance to the theater and from there the walk isn't bad.
Noto, one of the Baroque towns, has a very nice and very flat main street. The ups and downs come in when you take detours, but most of the main sights are right on that street, and I assume (but do not know) that there are accommodation options nearby in the historic center.
And I totally echo her final thought -- Sicily is amazing!
Marsh, I think Dayle has given great advice, here are a few more comments to supplement --
Agrigento -- when we were there, there was one of those "tourist trains" that ran the length of the temples. I don't know if you could hop on and off. But if you enter the temples from the "upper" entrance/parking lot, the walk would be all downhill.
In Taormina, I think you could get a cab to the entrance to the theater and from there the walk isn't bad.
Noto, one of the Baroque towns, has a very nice and very flat main street. The ups and downs come in when you take detours, but most of the main sights are right on that street, and I assume (but do not know) that there are accommodation options nearby in the historic center.
And I totally echo her final thought -- Sicily is amazing!
Nov 6th, 2016, 06:26 PM
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L
Tell me if Im not remembering the Taormina theater correctly. I think if people didnt want to climb up to the top of the rows of seats, they could just look around and up from the stage. Not sure if you would see the view of Etna from that perspective. I remember going down a lot of stairs from the stage area back to the main street in Taormina. Did you do that?
Tell me if Im not remembering the Taormina theater correctly. I think if people didnt want to climb up to the top of the rows of seats, they could just look around and up from the stage. Not sure if you would see the view of Etna from that perspective. I remember going down a lot of stairs from the stage area back to the main street in Taormina. Did you do that?
