I just got back home after a ten-day visit to the Mediterranean island of Sicily, located off the ‘toe’ of the ‘boot’ of Italy. As an autonomous region of Italy, Sicily is proudly independent, and has a rich history that places human activity there from 8000 BC on.
Sicily is a gateway between North Africa and Europe and has been strategically important for millennia, and as a result was under rule over time by the Greeks, Romans, Vandals, Ostrogoths, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, then independent, and now a part of Italy.
Sicily if full of colorful street life, with hints of its exotic and diverse Greek, Roman, Arab, Norman, and African influences at every turn.
Upon arriving in Palermo, I checked into The Hotel Tonic, a classic 'back door' style hotel, conveniently located right in the center of Palermo’s historic downtown district (the opera house is pictured above), and was interestingly located right next to the hotel that Richard Wagner lived in when he lived in Palermo (which is now called The Grand Hotel Wagner).
I started my visit with an extremely nice Valentines Day dinner at the Al Cancelletto Verde restaurant that is a classic Sicilian-style restaurant that has been a cornerstone for authentic Sicilian food in Palermo since the 1950s.
The service and food was fantastic. The waiters kept bringing out course after course, with little treats of food & drink between courses. Dining is an event in itself at Al Cancelletto Verde, and I highly recommend you make time for a dinner or lunch stop at the Al Cancelletto Verde restaurant should you visit Palermo - highly recommended!
Sicilian cuisine is a deliciously rewritten style of Italian that is unique and always left me wanting to experience more.
I had the good fortune to be serenaded at dinner by two local musicians playing jazz on saxophone and accordion, and they were awesome!
It is always fun to get out on the streets and check out the local scene, and Palermo doesn't disappoint. The street market is always a fun place to check out the sights and sample some good food!
The Sicilian blood oranges are my favorite oranges in the whole world! They are a sweet and citrusy explosion of flavor in your mouth! The tiny wild strawberries available in the markets are bursting with flavor and make a regular strawberry seem rather bland. Great food in Siciliy!
I tend to prefer veggies to meat, but for the meat aficionados there's plenty of choice!
Markets are always a lot of fun and a great way to get a glimpse of local life.
When wandering the Palermo side streets you never quite know what you might run into in this exotic city.
LIke a little restaurant making some outstanding Sicilian pizza!
Or a horse-drawn carriage waiting to take you for a ride!
Or amazing architecture!
Or a palace!
Or a cathedral!
Fancy cathedral interiors abound.
Or how about some classic Sicilian cart-art!
The puppeteers of Sicily have evolved their craft to high art and use the puppet stage to tell the history of Sicily. Be sure to stop and take in a puppet show to get a flavor of the history and style of Sicilian culture.
The next morning we stopped in at Monreale for a walk through of the city, and then a stop at the Cathedral of Monreale, which is a great example of Norman architecture.
The interior of Montreale Cathedral was impressive, and the photos certainly don't do it justice! The exterior was impressive too ...
After a nice visit at Montreale we continued on to the seaside fishing village of Cefalu. Traveling in the Winter months can always be a little tricky weather wise, and Cefalu marked the beginning point of when we narrowly missed natural disasters one after another, making for some interesting tour memories!
The old town of Cefalù is tucked up against a towering cliff, where at the top is a temple to the goddess Athena that overlooks the village. As evening set in so did the weather, and during the night the path up to the ruins of the Temple of Athena were washed out (on top of the big rock above).
A nice evening walk along the beach in Cefalù made for some memorable sights of the old town.
Nothing warms you up after a cool evening beach walk along the Mediterranean quite like some Sicilian pizza and Prosecco!
In the morning I decided to hike as far up towards the Temple of Athena as I could go and was rewarded with some very nice views of Cefalù.
Like in Palermo, walking the streets in the village of Cefalù was a treat. Below is a central church tucked away on a narrow street.
The locals dry their laundry hanging from their balconies in the narrow streets making for a colorful display as you wander the streets.
There's never a bad time to stop at a corner cafe for a cappuccino and a snack!
A walk along the coastline of Cefalù also serves up some visual treats!
After exploring Cefalu, we set off for Sicily's eastern coast and the lava-crusted slopes of snowy 10,000-foot tall Mount Etna. As we started our drive up the slopes of Mount Etna it was merely rainy ...
Then the weather began to deteriorate and it began to snow ...
As we neared the top the snow removal equipment was busy working!
We stopped in the lodge on top of Mount Etna for some hot chocolate and to get warm - it was freezing cold with high winds on top!
Although some chose to warm up with volcano inspired alcohol!
After our visit to the lodge we drove down and stopped for a winery visit on the slopes of Mount Etna, where we did some wine tasting of Sicily's more famous wines and enjoyed a very nice lunch from our gracious hosts!
Next we went to experience the Old-World Elegance of Taormina, which is situated in the cliffs, with elegant gardens, cafes and shops, and its Ancient Greek theater that is still used for performances. From our hotel we saw the news-making eruption of Mount Etna - we got out of there just in time!
Looking up the slope from our hotel also provided spectacular views!
Part 2 to come in time.
I'm almost finished with the review of the ASR Emitter II Exclusive Version Blue amplifier, so you'll be hearing more about that shortly, with the review at Positive Feedback Online to come in the next week or two.
Thanks for stopping by!
