Today we walked all over Palermo, about 11 hours on our feet, and saw much of this wild and crazy city.
Of course we saw the architectural highlights, but the best part for me was the street food, which Palermo is famous for. We were walking through one of the markets and there was this man who had a big wicker basket with a towel on top. He dipped his hand in the basket, under the towel, and brought out a handful of strange looking offal. Apparently, these are the parts of the cow that the butchers don't want; stomach, intestines, and other savory parts. He then sprinkled on some salty, spicy stuff on top and handed it to me on a napkin. Delicious! Definitely not for everyone (including my darling Amy), but for those who like to eat local, bizarre food...fantastic! The parts had a great flavor of fat, salt and beefy goodness.
At another stall, not too far away, another man was serving the quintessential Palermo street food. This is thinly sliced beef spleen, cooked in lard and then placed in a bun. Wow, this was really tasty, too. Amy bravely took one bite, but generously let me have the rest of it.
After all this savory, salty, beefy food, it was time for gelato. Palermo is famous throughout Italy for its gelato. I had a delicious combination of peach (amazing true peach flavor) and pistachio, which had big chunks of pistachio nuts in it. Amy had a rich, dark chocolate (about as rich and dark as is possible) and tiramisu. The Gelato Gods were looking down on us with great favor today. In fact, on this trip through Campagna and Sicily, we've had gelato once or twice a day.
We visited several churches today with incredible mosaics, the best being Monreale. These mosaics were done in the 11th Century by Greek artists and are some of the best in the world. It is a bit overwhelming, as literally every square inch of the interior of the church is covered with mosaics. The mosaics tell the stories of e bible, like Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, etc. The colors are incredibly vibrant and it's hard to believe these are mosaics and not paintings.
We went to the church of Monreale, famous for its mosaics, created by Byzantine artists in the 11th Century. The entire interior of the church is covered in mosaics and it can be a bit overwhelming. They are mostly stories from the Bible...Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, etc. They are all so vibrant and look almost new.
We also saw the mosaics of the palatine Capella in the enormous grand old Norman castle which is now the government building. It was more intimate and the quality of artistry amazing. Before our trip we read a historical novel, A Ruby In Her Navel, about a young norman in Palermo in 1150, who watches the Greek artists that the king has specially imported, because of their far superior craftsmanship, create these marvelous designs that glow and shed light.
Another highlight was the cloister in Monreale. A huge courtyard surrounded by a covered colonnade on all four sides, where each support was a pair of white sandstone columns inset with gold and silver and jewel toned mosaics, twisting around the sides each in different patterns, very arabic styling , then each column topped with fanciful carvings in the sandstone, bas reliefs of animals, birds, mythical creatures, humans in everyday pursuits, humans depicting legends, no two alike. And in one corner a moorish fountain also surrounded in columns, upholding moorish style arches.
But the really weird thing to visit here is the Capuccine monastery, where there are catacombs. Craig loved it... Amy not so much. Its full of lifelike--- dead people.
For hundreds of years (from the 1500s to the 1800s), the monks of the monastery, along with some of the higher class citizens of Palermo, would end up in a niche along the walls. They would be hung up here (after they were dead!), dressed in their finest robes or suits. Here they are still, staring out at you in a rather ghoulish way. Some bodies have been preserved better then others and you can still see bits of skin and hair. One little girl, who died in 1920, was preserved so well in an experiment by a doctor, that she really looks like she's asleep, complete with her curly blonde hair and ribbon. The story goes that her twin sister still visits her here almost everyday.
A deal in Palermo is the bus system. For 3.50 euros you get unlimited transfers for 24 hours. So even though we walked lots, we also had our trips around town, to Monreale, back, and then over to the Stazione Maritima, the ferry piers near the newer (1800s) downtown, all with ease. No taxis.
We had a final taste of Sicilian food and wine, Cerasuolo, near the piers, then got on this grand ship with its escalators, elevators and dog pooperia decks.
After a night in Genoa, it's off to see our dear friends Catherine and Jean Marie Peyraud, who live in Bandol, France. They and their family are the owners of the famed Domaine Tempier winery in the little village of Le Castellet.
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