Palazzo dei Normanni

 

Buon giorno,

It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the thing that Everyone who comes to Palermo wants to see, and what I wished to see the most.

Sicilian History is . . . complicated, and I'm not going to try and sort it out for you right here, but I taught ninth graders, and one thing I am really good at is barebones over simplification. So we have a lot of ambitious and energetic young men in Normandy, who knew they would get no land, so they became mercenaries and were quite good at it. Since Southern Italy was unstable due to rivalries between recently arrived Germans, Byzantines determined to reconquer the peninsula, and Muslims who ruled Sicily, Norman Warriors found a ready market for their skills.  Members of the de Hautville Family quickly realized that conquering for other people was pointless when they could conquer for themselves. Marriage alliances and frequent battles soon followed.

What with one thing and another over many years, the Normans managed to take over Southern Italy and Sicily itself. Being rough hewn northerners they were mightily impressed with the sophistication and luxury they found in Muslim Sicily and soon adjusted to their new surroundings. The Normans remained Christian, but the early members of the dynasty employed Muslims in their government and some adopted Muslim dress--very practical in Sicily's climate.  The Palazzo dei Normanni is a prime example of the syncretism of the two cultures.

I enjoyed my visit, but the place was packed, and I spent far more time waiting in line than I did seeing the actual sights. Also the royal apartments were closed, so I missed those.

The highlight of the visit is the one everyone looks forward to--the Capella Palatina or palace chapel. It is gorgeous and in the Byzantine style. It reminded me strongly of Ravenna because of the incredible mosaics. Gold glass gives the images a glitter quality that makes them come alive. But the place was packed and I began to feel a touch claustrophobic, so after enjoying the view I squirmed my way out.

One of the things I like to do in Italy is indulge in my favorite cold cuts for my apero. I never eat such things at home because I'm elderly and need to protect my health, but European products are made in traditional ways, and if one if mindful about buying the animals have been humanly raised. Mmm. Such salty, fatty, meaty goodness! Neither of these items comes from Sicily. Breseola is from Lombardy. Mortadella comes from Emilia-Romagna.

Ciao for Now

A Walk in the Park--La Villa Guilia

 Buon giorno!

Today is the 958th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings which allowed the Norman Conquest of England. What many people do not know is that even before William the Conqueror set his sights on England, some Normans were already doing some conquering in Southern Italy and Sicily.  As I am of Anglo-Norman heritage, I always celebrate the day. There happens to be a fine gelato shop just around the corner from my digs, so I am having some chocolate ripple and hazelnut gelato. It. Is. Divine.

It's Monday, and the museums are closed, so I have to wait until tomorrow for yet more celebration of my Norman Heritage, but I did do a tourist activity and got my quota of steps in.

I began with a trip to the grocery store where I was bemused by the sight of Italian shoppers loading their carts with enormous bags of sad looking potato chips. They like them for apero, but I thought they preferred the flavored kind to go with their Aperol Spritzes.

Having dropped off my groceries, I set out once more in the opposite direction of the way I usually take.  Fortunately the route was straightforward, and I was able to cross the major boulevard all right.

Villa Guilia is an estate that was donated to the city and turned into a botanical garden.  Wandering among the trees and flower made a highly refreshing change from the intensity of the streets of Palermo.

There was an event being held on the grounds by Wines Sicily that looked pretty posh. I headed away down the cool green walkways and the traffic noise faded to be replaced by bird song.

I strolled at my leisure down shady avenues lined with citrus trees heavily laden with fruit. Very tempting, but I did not pick any, and some I didn't even recognize.  Palermo is full of palm trees, and the garden was no exception. There were also many stands of various sorts of bamboo. 

This was a lovely way to spend some time. The only problem is that eventually I had to venture back into the real world of broken sidewalks and crazy traffic, and occasional whiffs of raw sewage.

I had my limoncello and green tea apero and for dinner I contrived a dish of pasta with some tuna and a little jarred sauce (It's pink and has ricotta and nuts plus a bit of tomato) that I thinned with some pasta water. It needed salt, but dang! It's good. Clearly I am a culinary genius.

Ciao for now

Layer Upon Layer of History

 

Buon Giorno,

I didn't get a lot of sleep, but I'm used to jet lag and I know I can cope. I'm getting to know my area of the city, and I did not get lost today at all. I'm close to the historic center, but not within it, so I have to walk about twenty minutes to reach the sites. This is fine with me as I do come to Europe to walk.

Palermo reminds me a lot of Naples. Both cities have a ramshackle charm. I have to walk warily as the side walks are torn up. Some buildings are grand. Others are attractive, but many are shabby, and some are complete wrecks. Welcome to Southern Italy!

I decided that a good activity for the day would be a visit to the Antonino Salinas Regional Archeological Museum, which boasts of its status as the oldest museum in Sicily. Not everyone shares my taste for antiquities, but I do find such things fascinating, and the exhibits are well displayed and explained. Moreover, the museum is housed in a former convent, so wandering around the cloisters is enjoyable on its own.

Sicily, being a highly fertile island (Thanks, Mount Etna!) has attracted human habitation from early days. The island got its name from the Sicel tribe, but the place entered into history when the Phoenicians arrived, bringing their newly devised alphabet with them. The museum features quite a bit of their pottery and votive objects as well as some inscriptions. One thing I had never seen exhibited before were the projectiles used by slingers in battle. They are lethal looking nuggets of metal, and the slingers were highly trained and could be deadly.

The Greeks were not far behind, and most of the museum is given over to their remains from various periods. In particular the Greek colonies on the island gave a special devotion to the Goddess Demeter and her daughter Kore or Persephone. There are some splendid red figure vases as well as a host of everyday objects. Here's a lion head from a tomb. 

Then we have Etruscans, who didn't settle in Sicily, but certainly traded and the Romans who eventually conquered the place and used it as their bread basket. Some of the Roman remains are truly impressive--massive (and heavily restored) statues of various gods and emperors.

On my way back I proceeded down Via Roma, one of the main drags, and ran into some kind of auto rally. Vintage cars from the mid Twentieth Century roared by apparently competing to see which engine could make the biggest racket.

Ciao for now

Palermo Cathedral

 

Buon giorno,

As promised--some tourist action, and it was worth all the detours I took to get there, but first some whining.  I was not in great shape yesterday and went to bed early. I was sweetly asleep when the phone in my room rang. It is not of a volume that can be ignored. I answered it, and some guy spoke to me in Italian. I replied I did not speak Italian, but he continued to talk. I hung up. A few minutes later another call. Same deal. Then nothing, and I thought I was done with it and went back to bed. After a while the phone rang again. Same deal. Then he called back right away. I firmly said, "Non parlo italiano. Why are you calling me?" That was the end of it. I was getting ready to doze off when some neighbors decided they needed to have a loud, ugly argument. He was furious.  She was tearful.  The above occurrences jangled my nerves, but I did eventually--after a long while--get back to sleep.

I now am a proud possessor of a Map of the City, so I need not rely so much on google maps, which did steer me wrong today. I picked Palermo Cathedral as my destination because it is a major site and within reasonable walking distance of me. It was a brilliantly sunny day, but not too hot. I set out carefully following the directions I had written down, but then I could not find one of the streets. I walked along through pleasant neighborhoods and piazzas, I consulted my phone, but it became clear that nothing I was seeing corresponded to what I should encounter.  I was lost, but since I do get lost frequently, I remain calm and confident. I'll get to where I'm going eventually, and I have learned that persistence pays.

I retraced my steps--not exactly, but I got back to Via Roma, one of the main drags and then when I got to my turn I turned left instead of right. Bingo!  I still had a bit of a walk, but clearly I was in the Tourist Zone, and I found a Tourist Information Office where I obtained my map.

It's Saturday, and the tourists and beggars are out in force, but I had a very pleasant time licking the windows of some truly fascinating shops, and I clearly need to return to this area.

The Cathedral is Magnificent. Whew it makes an impact!  Actually the interior is kind of a let down because it's your standard Baroque and I was hoping for something a bit more exotic, but I had a good look around and found it very lovely.

With the help of my map I designed a much more straightforward route home.  I feel I have earned my apero. I'd made some green tea and put it in the fridge. Green tea and limoncello make a great combination--very refreshing.

I changed my mind about dinner. I was going to mix tuna and pasta but then decided to make them separate courses.  Grocery store Italian tuna is pretty dang good, but you can find and pay more for some really fancy fish. I have linguine brought from home dressed with salt, pepper, garlic, and olive oil. I like this a lot but can seldom indulge when I'm at home. Both tuna and pasta go very well with my Sicilian white wine.

Ciao for now

Learning to Make My Way Around My Neighborhood

 

Buon Giorno,

Crossing the streets is the most exciting part. The cars aren't really trying to kill you; it just seems that way. Most will respect a crosswalk even though they can come frighteningly close, and if they feel they can miss the pedestrian they will just proceed.  A few just blow through red lights. Palermo is certainly car-ridden. It kinda reminds me of home.

Yesterday's long trip was hard on me, so I promised myself an easy and short day. For one thing I was not adequately fed. For dinner, I had a bleah sandwich with some nice wine, and for breakfast I had tea and a granola bar--hardly touristing fuel.

I also discovered that after having brought a bottle of industrial strength sun screen expressly for the trip, I had forgotten to pack it. My first mission was to get sun screen. I do not go out without it and have not done for over thirty years. I went off in search of a pharmacy.  Signore Google told me that around the Central Station was a good place to try, and it's not far from me.

The station itself is a handsome building and the area is not at all sleazy. I did find a pharmacy. The shop assistant did not speak English, but she understood "sun screen." It was locked up in a cabinet. After one look at my pale Northern European skin, she picked out spf 50--the strongest they had. It is a small tube and grossly overpriced in my opinion, but the need is the need. I went home and smeared it on my exposed parts and was ready to venture out again.

After having spent so much on sun screen and having plans for a Big Trip to the grocery store, I decided to find an ATM. They are everywhere in Europe, and some are stand alone machines placed randomly. I do not like those. Google Map sometimes indicates directions like Northeast, and my phone has a compass, so I used it to point myself in the right direction. I found a small bank with a security guard--that was comforting--and went in and got my cash.

Then I turned around and walked back up the street because I was on my way to the grocery store.  Palermo is so interesting. On my stroll I passed not one, but two open air fish stands. I am not equipped in any way, shape, or form to deal with a whole, raw fish, but the offerings looked fresh, and nothing smelled bad.

Some streets are labeled. Most are not, so I had to guess. This is not efficient, but it does usually work out for me, and also the good folk of Lidl (They cosponsor a cycling team!) sign posted their store.  And it was a nice, big one--chaotically arranged, but welcome to Southern Italy, and I eventually did find everything I needed.

Like what, Pil?

Hummus! Good luck finding that in Northern or Central Italy. I also got bread, eggs, tuna. tea, sweetener, olive oil (I tasted the olive oil. I just pulled it off the shelf, but it's the good stuff--it made me cough.).tortellone, wine--and, of course, limoncello.  But then I had to carry my heavy bag back.

 Limocello? 

It's a lemon liquer made with lemons mascerated in hard alcohol, and then sweetened with sugar syrup. Italians usually take it as a digestive as I will this evening, so stay tuned for a taste test. You can find it in the United States, but not all brands are created equal.

I also had a nice apero of the Sicilian wine I got yesterday with some truffle flavored marcona almonds I got from Trader Joe's.

Dinner is some lovely tortalone with cheese and spinach, dressed with salt, pepper, garlic, and a lot of that good olive oil I got today.  The IGP (Indication Geografia Protectivo) goes perfectly with the pasta. It's not the top tier wine, and it was really cheap, but it's good!

Here goes--a limoncello tasting. I don't like drinking it straight actually, but I will for this test.  And this is very nice--a good, tart lemon flavor, and it's not too sweet. I don't care for the spirit burn, but next time I'll have it with ice green tea, and it will be perfect.

I think I'll be ready for some actual tourist action tomorrow.

Ciao for now

A Long Journey into a Rich Past

 

Buon giorno,

Well. I'm here, and the room and location are terrific. The photo is the view from my balcony. I also have a helpful new friend named Greta. I'd booked a taxi to get me here from Palermo Airport, but there was a mix up. The driver was waiting for me at an earlier flight. When I didn't show, he got mad and left. I ended up taking another taxi into town, but my new pal Greta will try to get me a refund. As annoying as that was it wasn't as bad as the plight of the young Polish woman (who doesn't either Italian or English). She has a reservation here, but no sign of the guy in charge of it. More work for Greta!

When I was working and people knew I had a trip plan the most frequent question I got was why I was going where I was going. Have you been before? No. Do you have family there? No. The explanation that I was after history did not seem to register.  But history is indeed why I chose to come to Palermo--layer upon layer of history! I hope you will share it with me.

I flew non-stop to Rome--a very long flight. I'd checked out reviews of the airline and was not encouraged, but the flight was fine. The seats were comfortable and the food decent although they were stingy with the excellent wine on offer.  The only problem was a big group of my fellow citizens who seemed bound and determined to fulfill every cliche about American tourists ever.  They were LOUD, and they took up a lot of space. I prayed they wouldn't be in my cabin, but there they were needing to talk at the top of their lungs.

I didn't sleep, but I sort of dozed. So far the Italian lessons I've been doing on line have done me no good at all. Oh well. Rome's airport is very bustling but easy to get around. I squirted myself with the latest Hermes perfume (which I don't care for) at duty free. There are the usual luxury labels, which hold no interest for me, but also they have foods on offer. Hmm. Maybe I'd like to bring something home.

The flight here was quick and easy. Until I got my bags and realized no one was waiting for me. I am a wreck. I found a mini market so I'm not going to starve. I got some interesting Sicilian white wine and a meh sandwich,  but I need to get some sleep and have an easy day tomorrow getting to know the city.

At the Airport

 Gruss Gott,

I thought I'd make another post detailing my departure experience. I was instructed by the aparthotel folks to leave my key in the lockbox--the one I had trouble with on arrival, so I gave myself a time cushion so I could mess with it, but I finally got it done.

Then the trip to the airport was fast and smooth.

But then. I printed out my luggage tag and applied it and got in line for the automated drop off. Problem was none of the machines assigned to our flight worked. I was there nearly an hour before the technician got things back on line, and then my bag needed "handling," which meant I had to show my passport.  Sometimes, you know, machines alone won't do; you need humans.

I still had time to wander around duty free, but I didn't see anything exciting. I made my way through security and passport control to my gate.

Now I have always just gone in and found a seat. Not this time. There was a huge line stretching into infinity because Austrian Airlines was doing a document check. Some people were pulled aside by security officers who weren't satisfied with passports or visas. I do not know how these folks were chosen, but I suspect it helps to look European, which I do.

Also some people were turned away at the gate and told to come back in half an hour. I was let in, and I think it was because I'm in Premium Economy and Boarding Group 3. 

So I'm hoping boarding goes fast and easy and I'm looking forward to a pleasant flight.

Servus.