During our day trip to Sicily's northwestern extreme, we only had a couple hours to explore Trapani. That's not nearly enough time to do justice to this city of 70,000, but it was winter. Days are shorter, and we also had Erice to get to. So we confined ourselves to Trapani's historic center, which begins as the city branches off from the island and becomes a narrow strip of land jutting into the sea.
Sicily is a large island and, although we'd love to explore every city, village, hill and coastline, there's no way we'd ever be able to in just 91 days. But some cities are close enough to Palermo to serve as easy day trips. Trapani and its hilltop neighbor Erice are two such towns, just a couple hours away, and we hopped on an early morning bus to check them out.
The Castello a Mare doesn't look like much from the bike path; just a collection of ruins. But once inside the gate, the scale of the former castle is striking. The date of its construction is unknown, but estimated to be around 1150. For 750 years, it was one of Palermo's most important lines of defense against pirates and invaders. And during the Spanish rule of Sicily, it served as the seat of the Holy Inquisition.
One of the top sights in Palermo is the Norman Palace, on the western extreme of the old city center. A massive complex built in the 11th century, the palace is still used today as the seat of the Sicilian government. Tourists are allowed in, but understandably restricted to a small section.
One of the stranger fruits we've encountered in Palermo has been the cactus pear, which is sold at just about every market stand in the city. Fico d'India is native to Sicily, despite its name, and a popular snack with Palermitani. We had to try it.
After a couple hours spent wandering the alleyways of Bagheria, we had worked up quite an appetite, and sought out a restaurant recommended by a couple readers: the Antica Osteria Zza' Maria. The word "Zza" alone was enticement enough to visit; it looks like a typo, or the sound a flamboyant snake might make, but is actually Sicilian for "Aunt".
Palermo is the kind of loud, in-your-face city about which it doesn't take long to form strong first impressions. The beauty, noise, trash, history and lively street life don't hide themselves, and I suspect that our initial feelings about the city will not change a lot over the course of the next couple months.
Green oases of tranquility found at the south-eastern end of Palermo's historic center, the twin parks of the Villa Guilia and Orto Botánico provide much-needed places of relaxation and quiet in the otherwise hectic city.
Sicilian cuisine continues to spring wonderful surprises on us. I had been completely unaware of the existence of sfincione, or Sicilian Pizza, until we visited Monreale. And now, I'll never forget it.
Found on the outer limits of the city, the Capuchin catacombs hold the remains of over 8000 souls, their disembodied shells propped up against the walls or resting in open caskets. Down in the cold, dry basement of the monastery, the relentless march of decomposition takes its sweet time. It's a gruesome display. Though some bodies have been reduced to skulls and bones, the majority of corpses are still rotting, and their half-decomposed husks are the stuff of nightmares.
