Byzantines and Saracens and Normans, oh my

The first tour day was an extension of the travel day, and nothing was scheduled. Our overnight flight came in too early for us to go straight to our rooms in a resort outside Palermo, so without any real rest we were whisked to a town called Castellammare del Golfo in Trapani province. And we were still too early for lunch!

Castellammare del Golfo from a viewpoint

Sweetie and I did a short walkabout without straying too far from the restaurant and discovered the small, rustic Chiesa dell'Annuziata, church of the Annunciation. Despite me being a long-lapsed Catholic and Sweetie being a secular Jew, we both love churches and synagogues, both the fancy ones and the humble ones. This church had the added benefit of getting us out of the warm sun. A sacristan handed us prayer cards, and we made a small donation to light a candle.

Our introduction to cucina tipica siciliana was spectacular. First course was a seafood crudo to die for — very thinly sliced red tuna, swordfish, salmon (not local, but tasty), and one other fish, plus tender octopus, drizzled with olive oil with a bit of lemon. The freshest fish by the seaside, absolutely heavenly. Then we were served pasta con le sarde, a dish I have long wanted to try but never trusted myself to make. The pasta was called busiate, a curly pasta common in Sicily, and the sauce consisted of anchovies (fresh, not the kind from a can or jar), onions, fennel, raisins, and pine nuts, topped with seasoned bread crumbs. It illustrates the marked Arabic influence on Sicilian cuisine. Both of these dishes were a bit challenging for many of our group, but Sweetie and I devoured them.

We finally got to settle in at our hotel and relaxed on the beautiful grounds with sea view until a buffet dinner at the hotel.

Cloister columns and capitals

The first real day of touring began in Monreale, up into the hills southwest of Palermo. The Cattedrale di Montreale is called Santa Maria Nuova, a magnificent Norman basilica dedicated in the late 12th century filled with mostly Byzantine-style mosaics (the Christ Pantocrator from the previous post dominates this church). The local tour guide we had met with in Palermo gave us the complete story of this awe-inspiring church. She then took us to the attached Chiostro Benedettino, a former Benedictine cloister in Romanesque style. The central garden is surrounded by porticos with columns that repeat the themes of earth, air, fire, and water, with each column having its own distinct capital.

From Monreale, we headed into the city of Palermo itself, the administrative capital of Sicily, and proceeded on a walking tour. The Palermo Cathedral is another magnificent 12th-century Norman church built on what had previously been a Byzantine church and subsequently a Saracen mosque. On a column by one of the entrances is carved a bit of the Qu'ran! In addition to the architecture and art, the cathedral features a sundial where light comes in through a window in the roof and traces a pattern along the floor.

On our way to a lunch of typical street food, including the famous arancini, at a crowded market, we passed a wall that had been built by Phoenician settlers. The history of Sicily runs deep! After lunch, we continued walking, a bit wearily, with a lovely respite for gelato at Cappadonia, maybe the best gelato I've ever tasted. I was proud of myself for slipping across the square to order myself a much-needed espresso, transaction conducted entirely in Italian. I then drank it the Italian way while standing at the bar (if you sit at a table, it will cost you about twice as much).

13:04 CEST (no longer
quite solar noon)

After all that nearly non-stop walking, we were off to a fishing village turned beach town called Sferracavallo, part of greater Palermo. Dinner continued the themes of seafood, pasta, and barely enough time to get hungry again before the next meal, plus plenty of good wine. As I recall, the pasta was something with seafood, maybe swordfish, less challenging than the anchovy sauce.

I would love to spend more time in Palermo, and not just to have more of that insanely smooth and flavourful gelato. Palermo is a very lively city, and we barely scratched the surface of what it has to offer. As lovely as our resort was, I wish we could have stayed in a hotel in or closer to the city. I can only imagine what Palermo is like at night.