Sicily, Italy: Palermo and the towns, hills, and volcano of an ancient island

After leaving Switzerland and spending some time in Rome, we ended our stay in Italy with two weeks on the island of Sicily. Although we'd spent one week in Sicily before, in the stunning east coast town of Taormina (check out our Taormina blog), this time we were headed to the big city of Palermo. And what a different experience we were in for!

When you think of Sicily, a few things probably come to mind: Cannoli, the Godfather, and the blue sparkling sea. And you'd be right! The cannoli here are absolutely not to be missed (and this comes from two people who have never been big cannoli fans). Soooo good!

But while the cannoli are wonderful, the mafia's hold on this city created years of turmoil and violence. The turning point for the city and its people came in 1992 with the brutal assassinations of anti-mafia judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. Followed by the assassination of Father Pino Publisi, an anti-mafia priest, in 1993, the city had enough and the mafia were finally eradicated and brought to justice. Today, there is a mural paying tribute to the two judges in the Cala district near the port, and Father Publisi is buried in Palermo Cathedral. Both sites are very powerful to visit and help you understand all that this city has been through.

Which brings us to the brilliant blue sea. Surrounded by mountains and bordered by the clear Gulf of Palermo in the Tyrrhenian Sea, this capital city of the island of Sicily is informed by its past, and it's quite a checkered one! It includes being founded by the Phoenicians in 734 BC before subsequently becoming a possession of Carthage, conquered by Normans and Arabs, and ultimately becoming part of Italy in 1861. In short: This island of natural beauty is ancient!

It's also pretty gritty. The buildings in Palermo may be historic and beautiful, but they are also rough around the edges, some crumbling under the weight of their past, others just falling into disrepair. It's jarring but it also makes this city a little more interesting. Even the Teatro Massimo, Palermo's opera house, is a contradiction—stunning and imposing on the outside but showing its age on the inside. On a tour of the opera house, the largest in Italy and third largest in Europe, we noticed the peeling paint, cracked stone, and stained wallpaper. That said, it's still worth visiting to learn about the history...when it opened the King of Italy wouldn't even attend, saying that an opera house in Palermo couldn't possibly be worth his time.

It was good enough for a scene in The Godfather Part III, though, which was filmed there. That said, we've been on tours of opera houses that we liked much better (Vienna State Opera and Milan's La Scala), but definitely worth a visit, or even see a performance there, if only to discover the history of this special place.

Palermo is busy and bustling. People are everywhere and it can feel chaotic...and it's hot. Like, really hot (hovering around 100F when we were there in July/August). There isn't a ton to do and see in the city, but a few of the must-do's include visiting Palermo Cathedral and Palace, especially to walk on the roof and take in the amazing view of city, sea, and mountains. There are piazzas to visit, but don't expect immaculate statues and fountains...don't even expect water in the fountains! A few are Piazza Vigliena (Quanto Canti) where two main streets meet and you'll find buskers, an opera singer entertaining pedestrians, and carts to get an Aperol Spritz or lemonade. There's also Piazza Pretoria with Fontana Pretoria (no water here, but it is famous and lovely).

A visit to Santa Caterina right in the center of the pedestrian area and behind Fontana Pretoria, is an easy, and delicious place to visit. Although this was a monastery and home to cloistered nuns from 1311-2014, today you can visit the monastery, church and... the bakery! They still make pastries with the nun's recipes, so we had to try a cannolo. It was huge but so good and worth the calories, and you can sit in the monastery's courtyard and soak up the sun while enjoying your pastry. Thirsty when you leave? There's an Aperol Spritz stand in the street waiting to serve you an après cannolo drink. And speaking of food and drink...there's lots here to enjoy, so arrive hungry!

Of course there's gelato and we tried what is considered to be the best in Sicily at Cappadonia Gelato. Honestly, we didn't think it was the best we've ever tasted, but it was an eye-opener to see everyone coming into the shop to get their brioche con gelato, which is a huge serving of gelato stuffed inside a brioche bun, sort of a real ice cream sandwich.

It just looked like a gut buster and we couldn't bring ourselves to order one even though everyone else seemed to love it. We even saw some people eating them for lunch! Bread and gelato, just not our thing (guess we're not that Sicilian), but if you give it a try let us know what you think.

We'd seen granitas all over Italy, but here they are renowned and an integral part of life. While we've typically bypassed granitas in favor of gelato, we knew we had to try it in the place this frozen dessert originated. What's granita? Well, it's not the Italian ice you're used to, although it is a simple dessert made from frozen water, sugar and flavorings like lemon, almond, and other fruits. We first tried almond, which has real bits of almond, and...wow. Incredible, especially on a hot, humid day. From that day on, we indulged in a daily granita fix (lemon was also amazing). Now we are huge fans of granitas!

Fish is everywhere here, and we enjoyed plenty of it, especially when we visited the historical outdoor Ballarò market and watched as our swordfish was cut especially for us from the daily catch. It was delicious, and, along with the veggies we purchased at the market, made for a great dinner at home. This is a really fun market to visit and it's open every day so head on over and enjoy the flavors and colors.

Because our time in Italy was winding down, we decided to enjoy a special dinner at Gagini, one of Palermo's two Michelin starred restaurants. The interior is lovely but not super fancy, and the service was so friendly and impeccable from start to finish. It was quite an experience and one we would do again and again.

We decided to go for the six course tasting menu and were so glad we did because every course was unique and delicious, not to mention the two different homemade breads from Sicilian grains and local pressed olive oil, which were out of this world. Our tasting menu consisted of a little bit of everything, fish, beef, pasta, you name it. And all perfect.

Not only that, Gagni has the tallest wine glasses we've ever seen in our lives! Did they make our wine, a Sicilian Grillo, taste better? We can't know for sure (the wine was fantastic) but it sure was fun to drink from these statuesque glasses.

The sea plays a big part of life here, and we were definitely ready to escape the chaos of the city for the clear blue-green water of one of Palermo's many beaches. We chose Spiaggia di Mondello (Mondello Beach), about a twenty minute taxi ride outside the city's center. There's a long, super popular (and populated) beach with white sand and lots of beach clubs offering lounges, so we paid for two lounge chairs and laid in the shade of an umbrella and enjoyed some cold beers and the brilliant view.

Once we'd had enough of the families, kids, and activity, we ventured further down the beach into the tiny town and discovered Biondo Mare Solarium, a waterfront bar and restaurant that was way less crowded and more to our liking.

If you head to Mondello Beach (and you should) definitely skip the beach clubs and come here to rent a chair and enjoy the peace and quiet, the water, and the spectacular scenery that is laid out before you.

We also explored the beach town of Cefalù just a quick 40 minute train ride east of Palermo. In addition to its beaches, Cefalù is a quaint town with a lovely Norman cathedral, small stone streets to stroll, and Castello di Cefalù (Cefalù Castle), if you're willing to walk up the long and winding 270 meter footpath to this archaeological park high on Cefalù Rock (you can see the sheer face of the rock beside the cathedral in the background).

The beach was really crowded the day we were there so we decided, instead, to grab lunch and sit on the rocks for a little picnic by the sea. This was a much better idea! We also enjoyed some time in one of the many restaurants overlooking the water, savoring cold local Messina beers in the shade. And since it was super hot, of course we had granita! This made for a leisurely and relaxing day away from the beach crowds before heading back to the hectic pace of Palermo, and all a quick train ride away.

We actually found ourselves constantly amazed at the craziness of Palermo and eventually, "Of course, it's Sicily" became our standard comment when we experienced something that was just nuts. Like the night after our dinner at Gagni, when we were walking home and encountered what had been a quiet small piazza a few hours earlier, and discovered it had turned into a packed square with thumping music, cocktail carts, and dancing throngs of people.

We literally watched as a few guys rolled up a cart, emptied bottles of alcohol from a cardboard box, and started hawking drinks. How did they compete with the other carts? By directing laser pointers at people in the crowd so they'd look over and place an order. It was like nothing we'd seen before. We guessed that the permitting process for bars and crowds was either super lenient or non-existent compared to what we were used to.

Did we say Palermo was gritty and bustling? Let's say it again: This place is chaotic and rough around the edges, but never more so than when we tried to leave. After a few days in Palermo it was time to explore outside the city. We rented a car, but be forewarned, you are taking your life in your hands. Driving here is insane, lanes barely exist, impatient scooters are practically skimming the side of your car in a race to beat you, and it's pure mayhem. Fortunately, we managed to make it out alive and take some amazing side trips, and we were even fortunate enough to have some family join us on our adventures. We couldn't wait to see what Alison and Greg thought of Palermo and Sicily. First up, a vineyard about 30 minutes outside the city, then the most active stratovolcano in the world, and days spent in remote towns, hilltop villages, and floating in the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Adamo Bio Winery, Alcamo, Sicily

Originally founded in 1931, today Adamo Bio produces organic white, rosé and red wines, olive oil, and fruits. We managed to find our way to this remote winery and were met by Vito, the kindest host who put us into his car and took us to the vineyards where they were harvesting the grapes. He even encouraged us to cut some vines as he shared his knowledge about the grapes, the land, and the vineyard's history. When we returned to the estate's historic winery Vito served us lunch prepared from Sicilian recipes from traditional methods using zero-mile raw materials. We were enjoying Vito so much, he stayed in the courtyard with us as we ate and explained all of the dishes and wines we were tasting. After lunch we toured the winery and even corralled some chickens back into their coop when they got loose. To say that this was an unforgettable and insanely delicious experience would be an understatement. This was one of the most unique and enjoyable vineyard visits we've ever experienced. Absolutely a must-do, but you need to make reservations in advance.

Mount Etna

After a day in the brilliant green vineyards of Adamo Bio we headed to the stark black lava rocks covering the slopes of Mount Etna.

Visiting Mount Etna was high on Joe's must-do list, so we drove three hours to the volcano, which had started actively erupting days before, spewing ash above Sicily and temporarily halting flights. Due to safety concerns, hikers weren't allowed to go to all the way to the top when we were there. Bummer, but we still had so much to do!

We enjoyed lunch beside the volcano (including polpette di cavallo, or Sicilian-style horse meatballs, for Joe) and then hiked up craters and looked down over the east coast of Sicily and the Gulf of Catania, an inlet of the Ionian Sea. We'd gone from one side of Sicily to the other! If you love to hike, Mount Etna is definitely worth the trip to experience.

So what's left to do after standing on the rim of an active volcano? Take to the water, of course!

A Boat Day on the Gulf of Palermo in the Tyrrhenian Sea

Alison and Greg arrived and our first order of business was an all-day boat ride complete with homemade aperitivo, lunch, Aperol spritzes, and cannoli. It would be hard to choose what we loved more, the food, the sights, or just floating in the water for hours. It was basically a day of sun, swimming in the stunning blues of the Tyrrhenian Sea, and Sicilian food. We highly recommend spending a day on a boat seeing Sicily from the water, especially on a small, family-owned boat where they encourage you to cannonball from the deck and then hand you a sweet and crispy cannolo as you dry off.

A vineyard lunch, a volcano, and a day at sea, what's left? Visit some towns, find some roots, and more wine, of course!

Prior to visiting Sicily, where my great-grandfather, Angelo, lived before emigrating to America, I did some research on my family roots. When I learned that Angelo was from Palermo, we decided to visit the small town of San Giuseppe Jato, where he was born. After driving down a slim one-way street without any signs to alert us, we quickly learned we'd have to back-up the entire way thanks to a woman who got out of her car and, in Italian, told us something that we figured meant, "You're going down a one-way street the wrong way, you dumb Americans." And so Joe honed his reversing skills up a tiny hillside street, tried not to rip the sideview mirrors off our car, and stayed calm while two impatient scooters revved their motors and practically bumped the hood of our car, just in case we didn't get the message: We were in their way!

Although we searched the cemetery in San Giuseppe Jato for family (just like we did in Scotland when we looked for Joe's family, you can read about that in the blog), the gravestones didn't go back far enough. But, while in Sicily, we were contacted by people who share the same, unique last name, and they were in Palermo and invited us to meet them. So, we ran with the idea of being distant family and enjoyed six amazing hours and a meal with people who didn't speak a word of English (thanks to some Italian classes and Duolingo, even though Joe just smiled and nodded and muttered to me under his breath, you have no idea what they're saying, and I kept telling him yes I do!).

Borgo Parrini, Sicily

The small, artistic village of Borgo Parrini was on our way home from San Giuseppe Jato, so we stopped by to see the painted buildings depicting famous faces, including Frida Kahlo, and inspiring quotes. There isn't much to do here, but it's a lovely little town to visit if it's on your way. Don't go hungry, the food pickings are slim (we learned this the hard way).

Monreale, Sicily

Tell anyone in Sicily you're going to Monreale and they'll tell you about the cathedral.

It dates back to 1174 and is a beautiful mix of Norman, Moorish, Gothic, Baroque, and Neoclassical design. This tiny town offers a stunning view of Palermo and the mountains and sea that surround it. We didn't spend much time here, just a visit to the cathedral, a walk along its roof, and lunch at a sidewalk cafe with a spectacular view. Then it was on to Corleone!

Corleone, Sicily

You probably associate Corleone with the mafia family in the movie The Godfather. For more than half a century, the town of Corleone was a stronghold of the mafia's most powerful and feared mobster. Today, however, Corleone is just a small Sicilian town in the middle of a desolate landscape of green hills and beige fields. We visited here before our visit to Principe di Corleone vineyard and winery, navigating the narrowest stone roads that challenged the turning radius of our car and Joe's nerves. Although there is a museum here to learn the history of the town and the impact of the mafia on life here (CIDMA: International Documentation Center on the Mafia and the Anti-Mafia Movement), as well as The Godfather's House Museum, after our hour drive from Palermo we just wanted to enjoy gelato and beers in a little cafe in town. After cooling off, we headed for our tour and tasting, ready to enjoy some Sicilian wine.

For over a century, Principe di Corleone vineyard and winery has been helmed by four generations of the Pollara family, and we were fortunate to have Pietro Pollara spend an afternoon with us teaching us about the land and the wine. We not only enjoyed the reds, whites, and dessert wines the family makes from its grapes, we also tasted the local cheeses and meats in between glasses.

From the estate we could see a hill town in the distance and Pietro told us it was a ghost town that has been uninhabited since fascist dictator Benito Mussolini ruled Italy. We had to go see that! So Pietro gave us pretty easy directions, a left and right and straight on until we reached the town.

That's how we found ourselves practically off-roading through fields and dirt roads, and wondering what the heck we'd gotten ourselves into. There was no turning back though, the dirt road was too narrow and surrounded by fields of high grass, but thankfully Alison cleared the path when bushes got in our way!

After seeing the empty town, we continued home to Palermo on roads with so many cracks and pits and holes we had to dodge them left and right. We did pass the most bizarre rock in the middle of nowhere though, which was cool. And then...the road just ended. We couldn't go any further. Absolutely classic Sicily! No sign telling us where to go, just a barricade telling us where we couldn't go. Greg jumped out of the car to scout a way out and that's how we ended up on another dirt road circumventing the blockade. By the time we finally reached Palermo, we'd had a pretty eventful, memorable day that felt like the epitome of the essence of this crazy island.

Trapani, Sicily

About 90 minutes from Palermo, Trapani is a water-side city in western Sicily and offers beautiful views. Situated where the the Mediterranean and Tyrrhenian Seas meet, sitting at the foot of Monte Erice, and facing the Aegadian Islands, this place was a pleasant surprise.

Although the city is home to 68,000 people, it felt calm and uncrowded, and its beach wasn't nearly as busy as the others we'd experienced. In fact, we wished we'd brought our bathing suits! There isn't much to do here except stare at the lovely sea, meander the cobblestone streets, and look up at the historic buildings, so we enjoyed a stroll, marveled at the color of the water, ate lunch, and then went to find the gondola to take us to Erice.

Erice, Sicily

We took the gondola from Trapani up to the hilltop village of Erice, the views of the city, the sea, and the famous salt flats coming into view the higher we climbed.

You can also drive up to Erice, but we highly recommend hopping into your own gondola, sitting back, and taking in the theater unfolding around you. This village is adorable and capped off by the remains of ancient Elymian and Phoenician walls, as well as two castles: Pepoli Castle and Castello di Venere, which dates back to the Normans.

We loved exploring the tiny streets, cozy piazzas, and stunning ruins of castles that are built on top of the ancient Temple of Venus, and the view is extraordinary! There are cafes and gelato shops, and we paused to enjoy both. Definitely worth a day trip from Palermo.

As our Sicilian adventure came to a close we ended with a lovely al fresco dinner with Alison and Greg, served by Giuseppe, the kindest man who laughed with us and toasted us with Limoncello at the end of our meal. And, yes, the graffiti on the wall across the street from us is a perfect reminder that this city is unapologetically itself.

As we strolled back to our apartment, we felt that it was the perfect ending to our time on this island...but of course there was more.

We heard the thumping music before we even saw the same piazza from the week before, the crazy, frenzied crowd already dancing and drinking from the cocktail carts. So, of course, we joined in and, finally, became one with the chaos of Sicily.

This part of Italy may not be for everyone, but we were so glad that we experienced the people and the pulse of an island that maintains its own character, history, and pride. And it didn't hurt that this place makes the best granita anywhere in the world.

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