It was 9 years ago that we were in Palermo. A lot has changed since then, as we were about to find out. Deciding to take the hop on hop off bus was a good idea and a great way to remember where we were. I said some things changed and some things did not which was a good thing.

We started the tour from the train station taking us to the Gate to the City. We came upon several streets with decorations which I am going to assume are Christmas decorations because there were so many of them and they had red, blue and green lights on them which to me, are Christmas colors. However Jim argued with me that they were for a feast and I said perhaps that is true but there are way too many decorations and lights to just be for a festival. Since we won’t be here, we will never know but I’m sticking to my story.

You will see photos of apartment buildings that look brand new, remember I did say they have fixed up a lot of the city.

Once the tour was over we went to a restaurant and had pasta, of which we did not take a photo and then a branzino which we remembered to photo at the end! I am still looking for the Fritto Misto that was served and very popular all those years ago.

Moving right along. we came about the church where we first met Concetta, the owner of our first apartment here in Palermo, the one on the 5th Floor with 88 steps up to the apartment and no elevator.

We decided to take the hop on hop off bus that was the blue line which takes you to a different area of the city and it was most helpful because we saw different parts of the city that we had forgotten about.

The next morning, Thursday, the 9th, we began another of our lengthy walks into different parts of town. We have been averaging 6 miles of walking each day! This walk took us down to the waterfront and along the Mura della Cattiva. Remember, Palermo was a major port in the sailing ship days and many sailors were lost. In those times, widows were considered “bad” by superstition, or in other words, “Cattiva.” The wall was created so the widows could walk along the area with a view of the water but above and away from the main promenade used by “normal” people which was and is at sea level.

Another lunch and boy was this one good. Spagetti with seafood for me and Jim had Tagliatelle with cheese and seafood in a sidewalk restaurant adjacent to the Mura delle Captive and overlooking the bay.

Now here was a tree that I was totally fascinated with. Wonder how this would look in my front yard?

Now we are on to Friday, the 10th and another morning walk. The weather has been wonderful – 65º in the morning and up to 75º in the mid-afternoon. No heat; no air conditioning! Quite nice for a couple of “seniors” doing a lot of walking. This morning we were back into the main part of town, this time along Via Maqueda, on of the two main thoroughfares from the train station to the other end of town. We took in a couple of churches and checked out stores for shopping, even though we did not find anything we thought we needed!

While in Saint Nicolò, we came upon two shoulder-borne structures that on appropriate feast days, are carried by men through the streets of Palermo. We failed to confirm the names of these saints but suspect that the reclining “tomb” is Saint Nicolò and the other, the Virgin Mary.

Continuing our walk along Via Maqueda, we came to the Praetorian Fountain. This is a remarkable structure in the Centro Storico, or center of Palermo. The fountain was actually built in 1554 to adorn a villa in Florence but was bought by the Senate of Palermo and constructed here. The locals were disturbed by all the nude statues renamed the site the “Piazza della Vergogne” of Piazza of Shame! Today though, it is obvious these folks spend a lot of time (and money) devoted to renovating and preserving these old, UNESCO-protected sites throughout the city.

And at the next intersection up, Via Maqueda and Via Vittorio Emanuele, we came to the Piazza Villena and the Quattro Canti, or Four Corners. All four corners of the buildings facing the intersection are as ornate as this one. The piazza was blessed with a minstrel playing away and quite a few tourists.

Towards the end of Via Maqueda, we came to several buildings it is impossible to forget. The first was Teatro Massimo Vittorio Emanuele. Dedicated to King Victor Emanuele II, it is the largest opera house in Italy. I know, I know – La Scala in Milan. But this one is larger.

I wonder just how many people connect music and art with Sicily rather than the mafioso or olive tree groves. Just down the street is the Teatro Politeama. This theater houses the Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana or Sicilian Symphonic Orchestra. The posters and billboards around this theater suggest there is an attraction playing almost every night! The theater is located in Piazza Rugerro Settimo and now after three lengthy stays in Palermo, we can say that you’ll find more of the locals spending time at this piazza rather than tourists. Lots of folks come out for the evening passeggiata and they seem more friendly and welcoming than at other locations – just our opinion. Many tours and buses begin their journeys from the streets abutting this piazza.

Elsewhere in this area and end of town are several tree lined streets branching off of Via Maqueda, some of which run all the way down to Via Roma. Chad and Juli had an apartment on one of these streets when they were here in 2016. And not, those folks enjoying lunch are not all tourists. Lots of the locals take advantage of this wonderful environment themselves. This is the slow life after all.

We then headed home, once again adding to a large number of steps for the day since we were on the opposite end of the city. Don’t worry – we have figured out how to use the bus system or get a taxi. Anyway, we had made reservations for dinner this night at a recommended pizza restaurant about 100 yards down the street from our door. The staff really made it feel family-like for us. The owner came out after we finished and gave us a digestivo which tasted great but he told us it was very strong. Not that we noticed, with bed just around the corner.

We had planned originally to include our trip to Segesta, Erice and the Salt Flats of Trappani in this post but decided to leave that recollection until tomorrow. Just so you know, today, Sunday, was a slow day. We hit up the grocery store, took the garbage out, washed clothes and I made a vegetable soup. I have to add that the bread came from “our” panaficio (bakery) over in Borgo Vecchio, that older village part of town where we stayed in 2014 and 2016 and the verdure (vegetables) from one of the farmers’ stands in the same area. We swear – there is a noticeable difference in taste when your vegetables come direct from the farm to your pot and there have been no fertilizers introduced to make them grow and no lengthy flight or road trip to get them to you.

As mentioned above, we’ll address one of my prime objectives for this trip, the archaeological beauty of Segesta, domani. In other words, we’ll post again tomorrow. Buona notte.