By jadoerge
Semester Break Vacation: Part 5
After an uneventful night aboard the very large ferry between Naples and Sicily and many games of “Mafia” a.k.a. “Palermo Nights,” we finally arrived into the incredibly picturesque port of Palermo. As we pulled into the dock with sunrise just above the mountains, it became clear that life aboard this little island would likely differ greatly from life on the mainland, particularly in Naples. After disembarking and noticing that the morning traffic was beginning to rumble along the coastal highway, we took off in search of our bed and breakfast for the next few days. On the way there, we ascertained a rather grim impression of the island at first glance. For example, we saw plenty of trash on the streets, many barely-functioning cars, an ancient city wall filled with graffiti and a lack of upkeep, and a general lack of attention to the buildings and infrastructure in the city of Palermo. Upon checking into our B&B, we headed out for our first taste of Sicily at a small local bakery where we gorged on rum-soaked pastries, small, glazed lobster-tail-shaped flakey deserts, and a variety of filled, fresh baked dough pockets. Despite the lack of upkeep in regards to infrastructure, I can say with confidence that the Sicilians spare no expense with their food. Having satiated our empty stomachs, we headed out to explore the downtown area. After not two city blocks, we were approached by a very eccentric man with a horse and buggy offering to take us on a tour of the city. Our program director, being quite the explorer in search of new experiences, signed us up on the spot and soon enough, we were trotting down the cobblestone streets of Palermo with 10 people in two carriages designed for 4. Despite the slight feeling of being cramped, we all enjoyed the fresh air and the opportunity to acquaint ourselves with the city in a very short amount of time. After approximately 1.5-2 hours touring the city, we said arrivederci to our tour guide and went out in search, of course, for more food. After wandering for a while, we settled on a rather run-down establishment in a residential alley near downtown next to a couple of very famous hat stores and a very interesting hand-made porcelain shop. Once again, Sicily did not disappoint with a wonderful house-wine, freshly baked bread, and a plate of grilled swordfish that would have dwarfed even a larger T-bone steak. After lunch, I peeked into the small but well known hat store which had hand-made Sicilian style hats (similar to paper-boy hats in the States) made from 100% Sicilian wool. Finding it hard to pass up such an authentic souvenir, I walked away with a great navy-blue cashmere/wool hat and looked positively Sicilian for the rest of the trip…minus the great tan and dark hair, of course. After a few more uneventful hours, and another great dinner, we called it quits for the night, having been up since 4 or 5am.
On our second day in Sicily, the sun, unfortunately, proved rather shy as we departed for the other side of the island to visit the Agrigento ruins. After a couple of hours in a decades-old train, we arrived to the small town of Agrigento where we then had to take a bus to get to the massive collection of Roman ruins on the outskirts of the town near the coast. Much like Paestum, we paid a small entrance fee and took off to explore the ruins on our own, using any temple or overhang as a small respite from the rain. While in Paestum one could clearly see how the town was once laid out and the purposed of each building, Agrigento was much more focused on showing off the temples, as the more mundane buildings were in a much worse state of disrepair. Despite that, however, the ruins were absolutely breathtaking and provided another glimpse into the past and the development of Italy’s culture as of today. By the time we reached the very top of a long and winding hill, we took a break to admire the largest temple to the gods in the ruins and take a few photos of the enormous coast as the rain finally took a break and allowed a few rays of sunshine to decorate the waves coming in after the storm. After a fun lunch at a small bistro with a very talkative and politically interested owner, we headed back to Palermo. That night, we did some more exploring of the old parts of the city and even got to visit one of the best pizza places on the island for some amazing, fresh pizza and pasta dishes. On the way home, a few of us went into a very old part of the city wall which had since been converted into a sort of cellar-bar which had live music playing from a fantastic Spanish band and a great ambiance to match. Having relaxed with a couple of glasses of wine and watching some very good (and quite bad) dancing by the locals, we decided to pack it in and relax at the B&B with some cards before heading to bed.
On our last full day in Sicily, we spent most of the day exploring the city individually and getting lost in the winding alleys with assorted local markets and a handful of gelato shops before meeting once again for a riveting performance of Wagner’s Valkyrie from the Ring Cycle. The opera took place in Palermo’s grandiose Roman-style opera hall where we sat on the highest balcony just in front of the stage, which gave us a great view of some of the more complicated staging that the company was able to pull off. Despite some of the Italian singers having issues with the German text, the modern interpretation of the Ring Cycle was nothing if not interesting, lasting just over 3 hours and exploring a multitude of themes and connections with current issues through the nearly 150-year-old text.
Departing rather early in the afternoon on the next day, I was very happy that I was able to visit Sicily during this trip through Italy, as it provided a very different atmosphere from the bustling city life of Naples. With a much more laid back people, fantastic food, and wonderful old architecture (despite some rather unfortunate lack of upkeep) Sicily was a destination not to miss, just don’t judge it on the first impression that it leaves. Next up on the trip, one of my favorite European cities: Venice!