We flew from Split to Palermo (with a stop in the Rome airport) with about three weeks to spend in Sicily, visiting four spots around the island.

Palermo was our first stop and we spent our first morning jumping on the “Hop-on Hop-off” Red Bus to get a feel for where we were. It was a short walk from our hotel to the bus stop, and on the way we happened past an open door - it was the workshop for a local puppeteer. The “Opera dei Pupi” became popular in the early 1800’s in Sicily and can still be found in many places around the island. It seems so simply and yet the artwork, construction, and the puppetry is just amazing to see. After our day of touring, we would end up back here for the evening show.

There are many things to see in Palermo, including the Palermo Cathedral, the Teatro Massimo and the Quattro Canti. This is a great walking city. It took us maybe 10 minutes to walk from our hotel to Quattro Canti, considered the center of Palermo that is the intersection of the four quarters of the city. This is a pedestrian street going two directions - head west to get to the cathedral and north to get the the Teatro Massimo.

Teatro Massimo opened in 1897 and is one of the largest opera houses in Europe. Also famous for filming of the final scenes of the third (and final) Godfather movie. (Google “Godfather Teatro Massimo scene” for the final six minutes or so of the movie.)

We enjoyed all the sights in Palermo and of course the local markets there as well. And we enjoyed our first (of many) Arancina here. While walking we decided to give it a try, at just a “fast-food” street food place. It was fabulous, and we were able to watch as it was made. Rice on the outside and various stuffings inside - we tried BBQ chicken and ham & cheese this time. More on arincina, arincino, and arincini later.

We also took the Hop-on/off bus about 20 minutes away to the hill town of Monreale to visit the cathedral. Completed in 1267 (after nearly 100 years of construction), considered one of the greatest examples of Norman architecture, the interior has the most incredible mosaic work ever - it was just beautiful!

Again, Palermo was a very walkable city and we really enjoyed seeing the street art, local markets, and the million or so churches throughout the city. The “Chiesa del Gesu” or “Church of the Jesus” was one of the most amazing and was only maybe 5 minutes from our hotel. From the outside it looks like something you would not take the time to visit, but inside it was incredible. Everywhere there are marble carvings, frescoes and stained glass.

Our next stop in Sicily was the town of Trapani, about an hour and a half drive from Palermo. We spent a few days here enjoying a day-trip by boat to visit the Egadi Islands and a visit or two up to the town of Erice.

Our boat trip was very good, and at times very exciting. On a 32’ or so rigid inflatable with duel 150 HP engines we headed out from the harbor and immediately encountered maybe 8’ waves, and high winds. Maybe we should have known something when all the tour companies (except this one) cancelled their trips for the day (??). Anyway, about 20 minutes of white knuckles and jumping waves, and we finally had better seas, and enjoyed the rest of the day. We were able to enjoy some snorkeling and visit the old quarries - caves, where rock was taken to be used in Greece, and later in Rome. The main island of Favignana also provided a stop for lunch, and a little shopping.

From our B&B in Trapani, it was about a 10 minute walk to the funicular that takes you to the top of the mountain and the village of Erice (at 2,400 ft elevation). Always about 10-15 degrees cooler up there than down in Trapani - and each time I forgot to bring a sweater! A wonderful and ancient town with walking streets only, and many small shops and restaurants. And some of the best pastry shops! The shop of Maria Grammatico was really special, and if you can, please look up her story at “Mariagrammatico.it”.

Leaving Trapani, we head across to the northeastern side of Sicily to visit Taormina, an incredibly beautiful town north of Mount Etna, where on a clear day you can see Etna to the south and the mainland of Italy to the north.

A beautiful town, built as a tourist destination in the 1800’s, it has beautiful beaches on the Ionian sea, and the town climbs the cliffs above. It also hosted the G7 summit meetings in 2017. I mention that as our driver Antonio, when we toured wineries was the one of the drivers for the U.S. delegation - he was a wonderful driver and guide - “the best” according to…Antonio!

The views of Etna were amazing - always active, and usually you can see a plume of smoke coming from the top. Our day trip to some local wineries took us to the slopes of the mountain, where we enjoyed the scenery, and of course the wine.

Oh, more arancina - no - “Arancino” in Taormina. It is called “araincna” in Palermo and the west side of Sicily and is usually a round ball, while “Arancino” is from Catania and the eastern side and is usually shaped more as a pyramid. “Arancini” is simply the plural of either form. We had maybe our favorite at a small place up in the town of Castelmola. Hard to believe there is a town “up” from Taormina, but after many a switchback on one lane roads, we reached it. And after this wonderful stop, we decided to join a class to learn how to make this delightful bite! Fun to learn, fun to make!

Our final day in Taormina was spent on the beaches near Isola Bella. Several beautiful crescent shaped beaches, and luckily for us a final warm day in early October to enjoy the water.

A beautiful evening, we looked south from our hotel toward our next destination. Taormina is an incredible spot for sure!

And before leaving Taormina, we enjoyed one of the best Cannoli’s ever! We had some time to kill, so went to have a coffee and found this little place - oh, my, goodness!!

On to our final stop in Sicily. The city of Siracusa, where stayed in the old town on Isola di Ortigia. Wonderful small shops everywhere in this town, and incredible ancient ruins of both a Greek Theater and a Roman Amphitheater. We enjoyed walking the streets of Ortigia, and doing a bit of shopping and eating and drinking of course!

From here we also took a day trip by small van (I think maybe 8 of us) to visit three other towns: Ragusa - a small hill town; Modica - a small town outside of Ragusa; Noto - yet another small town outside Siracusa. A good way to see multiple places without the need to stay in any of them - and each was with visiting for sure.

Back in Ortigia, we enjoyed the local fish market on our last day here. Every kind of seafood imaginable as well as spices, great sandwiches and many other items.

On our last night in Sicily, we enjoyed a nice dinner and a final visit to the Opera dei Pupi. These places were great, and just fun to watch the generations of puppeteers enjoying their art.

We loved our visit to Sicily - so many places to see, and so much great food to experience! From here we take a flight to Rome and rent a car for about 10 days to visit Tuscany. I know all these posts are really delayed, but I will try to get one final post out in the next couple of days.

Only a few videos on this post, but there are plenty of pictures to see in the photo album. Hope you enjoy these (with your Thanksgiving weekend).

All the best,

Tim & Eileen