Alrighty then, welcome back to more spray-down about our trip in Sicily. If you missed last week, check out the little ditty on the beachside climbing mecca of San Vito Lo Capo. This post highlights the cities of Syracuse and Palermo, a stark contrast to the low-key coastal town we experienced in our first week.
Syracuse, Sicily
We traveled from San Vito Lo Capo across the island to the ancient coastal city of Syracuse (Or Siricusa if you are not a hick). We made a slightly out-of-the-way stop in Agrigento to the Valley of the Temples, which is a very worthy stop.
The vibe in Syracuse couldn’t be more different than San Vito Lo Capo. This city is alive. There is endless availability to spend my money here, and we’re somewhat living up to that expectation.
Thousands of espresso bars provide opportunity on every corner for dark, rich, quick-hit elixir at about 0.80 Euros (or about $0.87 USD) per shot, on average. I really love the coffee culture here too. They don’t, for the most part, sit around sipping two teaspoons for an hour with a cigarette, like say the French do. The Italians have places to be, so they run up to the bar, slam an espresso, do some cheek kisses and arm waves as only Italians do, and then they’re off. Ciao! Apparently they do this 4-6 times throughout the day! Nice!
Sites In Syracuse, Sicily
I’m not big on “seeing the sites.” The sites usually involve people herding, lots of obnoxious people, and sweaty people. However, since we’re here in the 60-degree low season of February (and few other people are), I can get more on board with seeing what draws the masses.
Parco Archeologico Della Neapolis
Much could be written about the significance of the Greek and then Greco-Roman history of this area. I’m not that guy, but I’m so glad I had an opportunity to write “Greco-Roman” after all these years.
The park and associated museum (Museo Archeologico) are must-visit areas for visitors and locals alike, it seems.
Let’s do this in photos:
Palermo, Sicily
Palermo, Sicily’s largest city and the capital of the autonomous region, bring a next level feel of excitement in the low season of February. Walking the streets on a late Thursday afternoon after our (very) white-knuckle drive into the ancient city center, the streets and narrow alleys carry an essence of peak season.
Teenagers and adults alike have the outdoor seats and tables packed. They are sipping caffè, eating cannoli, or munching on pane con la milza (sandwich stuffed with veal spleen). There are decks of cards and lots of cigarettes. Palermo is a a no-nonsense town, and so is the street food. This is decidedly not your grandma’s Missouri cookin’.
Palmero’s Ballaro Market
The Ballaro market extends for many twisted city blocks. Endless janky wooden stalls feature vegetables, fruits, gorgeous cuts of beef and everything in between: intestines, tongue, knuckles.
Around another corner are strong smells of the sea. Dripping wet tables are lined with swordfish, octopus, shrimp, mussels, and a variety of other mid-winter hauls from the Mediterranean. Occasionally, dinner is still moving, looking up at you.
The environment is truly sensory overload. The colors, the smells of raw ingredients and street food simmering from ramshackle cook stoves. And the noise. My God, the noise.
Vendors scream shit without warning, just feet from your precious and tender earholes, putting that loud (but well-meaning) Sicilian stank on the product of their excitement. They call out to us with outstretched arms. It’s as if we are their grown grandchildren, home from college. We, who clearly ain’t Italian, are begged to come closer in broken English: Buonasera! Come here, good fish for you. Best taste. Best price for YOU!
The vendors are a distinct mixture of native Italians and recently migrated Africans. This cultural concoction represents the rapidly changing ethnic dynamics of Sicily and Europe at large. It all seems suitable in the wonderful mish-mash of these city blocks.
I feel so incredibly uncomfortable here, so completely out of my element. We’re a long way from the cutesy, yuppie grocery store in our neighborhood. But damnit, I love this.
A Few Notes On Sicilian Culture
Madness Behind the Wheel in Sicily
The people of Sicily are so interesting to me. Let’s take driving, for instance. If you are an American, as I am, you have learned to drive in a world of rules and laws. Traffic signals, stop lights, stop signs, and policeman who enforce these rules and laws.
Precious few of these constraints exist in the city centers of Sicily. It’s a dog-eat-dog world where the weak drivers are chewed and spit out in the streets. If you even momentarily stop the flow of traffic, a barrage of shrill horns from tiny cars will remind you of your utter worthlessness.
Paradoxically, in smaller towns drivers will stop in the middle of a one-lane street to talk with friends, with little care for your agenda.
Sicilian Generosity
But just when you are almost ready to choke your fellow man, an in-person discussion changes the mood. Many of the Sicilians are overwhelmingly friendly and generous in person, with a casual demeanor directly at odds with their Ghengis Kahn approach behind the wheel.
For instance, our Airbnb host in Palermo cooked us food every day. The two times I climbed in a gym, the staff and many of the members wanted to make sure I was comfortable and enjoying myself, showing me all their favorite boulder problems. We got freebies everywhere we went: free espresso, fruit, digestivi, and in the case of our Airbnb host, nearly entire meals.
At times I had my guard up. Americans have a common phrase: There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Perhaps there are no free lunches in Sicily either, but there was never any punchline in these offerings, as I’ve seen elsewhere in the world. As far as I can tell, Sicilians really do care. Until they drive.
Final Thoughts
Let’s be real. Sicily is gritty. The streets are sometimes littered with garbage, and entire towns look like they could use a power wash. The cities are loud, and driving in them is next-level stressful. The electric outlets aren’t even universal, and sometimes I had to use adapters for my own adapters, which until now have worked everywhere else in Europe.
Conversely, there’s an incredible amount of beauty here. Natural beauty: towering limestone cliffs rising above metropolitan cities, all situated against the blue Mediterranean.
Food is overwhelmingly plentiful. And even when it’s bad, it’s still good. If you never eat out a day or night on your trip, simply the availability of high quality ingredients will keep you eating very well.
What’s lacking in tidiness is made up for in character, many times over. Sicilians aren’t subtle, and neither is really anything else about Sicily. While we generally prefer quieter countryside environments, the cities are worth the experience. There’s nothing a little olive oil and lemon can’t fix.
Sicily, Part 3: Two People, Two Weeks, $1,300.
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