By some people’s standards, we’ve been taking things pretty easy since we arrived in Sicily. But by our standards, it’s been go-go-go, and today we wanted a slow(er) start. When we finally headed out for a late lunch, we didn’t have far to go. The Panineria San Basilio was literally right below our window and offered a very tasty street food experience at excellent prices. It was perfect for lunch.
We didn’t really have an agenda for the day, other than getting a feel for Palermo. So after lunch we headed down the Via Maqueda, a pedestrian street originally lined with palaces and churches, though now it is mostly lined with restaurants and filled with tourists.
Here is an example of a building on the street, that was almost certainly an aristocrat’s palace in the past.
Further down the street we found the Quattro Canti, an ancient square that divides the historic center of Palermo into four parts. Each corner of the square has a very impressive building with statues of the kings of Sicily and guardian saints. Here are three of the corners.
A little further down the street is the Fontana Pretoria, called the “Fountain of Shame” because all of the statues surrounding it are nude. Here is a small sample to give you an idea.
Around the square with the fountain, and in the immediate area, were a number of elaborate doors. Unfortunately, some were a little the worse for wear.
Everywhere you turn, there are ancient buildings, many of them being restored. This picture, taken in Piazza Bellini, brings together the many faces of Palermo – an old church, a restaurant in the square, and a construction crane behind it all.
Today was all about the journey, so we were just immersing ourselves in the city, while trying to stay away from the high tourist areas as much as possible. Here is a typical street we passed.
The interesting thing about this view is the waste collection bins. Inside this ancient city, the waste collection is high-tech, with separate bins and days for a half dozen categories – paper, plastic, metal, glass, organic, and way down at the bottom, things that can’t be recycled. And because we are in an apartment, we are subject to the local rules and restrictions. So a fair chunk of our “relaxing time” was spent working out how it all works. Ironically, that is actually one of the things we enjoy about travel – getting a feel for what it would be like to live there. It’s part of why we enjoy visiting grocery stores.
Our wandering took us to another grocery store to stock up on essentials (coffee, wine, cantuccini, … that sort of thing). I’m sure you are all dying to know if the shelves were still empty because of the truck driver strike. I’m pleased to report that it looked much better than yesterday. We will continue to monitor.
We arrived back at the apartment, freshened up, and before we knew it, it was wine-o’clock. Yesterday I showed a picture of someone on a balcony, looking over the street. Today it was Jan’s turn, looking over the Piazzetta San Basilio, and the Panineria where we started the day with lunch.
It was the perfect way to bracket an enjoyable day.
