SICILY (Palermo 5/31; Agrigento 6/1; Syracuse & Taormina 6/2)
Before arriving in Sicily, we had to go through another crazy transportation situation. We are now renaming this blog "Our Absurd Transportation." We had to take a flight from Santorini to Athens, another from Athens to Milan Bergamo, and then one more to Palermo, Sicily. We were nervous about our second flight because we only had 10 minutes between landing and the gate closing...but it was a breeze! In fact, the plane we got off was the one we were getting on, so we didn't even have to change gates. We get on the plane and are all set for a 9:45 am take-off. After sitting for a few minutes, the pilot announces that all the air patrol employees at airports in Greece are on strike from 10 am to 1 pm. Many thoughts going through our head- let us go it's not 10 am yet; shoot we're going to miss our connection; how can a strike be so scheduled? Luckily, we had a long layover in Milan Bergamo (where we were originally planning to explore Bergamo) and the flight actually took off at 1 pm, so we did make our next flight. While this time we weren't running in the airport, it was nerve wracking and interesting experience our first strike here in Europe (we rewarded ourselves with McFlurries). We have also been told the transportation employees in France will be on strike when we're there so stay tuned for creative ways we'll be getting from town to town since we only have plans for taking trains.
After arriving in Palermo, we were picked up by our ~driver~ Tea. She was very nice and friendly and is from Sicily. (And she told Grace her freckles are Sicilian!) Tea warned us that everyone drives crazy in Sicily- rules are just guidelines. She drove us to our Airbnb where we met up with our surprised guest...Grace's college friend Emma!! Emma had already been in Palermo for 3 days and would be joining us for the next week, more or less. We then walked to dinner at a pizza place called Frida and got amazing pizza- one being pesto with ricotta-stuffed crust. We went right to bed after, due to our exhausting travel day.
The next day, we explored Palermo. Before we got with our tour guide, Guizzia, we went downstairs right next to our Airbnb for breakfast. It was so cheap compared to Greece! Very happy about it. We first visited Monreale, which is a town outside of Palermo up the mountain. The cathedral is unreal! It was built in the 12th century. The inside is covered in gold with images from the old and new testament to teach the people of Palermo about Christianity. The beauty of the cathedral is a must see. The quaint town of Monreale was exactly what we expected for Sicily. Next we traveled to the catacombs where we saw halls and halls of mummies/skeletons. It was VERY creepy. Most of the people are from the 1600s. But there is one girl of two years old who died in 1920. She was so well embalmed that she looked like a doll. All of her hair, eye lashes, and organs were still in her which was unlike the other skeletons on the walls. The bodies on the walls were separated by class, gender, and title. After walking the halls, we were happy to come back up into the real world.
Next we saw the Palace Cathedral. The Castle that it is in, is still in use today by the Sicilian parliament. The influences of the Moore’s, the Jewish and the Greek Orthodox are seen in the Catholic Churches in Monreale and Palace cathedral. To decorate the walls and windows, we can see the Star of David and Muslim designs. It is so so beautiful and an amazing image of acceptance and coexistence. If in Sicily, you must see these cathedrals.
By this point we're getting hungry and head to the Baladà market, which dates back to when Sicily was ruled by Arabs. We asked Guizzia to show us all the classic Sicilian street food to try. We first ate Sicilian pizza (note: in Sicily, "ci" is pronounced like ch-e) and boiled octopus with extra virgin olive oil and lemon. She then brought us to a “restaurant” (kitchen with tables in the street) in the market for us to try all of the local street food such as panelle, croquet, stuffed sardines, and arancina. As we walked the streets, we witnessed an argument over cards and listened to venders shout their specials of the day. We also noticed many flower stands on the streets as well fish stands with entire tunas on the table (it's apparently tuna season).
Later we walked around Palermo and went to an amazing cannoli place (Grace was so excited!) it was delicious! We recommend going to Bar Marocco, the cannolis are way better than in the US! We saw more Cathedrals, a plaza, The Fountain of Shame, and the Opera House (where a scene from Godfather 3 was filmed on the steps).
After a siesta, we headed out back to the old part of town for dinner at a pasta place recommended by our guide. It was called La Galleria. Emily got seafood spaghetti, Grace got pesto gnocchi, and Emma had pumpkin pasta. We also had a bottle of red wine Sedara from Marsala, Sicily. A delicious Italian meal! We walked back to the Airbnb on a street just for pedestrians. But first, we got more dessert! We stopped at Antico Caffé for various Italian desserts: Grace had a cannoli (unsurprising, cannoli count 2), Emma had a croissant filled with custard, and Emily had coffee gelato in brioche (see photo below). It is kinda odd eating ice cream in bread, but it works.
The next day, we left Palmero and headed to Agrigento for the Valley of the Temples. We learned about the history of Sicily from 1300 BC from our guide, Simina. Everything is Greek! It makes sense if you think about it but it was surprising to us to be learning about Greek history in Italy. It helped us understand more of what we saw in Athens at the acropolis. Fun fact: only the priests could go inside these giant temples, so that meant that weddings would take place outside of the temple next to them, but never inside. We also learned how the tall columns were made- it was a hamster wheel set up where 1/4 of a column would be lifted by with he turning of the hamster wheel with 100,000 hamsters running on it to muster up the strength to lift it (citation needed). More impressively and true, humans/slaves were in the "hamster wheel." Impressive because these were still very heavy pieces and it's hard to imagine. It was a little sad to hear that funding is low for the excavation of the history at the valley of the temples even though it is a UNESCO site. After a few hours walking and listening about the valley, we got back in the car for a long trip to Noto where we stopped at Caffe Sicilia. This was a Netflix Chef's Table episode in season 4 episode 2. We tried it all (Granita of almond and one of strawberry-tomato with brioche, chocolate gelato, ricotta gelato, biscotti mandorla, terra nostra, and cassatina) and left with full bellies and a pretty hefty bill. Grace cannoli count: 3.
We were staying in Siracusa on the "island" of Ortigia. This town was so cute and quaint. Small walking streets filled with people, shops, and restaurants. We had a pasta dinner with lots of wine before we headed to the nightlife of Siracusa. It wasn't exactly what we were looking for. We were ready to dance. Instead there are bars by the marina that the locals hang at. No dancing :(. Yet we stayed out pretty late talking to the locals and staring at the nice boats and yachts on the marina.
The next day we had the best guide Rosa. She showed us Siracusa and the archeological park where excavation is still happening. We learned about the difference between a Greek theater and a Roman one as well as what an amphitheater should be. The park also had a huge quarry from the time of the Greek period before the Romans took over and added their own theater. The civilizations that lived here so long ago were so advanced and still very similar to us- underground water systems and the love for entertainment.
We left the park, quite warm, and headed into town to learn about the churches. One of which was actually a church built from the Greek Temple. You can actually see the columns of the Greek temple in the walls of the church that also at one point was a mosque. There are also so many influences in the church but this time it was due to various groups building from the base of the Greek temple to create their own place of worship. Fun fact: there are 12 Greek gods + 1 (Zeus), 12 Roman gods + 1 main god, and 12 apostles + Jesus. "Same, same, but different." Interesting food for thought. We also went to a paper-making place to learn how papyrus is turned into paper.
We ended our time at a butcher/deli restaurant in a market where we had terra/mera which was charcuterie from meat and fish. It was yummy but so filling. It is a classic plate at Fratelli Burgio. Grace cannoli count: 4.
Upon leaving Sicily, we were pleased to finally have a song for the trip- No Roots by Alice Merton. Listen to it, it's catchy! We spent the evening in Taormina (public gardens, main square, etc) before taking the night train. Taking a break from the sun, we stopped at Bambar for granita (like fancy fresh fruit shaved ice). Soon we will be on our first sleeper train. Excited to try something new. Also, the train experience is pretty crazy. Since we have to get from the island of Sicily to mainland Italy, the train cars literally board the ferry, train car by train car! Wild, then the ferry ride is about 20 min even though it took over an hour for the train cars to board the ferry.
Now we're going to start making our way up Italy, starting with the Amalfi Coast! Emma is still with us :)
To Be Continued,
Emily & Grace
Before arriving in Sicily, we had to go through another crazy transportation situation. We are now renaming this blog "Our Absurd Transportation." We had to take a flight from Santorini to Athens, another from Athens to Milan Bergamo, and then one more to Palermo, Sicily. We were nervous about our second flight because we only had 10 minutes between landing and the gate closing...but it was a breeze! In fact, the plane we got off was the one we were getting on, so we didn't even have to change gates. We get on the plane and are all set for a 9:45 am take-off. After sitting for a few minutes, the pilot announces that all the air patrol employees at airports in Greece are on strike from 10 am to 1 pm. Many thoughts going through our head- let us go it's not 10 am yet; shoot we're going to miss our connection; how can a strike be so scheduled? Luckily, we had a long layover in Milan Bergamo (where we were originally planning to explore Bergamo) and the flight actually took off at 1 pm, so we did make our next flight. While this time we weren't running in the airport, it was nerve wracking and interesting experience our first strike here in Europe (we rewarded ourselves with McFlurries). We have also been told the transportation employees in France will be on strike when we're there so stay tuned for creative ways we'll be getting from town to town since we only have plans for taking trains.
After arriving in Palermo, we were picked up by our ~driver~ Tea. She was very nice and friendly and is from Sicily. (And she told Grace her freckles are Sicilian!) Tea warned us that everyone drives crazy in Sicily- rules are just guidelines. She drove us to our Airbnb where we met up with our surprised guest...Grace's college friend Emma!! Emma had already been in Palermo for 3 days and would be joining us for the next week, more or less. We then walked to dinner at a pizza place called Frida and got amazing pizza- one being pesto with ricotta-stuffed crust. We went right to bed after, due to our exhausting travel day.
Overlooking Taormina
The next day, we explored Palermo. Before we got with our tour guide, Guizzia, we went downstairs right next to our Airbnb for breakfast. It was so cheap compared to Greece! Very happy about it. We first visited Monreale, which is a town outside of Palermo up the mountain. The cathedral is unreal! It was built in the 12th century. The inside is covered in gold with images from the old and new testament to teach the people of Palermo about Christianity. The beauty of the cathedral is a must see. The quaint town of Monreale was exactly what we expected for Sicily. Next we traveled to the catacombs where we saw halls and halls of mummies/skeletons. It was VERY creepy. Most of the people are from the 1600s. But there is one girl of two years old who died in 1920. She was so well embalmed that she looked like a doll. All of her hair, eye lashes, and organs were still in her which was unlike the other skeletons on the walls. The bodies on the walls were separated by class, gender, and title. After walking the halls, we were happy to come back up into the real world.
Next we saw the Palace Cathedral. The Castle that it is in, is still in use today by the Sicilian parliament. The influences of the Moore’s, the Jewish and the Greek Orthodox are seen in the Catholic Churches in Monreale and Palace cathedral. To decorate the walls and windows, we can see the Star of David and Muslim designs. It is so so beautiful and an amazing image of acceptance and coexistence. If in Sicily, you must see these cathedrals.
By this point we're getting hungry and head to the Baladà market, which dates back to when Sicily was ruled by Arabs. We asked Guizzia to show us all the classic Sicilian street food to try. We first ate Sicilian pizza (note: in Sicily, "ci" is pronounced like ch-e) and boiled octopus with extra virgin olive oil and lemon. She then brought us to a “restaurant” (kitchen with tables in the street) in the market for us to try all of the local street food such as panelle, croquet, stuffed sardines, and arancina. As we walked the streets, we witnessed an argument over cards and listened to venders shout their specials of the day. We also noticed many flower stands on the streets as well fish stands with entire tunas on the table (it's apparently tuna season).
Later we walked around Palermo and went to an amazing cannoli place (Grace was so excited!) it was delicious! We recommend going to Bar Marocco, the cannolis are way better than in the US! We saw more Cathedrals, a plaza, The Fountain of Shame, and the Opera House (where a scene from Godfather 3 was filmed on the steps).
After a siesta, we headed out back to the old part of town for dinner at a pasta place recommended by our guide. It was called La Galleria. Emily got seafood spaghetti, Grace got pesto gnocchi, and Emma had pumpkin pasta. We also had a bottle of red wine Sedara from Marsala, Sicily. A delicious Italian meal! We walked back to the Airbnb on a street just for pedestrians. But first, we got more dessert! We stopped at Antico Caffé for various Italian desserts: Grace had a cannoli (unsurprising, cannoli count 2), Emma had a croissant filled with custard, and Emily had coffee gelato in brioche (see photo below). It is kinda odd eating ice cream in bread, but it works.
Amazing! In Monreale Church
Gelato Brioche
Boiled Octopus
The next day, we left Palmero and headed to Agrigento for the Valley of the Temples. We learned about the history of Sicily from 1300 BC from our guide, Simina. Everything is Greek! It makes sense if you think about it but it was surprising to us to be learning about Greek history in Italy. It helped us understand more of what we saw in Athens at the acropolis. Fun fact: only the priests could go inside these giant temples, so that meant that weddings would take place outside of the temple next to them, but never inside. We also learned how the tall columns were made- it was a hamster wheel set up where 1/4 of a column would be lifted by with he turning of the hamster wheel with 100,000 hamsters running on it to muster up the strength to lift it (citation needed). More impressively and true, humans/slaves were in the "hamster wheel." Impressive because these were still very heavy pieces and it's hard to imagine. It was a little sad to hear that funding is low for the excavation of the history at the valley of the temples even though it is a UNESCO site. After a few hours walking and listening about the valley, we got back in the car for a long trip to Noto where we stopped at Caffe Sicilia. This was a Netflix Chef's Table episode in season 4 episode 2. We tried it all (Granita of almond and one of strawberry-tomato with brioche, chocolate gelato, ricotta gelato, biscotti mandorla, terra nostra, and cassatina) and left with full bellies and a pretty hefty bill. Grace cannoli count: 3.
At the valley of the temples
Here is our dessert feast at Caffe Sicilia
We were staying in Siracusa on the "island" of Ortigia. This town was so cute and quaint. Small walking streets filled with people, shops, and restaurants. We had a pasta dinner with lots of wine before we headed to the nightlife of Siracusa. It wasn't exactly what we were looking for. We were ready to dance. Instead there are bars by the marina that the locals hang at. No dancing :(. Yet we stayed out pretty late talking to the locals and staring at the nice boats and yachts on the marina.
The next day we had the best guide Rosa. She showed us Siracusa and the archeological park where excavation is still happening. We learned about the difference between a Greek theater and a Roman one as well as what an amphitheater should be. The park also had a huge quarry from the time of the Greek period before the Romans took over and added their own theater. The civilizations that lived here so long ago were so advanced and still very similar to us- underground water systems and the love for entertainment.
We left the park, quite warm, and headed into town to learn about the churches. One of which was actually a church built from the Greek Temple. You can actually see the columns of the Greek temple in the walls of the church that also at one point was a mosque. There are also so many influences in the church but this time it was due to various groups building from the base of the Greek temple to create their own place of worship. Fun fact: there are 12 Greek gods + 1 (Zeus), 12 Roman gods + 1 main god, and 12 apostles + Jesus. "Same, same, but different." Interesting food for thought. We also went to a paper-making place to learn how papyrus is turned into paper.
We ended our time at a butcher/deli restaurant in a market where we had terra/mera which was charcuterie from meat and fish. It was yummy but so filling. It is a classic plate at Fratelli Burgio. Grace cannoli count: 4.
At lunch with Rosa, Tea, and their friend.
Upon leaving Sicily, we were pleased to finally have a song for the trip- No Roots by Alice Merton. Listen to it, it's catchy! We spent the evening in Taormina (public gardens, main square, etc) before taking the night train. Taking a break from the sun, we stopped at Bambar for granita (like fancy fresh fruit shaved ice). Soon we will be on our first sleeper train. Excited to try something new. Also, the train experience is pretty crazy. Since we have to get from the island of Sicily to mainland Italy, the train cars literally board the ferry, train car by train car! Wild, then the ferry ride is about 20 min even though it took over an hour for the train cars to board the ferry.
Now we're going to start making our way up Italy, starting with the Amalfi Coast! Emma is still with us :)
To Be Continued,
Emily & Grace
Planes trains and automobiles. Enjoy the journey. The food looks fabulous. Bread and ice cream. How delish!!!
ReplyDelete