Sicilia: Entry 7

It turns out the strike only affected the national train line and only certain regional bus line in some of the major cities on the main land. Transportation in Sicily was unaffected so all that worrying the last 48 hours was for nothing. Palermo is the largest city in Sicily and really exemplifies everything of a great city. The architecture represents it's history of many invaders including a heavy Arab influence. The western part of Sicily in particular has a greater Arab influence than where our home base of Taormina lies on the eastern coast. Some of the more memorable architectural sights are the Cathedral, Palace of the Normans, Four Fountains, and the Teatro Massimo. All have their own style and historical significance. Many aspects of Palermo is reminiscent of every city I have been to. The traffic, pedestrians, buildings, restaurants, and shops are all very familiar. The few differences are the outdoor markets, the catacombs and the language. Palermo, unlike Taormina, is not a popular tourist destination among foreign tourists. This fact excites me because it gives me the opportunity to practice my Italian. Every conversation I had in Palermo was in Italian in which I understood everything and they understood me. The catacombs were such an unusual adventure. I thought seeing dead bodies in various states of decay that date back hundreds of years would really freak me out. However it was quite a calming experience. The outdoor market in Palermo is one of the more talked about in Sicily. The market lines a small and narrow street that is about a mile long that connects two piazzas. All types of fresh produce is sold such as fruits, vegetables, fish and meat with the merchants doing their best to be the loudest salesmen. Also there is a section with all types of knockoff goods such as clothing and watches. The purpose of my trip to the market was to try the mystery meat platter. It is called mystery meat because the chef does not disclose what type of meat is being served in any way as it is presented in a covered basket. We walked by the stand at 10am and I really did not feel like being adventurous at such an early time so I opted to come back at a later time. That later time was the next day which was Sunday and there was no market to be found. In fact the whole city was shut down. Nothing was open, the buses were running on a minimal schedule, and the streets were empty. No automobile traffic or pedestrian traffic. So far my biggest regret was not trying the mystery meat. It can only be found in these outdoor markets and I feel that I missed a unique opportunity.

The biggest surprise of my time in Palermo was how safe the city was. There was not one instance where myself or anyone in our group felt in danger. Palermo has a poor reputation for being a dangerous city where you really have to watch yourself. Also, Palermo was home to the Mafia when the Mafia was at the height of their power. Alessandra Stanley's article in a December edition of the New York Times describes the transformation of Palermo. The transformation started in the 1990s when the Italian government started enforcing strict anti-Mafia and invested 60 million dollars to help revive the city. The efforts have been a great success. This article was written at a time when delegates from the United Nations were holding a conference in Palermo. The reaction from both the locals and delegates were exceptionally positive. Comments were centered how Palermo is now a normal city, it is safe to walk at night, and the word “Mafia” has now left the vocabulary of people in Palermo. I agree with all the comments that were made and this article was published eleven years ago. Palermo has just gotten more safer and has transformed into a really vibrant city. I really enjoyed my time there. It was one of the highlights of my trip.

Reference: Stanley, Alessandra. "Palermo Shows Off as a Cleaned-Up Mafia Capital" New York Times 13 Dec. 2000.