What is it about Italy that draws me back here again and again?
In this case, it was a message from Josie - one of the sisters from Windsor I had met on that long boat cruise I took in 2023.
Josie is second-generation Sicilian, a lover of all things about this Mediterranean island, and has rented a villa about an hour west Palermo for the months of October and November. She asked if I would join her and a revolving roster of her friends for part of that time — she would do all the cooking (Josie is a fabulous cook) … I just had to show up and find ways to amuse myself. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse!
So, the day after the story of humanity took a very dark turn thanks to the US electorate, I got on a plane to Zürich, transferred to Palermo after a six hour layover, and drove over winding and darkening roads, fighting my exhaustion with every turn, to find her place in Campofelice a few steps from the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Josie and her three friends — Lisa from Windsor and Chris and Chris (both men) from Kent in England — welcomed me in my bedraggled state. We drank cheap but delicious Italian wine and tucked into Josie’s magnificent chicken and vegetables before I collapsed into my bed.
The villa is a huge place with five bedrooms sprawling over two separate properties with a shared outdoor living area and kitchen in the centre. It is surrounded by walls and hedge fences — very private — and my room has a glass wall that looks into greenery.
The next morning, Lisa, Chris, Chris, and I took the train to Palermo (Josie has been there and done that many times so she stayed back).
We got off at the central station and, on Josie’s recommendation, walked over the mostly cobbled roads to a church called the Chiesa di Gesu. I have been to many Italian cathedrals. This one was different and absolutely breathtaking. Every inch of the walls and pillars have been carved with religious reliefs. Chris pointed out relics of saints encased in glass boxes on the walls. I am an atheist, but I do marvel at the beauty that has been inspired by religion.
Our next stop was the Ballarò market. I expected fruit stands and fish vendors. Nope. This is mostly prepared foods - calimari, tuna, sardines on bread, aracini and all kinds of things I did not recognize - sitting on open-air tables with their creators calling customers to try them. It was crowded, noisy and absolutely wonderful.
The four of us stopped for coffee and were given a sample of sardine balls and an orange candied vegetable to try.
Rested, we moved on to the Quattro Canti, the square in the centre of Palermo that marks the division of its quadrants. The buildings on each of the four quadrants are elaborately decorated with carved reliefs.
And a band was playing lively Italian music.
Next to the square is the Preatorian Fountaain featuring 48 naked statues which was carved in Naples then moved to Palermo in 1574. Josie says it is also called the Fountain of Sorrows because nuns from a nearby convent carved off all the boys’ naughty bits.
Lisa, Chris, Chris and I strolled up one of the streets leading out of the Quattro Canti and happened across the giant Palermo Cathedral.
It was beautiful but did was nothing compared to the Chiesa di Gesu we had seen earlier in the day. Then we returned to the market and had pasta for lunch before catching the train back to Campofelice.
Josie treated us to dinner at the restaurant up the laneway from the villa — the best pizza I have ever eaten — and then I crashed early. With 16,000 steps on my Fitbit and by body still in Ontario time, I needed the rest.
On Saturday morning, the five of us climbed into my car and headed 10 k down the coast to Cefalu, a town founded by the Greeks in the fourth century BCE. It was market day and Josie wanted vegetables. The food stalls were located at the end of a long road down a hill. Before we reached them, we passed by many vendors selling clothing, housewares, and all sorts of other bargain goods.
At a one shop, Josie (who speaks Sicilian) negotiated the sale of some delicious soft white cheese with olives which I hope to bring home with me.
Then we drove back to the beach where Josie bought gelato for everyone. I had pistachio.
People were swimming - the air temperature was about 23C at noon today — but I could tell the water would be too cold for me to venture in.
It was 2 pm (siesta hour) by the time we got back to the villa so I decided to stay put and write this blog.
Tomorrow I will venture out on my own. Maybe a drive to the south coast.
Wow! Sounds like the ideal vacation. Enjoy!
Josie sounds a wonderfully generous host. Is it expensive, generally speaking?