Postcard from Palermo
SICILY is a place I have long wondered about but never visited until this week, drawn by an invitation to sail on a friend’s boat from the port city of Cephalu up to Sardinia.
I would always prefer a deep dive into a destination rather than a drive-by, but with only two days from arrival to casting off the lines, I had to make do with what I could get, and opted to stay in the nearby capital, Palermo.
I flew American Airlines from LAX to JFK and from there to Rome. The Covid epidemic was still visible on transatlantic leg, with less than a quarter of the seats filled in my section, allowing me to stretch out over an entire four-seat row for a welcome snooze en route to Rome. Who needs First Class?
Arriving by Alitalia jet from Rome I was impressed by Sicily’s stark, somewhat savage beauty, its steep mountains rising aggressively from the Mediterranean, which the Romans, in a grand demonstration of self-importance, termed ‘Mare Nostrum’ – or ‘our sea’
This place has been fought over for centuries, its strategic importance coveted by Phoenicians and Greeks who clashed over it in the 5th and 6th centuries BC. After a long period of Roman and Byzantine dominance it was invaded by successive Arab armies from the 8th century, and dubbed “Kingdom of the Sun” by invading Normans in the 12th century. It has remained a cultural melting pot, inevitable I suppose, since it sits close to where Europe ends and Africa begins. It unified with the mainland only in 1861, and my taxi driver assured me that all the locals consider themselves Sicilian first and Italian very much second.
Market forces
If you like classic architecture, dilapidated buildings and a more than a hint of the Moorish, you will love this town, especially its three main markets, Capo, Vucciria and Ballaro,, all reminiscent of Arab souks. I found the abundance and variety of food staggering. Despite some wonderfully enticing fruit and vegetables, I was captivated by the food stalls, hawking local delicacies including fried fruitti di mare, the locally famous gambero rosso (red prawns) cooked on the grill to order, and the sublime sarde a beccafico (stuffed Sicilian sardines). In these situations I always wish I had the capacity to eat every hour, on the hour, to satisfy my curiosity. The garrulous and exuberant food stall barkers, who try to tempt every passer-by with their specialties, would have loved that too, it seemed.
I stayed mostly in the pedestrianized city center surrounding Via Maqueda, marveling, tasting and drooling over other delights including the city’s famed cannoli. You can’t beat the pistachio and ricotta-filled version, washed down with a bracing jolt of the local espresso. Arancini, or creamy risotto rice balls, breaded and deep friend, – another echo of the city’s Arab history, are also sold almost everywhere by storefronts and moped vendors. Given the bracing heat (it was in the high 90s during my stay) the city’s embrace of icy treats such as granita al limone and artisanal gelato was just as welcome as its spectacular seafood dining scene.
On a tip from my B&B host, night I arrived I dined at Osteria Paranza (91 Via Bara all’olivella; osterialaparanza.it) Located just down from Piazza Verdi and the local and quite magnificent opera house, Teatro Massimo. Paranza’s owner greeted me like a long-lost friend (no surprise there). The tables are mainly al-fresco in a narrow alleyway which gave me a chance to enjoy a little street theater between courses, as the eatery’s Bangladeshi waiter, a talented linguist, entreated everyone, in at least ten different languages, to sit down and eat.
I ordered the caponata di mare, a local appetizer of swordfish, eggplant, olives, capers and tomato, followed by a freshly caught loup de mer straight off the grill accompanied by a little verdure of zucchini and arugula. With an Aperol Spritz aperitif, two chilled glasses of the local white wine, coffee and an amaro digestif, the bill came to 40 euros, including tip. This I could get used to.
Street tours
When visiting European cities I try to make a point of using one of the local street tours soon upon arrival to get a feel for the lie of the land, the best local places to eat and drink and a sense of the local history cuisine. This has worked well in Madrid and Barcelona hitherto and Palermo was no exception. Our guide, a talkative Sicilian (is there any other kind) named Angelo from Streaty Tours, (streaty.com). welcomed myself and 11 others from countries including Italy, Austria, Holland, Canada and the US. Angelo met us at the Teatro Massimo Opera House and briefly outlined what we could expect for our three hour tour. What followed was a fascinating dive into the best of the local wines, beers, aperitifs and digestifs, and a variety of foods from local cafes including bruschetta (with bottarga, olive and ricotta), a spleen sandwich (cooked in lard and incredibly tasty), the local Sicilian pizza and even three fried dishes centered on chickpeas, a universal comfort food in these parts, alternately flattened into fritters or rolled into balls with cheese, onion and mint, then fried. The three hour tour included walking through several historic districts, bar hopping from wine bar to restaurant to working man’s bar to street vendor, and ended with a stop at a superb artisanal gelato spot, by which time the eleven of us were all thoroughly lubricated and very animated.
Sadly my stop in this magical city lasted less than 48 hours before we cast off for Sardinia…of which more next week.
- Nick Stark.
