Noce

After breakfast - which of course we had to ourselves again- we said our goodbyes to Gabriella and hit the road back to the palermo airport car rental . Inital panic when google maps predicted our planned 40 min journey to be 1hr 20. this would miss our deadline for dropping off the car - and also took us through what looked like a grim route through the mountains. thankfully Catherine had her head screwed on and realised I’d set the sat nav to the hotel in central Palermo. Destination corrected we set off.

No further hitches, we dropped off the car, established with the rental people it had no damage and picked up the train from the airport .

‘The train is now arriving in Palermo centrale ON TIME.’ the speaker proudly announced. The hotel was a 15 min walk from the station. What we hadn’t realised though was this route was mostly through mercado Ballarò -Palermo’s most chaotic and busy market. Stalls and stalls of vegetables, gleaming fish and seafood of all kinds, a dazzling array of street food and a wall of people -either eating and buying or vendors shouting and selling. Picking our way through on our own would have been challenge enough. With lumbering 20kg suitcases on tiny wheels through cobbled streets and bang in the middle of lunch turned it into some kind of bizarre gameshow challenge.

After the noise, bustle , mopeds and shouting of the streets of Palermo our hotel was an oasis of calm. As we stepped inside it was like someone had hit the mute button. We were offered a welcome coffee and cake and sat down on a sofa while our paperwork was quickly sorted. Meanwhile the owner’s dog, Ducci, leaned gently into my leg and permitted an ear scratch.

A lovely, tranquil hotel and room - the perfect counterpoint to the grit of Palermo.

Refreshed and suitcase free, we returned to the Ballaro where, this time,we could enjoy bustle and the dazzling choice of food. We found a place at random - although Catherine claims it was the owner’s amazing orange glasses that drew her in - panic picked 3 dishes and were ushered across the sea of people to our life raft of a table where we could relax somewhat and enjoy the fun. 10 mins later beers and food arrived - skewers of breaded calamari, a rich, tomatoey stew of more calamari (this time tiny whole octopuses) and a sweet, sour caponata type dish of peppers and olives. Plus a small mountain of fresh bread.

After lunch we explored the maze of streets - after the previous cities and towns on the trip Palermo lived up to its grimy yet exhilarating reputation, it felt like everything was just on the edge. A mix of gritty winding back streets and wide impressive boulevards with crumbling faded glamour. Baroque, Norman, Byzantine architectural styles - often all in one building.

At catherines’s insistence we had a guided tour of teatro massimo, the famous opera house. It was a good decision - a beautiful interior which had hosted some of the world’s greatest singers. As we entered the theatre itself rehearsals were in session for the next upcoming production Tristan and Isolde so we had the chance to enjoy the perfect acoustics plus the slightly odd view of opera singers stomping around the stage in everyday jeans and t-shirts.

Dinner was beautifully grilled fish with roasted potatoes. Starter which we chose because it sounded unusual was grilled cheese in oil and vinegar. It was indeed, unusual.Read more