Palermo, the capital of Sicily, was the only part of our trip that we went to out of necessity. Originally we had talked about making our way back to Rome to head back to the States, but while researching our options, we realized it'd be easier and cheaper to fly out of Palermo.
By the time we arrived in the city we were in our fourth hotel (not including the night on the ferry) and had traveled hundreds of miles. We were ready to go home. The trip had been amazing but we missed our pup and our couch. Luckily there was not much we felt a need to do in Palermo so we could just relax.
After a lovely breakfast at the hotel we retrieved the car and returned it. Driving in Palermo was a lot less stressful in the daylight but I was still glad we were finally dropping off the Panda. I have never been so happy to see an Avis sign.
After the car was finally taken care of, we decided to head to the local market. A real Sicilian market was the one thing my husband really wanted to see while we were there. It was everything we imagined.
After the car was finally taken care of, we decided to head to the local market. A real Sicilian market was the one thing my husband really wanted to see while we were there. It was everything we imagined.
While wandering the streets through the market, we found a little bakery where I was able to get a fresh cannolo. It was awesome.
From there we continued our meandering and saw some of Palermo. First we came upon the Palermo Cathedral. We didn't feel like waiting for the next tour so we didn't see much of the inside, but it's a beautiful old building.
We kept moving through the city and I was struck by how many abandoned buildings are still damaged from the Allied bombings.
The other thing my husband really wanted to try was Sicilian street food. He had read about a restaurant that served only street food. We tried a little bit of everything, including several variations of their rice balls called Arancina and a spleen sandwich!
Most of the rest of the day was spent wandering through the shopping district and getting gelato. That evening for our last real meal in Italy we went to a restaurant that we had seen on Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown. He had done an episode on Sicily right before we left that we of course had to watch. It was good food and a busy restaurant. The husband ordered pasta with ink of the squid (as seen on the show) which is something for which Sicily is known. We also had fresh seafood as an appetizer and the Sicilian Cassata which is made from ricotta.
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| As seen on Parts Unknown |
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| Fresh off the boat |
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| Real squid ink |
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| Cake made from cheese-- yum |
After we finished our last meal in Italy we headed back to our hotel to pack and head back to reality.
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