Sicilian Beauties

off we go!!!!!

A little relaxation is needed now and then and what could be nicer than taking a beach vacation, in Italy and moreover in mid-July?...the maximum, and to give ourselves this "maximum" we decided to stay for 4 days in Sicily with Palermo as our base. The departure goes smoothly with a stopover at Rome airport and then right on time we arrive at Palermo airport dedicated to the two murdered judges Falcone and Borsellino. First big problem: Luca's luggage is missing, hours spent waiting in vain and only after filing a report and picking up the car that we had promptly booked before our arrival do we head, thanks to our now indispensable satellite navigator, toward the hotel. Our Hotel has an impeccable view over Palermo!!! the lights of illuminated Palermo... make us fall in love and under a starry sky... we go to sleep..

Mondello -

Waking up early and after having breakfast at the hotel we set off for the tour. Luckily Luca is always ahead and while waiting to receive a call regarding the status of his suitcase, before leaving he had incredibly provided for the beach essentials in the duffel bag that went on the plane with him, so there we are, having put on our swimsuits and armed with creams and towels, heading straight for the beach of the Palermitans... the beautiful Mondello. Seeing it on television it's beautiful but experiencing it in person is fantastic... what a sea, guys!! The do-it-yourself lunch unfolds on the street in front of the beach with Piaggio ApeCars serving as restaurants. Inside them you can find everything, they cook eggplants, potatoes, tomatoes and many typical Sicilian products, so that you're spoiled for choice when you have to decide what you want to eat.

Finally in the late afternoon the long-awaited call arrives... Luca's suitcase had arrived at the airport. Before going to pick it up, however, we prefer to go up the mountain overlooking Mondello beach, Monte Pellegrino, from which you can admire the beach and the whole coastline from above... what a view! Continuing to the top of the mountain you reach the grotto of Santa Rosalia, the protector of the Palermitans, since it is said she saved many people from the diseases of plague and cholera. Having recovered the suitcase, I finally have all my clothing with me, so all that's left is to dress up properly and go out to dinner, obviously seafood-based.

San Vito Lo Capo

Once we've recovered our energy, we set off for San Vito Lo Capo. When we arrive, we notice the presence of a great many boats, quite lovely ones too, carrying tourists to visit the Zingaro Nature Reserve along the coastline. This is a reserve that can only be reached in two ways: either on foot, and honestly I wouldn't wish two hours of walking under 38°C on anyone, or by sea with these numerous boats. We opt for the second and don't regret it. On board there are 8 of us plus 2 crew members; the boat has a very wide bow where we were even 4 lying down sunbathing.

When we reach the first stop of the reserve, the captain drops anchor and after giving us mask and fins we dive into the water, obviously with our inseparable underwater digital camera… what wonderful seabeds… We climb back on board and continue our sailing to the far tip of the reserve, where we can admire the Faraglioni of the Reserve.

A breathtaking panorama, so much so that the reserve itself has often been a location for numerous films, among them "Il commissario Montalbano," and has seen numerous actors engage in cinematic scenes such as Raoul Bova, Sylvester Stallone, Kevin Costner etc… The sun is now on its way to setting while we make our return to the bay of San Vito Lo Capo, after which a very tasty aperitif awaits us on board.

Once off the boat, we get back in the car and return to the hotel, where strangely our energy hasn't entirely vanished, so much so that we decide to go have dinner at some little restaurant in Mondello. My goodness, what chaos, you can't imagine how many people we found strolling along the seafront, so much so that between driving along the seafront, finding parking and a free restaurant, we ate at almost 11:30 pm.

Cefalù

Another day, another stop. Today too the weather is wonderful and also very hot. This time we move east of Palermo and arrive at Cefalù. Seen from the sea it looks like a little village on the water. Very famous and equally characteristic, the only problem is that on a Sunday you can't arrive at the beach at noon like we did.. (( arriving from Palermo.. ))

Luckily we manage to find a beach umbrella still free. The sea honestly didn't impress us much, nothing compared to the Zingaro Reserve or Mondello. In the afternoon, exhausted from the sea, we go up to take a walk in the little village. Very beautiful, with many narrow alleys and many Baroque-style buildings. Given the time, to avoid the return traffic we have dinner directly in Cefalù so as to get back to the hotel at a time when we won't hit too much traffic, and our predictions weren't far off from reality.

PALERMO

And so we come to the last day. In the morning, after leaving the hotel, we decide to take a tour around the city of Palermo.

Arriving at Piazza Politeama, effectively the center of Palermo, we get on board the classic red open-top buses that for a few years now can be found in any city in the world, from Rome to New York by way of Florence and London, ready to let you visit, also through an attentive and precise audio guide, the entire city with its most evocative places and monuments.

From Piazza Politeama we headed to the Port area, where you can still see the ancient walls; from there, going back up toward the center, we admired the botanical garden, the Piazza dei Cinque Canti, the Norman Castle, the splendid Teatro Massimo, the famous neighborhood markets of Palermo such as "A v'ucceria," "O'Capo" right behind the Teatro Massimo and "Ballarò," and finally we stopped in front of the Cathedral.

The visit to the Cathedral lasted only a short while but was enough to understand the artistic beauty of this city. From there we made our way back to Piazza Politeama walking through the streets of the center. Before getting back in the car we couldn't fail to eat another typically Sicilian product, the panino with gelato… immense in its goodness and in its size, on its own it can cover an entire lunch.

Back in the car, we decide to head toward Monreale to admire the beauties of the stunning basilica. Indeed, once inside the basilica we remain open-mouthed at the beauty of the ceilings, the arches, the altar… Time was now nearly up, the moment of departure was approaching, so in the early afternoon we get in the car headed for the airport.

We set off once again with a beautiful memory of the place we visited; after all this is Southern Italy, fantastic sea, artistic beauties that have nothing to envy of other cities in the world, delicious food and above all fantastic people, kind, warm, sunny, helpful, friendly… this after all is the South that we like and that we always would want it to be like this… Luca & Selene