SICILIA
The town of Caccamo where we are staying is very peaceful and quiet. The tomatoes, cheese, and meat from our favorite butcher have all been very delicious and we are lucky enough to have a great cafe for gelato close by our house. Food is not too expensive, especially considering the quality. Can’t believe it’s almost been two weeks here already, the time has kind of flown by, but it has been really relaxing. The kitchen is great, the house is cozy, and we’ve found all the local ingredients to be really fresh. There is a castle in the town with great views that we checked out and we also saw a piano recital there one night. This week is a holiday in the area (giorni festivi meaning holiday), so on Sunday there are some food festivals in town, and next Saturday there is what seems like a late-night block party, called Notte Bianca. Almost every weekend in various towns there are different food festivals or days celebrating specific Saints.
This week we went into Palermo. Walked around, saw Ballaro market, which was pretty large and had a lot going on. We also saw two crypts, one was very small, underneath a chapel in the middle of the oldest part of the city, and the Capuchin Catacombs, which were much larger and a 30 min walk from the city center. The Capuchin monks had mummified the bodies in such a way that they remain intact to varying degrees even today. There were a huge variety of priests and local residents mummified (you can see more here: http://www.palermocatacombs.com/) and it was pretty amazing. The smaller crypt had once mummified the bodies of Capuchin monks in a similar fashion but had been much less well preserved over the years. We were able to get a few photos though, whereas at the Capuchin Catacombs they ask that you do not take any photo or video.
Walking back through the market a second time, we saw someone carrying a large cut of cooked meat, salt-crusted, into their stand. It smelled really delicious, and we manage to get the first few slices. Turns out it was roast beef, and it was very, very good. A tiny bit of fennel, not too salty, definitely juicy. Ben found some sandwiches in the market that he liked a lot. There were a number of busy spots selling tripe sandwiches - super popular in Palermo, but we didn’t try. Palermo definitely has seemingly infinite examples of incredible architecture and we passed many art galleries, museums, and other cultural exhibits. Frequently occupied by foreign economic and military powers over the centuries, Sicily and Palermo specifically have an interesting history and the architecture is an unbelievable mix as well.
Hoping to get to the beach a few times in the next two weeks; taking public transport to nearby towns is pretty easy.
