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| It is another beautiful day....we have our last breakfast at the Bar Giacolone, exchange addresses and say our goodbyes....it has been a very nice morning ritual stopping here. One day we talked about coffee in America....he said it wasn't coffee, it was "brodo"--soup. On the way out of town, we stop at a big salumeria to pick up supplies for our planned picnic lunch en route to Palermo. Parking is difficult but after circling the block twice, I am able to find a spot. Trapani traffic has been slightly challenging. Although the streets are generally wide (except in the "centro" where one doesn't normally drive much) and in a regular grid, I find the local drivers to be extremely aggressive at intersections where there are no signals or stop signs--actually even when there are signals or stop signs. You just have to be vigilant and push ahead. Our plan is to stop along the coast north of Castellammare del Golfo where there is an old tuna fishing town--Scopello--and a nature preserve--the Parco dello Zingaro, with hiking trails and an unspoiled coastline. The drive along the water is quite beautiful.....little coves and rock formations continually appear. Since we are not planning to hike, we take a dirt road which we hope leads down to the shore. We succeed on our first try....a small beach with pebbles and rocks, where about a dozen people are lying on the beach, swimming or (in full wet suit gear) diving for sea urchins. We set out our picnic lunch on the rocks and enjoy the food, the view, the clear blue water and the sun.... After lunch, we head for Palermo....we take the back road over the mountains and have an amazing panoramic view of the city and the sea as we descend. When we visited nine years ago, Diana did not like Palermo at all--too much dirt, noise and traffic. This time, we are staying at the Hotel Principe di Villafranca, a hotel I use frequently for clients which is located in a nice residential section of Palermo, but not far from the sightseeing destinations in the "centro storico". We only make one mistake in getting to the hotel....we miss our right turn, but it only costs us about five minutes and one "u-turn". We check in and are welcomed warmly by one of the desk clerks whom I have dealt with by e-mail in the past. Unfortunately, the manager, Signore Castellana--who I usually deal with--is busy but we will get to see him later. After getting settled in our large comfortable room--we have to wait about a half hour because it is not clean when we arrive--we head out for a walk to find the local tourist office. We want to inquire about a self service laundry and pick up some maps. The area we walk through is one of the nicest shopping areas in Palermo...we hadn't been here at all on our last trip. Diana is not sure it is the same city. The lady in the tourist office tells us that there is a self service laundry and starts rummaging for the piece of paper that has the address. She can't find it but tells us the name of the street that it is on. We decide to walk over--it is about a 20 minute walk--to see if we can locate it. We walk through the busy commercial streets and locate the right street...it is right near one of the big food markets in Palermo--the Capo. There is definitely a good deal of noise and traffic in this section, but it doesn't have the effect as it did nine years ago. We find the store....Lavobo....but it is closed on Tuesdays; we will return tomorrow. We walk through the market--I have a Sicilian specialty....gelato in a brioche....and do a lot of window shopping. It is very extensive and pretty active for 5 o'clock in the afternoon. When we emerge, we look for a cab to take us back to the hotel, but it is rush hour, traffic is heavy and there are none to be found, so we walk all the way back. When we get back to the hotel, we rest for a while. I go out for a short exploration of the neighborhood, trying to pinpoint some of our dinner options. We decide on a small trattoria called Altri Tempi--about three blocks from the hotel. They have tables out on the street. The menu is based on traditional Sicilian specialities and it is written in Sicilian dialect--making it hard for us decipher some of the choices. Feeling adventurous, we decide to let the maitre d' chose the menu. He brings us a series of antipasti.....stewed favas with celery, nervetti salad, caponata, and--the best dish--fried vegetables. We have two pastas.....one with tomatoes and olives and the other with swordfish pieces--both are good but not outstanding. For secondi, we have some swordfish involtini and some small fish, deliciously fried. Strawberries for dessert followed by a series of homemade liqueurs--including a fennel based drink and limoncello. Service was efficient and the experience was a lot of fun. It was a short walk back to the hotel.....tomorrow we attempt laundry and plan to have lunch in the beach suburb of Mondello. |
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