Sicily

 I mentioned in the last post that we were going to Sicily. We are there now! We are with an organized tour through O.A.T. (Overseas Adventure Travel) consisting of 13 other travelers, ourselves, and our guide. We started off in Palermo. In the introductory meeting we learned that another traveler (Elaine) also has a birthday on November 16. Quite a coincidence. On our first day we visited the Cathedral of Monreale just outside the city. It was built in the 1180’s and its main attraction is the glass mosaics which cover most of the interior walls (photo below). Afterwards we went on a short walking tour of Palermo and visited the Palermo Cathedral and the Opera House. We also sampled arancina (rice balls). Then we visited a UNESCO-recognized puppet theater which has been operated by 5 generations of the same family since 1893. 

That evening we had a “controversial topic” presentation in a meeting room in our hotel. The subject was the mafia. We first heard from a man from Sicily who has spent years researching the origins of the mafia in Sicily and also documenting the Maxi Trial in the 1980s which indicted 475 mafioso for multiple crimes, most of whom were convicted. However, several judges and magistrates involved in the trials were killed by the mafia. I don’t remember hearing much about it at the time (pre-internet days) but it was a particularly bloody time in Sicily. The second person who spoke, Angelo, was the son of the man who was the top mafia boss in Sicily from 1993 (when his predecessor was arrested) to 2006 when he himself was arrested. The father’s name was Bernardo Provenzano; you can google him if interested. He had been a fugitive since 1963, always in hiding, moving when necessary. He met a woman, had two children (the first of whom was our speaker, born in 1975) and they lived the fugitive life with him until 1992 (Angelo was 17) when the mother and sons settled in Corleone; the father continued to be a fugitive, and became the top mafia boss in Sicily. Angelo never became a part of the mafia but has suffered persecution as a result of being his father’s son. It was a very interesting presentation.

The next day we traveled to a small mountain town about 90 minutes outside of Palermo where we met various interesting locals. The town has a program which uses donkeys (and a handler) to collect the town’s recycling and trash (see photo below). We stopped by a shop well known internationally for its panettone where we were able to taste some samples. We then met a woman who does traditional Sicilian embroidery and has a program to teach young people to keep the tradition alive. Finally, we went to a local home when we “helped” prepare a delicious lunch (see photo). 

After returning to Palermo a few of the group returned to the puppet theater to enjoy a show which was quite lively and enjoyable. Many puppets were slain! 

Today we left Palermo and headed for a town on the southwest coast where we’ll spend a few days.

   

I’m doing this post on my iPad instead of my laptop so it’s a bit trickier. Excuse the clumping of photos at the end and the centering of this last paragraph.

¡Salud!