I’ll be staying in Palermo for a week. I’d like to focus on three types of activities, in the following order of importance :
Cultural visits ;
Enjoying the nightlife ;
Reading on the beach.
I don’t need advice for point number 3, and I already have a few ideas for point number 1, such as the Valle dei Templi in Agrigento, the Cappella Palatina in Palermo and Syracuse. However, it would be nice to read how you’d rank them in terms of interest and accessibility by public transport, as Sicily is big and I don’t drive.
But, what I really need is recommendations about what to do in the evening.
I’d be interested in venues that cater to a middle-aged crowd, like piano bars or jazz clubs. I’m 48 and single, so I don’t want to be the creepy older guy hitting the nightclubs, especially since I’ve never liked dance music, even when I was younger. On the other hand, the idea having fun, and perhaps more, in a relaxed atmosphere with people around my age is appealing.
Agree that Agrigento is great. Take time to walk around; various sites are far apart, but it’s worth enjoying them slowly. Bring plenty of water. In this part of Sicily, you can feel the desert breezes of North Africa.
We liked Tauromina — the city and the ancient amphitheater. A classy, hilly town with good restaurants and a happy vibe. Rather expensive, though.
And we toured a winery on the north slope of Etna, including a clamber on black volcanic rock.
I don’t have any particular recommendations regarding places, only to say: don’t miss out on things that have lemon in them. Best, most fragrant lemony-flavoured lemons in the whole world, IMO.
Don’t miss the Capuchin Catacombs in Palermo - supremely creepy but you’ll never see anything like it again. It’s a bit out of the centre, so you’ll need to take public transport or a taxi to get there.
I’m afraid I can’t help you with nightlife, I’m a restaurant and bed kinda traveller.
One of my favorite memories is running down Etna. The pumice grit is so light (and sharp!) that I felt like walking on the moon. Slipped a couple of times and got some scratches. But it was absolutely exhilarating.
Swimming around “Scala dei Turchi” also was something to remember.
Food is generally excellent, you’ll be off pizza for a while when you get back. (It takes a while to acclimatize to inferior stuff). And the godfather movies did not lie about the cannoli.
As for beaches, I know you said you didn’t need advice, but you’ll be there at peak season and the beaches are VERY popular. Many Italian beaches have beach clubs where you rent a bed and umbrella - I would suggest you prebook some days to make sure you aren’t right at the back with your view of the sea ruined by mass gangs of Italian families all having a huge picnic. (Italians, I’ve noticed, basically never lie on a bed quietly reading a book - they all stand about chat chat chatting).
If you find the beach you want to go to, try googling it and you should either be able to reserve a place via their website, or you’ll be redirected to an app which services several beach clubs in Sicily.
Thanks for your answers, lots of things I had considered.
Great idea.
I love all types of food and non-alcoholic beverages that include lemon.
That looks creepy. Definitely something I may add to my to-do list !
Excellent point.
I don’t take the heat very well, which I blame on a sunstroke I had as a kid, but I’ve been to the Mediterranean literally dozens of times. I’m used to how hot it can get but I haven’t been there for 4 years. I’ll take the necessary precautions.
They are having record busting heat right now - way beyond what you might normally expect at this time of year. Make sure you’ve got aircon and plan some indoor museum-y/church-y trips in case it gets a bit much.
All right, I’ll take at least 2L of water wherever I go, and do indoor activities in the afternoons. That should be doable, except for trip to Agrigento.
By the way, I checked the train schedule and it looks like I’ll have to drop Syracuse. It’s a 4-hour ride to get there, so unless I get up remarkably early, I’d be spending twice as much time on the way and back than in the town.
So, I came back yesterday and I thought a little feedback would be nice.
First, the weather. Temperatures reached over 47° (117 °F) which was definitely daunting. Plus, severe fires started around Palermo shutting down the airport for a few hours the night before I flew there, so I briefly considered cancelling the trip. I didn’t and that was the right call. The heat didn’t seem worse than other times I’ve been to the Mediterranean in the summer, and the fires were under control after my first day there. Still, I cancelled the trips to Agrigento and Syracuse, partly because of the situation, partly because I realized that there was actually a lot of more varied things to see and do in Palermo.
The best things were :
The Cappella Palatina. Breathtakingly beautiful and fascinating in its unique mixture of Arab, Byzantine and Norman Art.
The Opera dei Pupi (puppet theatre). While I understood just enough to get the gist of the story, I could definitely appreciate the artistitry, and we even got to see and touch a puppet. Actually, I enjoyed it so much that I went to the Antonio Pasqualino International Puppet Museum, which hosts a vast collection from around the world, the next day. I was particularly impressed with the Javanese shadow puppets, the Vietnamese water puppets and the bunraku puppets.
The Teatro Massimo, where I attended a piano concert on Saturday night. The concert itself was nice, but the venue, with its red marble and ochre masonry as well as the black iron decoration, was absolutely amazing.
I also liked the Orto Botanico (botanical garden), although the heat made everything look mostly yellow, light brown and dull green, as well as the Palermo Cathedral, especially the exterior and the crypt (the interior, while magnificent, was too ornate to my taste). The archeological museum is also worth seeing.
As far as the nightlife is concerned, I didn’t find exactly what I was looking for, but I attended a very pleasant concert at the Tatum Art Jazzclub & Ristorante, which is on the first floor of a marvelous palazzo. I’d also recommend the small but really good Sartoria Cocktail Bar.
More generally, the food was excellent, especially the primi piatti and the sorbetti al limone. I found La Cambusa, La Trattoria Typical Siciliana Da Peppe e Franco, and Il Cambusino very nice. I wouldn’t recommend the Osteria Mangia e Bevi, because the staff was borderline hostile, although the food was as good as in the other places.
Thanks for your trip debrief, and your recommendations ( and warnings ) of the Palermo eateries. I’m headed to Sicily next week and am hoping for the “normal” heat and humidity there instead of the insane levels of a few weeks ago.
Well, the heat was surprisingly bearable but of course, bring lots of water wherever you go.
While I’m at it, here’s the soundtrack of my stay there, to put you in the mood. Silly dance songs to be sure, but boy, does sung Italian sound gorgeous. Plus, you’re bound to hear them as they are everywhere.
That was my impression as well. I was there for the first time 4 years ago. I was warned by all the info I read about how hot and humid it was, but after nearly 2 weeks being all around the island, my conclusion was “bearable levels of heat and humidity”. Certainly more bearable than where I live in the southeast US. Up in the mountain towns, it was downright comfortable.
Thanks for the links to the tunes: will give a listen when I get home form work.