Now that Season Two of White Lotus, filmed in beautiful Sicily has finished entertaining some of us, I thought it might be a good time to share our recent experience on the island which I can promise you had no overlap with what happened on the show, but will hopefully be somewhat entertaining as well!
But how does one capture two weeks of travel in one post? I can’t! We took so many photos that just getting them uploaded into my Word Press taxed it desperately and I thought it might explode. As it is, I have uploaded 100 photos and that covers only about one-third of the trip – yikes!
First, a little background. Hubs and I have traveled to Italy quite a bit over our lives, separately and together. But, neither of us had ever been to Sicily and it has been on our bucket list for a long time due to many factors. A few years back, an opportunity presented itself to travel with Elizabeth Minchilli on one of her week-long food tours to the island and I booked to go with my friend, Jane. Afterwards, I was meeting the hubs to explore more of the island. And then of course, Covid cancelled that trip.
Well, in the meanwhile, hubs started following Elizabeth (who I’ve mentioned before on the blog) and really enjoyed her esthetic, the food she prepares, the lifestyle she leads, etc. and so when it came time to reschedule the trip we looked into whether Elizabeth was going back to Sicily and indeed she was at a time that worked for us. We built our trip around the week that we would spend with Elizabeth and worked with a travel agent to make it all come together.
We completed most of our trip ahead of meeting up with the tour and then enjoy a few days at the back end to unwind. That was definitely the way to go if you ask me.
This first post will cover our first destination, Palermo and surrounding towns. The second post will cover Agrigento and the Baroque cities of Ragusa and Modica. And the third will largely cover our food tour with Elizabeth and our final few days of the trip in Taormina, setting of White Lotus. K?!!!
I have to be honest and say I am glad we completed our trip before I watched White Lotus because, well wow. Did you watch?
Andiamo!
First stop after a quick layover in Rome was the island’s capital of Palermo. We checked into our beautiful hotel, walked around the property and sat down to our first meal…
Burrata with tomatoes and guacamole (a little odd but it was delicious)…
Caponata that was out of this world…
Our strategy for overseas travel with morning arrivals is usually to keep moving until we crash at night. After lunch, hubs suggested we take a walk to the top of Monte Pellegrino to the Sanctuary of Santa Rosalita, the patron saint of Palermo. Now, how hard could that be I thought? Well, it was a lot longer and it was super hot and thank God we took a bottle of water that the concierge offered us as she questioned why we wanted to do this walk on our first day in the blazing heat! Oh, and we missed the actual pilgrimmage pathway that existed and instead, meandered up the highway to get to the top, where we arrived two hours later, much to my glee. The view was pretty though…
The Sanctuary is in the building below and is actually a cave where she died alone in 1166. It was very unique so we were glad we made the trip. I was even happier that we somehow convinced a bus driver to take us to the bottom of the mountain despite not having a ticket to board, the kind, non-English speaking soul stopping his bus and pointing us in the direction of our hotel when we were within a short walking distance. Note that on September 4, Palermo celebrates the feast of St. Rosalia and many pilgrims walk up to the sanctuary on bare feet demonstrating their faith and devotion which we were told is quite remarkable to witness…
The hotel did aperitivo hour incredibly well, offering us this little sampler of light nibbles as we waited for our cocktails on the terrace…
And then they bring you more substantial bites to enjoy with your drinks. On our first night they offered meatballs with a green herby sauce, some crudo (salmon) and a Sicilian pizza with tomato, crushed anchovy and oregano…
We ventured out to dinner in the city and this was my view which I felt was so representative of apartment living. Our dinner was good, but not so memorable to include in the post…
Our first full day started out a little on the rocky side. Our tour guide failed to show up, but thankfully we were headed for the famous Capo market so we set out on our own to check it out, and hopefully meet up with a new tour guide later in the day. Palermo was founded by the Phoenicians in the 7th and 8th centuries BC and was conquered by the Arabs in 831. The architechture and food has been influenced by those cultures, the Greeks and ultimately Romans which makes the island such an interesting place to visit…
Palermo is famous for its street food and the main purpose of going to the market was to sample what was on offer, in particular panelle, a chick pea fritter and maybe the most famous street food, arancini or rice balls. Before we sampled, we walked up and down the narrow passageway to get a glimpse of everything for sale, from fresh seafood to fruits and vegetables and some textiles…
Octopous, sardines and swordfish dominate the cuisine in Sicily…
Sicilian oregano is so good…
Freshly squeezed grapefruit and pomegranate juice – delicious…
Dough smeared with a tomato paste and oregano was my favorite…
Potato croquette was very tasty as was the panelle…
Arancini was good and the squid skewer was different!
Thankfully when we were finished, we were able to meet up with our new guide Stefania who was a wealth of knowledge and full of stories of Palermo. She was a lot of fun to spend our afternoon with after a chaotic start. We visited the main Duomo that was built in the 12th century that was beautiful inside and out…
Saint Rosalia’s remains are buried inside…
On the walk to our next destination, Stefania tucked us into this courtyard where this palm has remained undisturbed…
She took us to one of her favorite churches that is as plain as day on the outside if you can imagine. Built in the Baroque era it was quite dramatic and detailed inside as you can see…
A trip to Palermo wouldn’t be complete without visiting Monraele which is just outside of the city. Monraele is a cathedral built by the last Norman king of Sicily, William of Palermo who had no heirs. He built this cathedral so he could be remembered in perpetuity, and his remains are buried here accordingly…
Inside, the cathedral is astounding. The tile work alone is not to be believed and you could spend hours looking at each individual piece. According to our tour guide, the design duo of Dolce and Gabaana did something of that nature and came out with a swim line that looked remarkably like the Monraele tiles. Her story went that they got a big fine from the church and were told that was a no no…
After our visit to Monraele which we fit in before it closes (if you go, check times), we came back to Palermo to view a few last sites including the “Fountain of Shame” below, named as such because of the nude statues and its historic location across from a church where the nuns were said to cry, “how shameful” and the name stuck…
And the Quatro Canti or four corners which are located in the central part of the old town of Palermo. The four buildings of similar design in this small square face each other and showcase statues of the seasons on the first level (we are in front of winter), kings in the middle and saints at the top…
September is a very popular time to be married in Sicily as the high heat of the summer months has faded so we were treated to multiple sitings during our two week trip, including this twosome going for their shots in the square!
For dinner on our second night, we ventured out to a restaurant that happened to be very close to the Capo market named Le Angeliche which is owned and managed by a female staff. We were seated outside in a large courtyard that was beautiful and festively lit. We ordered the house wine, advised by our Sicilian friend here in the states. Often when you order the house wine, you get local and organic blends and this one didn’t disappoint. Plus the price tag is very friendly…
For our dinner we had this delicious Eggplant in cocotte. Eggplant was baked with tomato sauce, caciocavallo and mozarella cheeses and presented shaped like two wings. Delicious and lighter than it appears…
We also had these beautifully fried sea bass cutlets that were served on top of a vegetable and chick pea medley. Also delicious and light…
And this seasonal speciality that was paccheri pasta served with a loose pesto that is made from the leaves of zucchini. Such a unique and earthy flavor. We loved it…
Handwritten dessert menu…
For dessert, we opted for this most traditional of Sicilian desserts, granita. This one was almond flavored and served with a generous sprinkling of toasted sliced almonds and an almond brioche on the side. Traditionally, you take a scoop of the granita and place it on the brioche and eat them in one bite together. Yummy…
On our second day, we visited Segesta and Erice, towns that are west of Palermo that promised beautiful ruins and pastries! First stop, the archeological park that houses both a temple and a theater that are well preserved as you can see. This theater looks out at the beautiful ocean which was just stunning to see…
Also in the park was this magnificent, albeit unfinished Doric temple. These ruins are set high in a mountainous area and supposedly they remain unfinished as inhabitants needed to move to find water, a scarce resource in this location…
These ruins were a large reason why we traveled to Sicily and we loved being able to see them up close…
And then it was on to Erice that is a beautifully preserved, mediaval hilltop town that is perhaps best known for its famous pastry shop and its owner, Maria Grammatico. After a walk about to see the sites which included remains of castles…
and more views of the gorgeous coastline…
And walks through narrow passageways…
We stopped for lunch at Monte San Guiliano where we ate in a beautiful covered porch overlooking the water…
We adored this Scialatelle Garibaldina that was served with mint, zucchini, eggplant and swordfish and topped with toasted breadcrumbs…
We also loved this delicious Busiati San Guiliano that was made with Pesto Trapanese, a Sicilian specialty made with garlic, basil, almonds, pecorino, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Trapani is the nearby port town that welcomed Genovese merchants who brought their original pesto to Sicilian shores. Adaptation ensued and is not to be missed if you are in the area…
And our first taste of fresh sardines (don’t think about the can – these are fresh from the ocean), stuffed with breadcrumbs, raisins, pine nuts and almonds and served with a lemon sauce. Loved these…
After a short walk, we visited the famous Maria Grammatico’s pastry shop. Unfortunately, she was not there but I felt like I knew her after reading, at my travel agent’s suggestion, her memoir entitled Bitter Almonds. Our tour guide really appreciated that I had read the book because Maria is much beloved in the area. She learned to make pastries, including the famous marzipan figurines you will see in one of the photos below, when she lived in an orphanage at a convent as a young child. It’s quite a story…
Our tour guide got us the sampler plate to share! Our favorites were the Belli e Brutti (translated beautiful and ugly) which are almond flavored cookies (middle right) and the Bocconcini that were also flavored with almond and a lemon marmalade (top right). The chocolate chip cannoli was very tasty too…
Marzipan for days…
One last stop on our way out at Erice’s duomo…
And a late dinner on the terrace of our hotel for our last evening in Palermo. A very traditional shaved fennel salad with oranges and olives…
The most beautifully plated eggplant parmigiano that was an appetizer but served as my husband’s dinner…
And for me, maybe the most memorable dish of the trip. These thinly sliced pieces of swordfish were so perfectly cooked. Delicate and tender, they were delicious, served with a puree of potatoes and spicy green peppers. My plate was empty!
We left Palermo the next morning in a rental car to make our way to Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples, and eventually the Baroque cities of Ragusa and Modica. Stay tuned for my second post!
Until next time…
One Year Ago: Holiday Mocktails and Cocktails
Two Years Ago: Sticky Toffee Pudding
Three Years Ago: Travel Post for The Cotswolds
Four Years Ago: Bacon Wrapped Brussels Sprouts
Five Years Ago: Southwest King Ranch Casserole
Six Years Ago: Salmon with Orange Marmalade and Thyme
Seven Years Ago: Green Beans with Tomato Sauce (Fassoulia)
Eight Years Ago: Review of Dumpling Daughter in Weston, Massachusetts
Loved the two bride and grooms getting their pictures taken in the square – too funny! Great photos Val!
The post I’ve been waiting for! And now, much like White Lotus, I’ll have to wait a week for the next chapter! It all looks fabulous, Val. Amazing trip!
❤️❤️❤️ the photos of your fabulous trip! Thanks so much for sharing. Looking forward to Part 2!