We went to the island of Sicily to explore some of the sites. We began in the capital city of Palermo. The city has many street markets and some of them are quite busy and large. Over the span of four days we explored several of the markets along with other sites of interest. There were street food and it was easy to enjoy local products.
We tried some hand made arancini which is a specialty here. They are small deep-fried rice balls filled with meat sauce or mozzarella and prosciutto. They are very tasty and over the time in Sicily we had several different types.
We explored the streets and walked through the markets looking at the variety of products. The atmosphere was full of life and unique smells of street foods.
La Vucciria is a well-known historical market in Palermo. You could buy practically anything in the market from fresh fish, seafood and vegetables to assorted clothes.
We went to the Quattro Canti, which is officially known as Piazza Vigliena. It is a Baroque square and considered the center of the historic quarters of the city. The four corners lead to the four ancient quarters of Palermo. Known as the cantons or canti of Palermo: the Kalsa (SE); Seralcadi (SW); Albergaria (wW); and Castellammare (NE). Each building facade was ornate and had a different fountain at the base.
It was interesting to see and explore the four unique corners of the ancient intersection. There were street musicians playing music and the area was quite lively and full of people.
We explored the city and came across the Pretoria fountain with beautiful statues and fountain located near the church of San Cataldo.
An other impressive statue was located in the Piazza San Domenico.
We saw the Teatro Massimo Vittorio Emanuele which is an opera house located on the Piazza Verdi.
This was an interesting and historic building and so we decided to take tour of the opera house. Link for Opera House
Another unique and interesting thing in Palermo and Sicily as a whole was the Sicilian Moor’s Heads. There are two stories about the origin of these elegant hand-painted ceramic decorative vases.
The legend says that during the time of the Moor domination in Sicily, there lived a beautiful girl in the Arab quarter Kalsa which is in the heart of Palermo. She loved to take care of plants on her balcony. One day she was noticed by a Moor who fell in love with her. The man told her of his feelings and the two were overwhelmed by desire and love. When the girl found out that her lover would soon travel back to the East, where his wife and children were waiting for him, she became enraged.
Mad with jealousy, feeling humiliated by the betrayal, the girl killed the Moor while he was asleep. In a fit of incredible violence, she cut off his head and used it as a vase in which she planted a bud of basil. The girl watered the plant with her tears and, as time went by, the basil grew into the most luxuriant ever seen. This caused the envy of the girl’s neighbours, who immediately ordered ceramic vases with the same features as the Moor’s Head. That’s how the tradition is said to have started.
According to another story, the Moor’s Heads represent the impossible love of a young couple. The girl was Sicilian and had noble origins, while her lover was a young Arab. When their love affair was discovered, her family cruelly punished them both by beheading them.
Their heads were then turned into vases and hung as warnings on a balcony. This is why the ceramic heads are always made in pairs, in memory of the two young lovers who were murdered together.
There were some interesting and beautiful spots in Palermo but also some areas that were quite dirty and the infrastructure was neglected.
“”Prendi solo ricordi, lascia solo impronte.” — Chief Seattle
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