|
Post by bixaorellana on Jul 24, 2015 22:34:59 GMT
Palermo -- it smells like piss and garbage and worse. The streets are littered and too many people smoke. It's loud with traffic and darkened with pollution ... but it is bedda, the Sicilian word for beautiful, and I'm completely under its spell. I arrived here yesterday afternoon, traumatized by the heat and the shock of my crappy hotel, particularly after coming from one in Trapani that cost the same but was extremely nice. No matter, I was here to see Palermo and see it I would, so I hit the streets immediately. I was pleased to find that at least I'd chosen well in terms of location: map here -- I'm where the red dot is. Going nw on Via Roma, I came to Piazza San Domenico, replete with columns & statues & ice cream parlors -- all the stuff that makes Sicily worthwhile. The sight of it, coupled with the walk there, had already convinced me that my measly five days in Palermo weren't going to be enough for me. Poking around behind the church & checking out the narrow streets ~I found this bit of fin de siècle architecture grafted onto an older building interesting. There is quite a bit of this architecture & its details around Palermo ~Flanking one side of the piazza, a classic Sicilian sight ~Later I found myself on Via Maqueda, pedestrianized for much of its length. I was walking along, enjoying its mix of old architecture and fashionable clothing stores, when I abruptly found myself in an area from much further south and east. Later some pleasant men in a grocery store explained that they came from Bangladesh, that people from there had been settling in Palermo for @the last thirty years. There are certainly quite a few food stores and restaurants to attest to that, as well as the presence of many other national and ethnic groups. This elegant old place caught my eye ~Although its entrance was closed & battered, peering into the upstairs windows, I could see evidence of former glory ~And this modern mega sword of Damocles was hanging over the building -- yikes!
|
|
|
Post by lagatta on Jul 24, 2015 23:48:04 GMT
Oh dear, you're having me look up all sorts of literary, culinary, artistic and historical factoids. This is a lovely little house of worship, perhaps less grandiose than the church-mosques or mosque-churches etc you will see in Andalusia or when you get to Istanbul, but it is very touching: www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g187890-d243469-r166579260-Santa_Maria_dell_Ammiraglio_La_Martorana-Palermo_Province_of_Palermo_Sicily.htmlMy thesis adviser was from Palermo, it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samon%C3%A0_%28famiglia%29 alas he is dead now; I think he died around the same age I am now. Three very close friends died within a month, in 1996. Fortunately I had a dear little black kitten who was born that year and who is still with me. My prof deeply loved and was infuriated by Sicily; he pretty much had to leave as, as well as their better-known criminal activities, the Mafia crushed workers' and peasants' movements in blood, as well as their supporters. www.giovanniraboni.it/ImageHandler.ashx?pic=Public00260.jpg Photo, GP Samonà at far-right (which he certainly wasn't!) The photo deforms his head a bit, but he was of a very Mediterranean type.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jul 25, 2015 0:21:55 GMT
Ah, LaGatta ~ you're accidentally ruining my surprise! Flickr is being really pokey about uploading, not to mention that it's after 2 am here. However, I came upon that marvel yesterday & took so many pictures that they will constitute a separate thread. I was able to get a little of their take on politics with two of my cousins, but there wasn't enough time to really delve into things with them. Ironically, and rather disgustingly, if you want magnets, bobbleheads, t-shirts, etc. with the image of Marlon Brando as The Godfather on them, this is the place to come. How very cruel to lose those friends and surely almost unbearable to have it happen so close together. Thank goodness for the dear Renzo.
|
|
|
Post by lagatta on Jul 25, 2015 0:59:00 GMT
My, you're up late! Still in Sicily? Sorry about the dumpy hotel. Yes, having the wee tomkitten to cuddle was a big help. I was feeding the cats of one of the other friends who died while on holiday then.
I was only on a very brief visit to Palermo, but spent two months in Rome at a terrasse apartment that belonged to that professor friend. He had another house farther out in a strange area similar to "la zone" in Paris: the old military zone, where rather aristocratic dwellings stood side-by-side with shantytowns. Probably the latter no longer exist; Pasolini made films about them. The apartment where I was staying was basically a studio, a kitchen and a bath, but it had a huge rooftop terrasse. But it is funny thinking about back then; computers and internet existed; I had an account at the university, but it was unthinkable to have access at home or in a temporary abode.
The university I was attending in Italy did NOT have any internet connection.
|
|
|
Post by htmb on Jul 25, 2015 1:47:55 GMT
Oh, Bixa! This definitely looks like your kind of place for great explorations! Too bad about the lousy hotel.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2015 2:05:47 GMT
Looks wonderful!
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2015 4:20:30 GMT
I can tell that this is going to be great because even though I know what "generic Italy" looks like, there are sure to be a lot of local surprises such as the glass pavilion attached to that building and also the bulging mounds of gelato which attest both to healthy optimism regarding the upcoming sales of the day and/or a legendary disrespect for the rules of hygiene.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Jul 25, 2015 7:20:31 GMT
I'm looking forward to this, Bixa. I got a Google street view of your hotel -- well, it's not the Ritz but are you going to do anything but sleep there? And the location is certainly fine.
I do hope you are going to visit some of the churches with mosaics.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jul 25, 2015 7:49:28 GMT
Thanks for the kind words & for taking the time to look. LaGatta, I'll be interested any changes you note. One thing that probably has not changed is the utter unhelpfulness of any transportation personnel, a perception backed up by all the Q&A on that subject on the various travel forums. I won't expound on the hotel, as it would only be a tedious rant, plus I've already unburdened myself to Expedia. They wrote back lengthily, sympathetically & rather floridly to essentially say, "Gee, that's too bad." The gelato is behind glass, plus will probably be quickly consumed judging by all the people I see walking around eating it. One way it's eaten, even for breakfast apparently, is sandwiched in a sliced-open fat bun. Bjd, you & LaGatta just keep your mutandine on -- the fancy church pictures will be forthcoming soon enough. Even as I type, they are reposing in a Flickr album awaiting my return from today's adventures.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Jul 25, 2015 9:33:46 GMT
Enjoy yourself, Bixa. No rush for the pictures -- there is more to do on vacation than post. Have some ice cream instead.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jul 25, 2015 20:46:44 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2015 21:27:52 GMT
Oh, that is an amazing place. Once again, though, I notice that 'Roman' sculptures always seem to be scarier looking than their equivalents in other cultures. Only the more violent Indian gods seem able to match their ferocity.
|
|
|
Post by lagatta on Jul 25, 2015 22:43:39 GMT
I have an even worse story about public transport, and this is in Rome. Canadians will know the name Michaëlle Jean, who was a well-known journalist and television personality at Radio-Canada (French-language CBC; she also worked for English CBC) who later became Governor-General. We studied together in Italy on the same scholarships. Michaëlle had it all; she was brainy and very beautiful. And she was of Haitian origin; her parents were refugees in Montréal like many Haitian intellectuals.
In any case, this lovely, well-spoken young lady boarded a bus at the Termini station in Roma and the arsehole of a driver let loose with a slew of invective about those disgusting Black people. Michaëlle spoke far classier Italian than he did, and had a few choice words. I forget whether she pursued the matter further.
I always had good relations with the bus drivers in Perugia, but I suppose they were happy to find "foreign students" who were at ease in Italian.
As for Sicily, at least the mafiosi seem to have calmed down a bit, and are no longer blowing up cars carrying judges and their families and/or colleagues and anyone who happened to be nearby. They were every bit as disgusting as the "Islamist" creeps who launched an attack in nearby Tunis earlier this year.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jul 26, 2015 16:33:15 GMT
I'll have a bunch of mean faces to show you as the thread continues, Kerouac. LaGatta, I was at the point of serious meltdown in Trapani, trying to find the ad hoc pick up point for the bus to Palermo. (rot in hell, evil Segesta busline, rot in hell!) That's when I asked the umpteenth person for directions & he turned out to be a knight in shining armor. He rode me around in his air-conditioned car (thank you, Lord!) all over the place, finally winding up back at the (also ad hoc) ticket office. He gave the people there a ration of shit & even filled out a complaint form. He then took me to ad hoc pick up point #2 -- under a damned tree! -- & left me to finally get the bus. Thank you, kind sir! Anyway, I'm using my own two reliable feet for transportation right now, & I invite you all to accompany me around more of Palermo. Here we are on Via Maqueda again, where I continue to be childishly amused by the Italian word for Indian, mentally singing each time I see it, "... the candlelight still shining bright through the sycamores for meeee". Smoke, smoke, smoke that cigarette!And here we are at Piazza Giuseppe Verdi, a fitting name for the plaza holding the opera house -- Teatro Massimo. It had been my intention to visit it as a sort of follow-up to the magnificent Opera Garnier, but I was sort of holding a grudge, as there would be no performance until the day after I left. Also, this was @11 in the morning & I'd have to wait until noon for a Spanish language tour -- no unaccompanied tours. Furthermore, and I'm sorry, but after Paris I am picky -- the place seems very poorly maintained. Much of the outside wood is as weathered as an old barn, & none of it is spiffy. Oh, well -- it will be something to do on my next visit, right? Anyway, a few shots. The interior one is from the gift shop ~ The area around the Piazza Verdi is lovely, as are so many of these spaces in Palermo -- shade trees and some of the narrower streets given over to cafes. This lovely old stand is still serving its purpose behind the modern advertising obscuring it ~Now we're off to another objective, passing this clever construction chute and the whimsical house decoration along the way ~
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jul 26, 2015 16:54:38 GMT
It's really frustrating not to be able to find any history on this fascinating wall. The route takes us through Via Mura San Vito, which shows its age in fascinating layers. Entering, then looking back the way we came ~Exposed old terra cotta drain pipes ~Ancient what?Here we are at our destination, Mercato Il Capo. Thank you dear cousin Terry for turning me on to this!
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2015 17:00:03 GMT
Any display of seafood for sale and I am in heaven.
But I also liked very much the wooden tobacco kiosk.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jul 26, 2015 17:03:34 GMT
The sun had everyone climbing the wall ~Tuna roe ~
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jul 26, 2015 17:07:47 GMT
Kerouac, if you could smell that market, it would be even more heavenly. The fish was as fresh as could be, the tomatoes and fruits released their aromas in the heat, & the olive stands almost had me swooning. I bought two kinds of olives, some cheese, two different kinds of plums out of the many available, pears & some bread -- great hotel snacking!
Much more Palermo to come.
|
|
|
Post by lagatta on Jul 26, 2015 18:01:49 GMT
Mmm, those lovely Sicilian aubergines. How I want some of that fish and seafood. Were those ladies shopping at the market Bangladeshi? Their clothing looks South Asian, not Tunisian.
Bixa, you might want to also pick up a small package of Sicilian ceci flour, for panelle. There are pretty little yellow packets of farina di ceci in your photo with the bottarga, estratto di pomodoro e zenzero candito.
|
|
|
Post by htmb on Jul 26, 2015 18:14:01 GMT
Bixa, you need your own kitchen there!
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Jul 26, 2015 18:20:56 GMT
I admit I prefer the fruit and veggies pictures to those of the fish. The prices look good too, where they are posted.
We have striped eggplants (aubergines) like that here too -- they appeared within the past few years.
|
|
|
Post by lagatta on Jul 26, 2015 18:41:05 GMT
The Sicilian aubergines aren't necessarily striped; often they are a pale violet colour, with touches of cream. They are often the shape of those shown though; they are very tender and not at all bitter.
Well, of course vegetables are prettier, but I do love having some fish with them. Though I've been making a lot of dishes that are only vegetables this summer.
I do agree that a little kitchenette would be nice.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2015 18:55:51 GMT
Frankly, I think cooking facilities would be depressing travelling alone. They would be perfect for a group of 3 or 4, though.
The second photo in reply #16 looks like a cross between cauliflower and romanesco. It is not as symetrically perfect as romanesco but it is clearly too green to be classic cauliflower.
I just want to be dragged into a kitchen by an Italian mamma and asked to beat her octopus to a polpi with a mallet.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jul 26, 2015 20:03:05 GMT
She'd probably like that. LaGatta, I can get the garbanzo flour where I live. It's used for soup there, but no reason it couldn't be turned into pannelle. (<--sp?) Those ladies were shopping at the market shown above. There are people in exotic garb all over Palermo. It's deadly hot here, so every time I pass a woman swathed in veils and long sleeves, I almost faint in sympathy. Tonight I wandered into an African neighborhood & got a few pics, but not the ones I really wanted. There was a man in a red & black robe who was a walking work of art. I agree with you, Htmb! I doubt I'd be depressed alone in a kitchen, but if anyone wants to get up a group to rent a place for some Sicilian cooking & touring, I'm in. Aww, Bjd ~ fish are beddi!
|
|
|
Post by htmb on Jul 26, 2015 20:12:29 GMT
Such marvelous colors! What is the long, tubular shaped vegetable on the right side of your last photo, Bixa? I'm sure I should recognize it.
Eating out in restaurants is an occasional treat for me, but I'd rather enjoy most food at "home," even while traveling. With so many delicious market foods to choose from it can be easy and inexpensive to pick up a few fresh and easy to prepare items. To each his own, I guess.
|
|
|
Post by lagatta on Jul 26, 2015 20:25:34 GMT
Funny, I only enjoy going out to eat if it is with at least one friend. I'm also of the clan that wants to do some very simple cooking. There was no wok where I was staying in the 20th in Paris one time, up above rue des Pyrénées; I bought a cheap one at the Place des fêtes market and left it there. The people where I was staying had olive oil, so I used it and bought them another identical bottle, though of course I hadn't used a whole bottle. I sautéed vegetables, cooked fish etc.
There are also many things already prepared (rotisserie chicken, pannelle etc) so it certainly isn't a matter of spending hours in the kitchen when travelling.
Though in an Italian city, I wouldn't be bothered making morning coffee, as there is always an espresso bar round the corner, that is open early for people heading to work.
And yes, if there is "Spanish" garbanzo flour in Oaxaca, that is identical to the Sicilian. The South Asian chickpea flour has a slightly different flavour.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jul 26, 2015 20:49:35 GMT
I went out for lunch today to a crowded restaurant that had been calling to me. I was seated at a large round table with two couples. It turned out that both couples were from Spain, & both of the women were from Málaga. They were all lovely people & it was a pleasure to have a normal conversation again. Htmb, those long things are cucuzzi. I've known them all my life as "gugutza" or just "gugutz". The many Sicilians who settled in Louisiana brought their old-world squash & its southern Italian pronunciation with them. Probably someone in your area is growing them. It was always one of those things where someone would give you seeds, but now you can buy them online. It's a great thing for little kids to grow, as the crop is so dramatic. The favorite way to eat them in my family was cut up & stewed with some tomato & whatever bits or little cubes that were left over from grating romano cheese. It's a delicately flavored squash, and that method lets the flavor shine through. davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/73599/
|
|
|
Post by htmb on Jul 26, 2015 21:10:45 GMT
Thanks, Bixa.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2015 21:12:13 GMT
No squash for me!
|
|
|
Post by htmb on Jul 26, 2015 21:16:54 GMT
Well, none for me, either. Not after my traumatic childhood experience. But I do like the idea of watching the dramatic growth process, plus my grandchildren will eat anything. Particularly if it's something they've grown.
|
|