Sicily is a rather enchanting place, with a wonderfully diverse history whose legacy still resonates throughout the island today. You can almost feel the passion in the air, in the stones of the buildings and ruins that dot the island, and even in the various gastronomic delights that are on offer. Or maybe it was just fantastic to be on a warm island after spending a couple of freezing days in Tuscany and putting one’s life at risk for shopping (although getting a nice b’day gift from the place was well worth the effort!).
Only 2 main places were visited - Palermo and Taormina. The former is just steeped in history, from its time under the control of the Romans, Carthaginians, Arabs, Normans etc (with an amazing view of the skyscape from the roof of the hotel) and the latter is a posh little hillside resort overshadowed by
Europe’s most active volcano and looking over a beautifully pristine coastline.
As with most foreign lands, Palermo was best explored by foot. The weather was conducive as well, although it did drizzle towards the end of day 1, when we were let down by our newly-purchased umbrella. We covered most of the city – from the Kalsa region that was rather foreboding in its rather dishevelled state, to the market with its huge slabs of swordfish, to the various buildings and monuments that bore testament to the architectural amalgamation of the various civilisations that claimed their stake at Palermo.
We also took a day trip to the nearby village of Monreale, which featured fantastic views from a hilltop along with a rather impressive 12th century cathedral whose walls and ceiling were laid with gold mosaics, forming pictures that told stories from the bible. It also had a good seafood restaurant that filled us to the brim, but the food wasn’t as drool-inducing as the place that we went to for my birthday dinner.
The Michelin-starred Sant’andrea was housed in a very unassuming location and featured a fantastic array of local specialities. We weren’t quite able to go through the whole Italian tradition of having an antipasti, 1st course, 2nd course, dessert and coffee but the food we had was excellent and its reputation as one of the top restaurants in Sicily was well-deserved. High on the list was the seabass and squid I had that quite literally melted in my mouth, and the warm chocolate mousse that tasted so well with the icy lemon gelato, especially when the chocolate sauce starting oozing from its gooey centre.
Sigh.
The other outstanding restaurant that we went to was GranDuca in Taormina, where the seafood was again exceptional. We developed an extreme fondness for the Sicilian
pasta con le sarde (pasta with sardines). The restaurant itself was a physical wonder – located in a Baroque palazzo with yet another deceptive facade. The steps led us down towards the terraces that overlooked the Ionian Sea and the nearby valley. It’s a pity the fact that we went for dinner prevented us from optimally enjoying the view.
The town of Taormina is a quaint little place with pedestrianised, cobblestoned streets that are a delight to wander around in. The streets are lined with quite a few high-end shops though, as the place is a tourist magnet and also a favourite retreat for a number of celebrities throughout the years such as Audrey Hepburn. The main attraction is the partially-ruined amphitheatre that overlooks a cliff – provides magnificent views, and apparently plays host to a number of arts festival during the warmer months. It’s a pity we missed it, but then again, we were quite fortunate to enjoy the town during a period when it was not heaving with tourists.
We left Sicily via Catania, a city that appeared almost ghetto-like in comparison to the elegance of Taormina. It did have its moments, and the Piazza Duomo that’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site is well worth a visit. But after further window shopping, another couple of gelato and whispered discussions on which member of the public might be a member of the
la cosa nostra, we were ready to take things easy. We hardly covered half of what Sicily had to offer, but we’d definitely be going back.
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