PALERMO

In Italy, almost every city has its own patron saint, and that saint’s feast day is often the most important celebration of the year. In Palermo, that saint is Santa Rosalia. Or, as we affectionately call her, la Santuzza. It’s not easy to translate the word beautifully. It is[…]

Yes, it turns out Caravaggio lived in Palermo. The short version is that he was sentenced to death in Rome for murder and fled to Malta. There, despite being a wanted man, he was accepted into the Order of Malta. But even in Malta something happened (depending on the[…]

At first, I translated Porta Felice as “Happy Gate,” and I really loved the name. But it turned out that the gate was actually named after a woman called Felice, the wife of the viceroy. Porta Felice is the city’s gate on the sea side, at the opposite end[…]

The first time someone introduced me to this place, they explained that focaccia here is not the one most people know outside Palermo. This is our local version, the one used to serve meusa. To put it simply, Palermo focaccia is a soft bread roll for sandwiches (forgive the[…]

Once I was invited to the wedding of my Sicilian friends, who were living abroad for work. I wasn’t sure what to give Sicilians who undoubtedly missed home. In the end, I chose two Teste di Moro paintings. At first I wondered if they were just a tourist cliché,[…]

As I’ve mentioned before, here in Palermo we rarely throw anything away.Of course, I wouldn’t compare our flea markets to those in Rome or Paris. But when I first moved here and had to buy almost everything from scratch, they definitely helped me stay within budget. Besides the markets,[…]

Whenever I’m really hungry and need something quick to eat, arancina is always my lifesaver. The first time I tried this Sicilian classic was in Catania, where it’s masculine — arancino. Palermitans, however, believe that everything beautiful should be feminine. That’s why here in Palermo it’s arancina. In souvenir[…]

I love fountains and statues. So Palermo gave me a wonderful gift: the Fountain of the Genius of Palermo in Piazza Rivoluzione. It’s elegant, charming, and a little mysterious — just like its story. The Genius is the spirit and symbol of our city. Once, I tried to explain[…]

The first coppola I bought in Palermo turned out not to be quite a real coppola. Still, it protects me from the sun, and believe me, Sicilian caps are not just for decoration. A light linen cap that stays firmly on your head in gusty winds and is barely[…]

Saint Christopher is considered the patron saint of travelers, sailors, porters, drivers, and even postal workers. That’s why on Via Roma, to the left of the enormous Poste Italiane building — a fine example of Fascist-era architecture — you can see a large statue of Saint Christopher. According to[…]