PALERMO

Many experienced travelers know that in tourist cities, large supermarkets always seem to be hidden away from the main tourist areas. We’ve all also had that moment when we forgot some simple everyday item and suddenly couldn’t find it anywhere. That really annoys me. I even thought about opening[…]

I’ll start with a sentence that surprises many of my guests: there are no beaches in Palermo. Yes, it’s a city by the sea with direct access to the coast, but it’s also a port city, and we don’t have a city beach. Most travel guides send visitors to[…]

Palermo, like Sicily itself, feels deeply contradictory to me. It is both very loud and completely quiet at the same time. Right now, it is evening. I am surrounded by pigeons and seagulls. Outside, only Federico, my neighbor from the barbershop, is smoking a cigarette while waiting for his[…]

One of Palermo’s most famous fountains is seen by almost everyone who walks along Via Maqueda. In Piazza Pretoria—known to many locals as Piazza della Vergogna (the Square of Shame)—stands a monumental fountain filled with nude figures. Locals often refer to it as the Fountain of Shame, or Fontana[…]

Traffic in Italy is known for being chaotic. But traffic in Sicily can sometimes surprise even Italians. Cars, scooters, motorcycles, bicycles, e-scooters, and even horse-drawn carriages all seem to be moving in the same direction, yet each follows its own path and speed. I am still amazed by the[…]

If you like exploring cities on foot, Palermo is a very comfortable place to be. We have a metro / train, buses, and trams. For most visitors, the first two are all you’ll need. If you decide to venture beyond the historic center, Google Maps will usually suggest the[…]

The journey between the airport and the city takes about an hour. My favourite option is the train. Trains from the airport to Palermo Centrale run regularly every 30–60 minutes, depending on the time of day. The station is located directly inside the airport, and tickets can be purchased[…]

Every morning I wake up to Salvatore’s abbanniate — the traditional Sicilian street vendors’ calls used to attract customers and keep them entertained. Once I told him, “Salvatore, you’re my alarm clock,” and ever since then he has started shouting a little later. So I always know what time[…]