Stories

In Piazza Politeama, there’s a small bronze sculpture called “The Homeless”, showing two boys. According to the legend, on a cold winter day they managed to collect a little money — enough either for two worn-out jackets or for a very modest dinner. Unable to choose between warmth and food, they split the money: one ate, the other bought a jacket. The first died from the cold that same night, while the second stayed warm and survived — giving him another chance to find food.

For me, Casa Professa is the perfect way to explain the Sicilian word tascia: bright, excessive and a little showy. You walk inside and are overwhelmed by the sheer amount of Baroque. It’s the most “Baroque Baroque” I’ve ever seen in my life.

Sicilian ceramics are quite easy to tell apart from mass-produced Chinese ones — they’re never absolutely perfect. The paint is applied by hand directly onto the white glaze, with no room for mistakes, so no two brushstrokes are exactly alike. And hand-painted pieces are usually signed on the back with the artist’s name, the region, or at least the words “dipinto a mano.”

Red shrimp is one of the icons of Sicilian cuisine. It’s caught at depths of 500–700 metres, in cold, dark waters, and is already a deep red while still raw — the colour most shrimp only get after cooking.

At the very beginning of Ballarò Market, there’s a tiny alley named after one of the most mysterious people ever born in Palermo — Count Cagliostro. A great adventurer, a brilliant con man, an alchemist, a healer, or simply someone who knew how to tell a convincing story.

Passeggiata delle Cattive means “the prisoners’ promenade.” This long terrace above the Foro Italico was once created especially for widows — women considered “prisoners” of mourning, who were not supposed to enjoy the usual pleasures of life.

According to legend, the famous Martorana fruits were born thanks to an empty autumn garden. An important guest was coming, but the monastery’s trees had already lost their fruit, so the nuns made new ones from almonds and honey, painted them and hung them from the branches.

Santa Rosalia, or la Santuzza as we affectionately call her, became the patron saint of Palermo after the plague in the 17th century. According to legend, her remains were found in a cave on Monte Pellegrino, where Rosalia had spent eight years in prayer.