We left our beautiful B&B in Lecce at 4am to go to the Brindisi airport. Our flight to Rome was scheduled for 6:10am. The check in line was already long at 4:25. I happily relinquished my bag to be check through to Palermo. The second flight is Rome to Palermo. We made the transfer and arrived in Palermo with luggage. The trip from the airport to the hotel was easy. Andrea, our guide was waiting for us. He is charming and funny.
We checked in, got rooms established, and met for a short walk in town. We stopped for a crazy stand up lunch outside that was a delicious mix of Muslim food. It was fried chickpeas , fried mashed potatoes, arancini rice balks and cooked spleen…for the very brave! Then we split up to explore the town.
A group of us went to visit a cathedral. Just before we reached the destination we heard opera singing. As we approached the square, we found two young singers who were performing for those of us who assembled. It was incredible. I could have stayed for a very long time but we had plans.
We visited the very baroque rococo cathedral of St Catherine. There was not an empty spot to be seen. It was covered in paintings and marble everywhere.
One of the draws there was a wonderful bakery that makes cannoli on demand. I can’t say that I care for cannoli so I ate a cookie instead.
We moved on to a private collection of Majolica tiles. It was an interesting spot to be able to visit a private home. The person who lives there is quite a collector.
We made our way back to our hotel to regroup. A few of us went out for dinner to a restaurant that was recommended by our guide. It was all fish and absolutely fantastic.
It’s been a long day. Time to get ready for tomorrow.
The Adventures of Anne 