We originally planned to stay a week in Palermo. But it was difficult to find self-catering accommodation that ticked all our boxes. And in any case, there was that overnight-ferry transition day to contend with. Hotels are very useful for those, but you don't want to be a whole week in a hotel...

So, we decided to split the time between Palermo and a place on the coast called Cefalu. And we made the split two-five, because we wanted to get the travelling over with before New Year.

The upshot of these decisions is that we've had just two full days in this historic city. In one sense, that's not remotely enough time. It's a fabulously rich place, bulging with churches and palaces, laced with twisty alleys, and shot through with mighty axes so straight that you can see the sea at one end and the mountains at the other. There would be plenty to do for days (or weeks).

On the other hand, this is probably the most touristy place we've encountered on this trip. Either Palermo is now a year-round tourist attraction, or the Christmas/New Year period is a busy time for Mediterranean travel. Whatever the explanation, there are queues to get into places of interest (we don't queue); there are crowds (we don't like crowds); and there's a noticeable presence of tourist tat shops (the only thing we're ever likely to buy along these lines is a fridge magnet to add to our collection...). Whenever you encounter any of these phenomena, you think, yep, two days will do just fine, and maybe we'll come back one miserable day at the end of some miserable November when surely no-one else is visiting.




Palermo's history... Where do you start? It has a reputation for being the most conquered city in the world... It has seen Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, and Ostrogoths; Byzantines (big on changing the face of the city), Muslim forces (Islamic makeover), and Normans (more architectural change); and then a succession of dynasties: the Hohenstaufens, Angevins, and Aragonese, followed by the Spanish Habsburgs (grand baroque, and the Holy Inquisition), and then the Savoys, Austrian Habsburgs, and Bourbons (another big facelift). Then it was 1860, and Giuseppe Garibaldi was incorporating Sicily into the brand-new Kingdom of Italy.


Given all that turbulence, Sicily could well have adopted the motto of the Isle of Man (whichever way you throw it, it will stand). And indeed, Sicily has a triskelion (trinacria) as the centrepiece of its flag. But in all the (multiple and varied) explanations of the significance of the Sicilian emblem I haven't seen that one.


Anyway, what follows is just a little taste of the richness and eclectism of its architecture:















This is all very fascinating, but memorable too are the "ordinary" streetscapes:







In a league of their own are the animals that keep popping up everywhere:






Both days consisted largely of walking, staring, and snapping. But we did visit the Capuchin Catacombs, which are full (there are literally thousands) of mummified remains... We saw preserved monks in Brno, a long time ago, and they were Capuchin too.

Various techniques were used, ranging from natural mummification (enhanced by arsenic during plague times) to chemical embalming. Some bodies are now little more than bone, whereas others are so well preserved that you would certainly recognize their owners if you'd known them. Many lie on shelves; many others lean giddily out of niches; some occupy receptacles of various kinds. Before death, people would choose the outfits they wanted their mummified bodies to wear, and there are a wide range, from monastic robes to smart black suits. The clothes somehow make it all more surreal. I don't know what it is that determines this circumstance, but it seems that if you die open-mouthed, you may end up looking as though you're howling against your fate, or you may appear to be finding it all a good joke. The closed-mouthed, meanwhile, are more likely to look as though they're peacefully sleeping.

A strange experience. You're not allowed to take photos, but the video here gives you a good idea of how it all looks.

There's also the church, which is worth a look, and the "ordinary" graveyard alongside:





What else? Well, food... We did the length of Ballaro and Capo street markets, and they are bursting with fine things (I can smell the olives all over again as I write). But crowded, crowded... We took quieter approaches:







Finally, a little arts coda:



All too brief, all too brief. But these are the trade-offs you make on any journey. We'll have good memories of Palermo.