Palermo and Monreale - The Tour Begins
We met our tour guide, the super-friendly and knowledgable Stephanie, and the other tour members Tuesday afternoon. Many of them have taken other Rick Steves' Tours and were just as excited as us "newbies". One "repeat customer" couple lives part-time in Italy and could easily have traveled through Sicily on their own, but instead signed up for this tour. How's that for a recommendation about how good Rick Steves' tours are?!​
After ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the view from our tour hotel's lovely rooftop terrace, we set off for a walk through old Palermo, which included places we hadn't discovered on our own ramblings.
​
After a tour of a palazzo (see below), we had our first group dinner near the Teatro Massimo, which helped break the ice.
View of Palermo from hotel rooftop terrace.
Our guide Stephanie, who's been a Rick Steves' guide for 20 years. She's about to open up her favorite candy to share with everyone on the bus. Yep, she's that nice!
Tour of Palazzo Conte Federico
At the Palazzo Conte Federico -- parts of which are from the 1100s -- we met the charming Contessa Alwine Federico and her two cats, who almost stole the show. She and her family are DIYers -- putting up wallpaper, restoring old ceilings, and decorating with old family heirlooms. To see what's hidden behind the tall doors of their home was enlightening.
Our favorite part was the old tower. We sympathized with the servants in times past who lugged food from the rustic kitchen down a narrow stairway to the dining room. Nowadays the family takes care of the place themselves. We won't complain about our garbage bill ever again. In Palermo, it's based on square footage ... we do not envy them their $34,000 annual garbage bill!
Convents, Fountains, Ballaro Market
Local guide Jackie led us on a tour and:
-
Broke our hearts with the sad-but-true tale of how in times past the first-born daughters of the Sicilian aristocracy had arranged marriages, while second-born daughters used to be given to a convent, as early as age 11, with no choice and never to see their families again.​​
-
Cheered us up by telling us how all the nude statues at the so-called "Fountain of Shame" -- real name "Fontana Pretoria" -- supposedly so offended nuns that they broke off some of the, well, offending bits. Looks like repairs were successful!
-
Explained about all the decorative statues on each corner at the busy Quattro Conti.
-
Got us safely through the winding, bustling Ballaro Market, where vendors were selling seafood, meat, spices, vegetables, marzipan gifts for All Souls' Day, souvenirs, and more.
Monreale
In this hilltop town, our breath was taken away by the:
-
Intricate glittering gold mosaics in the cathedral -- on the floor, on the walls, on the ceiling
-
Climb up the many steps from the bus to the town
-
Scenic vistas of Palermo and the Mediterranean
-
Sudden realization that the salumi and veggie pizza we ordered -- with one ingredient we couldn't translate -- included chopped up sheep intestines! We rolled with it and ate all of the pizza. Tasted like sausage. (Well, that's what we kept telling ourselves!)
We kept seeing these decorative male and female heads all over town -- on fabric, on napkins, as pottery, as planters. Local guide Jackie told us the "romantic yet gruesome" tale of the.... Wait, I don't want to ruin it for you. Let's just say it's the classic tale of "he done her wrong" so she.... No-no-no! You'll just have to take the tour to find out!
​​
We're so glad we walked behind the cathedral. We think it's the best view. We ambled down some side streets to find superbly decorated doorways ... along with some plants in pots shaped like the male head. (Okay, you can read about this classic tale by searching online for "Teste di Moro".)