PALERMO
FROM TIPS TO
REAL HELP

Whenever I take guests for their first walk through Mercato del Capo, I introduce them to Pupa du Capo, which in Sicilian means “the girl of Capo.” Sadly, it is no longer possible to experience this place in its original form. Yet with a little imagination, it is still[…]

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[…]

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[…]

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[…]