Petersontravels

On our 3rd day in Palermo we took an Uber to the train station and headed to Cefalu, a gorgeous beach town just 50 minutes away by train.  Be warned, these trains get packed!  Line up early to ensure you get a seat.  We had no issues but others said they had to stand the entire way.  Just off the train is this map of Cefalu.  You don’t really need a map, this place is small.

It was raining lightly as we walked into town.  This is the main road through Cefalu.

Our first stop was the Duomo of Cefalu, one of the three Norman-Byzantine churches in Sicily.  Fortunately the rain had lifted after the short walk to the church.

Does this look familiar?  The Christ Pantocrator we saw in Monreale looks just like this one.

Here is a closeup to confirm they are pretty much the same.

The church is beautiful, no doubt, but I’ve gotta say it doesn’t hold a candle to the one in Monreale.  The stained glass windows are unique, but very new, having been created between 1985 and 1990.  They simply look like “modern art” to us, and if you have been reading our blog you will know we are not fans.

Outside of the Christ Pantocrator, the exterior is the best part of the church, particularly as it’s nestled up against “La Rocca di Cefalu”, the mountain that overlooks the town.

We then walked towards a spot with a waterfront view, and the personality of Cefalu is quite evident in it’s welcoming narrow pedestrian (mostly) streets.

A quick dodge to the right from the prior photo and you have this perfect view towards the west along the coastline.

A view worthy of a selfie!

There is a breakwater with some benches looking towards La Rocca.  This view might look familiar to those who watched White Lotus, Season 2, as one scene was shot right on that bench (it was supposedly in Palermo in the show).

Here is a shot of the same spot from a little further back.

While the weather continued to threaten there were several people enjoying the Mediterranean waters.

There was even a bit of surf!

Everybody was vying for a photo amongst these ancient seaside walls at Piazza Marina.  I was able to sneak Kim in there for a quick shot.

I thought this abandoned street made for a perfect photo!  Love the patterns in the cobblestone, particularly as they still have a shine from the morning rain.

We decided to try to make our way up to La Rocca, where you can hike up the side of the small mountain.  We saw these planters in the middle of the stairs on the way up.  Ceramics are a huge thing in Sicily.

This is the view looking back towards the ocean from the top of the same stairs.

When we got to the entrance of La Rocca we saw this line….and it was not moving.  I didn’t capture the entire thing…there were more people lined up to the right.

We didn’t plan to hike all the way up in the first place, just enough to get a better view, but with the line not moving we decided to simply take in the view from here.  I’ve gotta say, this was good enough!

After about a 6 minute walk downhill we were at the beach.  This spot was also a site for a White Lotus scene, as this beach was used for numerous times in the show.  The shots must have happened at a much lower tide, as there was hardly any beach left while we were there.

This stairwell to the beach was also in White Lotus, right at the beginning and at the end.  We just watched it for the second time right before we came on this trip.

Back in Palermo, at sunset, this was the view of the sky from our room.  This image was not altered, the sky literally looked that purple.  It even made the ocean look purple!  I’ve never seen anything quite like it!

The next morning we checked out, took an Uber to pick up our rental car, and headed towards our next stop, the mountain top village of Erice.

On our 2nd full day in Palermo we took the hotel’s complimentary shuttle into the historic district.  They drop you off right in front of the Opera House.

We tried to take a tour but the line for tickets was long and the tour was starting, so we skipped it.  Beautiful building though!

We walked by the “No Mafia Memorial” the day prior, so we decided to check it out.  It’s free, they just ask for a small donation on the way out if you like it.  A word of caution, they don’t pull any punches here….likely not great for kids!  There are numerous graphic photos of people that have been shot and blown up by the mafia over the years.

This photo shows the car that belonged to Police Superintendent Lo Castro, riddled with bullet holes after he was attacked and murdered on July 5, 1950 by the Salvatore Giuliano gang.  He was just 27 years old  The mafia didn’t care who you were, police, politician or judge.

A good part of the museum focuses on Giuliano and his gang, who rose to prominence as the first Palermo based mafia group following the allied invasion of Sicily in 1943.  They were able to heavily arm themselves after the Germans fled Sicily, leaving many of their weapons behind.

Giuliano was known to be quite gregarious and easily liked by those he interacted with.  He gained a reputation as modern day Robin Hood since he frequently raided wealthy landowners and redistributed food and money to the poor.  His heroic image was shattered when his gang perpetuated a massacre in 1947, firing into a crowd of of unarmed peasants attending a May Day Rally.  He was ultimately betrayed and murdered in 1950 by his cousin, childhood friend and second-in-command via a deal with Italian authorities.

This photo shows the captured Sicilian bandits (all associated with Giuliano) that were captured on January 1, 1950.

I found it interesting that quite a few clergy members were involved in mafia operations.  These three were referred to as the “Monks of Mazzarino”, convicted of complicity with local mafia figures in extortion and murder in 1963.  They were each sentenced to 13 years in prison.

The museum is chronological, and the timeline shifts to the 80’s, with the murder of Benedetto Grado.  He was murdered by hitmen on orders from the Corleonesi faction of the Cosa Nostra mafia.  The 75 year old Grado was part of a competing mafia group.

There are many other photos showing the murder of judges and politicians, so if this is of interest to you it’s well worth checking out, and only about 200 meters from the exact center of the city.

We walked to the Norman Palace but unfortunately the Palatine Chapel was closed early as it was Sunday.  It’s another Norman/Byzantine church like Monreale, and worth visiting according to our prior day’s guide.  We did see this interesting tree that had all of these Champagne corks attached.

This is apparently a tradition in Sicily, to turn a regular tree into a “Cork Tree”.  People leave these corks to commemorate special milestones or as a toast to a great trip.  I guess it’s like people who leave locks on bridges?

A short post for a change!  Coming up we visit the beautiful seaside town of Cefalu, a 50 minute train ride east of Palermo.