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Published: August 7th 2007
View Of Porticello
Looking towards the port through some steps.With six water bottles in hand we left Mondello and set off for the Capuchin Catacombs and then on to the seaside villages of Porticello and Sant'Elia which are about 20 Km east of downtown Palermo. The weather was broiling, apparently it reached 42 C (108 F) but what was most striking were the number of wildfires around the freeways, in the moutains and well, pretty much everywhere. It appeared that a single "amphibious bomber" was dispatched to drop water on these hundreds of fires (kinda like spitting on a bonfire). The plane would land briefly on the ocean to take-in water then rush off to drop it's load.
The Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo were as billed; grotesque and eerie. As we descended into the Catacombs the temperature dropped about 10 degrees. The location of corpses was stratified by social rank or group. Unmarried women, married women, children, priests, and men were grouped separately. Many people from wealth were interned here (you can't really say buried). We were out in about 30 minutes and just glad that we were not the night watchman. What we noticed coming out was that we were reacting to something in the air....maybe dust (we
Largo Sanfilippo
Children playing with a hose on a hot day. were clearing our throats and generally feeling kinda yucky). Hmmm....arsenic was used in the embalming process.
Next up was Porticello located in the commune of Santa Flavia. It took about 30 minutes of driving east to reach our destination. We had heard that this small fishing community was renowned through out the Palermo province for it's good seafood. Before arriving I assumed that it might be just a small port mostly dedicated to fish processing, maybe a few modest houses etc. What we found instead was a charming fishing village....surrounding a small piazza and harbor which was stuffed with commercial fishing boats. I have seen many small fishing communities but this by far was the prettiest, almost idyllic. The adjacent communities (< .5 mile stretch) of Sant'Elia, San Nicolicchio up to the massive rock of Capo Zafferano surround small coves of crystal clear azure blue water with houses either on, above or in some cases, in the water. Children were playing in the relatively shallow still water. Larger villas were present that overlooked the postcard views, particularly as we drove closer to the seaside town of Aspra. Definitely a nice play to stay while visiting Palermo.
We decided
San Niccholicchio
Heaven on earth.... to dodge the sizzling heat and have some aqua minerale and perhaps a small lunch in one the restaurants overlooking the harbor. We stepped into ristorante l'approdo, which had about 15 tables in a grotto-like setting and was a refreshing 75 F (versus 109 F). We were rewarded with a fantastic selection of fresh seafood including a delicious lobster crepe (they offered a free sampling!), clams, shrimp and grilled fish. The food was very fresh and good, and our server very knowledgeable about many of the families living in the area.
Sabrina (who really didn't want to have a large lunch) pretty much cleaned her good sized plate of spaghetti vongole.
We jumped into the car and drove back to Palermo (side trip to the award winning Pasticceria Cappello, and a visit to a small farm/village located near the historic district). Back at the hotel the power was up and down all evening long....but at least our hand-washed laundry dried quickly that night.
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