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We spent our last two days in Palermo figuring out transportation and routes for the last ten days of our trip. We leave here tomorrow for the small Aolian Island of Lipari, a train and ferry ride away. It is close to Stromboli, an active volcano. After three nights there in an apartment almost on the beach, we take a ferry, train, and plane to Rome, where we spend the night, and then fly to NYC, and take a train to Connecticut to see my Mom and step-dad...and celebrate my mom's 85th birthday!
We also toured the Palace (which doubles as the home of the local legislature), observed the end of a famous car rally, and took in a rehearsal of the ballet company's Cinderella at the Teatro Massimo. The quiet here still amazes us: in mid-afternoon on a Sunday you can hear mostly bird song, yet we are in one of the most dense parts of the city!
The Palace tour was complicated by the early closure on Saturday. We found out as we were leaving that the closing was due to a private wedding being held there... There were long lines at the ticket booth, and no
senior reductions for Americans. Once we had paid (over $13 each!), we found out that the line for security was much longer...All bags had to be x-rayed and each person had to go through a metal detector. Once we were finally inside out of the rain, we thought the building had some beautiful areas, but probably wasn't worth the money time since we had seen similar decor already. It was amusing to watch the mess as we left: very well-dressed, but perhaps mafia-looking people arriving for the wedding, trying to get past impatient tourists who were only getting a few minutes in the Palace for their money...The Palace was scheduled to close at 4:00, but when we left at 4:00, tourists were still coming in...wonder how it worked out?
The art exhibit, in the gallery in the "basement" was very interesting: Antonio Ligabue (1899-1965), one of the most important naif artists of the 20th century. He had a horrible life, and as a panel in the exhibit said, just surviving interfered with his time to paint. His talent lay in his ability to paint animals, both wild and domestic. He also made many self-portraits. He had about a year
The long, long line to get into the Palace...
And this was after the long line to buy tickets... of fame before his death.
The Teatro Massimo is immense, and partially renovated. It is the biggest opera house in Italy, and one of the largest of Europe, renowned for its perfect acoustics. It took 22 years to finish and opened in 1897. It closed in 1974 for renovations, and corruption and mis-management kept it closed until 1997. The ballet was supposed to be a dress rehearsal (and tickets were about $16 each), or so we had understood. We were disappointed to see the dancers in practice clothes, and no orchestra...but it was fun to be seated in the boxes (where a uniformed attendant unlocks your box for you..). As the grumbling grew, people in the box with us explained that everyone was very upset at the lack of costumes and live music, which was expected. At the intermission (actually a break between two rehearsals), we found mobs of well-dressed patrons gathered around ushers and officials in the lobby. The police even showed up...We decided to leave once we verified there would be no costumes or orchestra that day...
Outside the opera house, the 2016 FERRARI TRIBUTE TO TARGA FLORIO was ending, and the cars were lined up
Palace "chapel"
Look familiar??? as they arrived from the three day event. Conceived and organised by Vincenzo Florio, what was to become the world's oldest world's oldest motorsports race was disputed for the first time on 6 May 1906. This was the 100th anniversary rally. The actual race was outlawed in the 1970's because of the number of fatalities...
"An event combining the competitive, sports spirit of a motorsports race with the chance to discover breathtaking landscapes and experience the art, culture and gastronomy of picturesque villages." We ended our day with dinner at the apartment, and packing....
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George
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Enjoy the architectural details, which are a form of art in themselves. Italian and Sicilian weddings are BIG affairs. In the US, e.g. a family in Chicago would upwards towards 30-40 thousand dollars. So, not too surprising to see people in their finery, still, back in the mother country. G