Exploring Beautiful Sicily By Train: First Stop, Palermo

Exploring Beautiful Sicily By Train: First Stop, Palermo

Welcome on board our 12 day rail tour of Sicily. In this video Gail and I will explore our first stopover, Palermo, after having arrived early morning by overnight sleeper train, the Intercity Notte. It was a memorable journey starting in Naples (or Napoli), and crossing by ferry to the island of Sicily. If you want to see an in-depth review of this train, take a look at our video here: https://youtu.be/tyySiE-fKYs

Palermo is a wonderfully warm city (we were here late October). Its many pedestrian friendly streets invite a casual stroll with many sidewalk cafes and restaurants enticing you with unique Sicilian treats that speak to the island’s many cultures. Italian, Greek, Arabian ‘invaders’ have each left their distinct influence on the island’s cuisine and architecture. And there’s many sites to explore: the Cattedrale di Palermo, the Palazzo dei Normanni with it’s Arabian-inspired Cappella Palatina, the Porto Palermo, the evocative mural commemorating Falcone and Borsellino, Chiesa e Monastero di Santa Caterina d’Alessandria (and it’s I Segreti del Chiostro where you can pick up delicious cannoli hand made just for you!) , Museo Archeologico Regionale Antonino Salinas and Teatro Massimo. Finally, there’s a brief commuter train trip to the nearby town of Bagheria and a visit to Villa Palagonia, also known as the Villa of Monsters…with good reason!