We were very sorry to say goodbye to Favignana, but jumped on the ferry back to Sicily nonetheless.
Staying up on deck and taking in the last sea views we’d see for a while.
Old belt
Vintage Noe Bag (15% off all vintage with code: “MIDSALE”)
Leaving at daybreak and a flight to London booked later that evening, we found ourselves footloose and fancy free for the day.
Keen to see a little more of Sicily, we decided to spend the day in Palermo, its capital.
A thriving metropolis, Palermo is big, dirty, noisy, smelly, busy, crazy and quite simply marvellous.
Its sprawling food markets make up their own little worlds.
Winding streets of tents and stalls, all flogging fresh produce and bites to eat.
The air swims with the smell of hot pavement, fresh herbs, raw fish, cheese, sugar and things cooking on grills.
Sellers bellow their wares to the heaving crowds squeezing their way through the maze, while some opt for a more gentle approach.
It’s one of the few food markets you’ll still find that’s almost exclusively used by locals.
Real Sicilians doing their supermarket sweep.
Should you find yourself in town, check out Ballarò Street Market from 8 til 2 every day.
Go hungry, try everything – including oysters shucked and drizzled in Sicilian lemon right before your eyes.
The surrounding streets are a maze of crumbling dirty streets, covered in the most spectacular street art.
You could spend days exploring and documenting all of the murals.
Bars open onto the street, overflowing with happy punters who’ll try and drag you in if you show a moment’s hesitation!
In the side streets you’ll find antiques, trinkets and more food stalls.
Traffic grinds to a standstill every few minutes for another spectacular Sicilian wedding party.
If it all seems a bit too much you can always hop into a Vespa tuktuk and they’ll whisk you around town, showing you the sights.
The Cathedral is well worth a visit.
Wander around the square out front to get a real feel for the sheer scale of the place.
But the frescos inside shouldn’t be missed.
Your own private view onto the heavens.
Outside you can stock up on Sicilian pottery and baskets.
And take a stroll through the gardens.
We settled for lunch in the shadow of an abandoned church.
One of the many street restaurants in the city.
And polished it all off with gelato scoops from a local parlour.
Just the ticket to send you firmly to sleep on the way home.
We’d have travelled like these guys given half the chance!
Palermo was an assault to the senses in every possible way.
We loved it.
Make sure you squeeze in an afternoon there at some point, it’s quite the adventure!
