Castellammare del Golfo, Italy

A taxi took us from Palermo train station to the coast an hour away. We checked into the lovely Marina Di Petrolo, home for the next week. The infinity pool looked inviting and the views from it were breathtaking.

The hotel was a five minute walk from the town and harbor. The historic little fishing port has a picturesque location at the foot of steep mountain slopes. It had a handsome curved harbor and a castle. It’s a working port with fishermen coming and going. In the summer there are lots of boat trips from here to nearby inlets. In the main square there was a monument to all those lost at sea.

There were lots of restaurants to choose from each evening. We had great pasta, pizza and lots of interesting fish and seafood meals and the prices were very reasonable too.

The days were sunny and warm and sometimes it was nearly too hot to sit by the pool. But we also saw some spectacular thunderstorms with strip lightning lighting up the sky. We got soaked one evening as the rain ran in rivers down the street and the boys huddled under our one umbrella.

It was a lovely place to celebrate my birthday. That day was spent relaxing by the pool and in the hotel spa. Then followed up with a lovely dinner down by the marina. I got to choose a fish from the fish tank for my dinner much to the boys delight! Then we finished the night with a gelato from the world’s second best gelato place, Gelateria Vernaci, no 1 still goes to Yummylicious in Sag Harbor.

Next day it was time to say ciao to our relaxing haven by the sea and return to Palermo for a night. We were immediately struck by the noises and smells of the city in contrast to the fresh sea air and peaceful surroundings we had enjoyed all week. We checked into the funky Porta di Castro Hotel for two nights. There was quirky artwork everywhere, the first floor was made of clear Perspex so we could view the lobby from above, the bedroom had a staircase and a collection of vespas parked upstairs!

We took a walk to see the city and visit the imposing Palermo Cathedral. The grandeur of the building is obvious as it comes into view at the top of Via Vittoria Emmanuel. The building is characterized by the presence of different styles, due to a long history of restorations where original styles were altered and covered by new architectural styles. Originally a Byzantine chapel stood here, then a mosque and in 1185 building of the Cathedral commenced.

The Cathedral has a meridian. The idea is quite simple: a tiny hole in one of the minor domes acts as a pinhole camera projecting an image of the sun onto the floor. There is a bronze line on the floor, running precisely North to South. At solar noon the sun image passes through this line. At different times of the year the sunlight hits different point of the line. The ends of the line mark the positions at the summer and winter solstices; signs of the zodiac show various dates throughout the year.

We walked through the very busy streets as the sun was setting. Musicians and street performers were setting up in the busy squares. There was a buzz around the cafes and restaurants. We saw the statue and the parliament.

Next morning we did a quick tour of the Norman Palace. The gold church was most impressive. The boys were interested in the twelve tasks of Hercules and had fun picking out the pictures displaying different tasks in the courtroom.