Our itinerary for Sicily was 3 days in Palermo, one day in Trapani with a lunch stop in Castellammare del Golfo, then 2 days in Ortigia (Siracusa) with a stop on the way in Agrigento, and side trips to Noto and Ragusa, and finally a half day in Taormina before taking a ferry to Reggio Calabria. Next, 5 days in Calabria, the first in Reggio and the remaining 4 in Lamezia Terme, then a flight to Paris for 4 days.

Tuesday, 10/20

We arrived in Palermo in the morning and settled into Porta Maqueda B&B, located directly across the street from the opera house Teatro Massimo.

Beautiful large high-ceilinged room, lovely welcome and a perfect location in the center of everything. Not suitable for the disabled, though, as there are steps in addition to an elevator. The breakfasts were lovely and staff very welcoming and helpful.

For lunch they recommended Lo Bianco Osteria, a 7-minute walk away, which was an excellent choice.

We shared spaghetti with sardines, raisins and fennel (a Sicilian classic), then I had an oven-braised lamb with vegetables and potatoes, and Stanley had tripe in a tomato sauce. Both were delicious. With a half-liter of house wine and water, the bill was only 45 euros.

The remainder of the afternoon consisted of a most enjoyable tour of the Teatro Massimo, then a nap before dinner.

Built in 1897, it is the third largest opera house in Europe and seats 1,350 people.

After a restorative nap, we headed off to my dinner choice, Il Culinario, which was nothing less than fabulous. Located on a pedestrian street with touristy restaurants, this one stands out for originality and quality.

For starters, we shared sardine meatballs, then shared paccheri with a pistachio sauce and guanciale. For my main course I had the catch of the day, orata, perfectly grilled with a salad on the side, and Stanley had stuffed swordfish rolls, also with salad. With cocktails, water and an excellent bottle of Nero D’Avola, the bill was 111.50 euros.

Wednesday, 10/21

We began with Palazzo Butera.

It’s now a museum of art and objects, but still retains the original decoration.

Next we walked over to Palazzo Abatellis. It was almost entirely religious art, not very interesting, and the rooms were devoid of decoration. We didn’t find it very interesting.

Lunch was at Palazzo Sambuca. I forgot to take photos except for the wine, which was wonderful. The food was spectacular too. We shared shrimp tartare with bottarga to start, and gnocchi with swordfish and cherry tomatoes next. For dessert we had a very good tiramisu. Bill total was 139 euros. I thought I had reserved on The Fork, which would have resulted in a 20% discount, but somehow the reservation didn’t complete. It was a bargain nonetheless.

Following that we went to Palazzo Chiaramonte.

The palace also incorporated a prison used during the inquisition. The following photos are graffitti made by prisoners. It had been plastered over, but has been exposed.

The next photo is the interior courtyard of the palace.

From there we walked over to the church of Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio, which is decorated with magnificent mosaics.

That night’s dinner was at Sapori Perduti (lost flavors).

Sorry, again I forgot to add photos. Best to sit outside as it’s more atmospheric than the overly bright interior. Food was wonderful, comparable to Il Culinario but different. We shared octopus to start, and it was not only flavorful but so tender too. Next we shared a mixed seafood couscous. This was very tasty but not as exciting as the pastas we had at Il Culinario and Palazzo Sambuca. The main courses, pork medallions and sea bass parmigiano, were outstanding. We shared a sable with peach sauce for dessert, also very good. With aperol spritzes, water and a bottle of nero d’avola, the total was 143 euros.

Thursday, 10/22

This was our day to go to Monreale. We took an Uber and it was only about a half-hour trip.

After touring the cathedral and cloister, we had planned to have lunch at Taverna del Pavone, a short walk away. Unfortunately we found it was closed, even though the hours are listed as open every day, apparently due to a brief truckers’ strike. Several others were closed as well. We eventually ended up at Ciuri Bottega e Cucina, which turned out to be quite good.

We shared a caprese to start, then I had eggplant rolls stuffed with prosciutto and cheese, and Stanley had a burger. The menu is simple and limited but perfect for a light lunch. With a bottle of rose, water and coffees, the total was 59 euros.

Returning to Palermo, our first stop was Palazzo Gangi. Unfortunately I hadn’t realized it required advance booking and was very expensive. We continued toward the cathedral, passing through the famous intersection, Quatro Canti.

We then toured the bishop’s palace across the street.

Back to the B&B and then to dinner at Tannura Osteria.

This was a good choice, very busy and elegant atmosphere, without being stuffy. The food started out great but then fell a bit. Stanley had mussel soup and I had baked caciocavallo cheese to start. Both were delicious. Next we shared an order of pasta with rabbit ragu, which was also a treat. The main courses were less successful. He had lamb chops, which were tasty but thin so a bit overdone. My duck breast, despite the fact that the waiter and I agreed should be rare, came out medium-well. With cocktails, an excellent bottle of nero d’avola, and water, and a 20% discount for reserving on The Fork, the total was 129 euros, so I can excuse the shortcoming.