A Traveler's Guide to Palermo

Tucked into Sicily's northern coast on the Tyrrhenian Sea, the capital city of Palermo is an enticing jewel in Sicily's crown. The look of this exotic city combines European and Asian flavours, as ornate Arabic and Baroque styles contribute to the impressive architecture.

To get to the genesis of Palermo's history, reach back to the 8th century B.C., when it was settled as a port. In fact, its original name, coined by the Greeks, was "Panormos," which means "all port." Control of Palermo shifted from the Phoenicians and the Carthaginians to the Greeks, then the Arabs to the Normans. The history of many of these controlling civilizations can still be seen in its buildings; sometimes, many coexist on the same structure.

While organized crime is, unfortunately, entrenched in Palermo's history, it has been on a downswing since the turn of the 21st century. After key Mafia leaders and players were either arrested or otherwise deposed, the influence of the organization has experienced a significant change.

Palermo residents unite every year in early July to celebrate the feast of their patron saint, Saint Rosalia, a 12th century hermit credited with easing Palermo's terrible plague of 1624. The faithful process a statue of the saint through the streets while celebrations of food and music consume the area.

The city's Arabic past comes to life in the Vucciria. A market reminiscent of the casbah, it is the busiest market in Palermo. The buzz of the shoppers blends with the scent of spices and fruits in the scorching heat to make a truly unique treasure-hunting experience in the ruins of the Loggia district.

Visitors who love churches and cathedrals are spoiled for choice in Palermo. Palermo Cathedral, officially known as Saint Mary of the Assumption, is a grand marriage of Norman, Byzantine, Arab, Gothic, Baroque, and Renaissance architectural styles. Its tombs are the final resting place for Saint Nicodemus, Frederick II of Sicily, and Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI, among many others. The frescos on the ceiling of Santa Caterina are illusionistic, to go along with the rest of this visually impressive church. The Basilica of the Holy Trinity, commonly called the Magione, has a heavy Norman exterior which is softened by surrounding palm trees.

San Giovanni degli Eremiti was built on the grounds of a mosque in the 12th century. Easily recognizable by its red domes, "Saint John of the Hermits" features a Latin cross plan and a lush garden in its elegant cloister.

The Capuchin Catacombs make for an eerily fascinating diversion. The 8000 mummies inside range from monks to friars to surgeons to sculptors.

Palermo's famous opera house is Teatro Massimo, on the Piazza Verdi. It boasts perfect acoustics and holds the honour of being Italy's largest opera house. If you have seen the movie "The Godfather III," you have seen a bit of its interior as the movie's operatic climax was shot inside.

Even the city's everyday streets, where residents live stacked many stories high in apartments with laundry-draped balconies, are a feast for the senses. The constant hum of vibrant people living their lives under the Sicilian sun is an unforgettable experience for the traveller who enjoys seeing host countries off the beaten path.

Getting to know Palermo at a leisurely pace is easy if you choose to stay in one of the cheap villas nearby. Palermo villas offer the comfort of a hotel with the casual familiarity of a country cottage. When you stay in Palermo like a local, you can fully enjoy the character and history of this ancient and intriguing Sicilian city.

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Sardinia and The Fantastic Beach of Orri

Italy has some of the most wonderful beaches in the Mediterranean and the world. And Sardinia has some of the most wonderful beaches of Italy. Therefore you can trust that your holiday in Italy will bring you to the most prized seaside localities with the best shores you have ever dreamed of. Orri is one if these beaches.

Set on the side of Sardinia that looks Italy, it can be found on the southern coast of Arbatax, from where it is about 8 km, while from Tortolì it is just 2 Km away.

Getting there
Go from Olbia to Siniscola through the SP125 or the new expressway to Nuoro and follow the indications for Lanusei and Tortoli. At the junction turn right towards the Lido Orrì and follow the road for a couple of miles along the beach.

The Beach
It is a famous and enchanting place. It is rich of many inlets each leading to delicious deserted beaches. Orrì is considered one of the most beautiful and cleanest beaches in Sardinia. The beach is very long and wide, nearly 16 km of coastline, characterized by fine white sand and shallow waters for about three hundred meters from the shore and a light blue color. The beach has a sandy bottom with white rocks polished by the time that can be found both on the beach and submerged by the water. The water has a characteristic iridescent blue color due to the sun light reflecting on the sea bottom.

Services
This is the usual meeting point for holidays in Ogliastra, and today this is the crown jewel of the town of Tortoli. The services are numerous and of any kind, from various rentals, kiosks, bars, street vending, and games for children. During lively summer evenings on the road that runs along the main beach there are street vendors, music and various entertainments. A visit to this beach is not to be missed!

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Salento, The Heart of Apulia (Puglia)

Prehistoric monuments as a Dolmen and Menhir testify a thousand years of history. The natural environment is as diverse as it is beautiful, the green countryside and bare hills are covered with wheat, tobacco crops and olive groves, while the sea is the highlight of it all. The coast is high, rocky, rugged, dotted with caves and bays, while waters are rich in flora and fauna. All this is Salento. Perhaps most important of all is the story of its people who overcome famines and persistent poverty and now can offer their land to tourists with love and kindness.

The Territory
Once the Salento peninsula included the territory occupied by the provinces of Brindisi, Lecce and Taranto, but today this term has been used to include the geographical area of ​​Lecce, which is much smaller. The Salento stretches from the so-called "Messapian threshold" between Casalabate, north of Lecce, and Punta Prosciutto, north-west of Porto Cesareo, goes down to the Cape of Santa Maria di Leuca, and is limited by 220 kilometers of coastline overlooking the Adriatic and lonio Seas.

The Heart of Salento
Like any land, Salento has a heart, which is called Salento Greece. Its sunny villages, the dialect rich of Hellenic words, the spirit and tradition characterize this area.
Palmieri, Castrigiano of the Greeks, Corigliano d'Otranto, Lecce, Melpignano, Soleto, Sternatia and Zollino are a world apart, or rather what remains of a larger area known as the ancient Land of Otranto. This area was made Greek starting from the sixth century. It remained impenetrable to Latinization up to the eleventh century. The priests of this area continued to celebrate their Greek Orthodox rites up until the first half of the seventeenth century.

Suggested Tour
Take two or three days to dedicate to this part of Salento. The small villages made of white houses and beautiful sunny countryside open lands invite you to get lost in them while eavesdropping the so-called Griko dialect.
Then you can enjoy the Greek roots at the table with typical dishes of Greek derivation with Mediterranean aftertaste.
This is the most unexpected corner of Italy's heel. It's exotic and archaic character forces time to flow more slowly than elsewhere. The tour winds from Calimera to Soleto and you can travel it by car stopping every few kilometers at one interesting town or site.

The Climate
The climate of Salento is typically Mediterranean. Obviously a result of the mitigating effect of the sea, the peninsula provides exceptionally long summers, dry and sunny days overall for and average of 2600 hours of sunshine per year. The colder weather is mild and brief, and is felt differently depending on the area you are in, as there are several micro-climatic zones. The high Adriatic coast, between Otranto and Leuca, receives more rain than the one on the Ionian coast up to Gallipoli, where warm winds from North Africa prevail. The area north of Otranto receives Balkan influences that determine slightly lower temperatures.

Villas and Farmhouses
The Lecce Baroque period saw its prelude with cities being reborn, large countryside farms being built, bishops and local aristocrats promoting local building activity, church and castle artworks being produced in Castro, Cupertino, Gallipoli and Otranto. In the seventeenth century architects and master builders transformed urban spaces and created new sceneries where to place squares, churches and palaces.
The Baroque of Lecce is still elegantly shaping the capital and cities such as Alessi, Cupertino, Gallipoli, Leverano, Minervino, Morciano di Leuca, Muro Leccese and Presicce. Elegance and imagination remained during the following centuries, as many homes in Liberty style in Santa Cesarea Terme and Marina di Leuca testify. Moorish villas reaffirm the memory of the link with Middle East.

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The Thermal Waters of Ischia to Relax

Ischia is a small island of Campania, in southern Italy. It sits in the Gulf of Naples, and is very famous for its tremendous scenic impact, natural environment, clean waters, good fish and cooking, characteristic towns, and lastly, but most importantly, its thermal baths.

The thermal waters of Ischia are well known and used since ancient times. The first Euboeans settlers in the Eighth century BC appreciated and used hot springs waters on the island. The Greeks used the thermal waters to restore the spirit and the body and as a remedy for healing the aftereffects of war wounds. They attributed supernatural powers to the waters and vapors that flowed from the bowels of the Earth. It is not a chance by each spa resort temples dedicated to gods like Apollo at Delphi were built. Strabo, a Greek historian and geographer, mentioned the island of Ischia and the virtues of its hot springs.

If the Greeks were the first people to know the powers of the thermal waters, the Romans brought them to be a means of healing and relaxation through the creation of profitable public baths by the numerous springs of the island. However, no lavish bath establishments were ever built, as opposed to Rome and other ancient thermal baths centers.This was probably due to frequent volcanic eruptions and earthquakes that often violently shook the island.

The decline of Rome coincided with the abandonment of the use of bathing even in Ischia. There are indeed no traces of thermal spas usage during the middle ages. A strong impulse to spa usage was given during the Renaissance by Giulio Iasolino, professor at the University of Naples, who realized the therapeutic potential of thermal waters. He cataloged all the baths of Ischia and the beneficial effects of each one, bringing more and more people to cure ailments with success. If you want to read more on this, get his book "De Rimedi Naturali che sono nell'Isola di Pithecusa; oggi detta Ischia". Iasolino freed the thermal waters of Ischia from its magical aura and the success of these treatments brought a group of noble Neapolitan philanthropists to build in Casamicciola the "Pio Monte della Misericordia", the largest spa in Europe during those years, allowing less wealthy people to enjoy the therapeutic qualities of the local hot springs.

Famous historic people like Garibaldi, Cavour and Toscanini visited the baths for their therapeutic properties, making Ischia even more renown internationally.
Thermal tourism started in the Sixties when people from all over the world started arriving to Ischia mostly seeking a healthy relax in a beautiful Mediterranean setting.

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Puglia, Apulia, and the Fabulous Gargano Region

A set of rocky mountains on a promontory extends into the southern Adriatic sea, forms one of the four subregions of Apulia, the Gargano.

The highest peak is Mount Calvo with its 1056 meters. The promontory is bordered by the Gulf of Manfredonia, Vieste, Peschici, Rodi Garganico to the south and the Adriatic Islands of Tremiti to the north.
The Gargano, is occupied almost entirely by mountains and large plateaus, the most famous of all is the Umbra Forest. But the Gargano is not just mountains, indeed it is certainly best known for its nearly two hundred kilometers of coastline. The coast is made of beaches, pine forests, creeks, cliffs, dunes, fjords and caves.

The Gargano region in Apulia extends from Vieste to San Menaio, Peschici to Mattinata and from Rodi Garganico to the Gulf of Manfredonia and Margherita di Savoia up to the gorgeous Tremiti Islands.

In Monte Sant'Angelo sul Gargano is the Basilica of San Giovanni Rotondo and San Michele Arcangelo, a new church dedicated to Padre Pio, who was sanctified a few years back.

A holiday in Gargano and Puglia also means you have the chance to admire the beauty of the Gargano National Park. The Gargano National Park, with 120.000 hectares of lagoons, mountains, sandy beaches, marine reserves, villages and forests is among the most beautiful in Italy, but also sadly threatened by the irresponsible behavior of unscrupulous people.
The area also offers its visitors a rich calendar of events such as Peschijazz, the Piano Festival of Gargano, Gargano motorbike rally for bike lovers, and many culinary events.

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Matera's Sassi

Matera is in Basilicata in the Southern part of Italy. It is famous for its cave-town with houses built in the stone walls of rocky hills. These houses are called Sassi (stones). When you get on the spot is like being in the most classic nativity scene, and observing the beautiful Paleolitic age houses you realize their hut-like appearance adds to the fascination of this unique setting.

These houses are still inhabited, but have not always been famous. There was a time they were considered an infamous state of living symbol. The poorest people lived here, not even the faith in God had reached these places up to not long ago. Animals and people lived in these cave houses together. Up to the first half of the 20th century there was no sewage or other basic hygienic measures.
Finally the government relocated the people in new housing little far away.

Came 1993 and UNESCO declared them a world heritage site, increasing Matera's popularity in the world. Many houses are not standing the toll of time after abandonment, but many have been restored and transformed into homes, restaurants and hotels.

To have a splendid view of these stone cave houses visit the so-called Belvedere opposite the Sassi. Dusk is the best time to enjoy the sight, with the red sun melting the contours of the rocks and exalting the profile of the cathedral above the city. A first glance of this spectacle and you immediately imagine epic battles and scenes of ancient life.

Trivia:
Actually, there is a famous movie that was shot here. Do you know which one? The first three to to write the correct reply in the comments get a special mention!

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