Peeling Back Palermo

The first time I visited Palermo, I was a bit disappointed in its dilapidated state.  Fountains that were once stately were falling apart.  Government buildings built at a time of prosperity were crumbling.  And much of the housing had seen better days 300 years ago.  This city seemed to be falling down around their ears.  I was not impressed.

We are back in Palermo and decided to take another stab at the place.  So last night we went out to absorb the vibe of the city.  Yeah the place is still falling apart, but there is energy amongst the neighborhoods.  There are hidden plazas that were once grand but now look more like a set from an apocalyptic movie.  In the middle of the rubble there are street venders selling dinner off of carts, music is pulsing through the crowd, smiles come easy and comradery are strung together all to create an atmosphere of energy and community.  We stop at a sidewalk grill for a delicious kabob sandwich.  Sometimes food off the street is the best.  I watch as the cook carefully takes pride in what he is about to serve us.  There is no hurrying him as he layers our panini with lettuce, grilled chicken, tomatoes and special yogurt sauce.  You can give the guy a 50-euro note and some one will melt into the crowd, but eventually comes back with your change.  There is a feeling of pride and trust that is also a part of the streets.

People seem to ooze out of the abandoned apartment buildings and come together despite what is happening to the physical world, readily share of themselves with perfect strangers.  Easy smiles, lots of side cheek kisses and frequent embraces are also a part of Palermo after dark.  The best part of travel is the people you meet and the best part of any city are the inhabitants.  I love it.

Amazing Agrigento

We anchored out off the small town of San Leone for a couple of days.  While we were there, we caught the local bus to the ancient ruins of Agrigento that are built up the hill on a bluff that has a commanding view of the sea below.  At one time, this was the fourth largest city in the known world.  It started out around 581 BC as a Greek settlement that quickly grew to a population of over 200,000 people.  The Greek temples survived as the population was conquered by a stream of armies that wanted the wealth of the city for their own. 

Certainly the crown jewel of Agrigento is the ochre colored temple of Hera.  This is one of the extremely rare temples that has somehow survived the test of time to remain relatively in tact.  There are several reasons why this temple has survived when so many others have not.  The principle reason lies below the surface of the earth.  Evidently this temple is built on hard rock that is floating on a layer of soft clay that acts as a shock absorber, cushioning it from destructive earthquakes.  Whether Greek engineers understood this or not is still up to debate.  Most modern scientists however think that there is a strong likelihood that they did.  It is a beautiful temple with tall stone columns surrounding it. There are a few other temples scattered around, but none are as complete or as impressive.

What has been added to the site is a beautiful sculpture of a fallen angel done in 2011 by Polish sculpture Igor Mitoraj.  It is a giant cast bronze work that is reminiscent of the kind of work done by the Greeks.  This magnificent angle has broken off limbs like so many other sculptures of antiquity and lies on it’s side as if it has fallen from a grand pedestal.  The sculpture has grandeur and heroic proportions that even the Greeks would have appreciated.