We started today with a great Italian breakfast including pastries, salami and cheese, fruit and of course a cappuccino. We caught an AST bus, a regional company that runs across Sicily from town to town and a good option if you don't want to rent a car, to Monreale from the Palermo train station. We jumped on just in time, literally the guy held the door for us and wasn't worried that we didn't have a ticket. (He guided us to a bar on arrival and we purchased tickets then). The 8km ride up the hill was incredible, just so impressive that these folks can drive on the tight streets, with basically no traffic rules except if you can make it then you already should have gone. There must have been 2 inches between the bus and the cars crammed into parking on the side of the roads, and that is because everybody but one hapless driver tucked their mirrors in. Yep, his got taken by the bus. The 8k took nearly an hour to get to Monreale, and all of 3Euro, well worth not needing to drive ourselves. The town of Monreale was cute and the Duomo was amazing, yet the view of Palermo from the hilltop above was remarkable.
We headed back down to Palermo and after an uneventful trip into the Palazzo dei Normanni we had a snack, the unique Palmeritan treat called a broscia. Yes, gelato stuffed into a brioche, and you haven't lived until you've had an ice cream sandwich like this! Gelateria D'Orleans hooked us up with these tasty treats, mine had mixed berry and chocolate gelato, Kathie just the chocolate; I may need to go back for another right now.
A short walk to the Palermo Cathedral led us to a beautifully crafted church with a great mix of architecture and a silver altar, something I don't recalling seeing before.
We then paid the 5Euro each to climb the 110 steps to the roof of the chuch, truly a special view that pictures don't do the proper justice.
Dinner soon, it will need to be special to live up to the ensalade polpo (octopus) and bucatini con sarde from Il Cambusone Trattoria.
Ciao
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