If in Palermo do not miss the Palermos botanical Garden. Founded 1789, 10 hectares large, and one of the most important Italian academic institutions with over 5000 plants for studies. Plants were organized along the Linneian system of classification, a system created by Swedish Carl Linnaeus aka Carl von Linné.
It also holds a so called urban vineyard from 2018 where most important Italian wine grapes are preserved.
This tour takes us to one of the most important places for us Normans, the Norman Palace with Cappella Palatina. After that random strolling in Palermo excluding the old markets as honestly they are not like before, but found a very nice food market close to the courthouse where I eat the classical Sicilian Anellini pasta on Sunday.
This walking tour goes: Porta Nuova – Palazzo Dei Normanni with Cappella Palatina and Giardini Reali – Porta Felice – Market – Courthouse – Market
Caccamo is located quite close to Palermo. A small town with a very famous Medieval castle built 12th century and the main attraction. The castle is one of the largest and most well preserved Norman castles in Italy and was bought by the Region of Sicily 1963. By that time it was in ruins and restoration works started 1974. Caccamo offers stunning views and a perfect location to arrive before sunset for a nice dinner.
Svenska
Caccamo ligger ganska nära Palermo. En liten stad med ett mycket känt medeltida slott byggt på 1100-talet som är huvudattraktionen. Slottet är ett av de största och mest välbevarade normandiska slotten i Italien och köptes av Sicilianska regionen 1963. Vid den tiden låg det i ruiner och restaureringsarbeten påbörjades 1974. Caccamo erbjuder fantastisk utsikt och ett perfekt läge att anlända före solnedgången för en trevlig middag.
Built in 1184 by the Normans to become a Christian church. I like to leave the sound on to hear the local atmosphere with voices, traffic and other sounds.
Follow Living In Sicily on Youtube where I will post videos from Sicily. Do note I am building the channel, have to e.g. photograph a new header. 🙂
Svenska
Byggdes 1184 av Normannerna för att bli en kristen kyrka. Jag vill lämna ljudet på för att höra den lokala atmosfären med röster, trafik och andra ljud.
Följ Living In Sicily på Youtube där jag kommer att lägga upp videon från Sicilien. Observera att jag bygger kanalen, måste bl.a.fotografera en ny header bild. 🙂
One golden rule about Sicily is Law says one thing – Reality is something else.
Sicily is filled with cars and the situation is not getting any better. Generally if a family has four family members, there are four cars, perhaps also two vespas and a motorbike. Now when I think of it also I have one car and two vespas. If you look into the sicilian cars you often see just one person in it, they do not plan to go together.
The traffic situation changes very much dependning on where you are in Sicily. In Ragusa area you find calmer traffic, order, people using seat belts, children in car seats, people using helmets and so on… Ragusa has always been the Germany in Sicily. Then you start to move towards Catania and Palermo and there you find vepsas on the right and left, a car for five people may have eight sitting inside, a whole family on a vespa with no helmets and cars parked all over. In Messina five cars ignored the red light in 20 minutes.
For guests renting a car in Sicily I always advice the following “You have to drive like only you exist in the world. No one will give you priority and if you follow north european rules, you will never reach your destination. In road crossings if turning left, you have to sneak out slowly, stopping the cars on the left field and continue slowly forward stopping the cars from right side. This way you cross a road in Sicily. If parking confuses you, check how other cars has parked in the area. If they have a paid ticket in the window, then pay. If not, just park there. You can also ask the closest shop or bar for advice. Or park on the side of the road checking that you do not block the traffic.” In Sicily many times fast parking means parking on the sidewalk and put emergemcy lights on.?Double and triple parking is more standard than exception. I recommend not to do this.
The city of Catania got tired of double- and tripple parking in central city that stopped even the public transport, so the municipality put some cameras in the streets and sent the fines home. In one month they collected over 80,000 fines.
For safety: always drive with locked doors especially in Catania and Palermo. No one will point a gun on you, but open doors means e.g that someone can steal you bag on the seat. Bags always keep on the floor. Never leave anything in the car if you are not there; put shoppingbags in the trunk and papers ecc under the seat. In Taormina area I drive more safe, but when I got to Catania I lock the steering wheel with a chain that goes under seat if I leave the car for longer hours. Your items in the car may be stolen or the car itself, but you do not have to worry about someone treathening you. Same with Vespas, lock the rear wheel with a chain.
In the sicilian traffic you will notice sicilians anger and frustrations; lots of shouting, hand gestures and using the car horn. Do not stress! It is always the same.
If you have an accident, never move the car, leave the scene as it is even if you block the traffic, as it is the police who will report what may have happened. Never listen to the counterpart what to do, wait for the police. Insurance frauds are alarmingly high in Italy and an accident is a perfect occasion to milk extra money from you. In small accidents the sicilian custom is to solve the issue there by giving some cash to the other party to solve the damages without dragging in the insurance companies.
If you rent a car many companies offers full insurance, it means that for a small amount you have full cover and can return with just one wheel not paying anything at all, they call it Full Kasko. And if you get a parking ticket, or a fine, pay it. Paying it within five days gives you up to 30% discount. If you do not pay it will get more expensive as they will deduct the money from your card and often add an extra fine of 50 euro.
Good luck out there laughing well, you’ll see things to remember for life!
In Catania red light is only a suggestion – I Catania ?r r?tt ljus bara ett f?rslag
Svenska
En gyllene regel om Sicilien ?r Lagen s?ger en sak – Verkligheten ?r n?got annat.
Sicilien ?r fylld med bilar och situationen blir inte b?ttre. Generellt om en familj har fyra familjemedlemmar finns det fyra bilar, kanske ocks? tv? vespor och en motorcykel. Nu n?r jag t?nker p? det har jag ocks? en bil och tv? vespor. Om du tittar p? de sicilianska bilarna ser du ofta bara en person i den, de planerar inte att ?ka tillsammans.
Trafiksituationen f?r?ndras v?ldigt mycket beroende av var du befinner dig p? Sicilien. I Ragusa-omr?det finner du lugnare trafik, ordning, personer som anv?nder bilb?lten, barn i bilstolar, personer som anv?nder hj?lmar och s? vidare … Ragusa har alltid varit Tyskland p? Sicilien. Sedan b?rjar du flytta mot Catania och Palermo och d?r har du vepsor till h?ger och v?nster. En bil f?r fem personer kan ha ?tta sittande inuti, en hel familj p? en vespa utan hj?lmar och bilar parkerade ?verallt. I Messina ignorerade fem bilar det r?da ljuset p? 20 minuter.
F?r g?ster som hyr en bil p? Sicilien, rekommenderar jag alltid f?ljande: “Du m?ste k?ra som om bara du existerar i v?rlden. Ingen kommer att prioritera dig och om du f?ljer nordeuropeiska regler kommer du aldrig att n? din destination. I v?nstersv?ng m?ste du smyga l?ngsamt ut, stoppa bilarna p? v?nster fil och forts?tt l?ngsamt fram?t och stoppa bilarna fr?n h?ger sida. P? s? s?tt korsar du en v?g p? Sicilien. Om parkeringsplatsen f?rvirrar dig, kolla hur andra bilar har parkerat. Om de har en betald biljett i f?nstret, betalar du det. Om inte, bara parkera d?r. Du kan ocks? fr?ga n?rmaste aff?r eller bar f?r r?d. Eller parkera p? sidan av v?gen och kontrollera att du inte blockerar trafiken.” P? Sicilien inneb?r m?nga g?nger snabb parkering parkering p? trottoaren och s?tta p? n?dblinkers. Dubbel- och trippelparkering ?r mer regel ?n undantag. Jag rekommenderar att du inte g?r det h?r.
Staden Catania blev tr?tt p? dubbel- och trippelparkering i centrala staden som stoppade ?ven kollektivtrafiken, s? kommunen satte upp n?gra kameror p? gatorna och skickade b?terna hem. P? en m?nad samlade de in ?ver 80 000 b?ter.
F?r s?kerhet: k?r alltid med l?sta d?rrar, s?rskilt i Catania och Palermo. Ingen kommer att peka med en pistol p? dig, men ?ppna d?rrar betyder till exempel att n?gon kan stj?la v?skan p? s?tet. V?skor har man alltid p? bilgolvet. L?mna aldrig n?gonting i bilen om du inte ?r d?r. L?gg shoppingkassar i bagaget och papper ecc under s?tet. I Taormina-omr?det k?r jag s?kert, men n?r jag ?ker till Catania l?ser jag ratten med en kedja som g?r under s?tet om jag l?mnar bilen l?ngre tid. Dina saker i bilen kan bli stulna eller bilen sj?lv, men du beh?ver inte oroa dig f?r n?gon som skulle hota dig. Samma med Vespor, l?s bakhjulet med en kedja.
I den sicilianska trafiken kommer du att m?rka sicilianarnas ilska och frustrationer; massor av skrik, handgester och tutande. Stressa inte! Det ?r alltid s?h?r.
Om du har en olycka, flytta aldrig bilen, l?mna scenen som den ?r ?ven om du blockerar trafiken, eftersom det ?r polisen som kommer att rapportera vad som kan ha h?nt. Lyssna aldrig p? motparten vad man ska g?ra, v?nta p? polisen. F?rs?kringsbedr?gerier ?r orov?ckande h?ga i Italien och en olycka ?r ett perfekt tillf?lle att mj?lka extra pengar fr?n dig. Vid sm?olyckor ?r sicilianska stilen att l?sa problemet p? plats genom att ge n?gra pengar till den andra parten f?r att l?sa mindre skador utan att dra in f?rs?kringsbolagen.
Om du hyr en bil erbjuder m?nga f?retag full f?rs?kring, det inneb?r att du f?r en liten summa har full t?ckning och kan ?terv?nda med bara ett hjul utan att beh?va betala n?got, det kallas Full Kasko. Och om du f?r parkeringsb?ter, eller annan b?ter, betala den. Betalar du inom fem dagar ges upp till 30% rabatt. Om du inte betalar blir det dyrare eftersom de kommer att dra av pengarna fr?n ditt kort och ofta l?gger till en extra b?ter p? 50 euro.
Lycka till d?r ute och skratta gott, du kommer se saker att minnas f?r livet!
The fires in Cefalu has been news all around south Europe. Over 5,600 hectars has burnt down and areas around Cefalu and Madonie mountains looks like a war zone. The fire was set by purpose, rumours says it was ex-employees from the Forestale (the Forest Protection Organisation). Sicily has the largest number of employees in all public offices and the italian government tries to cut down the expenses by not hiring more and not renewing contracts. And this year the government made a large cut in the budget and those who did not get the contract renewed got of course angry. So it seems that some of those who did not get a new contract, set the fire on purpose on the very dry soil. This is quite common in Sicily. Unfortunately.
The result is that hundreds of houses, schools, restaurants, hotels ecc has burnt down and thousands has been evacuated, including tourists. This hits also the tourism much as the area in tourist areas is just black and ashes. All this to press the government to hire people that at the end does not do anything in the office. Just sitting there caused by nipotism, or perhaps do not even show up at work, on government salary.? — Videos below —
Svenska
Br?nderna i Cefalu har varit p? nyheterna runt s?dra Europa. ?ver 5600 hektar har brunnit ned och omr?den runt Cefalu och Madonie bergen ser ut som en krigszon. Branden var anlagd, rykten s?ger att det var tidigare anst?llda fr?n Forestale (Forest Protection Organisation). Sicilien har det st?rsta antalet anst?llda i alla offentliga insitut och den italienska regeringen f?rs?ker sk?ra ned kostnaderna genom att inte anst?lla mer och inte f?rnya kontrakt. Och i ?r gjorde regeringen en stor s?nkning i budgeten och de som inte f?r kontrakten f?rnyade ?r naturligtvis arga. S? det verkar som om vissa av dem som inte fick ett nytt kontrakt har s?tt eld p? det redan torra marken. Detta ?r ganska vanligt p? Sicilien. Tyv?rr.
Resultatet ?r att hundratals hus, skolor, restauranger, hotell ecc har brunnit ner och tusentals har evakuerats, d?ribland turister. Detta drabbar ocks? turismen mycket eftersom omr?det i turistomr?den ?r bara svart och aska. Allt detta f?r att pressa regeringen att anst?lla m?nniskor som i slut?ndan inte g?r n?gonting p? kontoret. Folk som bara sitter d?r p.g.a nipotism, eller kanske inte ens dyker upp till jobbet, p? regerings l?n. – Video nedan –
https://youtu.be/F7B3KUNF_l0
Har bloggat f?r Resia tv? g?nger om tips f?r din resa till Sicilien. Du finner artiklarna h?r:
Enjoy! 🙂
Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén