Giorno 96, 12 April: Café-Sitting in Palermo and Ranking Cities

Politeam Affiti Hotel, Palermo, Sicily, Giorno 96. Café-Sitting in Palermo and Ranking Cities

There is not much to say: the day was simple. The six of us arose by noon (I got up by 10 to catch up on a past blog entries and review my honors class application) and simply soaked in the sunny day outdoors at various cafés. I bought an Italian cappuccino and the sugar intensity of the drink made me feel enchanted for the greater part of the afternoon. It was really good, as a drink that I would have every once in a blue moon. So much sugar.

      During our time sitting down, first drinking café/coffee and cappuccinos and then later eating paninis, we discussed sports medicine, our experiences abroad before now, and so on. After the first place, I wrote down on a slip of paper exactly what Vito said, ‘Vinnie and Vito look really nice right now’ and then Joe came in, ‘And Joseph is awesome’, and sure enough Caitlin chimes in, ‘And Caitlin and Devon are—‘ Boom! The girls bumped into an old Sicilian lady. Clumsy? (I’m teasing.)

      A few more steps walking down the street, we encountered a hilarious continuation from yesterday’s episode of ‘Sicilian guys make it obvious when they check out Caitlin and Devon’. Yesterday featured a guy in shades on a motorcycle, the splitting image of ‘Grease Lightning’ Danny Zuko. He literally rode in circles around the block as if to continually admire Caitlin. He probably was. Today, the guys in a car were much more obvious. They stuck their heads out the back window and yelled, ‘YOUUU AREEE BEAUUUTIFUUUUUULLLLLL!!!!’ A truck driver was the next candidate, a silent smiler.

      We all continued walking until we found the next café. We generally talked of how we’d rate the cities we’ve been to, universally putting Naples at the bottom and Florence at the top. The rest of the cities differed per person. Here’s my list:

Florence- the most beautiful, especially looking over the city lights from Piazza San Giovanni, but also the most liveable. I loved wandering through the streets.

Rome- the most epic, glorious in its history and architecture—ancient ruin blocks are used as park benches basically, and moving through the city was exhilarating and fun, even when I was lost.

Amsterdam- I know this was a hard one to fit in, but considering the canals and the beautiful parks and the ‘I Am Amsterdam’ sign, I have to put this high on the list. I was turned off a bit by the red-light district, but the city itself is incredibly beautiful to explore.

Milan- See, this is why comparing cities is hard—technically, this city ties with Amsterdam. The city is more cosmopolitan and modern than the other Italian cities we visited, but the parks and arches and the Duomo di Milano were epic and beautiful in their own way.

Venice- As much as this city is beautiful, I realized that it has a one-sided character. It’s so much a touristy place and too small of a city to overcome it, which bigger cities like Rome or Amsterdam do more easily. But nevertheless, the gondola ride was an experience and taking a scenic route back to the hotel was definitely worth it. This city is the most unique of the cities mentioned, with its 117 islands connected by 409 bridges.

Palermo- I put this below the rest because lower Italy’s culture is harder to appreciate without spending more time in the subtleties of the place, and at the same time, it is less affluent and carries a more edgy vibe. The ocean and Mondello Beach were incredible, though, and just for that was this place worth visiting.

Naples-We termed it a ‘dirty’ city and despite its significantly uplifting ocean backdrop, the city is weighed down by a modern culture that seems frayed and not well-integrated. Plus, our location in the middle of the black market, the rats, and the fishy meat did not help in the least.  

      We had another family dinner, this time with creamy pesto instead of tomato sauce. It was incredible. After cleaning the dishes (my contribution to the meal since I needed more time on my computer before dinner), I submitted my honors class application, and then participated in card games with the rest and we started early in our fun and ended early. By midnight, most of us were asleep.