Western Sicily

Palermo, Siciliana

We arrived in Palermo at what must have been the peak of rush hour – and thank goodness for our GPS or we would still be there. I’d heard for years that driving in Rome was difficult. I didn’t find it that challenging. On this trip so far, I’ve driven a couple and a half thousand kms and not yet caused any serious damage. I bumped a few curbs, tapped the mirror on a few things but left no lasting memory. Palermo on the other hand is one crazy place –chaotic as the locals call it. This is one of the largest cities in Italy and it all drives on little roads between buildings and like it’s going out of style. There are cars, people, motorcycles and scooters coming from every direction and as a driver, you have to meander all over the road, and hastily maneuver into every small place that might present itself in front of you of someone else will fill it and leave you sitting there. My description cannot possible do it justice, but you pass where its illegal, you ignore pedestrians, you run stop signs – but you don’t run red lights. We did have juggler juggle in the crosswalk once as we waited for the light to change. We made it to our hotel on the beach near where the sculptures will be placed this morning – seventeen in all. It was indeed stressful driving conditions – driving with only inches between you and what is in front, to the sides and behind you.

We left the south of Sicily yesterday at mid-day – again staying off the well traveled roads. By early afternoon we passed through Coroleone – not too small a town anymore. There was no one playing the Cello, no Tommy guns – just another hillside town. Wheat was being harvested in the countryside with apricots and peaches. Everyone was friendly and accommodating – and it seems they don’t care if you trespass to take pictures. We did have a momentary scare as we drove into Coroleone and stopped for a moment to shoot a picture of an old house. We stopped on the side of the road, and as I lifted my long lens toward the place, someone from the house fired off what must have been an old carbine rifle, maybe a deer rifle. The crack of the rifle report bounced against the roadway surface as load as if we’d been standing next to it - and it scared the crap out of me. I jumped, stood there for a second wondering if anything had been hit. There was again another loud report – without incident. Pheew – I guess it wasn’t because we were taking pictures.

Grilled Egg Plant Pizza!!

By 11am, the sculptures had arrived and were being installed along the Piazza Palazzo – a long beach from zone with hotels, restaurants and squares. A press conference included the vice Mayor of Palermo – who practiced saying “it was nice to meet you” in preparation for this event. Several TV stations were in attendance as well as print media. Tonight I drinka, tomorrow I zwimma.

Oh - and Hunter Parker is flying in from Monocco tonight to stay with us here for the weekend. Hunter is an old roomie, and no boat captain here on the Med.

Mezzo Sicily

Heroes and Villains

This section is dedicated to Italy’s most controversial social forces – the Aristocracy and to the Mafia – oh, and to Eliot, because of the many “Stone” features.

“Spiaggio” is beach. “Malto Bello” is very pretty. “Grazie Mille” is the coverall for Thank You and it has been my honor meeting you.

As we passed across the Eastern face of Mt. Etna, she billowed white smoke from the very top and gray ash clouds from a lesser vent on the side of the mountain. We had planned to drive straight into the heart of Sicily, but could not let the volcano opportunity pass – so up to the city of Nicolai we went – on the very edge of the volcano. Relm of Vulcan the god of fire, and the home of Cyclops, the “real” one eyed monster, Mt. Etna is one of very few volcanoes in the world with an extensive written history and Europe’s tallest volcano. Mt. Etna boasts over 1200 square kilometers of lava flow, rising to near 10,000 feet above the sea. Mt. Etna hosts a winter ski season as well.

After a quick run to the top, we headed toward any small, nearly indiscernible road we could find on the map leading into the heart of Sicily on our trek to the Southern most point in Europe. We stopped many times along the way, at farmhouses, ruins, vineyards, and fires – photographing as we went. I am averaging about 4 gigs a day thus far.

Just as the sun was setting we arrived in the valley of the temples, a region in which most of the surviving Greek architectural treasures in Italy remain. As you know, this part of what is now Italy has been conquered many times throughout human history. This Greek city – now Agrigento, from which these ruins originated, was founded in 664BC. The greatest remnant here was dedicated to the goddess Aphrodite way back in the day.

At 6:30am, I arrived at the Temple entrance with a good two hours to go before the park opened. A few cop stories, talk of guns and a trade of a patch got me into the ruins on my own and without a fee. Before the buss loads of summer tourists arrived, I got in my shots at sunrise with nary a gnat in the foreground. The park is laden with almond trees, cactus and ancient olive trees with trunks the size of a good Texas Oak. The Prickly Pear cactus is not native here but occupies the entire island. It is raised on farms for fruit – a variety that stands like trees, some fifteen feet tall.

This morning, as we continue toward Palermo, we will stop in Coreleone for lunch and a diet coke. Word has it that there’s a lot of bad energy there – spooky even – but what the heck, I’ve been to Kansas City.

Scrambled Ovum for breakfast.

The Red Scare

If you are worried about the Red Scare, and the "Domino Effect" circumventing the globe - toppling convention, re-writing history, and dismantling of our unique cultures as we knew them - check out your local ruin.

Carl Deal

Sicily