Palermo, Sicily, Italy. Thursday/Sunday 07/11-May-2026.
Of course it was parkrun that triggered this trip. We had heard that Uditore parkrun was at risk of closure. So we decided we would pop over for the weekend to visit Palermo for the first time and to tick this parkrun off the list.
Thursday 07-May-2026.
A mid afternoon flight so a mid morning start - very civilised times for a Ryanair flight. A drive to the long-stay car park and we had a late lunch airside before our 15:00 flight. The flight is only one hour long so it was over almost before it began.
Our apartment was lovely but a bit inconvenient for travel into town so for our first night we decided to stay local. We found a nearby highly rated fish Ristorante Pescheria CB Sea Food but we made mistakes in the ordering. They offered a €40 four course deal. First mistake was choosing a primo that had many of the same ingredients as the secondi.
The second problem was their quantities were very generous and we were so stuffed we had to forgo half the main course and the dolce.
The first couple of starters were delicious.
Sadly the other two starters were disappointing - the limpets were chewy like rubber and gritty - not a pleasant experience. The seafood paella was ok but a little stodgy.
The primi was seafood risotto which was tasty. The secondi course was mixed fried seafood with all the same components as the paella and the risotto but deep fried so not enough contrast in terms of taste and texture. Sadly I would not go back there again.
On the other hand the white wine was delicious. Grillo is a local grape variety and we were impressed by the exotic, floral notes.
Friday 08-May-2026.
A full day of doing the tourist stuff. One of the interesting things about Palermo (and Sicily in general) is the mix of architectural styles: Roman, Norman, Arabic, Byzantine, etc. reflecting the different invasions over the centuries.
Our first stop was the tourist information office where the very helpful chap gave us a map of the city and sketched out some of the key places to visit. He highlighted the sights for us to visit and gave us a brief description of why they were important.
First stop: Quattro Canti (Four Songs), the main crossroads that marks the centre of the old town.
From there we walked up to the main cathedral. We bought a ticket that gave us entry to the main building, the crypt where a number of Roman sarcophagi had been repurposed for mediaeval bishops, the treasury where religious gold and silver artifacts were on display, and the rooftop.
The viewer from the roof was spectacular but a little scary. I’m not a huge fan of heights, but the railings were sturdy and I kept to the centre of the walkway where possible.
We then continued west to the Royal Palace and explored the area around there, passing the Porta Nuova.
We had a wander around the church of San Giovanni degli Eremitio which had been the mosque at one point. A fascinating mix of Islamic domes, Romanesque cloister ruins and tranquil gardens.
Next, as advised by the man at tourist information, we went down to Ballarò market area and found ourselves a lunch spot at Greta’s where Mary had a delicious Caponata (a traditional Sicilian dish) with added swordfish. We have made it at home twice since we got back and it will be entering our standard repertoire.
After lunch, we’re headed north for a tour of the Teatro Massimo. We took a bilingual, guided tour of this fascinating concert venue, built around the same time as the Royal Albert Hall but more ornate.
Like the Royal Albert Hall, it has seating in a horse shoe shaped auditorium and tiers of boxes plus a Royal Box which we got to see.
In the grounds of the theatre was this entertaining art installation of garden gnomes crossed with the Terracotta Army, a temporary art exhibition by Italian artist Max Papeschi titled Extinction: The Twilight of the Gnomes. The installation, described as a "dystopian" army, serves as a critique of modern society, aiming to highlight hypocrisy regarding peace, war, and environmental destruction.
For supper we decided to head down to Notarbartolo which seems to be the Clapham Junction of Palermo where there were plenty of well rated restaurants. Being a tourist is thirsty work so we went for a cocktail before dining. Mary had this very tasty melon version of an aperol spritz while I, of course, had to try a local Palermo gin and tonic.
While there we were stunned to spot a K6 Telephone box across the road! The shop behind was called Cabine Inglese.
We had a very nice meal at a restaurant coincidentally called Terracotta.
Saturday 09-May-2026.
Uditore 09/05/26 29:35 [13/39].
Uditore parkrun in Palermo today on a lovely day, albeit a bit hotter than we are currently used to. The oldest parkrun in Italy, two weeks away from their 11th birthday and at risk of closure! According to the petition for the park supporters, which stands at over 25,000 signatures:
"Uditore Park represents one of the few green spaces within the urban context of Palermo, providing a vital space for relaxation, sports, and community gatherings. Unfortunately, by 2026, the existence of this urban and social asset could be at risk due to a lack of funding from the Sicilian Region. This situation is unacceptable, both for environmental conservation and for the well-being of the local community.".
The latest success is that the water meter has been replaced thanks to generous donations from supporters. The ball is now in the court of the authorities..
Today, as well as the park runners and walkers, it was well used by all sorts of people: people walking and running the paths, families with children in the play parks, older kids chattering on the grass, dogs being walked and playing in the large dog parks and a bunch of martial artists practising with real, very scary looking swords!
In an area full of high-rise flats, this would be a significant loss to the community as well as the parkrun family.
Lovely to meet up with the five fellow tourists from the UK.
Back to the apartment for the obligatory (and necessary) shower and straight back into town. First stop a delicious, light, salad lunch at Bar Al Capriccio.
We went down to the old harbour which was lovely and went in to the nearby Chiesa Parrocchiale di Santa Maria della Pietà.
Porta Felice down by the harbour.
We then had an hour to spare before a booked wine tasting so we popped into the botanical gardens which were excellent. We spent a very pleasant time wandering around.
What I liked was that the informative plaques not only told you what they were and where they were from but also included a small item of trivia for every single one.
The wine tasting was at at Bottega Monteleone. The selection of wines was interesting, representing some of the range produced locally (one each of sparkling, white, rose, red and sweet) and we liked them all. The food pairings worked well and they were very good at adapting to cater for Mary’s lactose intolerance. Full write up at Sicilian Wine Tasting With Snacks.
After the gastronomic indulgences of the first couple of nights we decided to go for a simple pizza at the highly rated Alex Bar - Pizzeria near our apartment.
Sunday 10-May-2026.
Because of the timings we did not have any opportunity for doing tourist stuff on Sunday. We packed up, cleared out of the apartment and sat in the garden enjoying the sunshine for an hour. Then headed off to the airport which took two hours by public transport, got ourselves our airside and had a snack lunch.
The flight landed 10 minutes ahead of schedule and with no formalities to go through we were off and away back to Cisternino in record time for an aperitivo at Oltramura and a meal at Chirico.
