Time to move on again. Inspired by the drive yesterday we (or rather I) decided to plot our route from Agrigento to Palermo to be not on main roads. I did a bit of research and saw the difference in time to be small (only 45 minutes) than if I stuck to the Autostrade. With a chance to see more of the sicilian country side I programmed the Garmin and off we went.
When will I learn the Garmin has interesting ideas of main roads… We did mostly stick to the Strade Statali (or SS) but the system once again sent us off on some curious turns. We did see some great territory but did not get many pictures with me constantly turning the wheel and Kim maintaining a death grip on any part of the car she could get a hold of. Sydney was on her iPhone and I don’t even noticed she was in Sicily.
I did notice the route took us near the town of Corleone just about the time we would need a break, how could I pass up a stop there? Ok ok… It was an offer I could not refuse. There. I said it.
Corleone was a quiet Sicilian hill town that actually does have ties to the Mafia, many bosses were born here. The local clan lead the Mafia for several decades in the late 20th century and had a violent reputation. The only sign of all this we saw was a wall advertisement for the Anti-Mafia Museum located in Corleone, a sign that the town is trying to lower this part of their history. The closest thing we saw to a reference to the movie The Godfather was an ad for Amaro Don Corleone, a bitter named after the main character of the movie. For the record Amaro Don Corleone supports the anti-mafia movement in area. Overall a nice stop for lunch.
We continued on to Palermo and after the relative quiet of Agrigento (and Corleone) it was a bit of a shock, very busy and chaotic roads and driving. But we made it and got a bit lucky, the taxi driver who took me back to the hotel after I dropped off the car (GOAL!) had some time and he took us from the hotel to our next target, the Catacombe dei Cappuccini and back. Thanks!
The Catacombe dei Cappuccini was originated back in the 1500s when Capuchin friars decided to bury deceased friars under the church of Santa Maria della Pace. When the outgrew this location they established a new cemetery and decided to move the existing inhabitants of old location as well. But when they dug them up they discovered the all the bodies very well preserved and the individuals recognizable. Taken as a sign from God the decided to show the bodies instead as relics and to expand the old cemetery. The rest is history as it were. The cemetery was active until the late 1800s and only a few bodies were added after that. It was quite the fascinating place to see, “living” history and if you are in the area I would recommend it. Photos were not allowed (sorry) and I did not sneak any photos (you are welcome), I recommend you look at the web site if you are “interested.” I was wondering if Syd would keep her cool during the visit and she did. At first she asked me to lie and say they were fake and I would not do that telling her she has nothing to fear. At the end she said it was interesting and commented that the tight skin on one of the residents looked like he has a blow drier blowing on his face. From the mouth of babes!
Dinner tonight at the hotel restaurant chalk full of errors in English, Local swordfish cubes with sweat and sour red onions… Risotto with beetroot and got cheese… The menu should have been an indication, not bad but not the best as well.
