Our time in Palermo and Castelbuono is combined in this post, then we depart Palermo.

Palermo: Architecture is always fascinating to me. The local guide pointed our attention to the 16th Century statues, 17th and 18th Baroque, Greek, Norman and Roman influences in the construction of the buildings that still stand while others were destroyed during WWII. Plenty of history here!

We spent time at the Capo Market, in a small way similar to an Arab souk, and certainly not as congested as those I have been in Africa. Our guide treated us to “street food”: Panella, cazzilla, and arancia. All were delicious and of course fried! I’ll get more photos of food before I eat them.

Castelbuono: We drove about 1.5 hours to Castelbuono’s medieval castle. In the 14th Century, members of the Ventimiglia family moved here. The “good castle” is now a civic museum and chapel with exhibits of art, photography and archeological finds. The town’s people own this castle and have created the town as a tourist stop. To arrive in Castelbuono, it is a half hour drive away from the sea and into the mountain area, so the castle and various shops truly cater to tourists.

We met a donkey and employee who walk the narrow roads of this town to collect each household’s garbage. Townspeople found this a quieter approach and no diesel fuel emissions. Since a garbage truck cannot fit within the most narrow roads, this is a great solution to garbage collection!

Our guide arranged a bakery stop just off the town’s main square. We enjoyed tasty slices of panettone with a spread of hazelnut cream, another with pistachio cream … oh my goodness, wow, the best! The sweetener used in these panettones is manna. Sap is collected from an ash tree’s incision in its bark. The secreted liquid drips down a string, a white form takes shape, that is manna. This natural sweetener is collected, between July to September, and used in products made in this area of Sicily. This bakery also shared other nougats and liqueur (from prickly pear); dessert truly is being eaten first today!

Our group met with an appointee of the town’s mayor to learn how taxes are collected and used in the town. I wandered the streets of Castelbuono while others visited with an embroider. My sewing ability maxes out at sewing on buttons, so taking a walk seemed a more productive use of my time.

Our lunch was delicious! Starters: olives, cheese, sun-dried tomatoes in garlic and olive oil, bread, and a small fritter, followed by a tasty lentil soup with ditalini pasta. Dessert: Testa di turco… here’s a photo. The small item on left is marzipan, made with sugar, honey and almond meal.

Once we returned to Palermo, we had time for ourselves. I like the balance of group activity and individual exploration time. Our group of 12 is pleasant, but solo time is important also. Tomorrow we move to another area of Sicily.

Extra notes: we saw a marionette display and the man explained how these were created: