From Palermo’s beautiful architecture, epitomised by its epic cathedral, to Sciacca’s sublime coastline, Sicily is impossible not to fall hopelessly in love with
I love big, raffish Mediterranean cities like Genoa, Marseille and Naples. Palermo is the mother lode – even more frenetic, in your face and more utterly compelling than its Neapolitan cousin just up the road. If you like cities that manicure their historical treasures behind Perspex and sanitise civic drama, Palermo is not for you.
I would tell you exactly where I walked in Palermo, but I can’t. This warren of a city is gloriously confusing. Starting at the epic vaulting cathedral, I throw myself into the arancini rice balls and fresh pasta of the Capo Market, and a glass of the excellent Sicilian beer from Messina. Burrowing south, I head for the rough around the edges fishing town of Sciacca. The local fleet hauls in the delicious red prawns you find on menus throughout Sicily. Being Sicilian, Sciacca is not short of historic treasures. Founded in the fifth century as a spa town, look out for the Renaissance portal of the old Santa Margherita Hospital and the hulking Porta San Salvatore, the 14th-century gate.
The Sciacca seafood is a joy. At Trattoria Al Faro, I savour a platter of stewed octopus, calamari and fried fish sweetened with jam. The main course brings those local red prawns served raw atop homemade pasta. Their crisp dry house wine is a snip at around £5 for a half litre. I spend my last morning easing along the ancient shoreline as the sun burns up over this most ancient of seas. Is that a Phoenician ship on the horizon, or maybe even the Romans?