Bleeding Espresso

Welcome back to Palermonday! This week we’re moving on the gardens of Palermo.

Palermo once had so many public gardens and parks, it was known as the “Garden City.” Cherrye and I only got to see two of them as discussed below, but you can read about the other gardens here and here.

Villa Garibaldi was very close to where we stayed near the end of Corso Vittorio Emanuele and the harbor. It was designed by architect Giovan Battista Filippo Basile between 1861 and 1864 in Piazza Marina, which had been used for Aragonese weddings, victory celebrations, and, unfortunately, public executions.

Nearby is Palazzo Chiaramonte (the seat of Palermo University), Palazzo Galletti, Palazzo Villarosa, the Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli, and Palazzo Fatta. There is also a free theater (Teatro Libero) in the square.

The gardens surrounding Villa Garibaldi are definitely intriguing, partially because the area always seemed kind of dark even in sunlight. There were always plenty of people, though, even a photo shoot for some kind of family celebration and lots of dogwalkers (and dogs, of course).

Some of the most interesting features inside the park are the exotic plants, in particular the Ficus magnoliodes–creepy as all get out and one of the largest in Italy.

Also in Villa Garabaldi is a memorial for Joe Petrosino, the NY police officer who was killed in Piazza Marina while in Palermo fighting organized crime; we saw the memorial on our way to the hotel the first day, but I forgot to go back and take a photo. This one will have to do until I get back there.

The other gardens we visited briefly were at Villa Bonanno in the middle of the city, not too far from the Porta Nuova. Villa Bonanno is behind Palazzo dei Normanni and the gardens’ main attraction is an enormous statue of Philip V of the House of Bourbon.

Honestly, Cherrye and I *could have* seen more of Villa Bonanno, but we were tuckered out by that point and used the fabulous scenery, e.g.,

as a backdrop for our afternoon riposo before we took on the famed Capuchin Catacombs . . . which I’ll tell you all about next Palermonday!

16 Comments »

The answer to the first question is:

Soon to be in Warner Village Cinema in Lamezia Terme anxiously awaiting:

Sex and the City!

And that’s where I’ll be shortly too.

Wanna come?

Or are you having your own girls’ night out in celebration?

But before you answer, let’s move on to the second question in the post title.

Did you hear about the Dunkin’ Donuts ad with Rachael Ray that was pulled because of what she’s wearing?

Scantily clad, you’re thinking?

Rachael Ray of EVOO and the Garbage Bowl?

OUR Rachael?

Not exactly.

Here’s a still shot from MSNBC.com:

Can you spot the offensive article of clothing?

Michelle Malkin said Ray’s neck accessory resembles a kiffiyeh, a head scarf “popularized by Yasser Arafat and a regular adornment of Muslim terrorists appearing in beheading and hostage-taking videos.”

Um, is that what you thought when you saw that photo?

I mean, I’m not exactly lovin’ the scarf for fashion purposes, but personally
I just want some Dunkin’ Donuts iced coffee, extra cream no sugar. YUM!

Buon weekend everyone!

And be sure to check out Ms Adventures in Italy for Sara’s
La Buona Cucina Americana recipe!

36 Comments »

I’ve been so lucky to have been blessed with great neighbors.

Growing up, Sylvia, the Italian woman next door with four kids of her own, used to bake me a birthday cake *every* year–fancy ones like with a Barbie standing in the middle and stuff.

Even now, she still finds time to send me cards for my birthday and Christmas despite having many, many grandchildren (I’ve lost count!).

Well my buona fortuna continued when I moved here.

I’ve told you about my neighbor Anna Maria before, but I really can’t express how lucky I am to have moved in near her. She is one of the kindest, most generous people I’ve ever known, always giving me something–literally just about every day it’s something new.

Other than the usuals like olive oil, vino, red wine vinegar, lemons, oranges, clementines, and Brasilena, she also supplies me with some special harbingers of the seasons like:

Berrylicious homegrown strawberries and blackberries!

Just look at these gorgeous fragole:

And she also brings me this:

Want a closer look?

Anyone know or care to guess what it is?

(I know some of you know!)

Also, if you have great neighbors you’d like to brag about, do share!

21 Comments »

Welcome back to Palermonday!

A few weeks ago, we started at Teatro Massimo, and then we started a walking tour up Corso Vittorio Emanuele. Now, after passing through the Porta Nuova and seeing Quattro Canti and La Fontana della Vergogna/The Fountain of Shame, we have arrived at the Duomo.

Absolutely one of the most beautiful buildings I’ve ever seen.

Part of what makes the Duomo so unique is its many architectural influences that reflect Sicily’s history as a territory that has seen a truly impressive number of leaders–check out this busy flag of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (thanks Paulus Maximus!).

The Duomo was built by Normans in 1184 on the site of a Muslim mosque that had been built over an early Christian basilica.

Got that?

During the 13th and 14th centuries, Gothic additions were added to the exterior and then the Spaniards added a Catalan touch in the 15th century.

Neoclassical elements were introduced both inside and out during the late 18th and early 19th century by architect Fernando Fuga of Naples.

You can read much more about the architectural details and see great photos of the Duomo, especially of the interior, here.

And just for fun, check out this liceo (equivalent of a US high school) that overlooks the Duomo.

Somehow I don’t think concentration would come easily for me with the gorgeous Duomo outside.

Be sure to come back next week for the last Palermomonday–
gardens and fruits and veggies, oh my!

Happy Memorial Day to those in the US! Hope you have your poppy!

9 Comments »

Last weekend Cherrye of My Bella Vita, Dawn (blogless! scandalous!), and I met up at Il Cedro in Catanzaro for our 2nd annual Calabrian Women’s Summit. Remember how much fun we had last year?

As we now know of two other American women (two!) in Calabria, look for the event to grow and hopefully become more frequent as well!

We’re already planning to get together to see Sex and the City (in Italian–boo) next weekend . . . yes it opens here on May 30 just like for most of you. Are you going? I only started watching Carrie and the girls here a few months ago, but I’m just as addicted as everyone else who has been with the ladies for years.

Will she and Big *really* get married?!

Anyway, Cherrye gives a great rundown of this year’s Summit with photos here, so do head over and check it out. We had a blast! Woohoo!

For my part, I’m going to share some photos of Catanzaro Lido and get those of you in the States geared up for the long weekend with some beach shots:

The Lungomare:

Setting up for the summer:

Boys in the water (there was a cool breeze, but they didn’t feel it):

This little one retreated every time the water came near–water was cold to her!

Puppy in the grass appropriately acting out the theme song of the weekend, “It Wasn’t Me” by Shaggy–I *dare* you not to dance or sing along if you click on that link.

Read more about this lovely Bottlebrush (aka Feather duster to me) in the comment on Flickr here:

And a final shot of Catanzaro Lido:

Summer’s just about here!

Don’t forget check out Judy’s Over a Tuscan Stove for this week’s La Buona Cucina America recipe– Buffalo Wings!–and also my guest blog appearance over at Lucky Dorito!

Buon weekend!

25 Comments »