The courtyard of Palazzo Castrone
After the ceremony I raced down the Corso Vittorio Emmanuele to meet up briefly with the parents of a family connection. They, Beatrice and Sergio, live in a historic palace, Palazzo Castrone santa ninfa and, despite my rude short notice and with the most sweet and extraordinary hospitality, gave me both a delicious aperitivo and a whistle stop tour of their home. The palace is, in effect, a microcosm of Palermo itself, built on Roman foundations, through a Norman structure to fifteenth and sixteenth century additions (not to mention a 1943 bombsite next door!). The piano nobile of the palace is currently being converted into a splendid museum of ancient jewellery and, with admirable serenity, Beatrice took me around the building site. But the highlight of the visit for me was a climb up to the rooftop. High above the palace is an ancient viewing platform. From here, we had a view out over the whole of this beautiful and intriguing city, from the cathedral just below our feet to the amphitheatre of moutains and the sea that surround it. The platform would originally have served as a communications post, allowing for signals to be sent from the Porta Nuova at the entrance to the city down to the port below. There are places you visit where you make a mental note that you must come back and visit all of the sites (or sights). In the case of Palermo, I of course must return to visit all of the sites/sights properly but, in addition, I made a mental note that this is the sort of place where you should stay. When I said grazie e arriverderci to Beatrice and Sergio, I truly meant it. Palermo is a city to savour.
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