creating a backstory…for all of Palermo

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A very comfortable place to have a lie down

We are bad tourists, Elaine and I, and we’ve not done much of anything to right our wrongs. Partially due to our limited skills in the speaking of Sicilian, or Italian for that matter, and partially because we’re so wrapped up in our meandering conversations, we’ve had nearly no interaction with any actual Sicilians during our time here.

It hasn’t stopped us from having strong opinions about what they’re up to. We’ve created a backstory for all of this.

The dogs seem to have figured the place out rather well. There are many, and they don’t appear sick. They’re not emaciated…someone must be feeding them. Not sure if the photo above shows it clearly enough, but that dog is actually lying in a busy street. Although the cars seem to speed up when they encounter a pedestrian, they steer clear of anything canine.

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Get in on the Real Estate while it looks bombed out.

There are so many places that gentrify and then the original occupants talk about how wonderful things used to be. I’ve come to the conclusion that now must be when everything here was truly great. Before this corner of Palermo has been bought up and rebranded. We’ve grown accustomed to this, so much so that when we go to other parts of the city, we miss our ruins.

If there is going to be an Apocalypse of some sort, living hereabouts would prepare you for at least the aesthetics of that new reality. There are certainly some advantages to the way things are done here.

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Can you see the garden on the balcony?

For example, there are some distinct advantages to having a bit of green on your balcony. Pots and whatnot really are overrated if you think about it. Here you’re able to have a bit of the wildness under your feet.

There are plenty of beautiful sights here, you know. I suppose I shall get to those in due course. The street food of Palermo is another thing I can’t fathom passing up.

At some point, we really should actually attempt a bit of dialogue with the locals. I’m just not sure their real story will be nearly as entertaining as the one we’ve created for them.

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