What Survives When Empires Fall

A journey through ruins, resilience, and a village remembering what nations forgot.

Palermo excites the senses with sounds, sights, and smells. Chaotic, smothered in layers of history, hopeful, and delicious. Lulu didn’t like the nightly fireworks, but enjoyed the parks and bits of aranchinas I shared with her on our daily exploits. That’s “daily aranchinas,” because they come in many flavors and are too easy to grab from street vendors loudly promoting theirs as the best in town. Savory or sweet, you are in for a treat.

Our first week in Sicily successfully concluded, and Lulu and I headed down the Southern Coast toward Agrigento. Our first stop, Mondello Beach, so Lulu can run off leash and dig a hole in the sand.