Destination: Sicily

Here’s a travel tip: Revisit Europe’s great markets after dark. I love the markets of Palermo, where merchants sing their sales pitches and the octopus are squirting-fresh. But at night, it’s an entirely different scene. Join Alfio di Mauro and me on a walk through the Vucciria Market after hours — a kaleidoscope of edgy graffiti, kids with big eyes and gelato, cheap plastic chairs, soccer on the big screen, and people embracing life with Sicilian gusto.

This is Day 4 of my A Hundred Days in Europe series. As I lead tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences all across Europe. I never know exactly what’s next…but it’s always fascinating and inspiring. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

Something I love about my work is getting my outdated impressions up-to-date. Europe is always changing — and even on the very first night of our Best of Sicily in 11 Days Tour, it’s clear that Palermo is a whole new city since my last visit.

Today’s Palermo has demolished my old, fearful, lingering Mafia images. The city is still colorful…yet it feels safe, youthful, trendy. A theme in my travels all across Europe is traffic-free and people-friendly — and Palermo is a great example. In this video, I’m with my guide, Alfio di Mauro, enjoying Palermo’s venerable Four Corners (Quattro Canti).

This is Day 3 of my A Hundred Days in Europe series. As I lead tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences in Sicily, Naples and the Amalfi Coast, Rome, Portugal, Paris, Ireland, the heart of England, Scotland, Germany’s Black Forest, Alsace, the great cities of Switzerland, and more. I never know exactly what’s next…but it’s always fascinating and inspiring. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

Palermo, Sicily’s capital city, can seem a bit ramshackle. But behind its gritty walls hide exquisite noble mansions reminding visitors of the rich heritage of this island. I’ve just landed this afternoon and joined the Rick Steves’ Europe Best of Sicily in 11 Days Tour. It’s our first evening, and we’re already digging deep into this culture.

Our guide, Alfio di Mauro, has brought our group into the home of the gracious Contessa (countess) and Conte (count) Federico. After a tour of their mansion, the Contessa’s friends came over and are putting their little ballroom (where Richard Wagner played for an earlier generation of Federicos) to action with some music. Later, after some of the family’s fine wine, Signore Federico will show off his 1935 racecar. (After he flipped it in a Sicilian road race, the Contessa said, “no more racing.”) Most of our group is just off the plane and pretty jet-laggy. But with the experiences Alfio is dishing out…we’re wide awake.

This is Day 2 of my A Hundred Days in Europe series. As I lead tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences in Sicily, Naples and the Amalfi Coast, Rome, Portugal, Paris, Ireland, the heart of England, Scotland, Germany’s Black Forest, Alsace, the great cities of Switzerland, and more. I never know exactly what’s next…but it’s always fascinating and inspiring. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.