Sicily’s Cleaning Up, But Still Keeps Its Edge

view of Palermo skyline from terrace

I just spent two exciting and intense weeks in Sicily, filled with lots of great work and lots of great travel. Over the next few days, I’ll be sharing some final thoughts and pictures from the trip — and then we’ll dive right into our next stop: France.

Sicily surprised me. It’s less chaotic and dirty and more clean and efficient than it was in years past. But it still retains its colorful edge (and that’s why I love it). You never know what kind of welcome you’ll receive on the streets — like the in-your-face rude gesture a happy bum gave me — but it just feels friendly and fun rather than dark and foreboding.

man on street holding up middle fingers to camera

In Palermo, we visited a giant mural that memorializes two judges who were assassinated by the Mafia in 1992. Their murders were a big turning point for the people of Sicily and today, the Mafia has nowhere near the influence it once held over Sicilian society.

large mural on building wall of giovanni falcone and paolo borsellino

 


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