Here you can browse through my blog posts prior to February 2022. Currently I'm sharing my travel experiences, candid opinions, and what's on my mind solely on my Facebook page. — Rick
Hello from the windy west tip of Sicily, about as close to Africa as you can get in this part of Europe. (Please excuse the buffeting.)
I’m on the island of Mozia, filming a new episode of Rick Steves’ Europe. As we explore the ruins of a Carthaginian city, I’m pondering the civilization that, 800 years before Christ, established a trade outpost here — just a day’s sail away from their home in present-day Tunisia.
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I’ll admit it — I’ve always been intrigued by human bones.
We’re in Sicily, filming two new episodes of Rick Steves’ Europe — and today we brought the camera to Palermo’s Capuchin Crypt. While we were there, I took a walk and chatted with a Capuchin friar. Among the contorted faces of his dead brothers, still wearing their brown robes — “bodies without souls,” as he called them — he shared with me why I might love to be surrounded by human bones. He said that being there brings him peace because it reminds him that life is transitory, and something much greater awaits. In a beautiful way, if you believe in God, this crypt — so full of dead bodies — is a celebration of life.
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History and culture come in layers — and understanding history and culture is often a matter of recognizing those layers.
Sicily, perhaps more than any corner of Europe, is a layer cake of civilizations. This is the southern border of both Europe and Christendom. And, like the tide ebbs and flows, so does the point where Islam and Christianity meet. That comes with tension, which was sorted out as elegantly a thousand years ago as similar problems are sorted out in the Mediterranean Basin today. When the Catholic Normans took Sicily from the Muslim Arabs, they were sure to plant their sword firmly by tearing down mosques and building bold churches that stood like fortresses, proclaiming, “This is now Christian again.”
Here in the cathedral at Monreale (six miles southwest of Palermo), I’m enjoying an exquisite interior, twinkling with 800-year-old gold-leaf mosaic Bible stories and supported by a dozen or so ancient pillars. That’s right…the pope wanted to cement the Vatican’s relationship with Sicily’s new Norman overlords with an appropriate gift. So he tore down an ancient Roman temple and shipped the columns (complete with fine capitals) to Sicily.
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Traveling thoughtfully, you connect with both other cultures and other times. And by “connecting,” I mean you gain understanding and empathy.
While the wealthy in America are enjoying a new Gilded Age, many of the fabulously wealthy in Europe have become the formerly fabulously wealthy. From England to Greece, families with aristocratic estates are maintaining their noble titles, but find that all those fancy palaces and mansions can leave them land-rich but cash-poor. And in many cases, these still-elegant families are dealing with this financial reality like the rest of us commoners do: by finding a creative way to pay the bills. The charming Contessa (countess) and Conte (count) Federico have a delightful family and a delightful world that they now open to visitors daily. Visiting here is a favorite experience on the Rick Steves Best of Sicily tour — and I got to join up with a group today to enjoy this special slice of Sicilian culture.
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Palermo’s Vucciria Market is lively in the morning — but I like it even better after hours.
It’s my first night in Europe this year, and I’m fighting jet lag by simply being out and about — instead of just sitting on my bed, thinking, “I feel so tired and disoriented.” I strolled away from the busy main drag into Palermo’s characteristic back lanes, where I caught a bohemian-chic scene by surprise. For some reason, this scene taps into the mix of old and young, edgy and hedonistic, crumpled and free…and convivial.
Under the stars, melting into a world where young and old douse the downsides of Sicilian life with a nice drink and some good conversation, I consider the gift of neighborhood togetherness. Many countries have a special word for this cozy feeling of conviviality (hygge in Denmark, gemütlich in Austria, craic in Ireland). Here in Italy, it’s found in the piazza — a place for togetherness that’s affordable, multi-generational, and a little naughty. If you found a time thread peeking up from the shiny cobbles here and pulled on it, it would take you all the way back to ancient Rome.
This is just the first of 100 nights I’ll be in Europe, and it’s been the perfect welcome. As I travel from Sicily to Iceland, I’ll be sharing daily (or nightly) updates here and on my Facebook page — I hope you come along with me.