Palermo Two—Touring with Domenico!

01-02 June 2024

Bob Colegrove, with some help from Paul Gass and Domenico, organized three days of celebrations for Richard’s 70th birthday. He definitely raised the bar on this one!

Two days of touring with Domenico!!!

We met Domenico Aronica in 2019 when Robert followed up a Facebook post. A fellow freshman student from UC Berkeley days recommended Domenico. So on our first morning in Palermo we took a brisk three-hour walking tour with him. We were wowed by his knowledge of history, architecture, and everything Palermo.

Robert and Domenico bonded immediately because of the sense of humor they share. Domenico quickly adopted us as part of his family. When we returned in 2022 with Richard, Domenico extended his reach into the Loyd family and then to Richard’s birthday celebration in 2024.

For the birthday gang of nearly thirty people, Domenico broke the tour into two days. The first day focused on cultural aspects of Palermo—churches, fountains, Spanish rule, Normans, French, Christians, and Muslims. On the second day he introduced us to the Ballarò Market—an enormous, crowded street market of fresh fish, fruit, and vegetables plus food ready to eat—as well as another church and a flea market. We highlight only a few sites here. Our posts from 2019 and 2022 have more details on the tours.

When in Palermo, contact Domenico. https://palermowalkingtour.com.
Since we met in 2019, Domenico has become recommended in the Rick Steves guidebook on Sicily. Good choice! We heard great compliments from the birthday group. They all, as we, love Domenico!

Day One

Domenico’s largest tour group ever—twenty-six total.

Church of St. Catherine of Alessandria

Il Duomo

**Once filled with mosaics, the Spanish rulers stripped the interior to what we see today.**

Day Two—Ballarò Market, Church, and Flea Market

Mercato di Ballarò

In this open market, vendors sell all types of food to take home and to eat there. The market winds through the city streets for at least a half mile. The tuna season had just begun. We stopped to sample goods like cheese and pomegranate juice. Unlike in prior years, it was very crowded.