The Collected Traveler

As I mentioned in my previous post, I had the opportunity to meet the authors Jacqueline Alio and Louis Mendola in Palermo.  While we were seated outside at historic Caffe Stagnitto we had a lively conversation about the books they've authored together and individually; about Sicily in general; and about Palermo, where they both live now.  I didn't have my tape recorder with me and my pen couldn't keep up with their comments, so we had to complete our conversation by e-mail.

Jackie and Lou each lived in the States for some years and they are fluent in English, Italian, and Sicilian.  The books they've co-authored include The Peoples of Sicily and the Time Traveler's Guide: Norman-Arab-Byzantine Palermo, Monreale, and Cefalù.  Among others, Jackie has written Margaret: Queen of Sicily, and Queens of Sicily: 1062-1266, published in June of this year, and with Francesca Lombardo (a food writer, sommelier, and culinary travel consultant), Sicilian Food & Wine: The Cognoscente's Guide.  Lou has written The Kingdom of Sicily: 1130-1860 and the popular Sicilian Geneaology and Heraldry, "worth its weight in gold" according to a reviewer for The Best of Sicily blog (Louis he is one of the foremost experts in the field of Sicilian geneaology).  All of these have been published by Trinacria Editions, a Sicilian publishing house with an office in New York.  I admire them, and their books, enormously, but I hold a special place for The Peoples of Sicily. 


You have individually and together written books that focus on Medieval Sicily.  What about this period in history is particularly fascinating to you?

JA:  Thanks to my parents, I have always had a connection with my Sicilian heritage and history. As a child, I spent three summers in Sicily and when we moved here it was only normal that I wanted to learn all I could about my family homeland. It is wonderful that I have been able to make a career from my passion in Sicily.  The unique religious and ethnic tolerance that existed in Medieval Sicily is something that I have always tried to promote in both my books and in my work as a guide. I believe that this is a heritage and a treasure to cherish for every single human being and not just for us Sicilians.

LM:  Well, I've always been interested in the Sicilian Middle Ages, through heraldry and books like Steven Runciman's "Sicilian Vespers," a classic, which was the first lengthy book I read on medieval Sicily. I met Sir Steven in England a few years before his death. He was a very nice man. For me, being Sicilian is a big part of my interest. That's different from many foreign scholars who "adopt" Sicily as their field of study. So I guess we could say it's a personal interest. My first article dealt with the Battle of Benevento in 1266. It was published in 1985.  

It seems to me that no one else could have written The Peoples of Sicily quite like you.  What makes you uniquely qualified to do so?
  
JA: I started to do some of my own research on the topics touched by "Peoples" for over 25 years and thanks to both my own travels and those together with Lou, we have been able to help people living outside Sicily to "connect the dots" with all the European and Mediterranean history and culture that have made Sicily and Sicilians what they are today.
LM: Thank you! We know Sicily, that's for sure. And we've traveled to places where the various civilizations came from. But "Peoples," compared to some of our other books, is based on the original research of a lot of other scholars, not our own. We just brought it all together in one volume, which nobody had ever done in this way. It sells better than our other books, even the guide to Sicilian genealogy. Readers find the implicit message appealing. The response to it has always been amazing.

Do you lead tours in Palermo and elsewhere in Sicily?  

JA:  I have been guiding for over 25 years and this didn't just start out as a job; it was a way to transmit my passion for Sicily to others. I used to guide all around Sicily but now I only focus on tours in and around Palermo in order to have more time for research and writing (which is my other passion).
LM: We do work together sometimes but Jackie is an official guide while I handle the planning and promotion, and an occasional lecture.  I should mention that here in Italy becoming a tour guide requires having at least a bachelor's degree, sitting an oral exam, and being fluent in Italian and at least one other language. Those qualifications might be compared to what is required to be a high school history teacher.

You wrote in the Preface that while the word 'multicultural' has become somewhat of a meaningless mantra, "Sicily reached its cosmopolitan apogee in the first half of the twelfth century.  It was not Camelot, but Sicily came closer to that legendary ideal than any other European kingdom of the Middle Ages."  Has this spirit continued to the present day?"

JA:  Back in the 90's I did some volunteer work at the Ballarò market area (which is now a street market but was founded as a souk over a thousand years ago) helping recently arrived sub-Saharan immigrants to integrate. Nowadays those who arrived back then and who have had a chance to integrate are helping some of the newly arrived.  The fact that so many immigrants live in the old city center alongside the locals and not in separate suburbs has allowed for us to find new ways to get along notwithstanding religious and ethnic differences. Both the municipal administration and the Archdiocese of Palermo have contributed in many ways (for example, by granting the use of deconsecrated Catholic churches to use for different religious designations, or by choosing a Palestinian doctor as the new municipal Cultural minister amongst other things).
LM:  If you look at the statistics, Palermo and Catania don't have large right-wing, vigilante-type groups that actively target Africans or other minorities, and despite some organized crime and political corruption the rate of street crime in Sicily is extremely low compared to Rome and Milan. There isn't even much drunk driving because alcoholism is virtually unknown among Sicilians. Palermo is actually one of the safest cities of its size in Europe. In the area around Ballarò the immigrants live among the locals. Visitors from northern-Italian cities, or even France and England, are amazed to see that. It's not full integration, not yet, but it's a good first step.  Personally, I view it more as Sicilians' indifference than actual acceptance, for now, but the effect seems to be the same. It's 'live and let live.' Historically, we've had a Latin-based monoculture here since around 1300. The Jews were suppressed in 1493 and some Albanian refugees fleeing Ottoman expansion began arriving around that time. Until recently, there hadn't been much real-life multiculturalism here, but the new immigration has re-introduced it.

What are some sites or places you think are essenziale for first-time visitors to Palermo and elsewhere, and what are some places you recommend for visitors who've been to Sicily before?

JA:  My favorite sites are the Arab-Norman ones: Monreale's Cathedral and Cloister are important, and a few other must-sees in Palermo are: the Norman Palace with its Palatine Chapel, the Cathedral, La Martorana Church, Ballarò Market, and Zisa Castle.  Personally, I like Palermo's colorful marmi mischi (mixed marbles, referring to marble inlays that are often white or gold reliefs on a blue or black background) Baroque that you find in some churches in town (such as Santa Caterina d'Alessandria - click on 'Chiesa' for a panoramic video of the interior) and also the Baroque Giacomo Serpotta oratories with their lovely stucco putti and women personifying Christian virtues.
LM:  That's a tricky question because it depends on the visitor's interests. Etna is not to be missed if you're a hiker or just an outdoors person. Personally, I hate the Baroque, which we have a lot of, but I love the Gothic, of which there's very little in southern Italy, where most medieval churches are Romanesque. But getting back to your question, my killer itinerary is Palermo, Monreale, Erice, Segesta, Cefalù, Piazza Armerina, Taormina, Etna and Siracusa. My feeling is that the Baroque, which attracts visitors to Ragusa and Noto, exists throughout Italy, and Segesta's temple and Greek theatre are more impressive, in a pristine rural location, than Agrigento's, which is too close to a city for my taste. By the way, unless you're a hardcore beach person, the best time to visit is mid November through late March. Fewer crowds, nice temperatures, and the countryside is green.

When you have a day off in Palermo, what are some of your favorite things to do?  

JA:  Exploring the old city center on my own where there is always a new cafè or restaurant opening up (too many neighborhoods to just mention one) is always exciting. I also love Ristorante La Galleria (no website; Salita Ramirez 2, right behind the Cathedral; (39) 091.251.5037): they only cook whatever is in season. I enjoy visiting new exhibits at the Archeological Museum and just sitting in the cloisters inside.  Of course going to a winter ballet at the Massimo Opera House is always fun.
LM: I have a few "secret" places. A nice restaurant is the Vecchio Club Rosanero trattoria (Vicolo Caldomai, 18; no website but near the Quattro Canti), down some steps off Via Candelai, a medieval street along a Phoenician wall overlooking the area where the Papyrus River used to run. You can actually see the depression left by the river.  The restaurant is rustic, with stone walls, and very accommodating but don't even think of going without a reservation. They only do Western Sicilian and the prices are good. We have lots of good gelato places in Palermo but the absolute best is the Gelatone, on Via Rizzo outside the center of town. Organic ice cream in all kinds of flavors. Worth an excursion.

Contact Jackie at this web page for detailed information about her tours in Palermo and the surrounding area.   Click here for an in-depth interview with Lou that appeared in The Best of Sicily.