palermo, città di contradizzioni

this is a back-blog...
Palermo was a stunning mix of seemingly contradictory components- all the energy and road rage of Manhattan, all the history and grandeur of Paris, in places the squalor and poverty of Calcutta* and all in a climate and natural environment that closely resembles that of Miami. At a certain point, I switched to taking pictures in black & white because it reflected the subject better- buildings with businesses on the street level, but two floors of abandoned apartments above in buildings that were naturally beautiful and old enough to be on any European historical register, great public statues with broken fences, sidewalks crumbled to the point of danger, trash on the street all over- and yet warm, kind people and the best food we've had yet (and that's really saying something!) You may recognize the Teatro Massimo from pictures 2, 3 &4- where the final scene of the Godfather was filmed.

*OK, I've never been to Calcutta, and I really have no right... but Mother Teresa did establish a mission in the very same neighborhood we spent most of our time, and not very many years ago, so the comparison is not too far off.