"Gargoyles & Graffiti"chronicles architectural elements that I find interesting or unique in my travels. Gargoyles are my passion, but today graffiti (which I hate but am learning to love as it is everywhere) is as much a part of architecture as the gargoyles and decorative railings that thrill me.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Falling in Love: Graffiti of Palermo

Street in Palermo, Sicily


Everyone I spoke to before I left on my cruise said don't bother with Palermo. Make your way directly to Cefalu or Monreale, as Palermo is ugly and dirty. That's what they said, but that is not what I found. I cannot judge a place by how it looks but how it feels to me. Palermo is dirty. Palermo is full of graffiti and people. It is a jumble of all these things I rationalize are things I do not like. But guess what? I loved loved loved Palermo. 


Somehow the mix of old buildings and crowded streets combined with thousands of years of history, the sun, olive oil and smiles brought tears to my eyes. Even the graffiti did not bother me. It almost seems like it belongs here. 


Palermo is a mix of all that is good and bad in the world, with a dash of hope mixed in. It does not apologize for not being neat and tidy. I felt love and goodness. Here are some of the shots I took of the graffiti. 






Then I came across this, the Cathedral in Palermo. What's not to love!


Entering the Cathedral area of Palermo, Sicily

3 comments:

  1. Palermo looks very interesting. Pique my interest to visit there. Thanks!

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  2. Rob, you will either love it or hate it. That is what Palermo does to people and it is not explainable. I typically do not like crowds or dirty places, and Palermo is both. But it is also so interesting and hopeful!

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