Reid & Robie

I’ll miss everything about Palermo. The people always made me feel at home; it will be impossible to forget my experiences there.

– Paulo Dybala, former Palermo FC player

Palermo might be the most welcoming place on Earth.

Shopkeepers greet everyone with a friendly “Buongiorno.” Restaurants have a laid-back atmosphere that encourages diners to chat across tables, and taverns and markets offer communal dining to let strangers interact.

Sharing a table in Italy brings people together. Meals aren’t rushed, conversation flows, laughter resonates and stories take center stage. At the table, people from different backgrounds, cultures and languages argue over which restaurant has the best pizza and debate world politics without rancor.

Sicily is Europe’s original melting pot. Invaded by Phoenician seafarers, colonized by Greeks and occupied by Carthaginians, the island was then conquered by Rome. When Rome fell, Germanic tribes took control until Byzantines reconquered the island. They were followed in succession by Arabs from North Africa, Normans from France (descended from Danish and Norwegian Vikings), Hohenstaufen from Germany, Angevins from France, Hapsburgs from Austria, and Aragonese and Bourbons from Spain. After being declared part of Italy in 1861, Sicily was part of Nazi Germany’s Fortress Europe until it was successfully invaded by Allied armies from Canada, Great Britain, Australia and the United States.

This broad mix of conquerors, caretakers and colonizers are evident today in Palermo’s diverse cuisine and spirited street markets. During our five weeks in Palermo, Robie and I often spent Saturday afternoons chatting with friends at outsized picnic tables at Taverna Azzurra, an establishment that’s been around since 1896. On Sundays we attended Mass at one of Palermo’s many churches alongside the elderly and families with small children. Afterwards we followed the crowds to Mercato del Capo where the delicious and varied street food was rivaled only by the entertainment.

This spring, Palermo welcomed two new foreigners to town, adding to the already blended mix. And in Europe’s melting pot, Robie and I felt right at home.