Iconic Itineraries Crossroads Of Time

Travelling Sicily from west to east is a revelation of cultures and histories like nowhere else, discovers Erin Florio

- Erin Florio

Two hours after arriving in Palermo, I am standing inside the Galleria degli Specchi at the Palazzo Gangi, beneath centuries-old chandeliers, surrounded by gilded everything. The mirrored walls and ceilings, the velvet curtains, the opulence of it all reminds me of Versailles's Hall of Mirrors. Like so much in Palermo, the 300-year-old palace appears suddenly and magnificently, rising up around the corner of a nondescript alleyway. Its low profile is fitting for a city where every wall holds millennia of conquests and scandal.

Palermo's buildings carry the scars of World War II. But its doors reveal palaces still owned by princesses descended from the House of Bourbon, which ruled here from 1735 to the mid-19th century. Below ground, a network of tunnels has served as both a playground of sin for nuns and monks on trysts and as an escape route for the Beati Paoli, a precursor to the Mafia. It's a cunning, clever city that requires know-how to crack. Fortunately, I'm with Marcella Amato, a whip-smart, quick-tongued Palermitana guide with knowing eyes full of urban tales and wisdom. It is her long and trusted relationship with the princess who lives at Gangi that got me through the door. Being inside the palace is the first of many moments that brings me closer to Sicily than I have gotten on any previous trip.