Palermo Day 2: Mondello Beach Bliss and the Ultimate Tourist Trap

A new day had dawned, and we started the morning with a lovely breakfast at a small restaurant a few hundred meters from us. We had poached eggs and bacon, followed by a slice of cake with grapes inside, which was a little different and totally delicious.

Leanne on the pier at Mondello Beach

Mondello Beach: 

We weren't hanging around in the city today; I’d already seen enough to form my opinion on Palermo. We decided to head 10 km out of town to their local beach, Mondello. After studying the bus guide, we hopped on the 101 to transfer to the 806, which was supposed to get us there in about an hour.

The 806 is meant to run every ten minutes, but we waited for over half an hour while a constant stream of 101 buses dropped more and more people at the stop. When the bus finally arrived, it was a battle. We had to wiggle and worm our way in until I was literally smelling armpits. The door tried to close once, but some fellow's backside was in the way; he had to shove forward just so we could get moving.

I was wedged between four people, hanging onto the overhead strap with one arm and clutching a bag of towels and swimmers in the other. The body odour from one person was horrendous—I just had to pray for the AC to kick in and blow the scent away. This went on for 35 minutes, Palermo, you’re losing points!

The bus finally poured us all out onto a street somewhere in Mondello, and we couldn't get off fast enough. Our first priority was a cold drink, but as we rounded the corner, we caught our first glimpse of the ocean.

The water was a stunning blue, dotted with the tops of colorful umbrellas everywhere. After we’d had an ice coffee each to cool down, we headed down to the sand to grab some photos. I’d put the water very close to what we saw in Nice last year, but even clearer. It’s a beautiful, long stretch of sand tucked into a large bay.

Parts of beach were lined with rows of umbrellas and small tables all available for hire, and there were also plenty of public areas if you wanted to just find a patch of sand and set up your own gear.

Crystal clear waters of Mondello beach

Small bars and restaurants are scattered along the roads and paths with direct beach access—some offering full meals, others just focusing on the  beer and spirits. One place had a great selection, with bottles of beers going for just 2 euros (AU$3.60) and cocktails for around AU$8.00.

It was a warm day, hitting 34°C, but thankfully not as humid as previous days. The only downside was the midday sun; it was somewhere directly overhead, leaving us with zero shadows to hide under.

Mondello is a lovely beachside town. It’s far enough away from the city that it doesn’t feel like part of Palermo at all. There’s enough sand for everyone, so even with the crowds, you never feel overcrowded.

Their downfall of the area is that the touts take up all the shade, they park themselves under shady trees and spread out all their rubbish trinkets where they'll use it as their base, before making their way to the tourists on the foreshore.

I have a feeling this place is on the verge of taking off. It’s not quite a global tourist hotspot yet, but it’s not far from it. It still has that local charm, though I suspect it’s only a matter of time before developers move in and take over, this will see the demise of the small bars and restaurants along the beach and make way for larger ones.

We spent most of the day soaking it all in before heading back. Thankfully, the return trip was much better—it was a direct route and took half the time. No smelly armpits!

Beach goers enjoying the day

Our beach day at Mondello

The Last Night: A Courtyard Trap

For our final night in Palermo, we settled on a restaurant we’d spotted earlier in the courtyard of an old church. As we approached, a young lady was out front handing out menus, competing with the other restaurants nearby—the first red flag of a tourist trap. Still, I looked around and the place seemed popular; the setting was great and it was a pleasant night, so we took a chance.

With seating for about 100 people, the place was filling up fast, but unfortunately, the service didn’t match the view. Our waiter was pretty unpleasant—not a hint of a smile—and he took his time getting to our table.

I decided to have an entrée (first meal) followed by the main meal—a baked pasta with eggplant, ragu, peas, and parmesan, followed by a carbonara. I actually had to point to the menu and show the waiter that they did, in fact, have the dishes I was asking for, “Yes, you do have it on your menu,” I then said. “This, First course (which is entrée), and this main course, please. "as it was also on the big menu board in the courtyard, But no-all three of our meals arrived at once. My entrée had just become part of the main. He placed down the meals, again without a word.

The food was just total crap. Leanne’s Pasta alla norma was incredibly salty, and my carbonara tasted like seawater. The baked pasta was dry, with a crust of dry cheese and virtually no sauce, they were just horrible and I just couldn't shove anymore of this pre-made, heated-up crap in my mouth.

Then came the Tiramisù. How do you go wrong with that? Well, it was sleight of hand on the table without even knowing in under a minute from that unsmiling twit of a waiter and was essentially a soggy sponge cake smothered in coffee with a watery bottom. It was so bad I took one bite and had to spit it back out into my napkin.

AVOID “Antica Focacceria S. Francesco” is the name of this horrible restaurant so just avoid!

The Final Verdict: Goodbye, Palermo

It was a total tailspin. We went from a lovely pizza the night before, a beautiful breakfast, and Leanne’s "best ever" crepe at Mondello, to this absolute rubbish tonight.

Summarizing Palermo is easy: there is no reason I would ever come back. I tried hard to find something that grabbed me or something truly appealing about the city, but it just didn't happen. Between the "same rubbish" stalls, the armpit bus, and the seawater pasta, Palermo just missed the mark.

That said, our time in Sicily overall was absolutely wonderful and don't regret coming here. We loved the island and the towns of Cefalù, Ortigia, and Taormina, plus the beach at Mondello. We would have loved another five days to explore more of the island, but we have to get back to work. Would I recommend Sicily as a holiday destination? It’s a definite yes—it is a beautiful place, just maybe pick your spots carefully.

Tomorrow, we fly to Milan which is our departure point back to Australia which is another city that I found unappealing, We have 8 hours to kill before our flight so we aren't hanging around. Instead, we’re heading straight for a small town on Lake Maggiore called "Arona", a place we know nothing about.