Палермо

July 20–21, 2014

All the balconies in Sicily follow a strict rule: they must have at least five supporting brackets.

The brackets can be of any style, from straight beams to elaborate curlicues. But you can’t have fewer than five.

More than five, on the other hand, is perfectly acceptable.

Another local feature: balconies are shaded from the sun with a drape that’s attached to the top of the door and hangs out over the railing like a skirt.

From a distance, Palermo looks romantic. As romantic as it sounds—Palermo!

It even has some of the beauty one rightfully expects from any Italian city.

But the beauty comes to an end rather quickly.

And the rest looks sort of like Tambov or Ulyanovsk.

The small trash cans look unkempt.

The large trash cans look unkempt.

The trash dumpsters look unkempt.

And the houses look unkempt.

And the narrow damp alleyways aren’t inviting.

And actually, it’s a black ghetto.

Generally, you see black people in Italy no more frequently than you would in Moscow.

But here, you feel as though you’re in Belgium.

Then again, Italy can’t be covered up so easily.