A LUNCH WITH A VIEW

After three days of rain and cool temperatures (warmer in Berlin and in Castiglion Fiorentino than in Palermo, but no climate change—just ask Joe Manchin!), we took advantage of the sun and the cloudless blue sky and drove north to the rugged coast.

The destination: Sferracavallo (above), about 12 km from the city center of Palermo. The entertainment: first, lunch at da Emanuele, an unpretentious seafood restaurant on the water, and then a postprandial walk through the Riserva Capo Gallo, a nature reserve and biodiversity habitat.

We’ve eaten at da Emanuele many times and it did not disappoint yesterday. As so often is the case in Italy, next to us was a table of six men who had come together on a Wednesday at lunchtime to share some pasta, conversation, and laughter.

The view out over the crystalline water is always a marvel.

We ordered an antipasto al mare—baby octopus, calamari, mussels, carrots and celery in a light vinaigrette, plus a split of Cusumano Angimbe’, a light white from Ficuzza’s clay soils 700 meters above sea level.

Then came the spaghetti con le vongole, with those impossibly small, tender clams. You simply can’t find them outside Italy.

Everything was absolutely delicious and, satisfied, we decided not to order dessert. Instead we drove out to Capo Gallo, just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Sferracavallo.

Having parked the car, we spied an ice cream truck affair, advertising homemade gelato. Slightly skeptical about whether the ice cream really was artiginale, we thought, “Why not?! Let’s give it a go.” The dozen or so flavors were hiding in frosty metal containers flush with the counter, without labels. We ordered the mandarino tardive, a sorbet made with the last mandarin oranges of the season. The scooper knew exactly where to go, having memorized the locations of the 12 or so pots. The sorbet was outstanding!

Here is the proprietor and proud papa, holding his baby daughter, who is just two weeks old today. He engaged us in conversation, wanting to know where we were from and delighting in telling us that he lived in Fremont, CA some years ago. Small world; big enthusiasm.

Behind the gelato truck is the Barcarella, a funky do-it-yourself art park at the entrance to Capo Gallo that reminds me of the mud flats in Berkeley, with its driftwood and found-object sculptures.

Hidden among the somewhat aggressive, bigger-than-life plants was this sphinx.

Speaking of aggressive, I definitely would not mess with this succulent.

On the other hand, these ground-hugging yellow daisy-like flowers seemed quite gentle as they tucked themselves away in the nooks and crannies of the calcareous rock.

Further on was a row of nanna palms, dwarf palms indigenous to Sicily, and likely planted.

Here is another nanna who volunteered.

This plant had an intense jasmine scent.

This flower came with her own vase.

Unlike the jasmine smell-alike, the acanthus wasn't fragrant, but her leaves are a legendary form used in Greek and Roman architectural and sculptural elements.