One of the surprising (and more than a little disappointing) facts about Palermo is that there is no direct public access to the sea, except by boat. There is no beach. If you want to swim or sunbathe on sand, you have to brave the intense, insane, never-a-lull-moment Palermo traffic and either drive west along the Mediterranean coast to Mondello (below), a resort town about 20 minutes away from our neighborhood by car, or drive east along the Mediterranean coast to Marina Messina (below), a trash-strewn, blowsy stretch of sand about 15 minutes away. (No, there is no reliable bus service and, no, there are no continuous sidewalks.) If you like to walk by the sea, though, the route along the waterfront is one of my favorite places in Palermo. The sea and the sky change every day. Some days, like last Wednesday, the sea and sky are calm and beautiful. Other days, like last Thursday, the sea and sky are stormy and beautiful. Every day alon...