The first taste of Sicily... Palermo

Palermo, the first stop on our European adventure. This city is hot, dusty and - despite being the grandest city in Europe in the 12th century (thank you Lonely Planet) - its grandeur has now faded. The splendour of its past now decayed and crumbling.

However, despite the crazed motorists and, from what we saw, a lack of the cafe culture we were expecting, this city does have its charms. You just have to search a bit harder for them.

We stayed in a run down palazzo, with twin beds and a shared bathroom, just off the main street - Via Maqueda. Our room overlooked the tail end of the Mercato Ballero... a crowded, bustling market selling Pecorino, peaches and whole swordfish - decapitated and sliced for customers on the spot. My favourite place in the city.

While Palermo does have its charms, especially for the architecturally-aware (which is not me), we were glad to get out of the relentless heat and on to our next stop... Cefalu and the coast, our tent and a Sicilian BBQ recipe... to be continued!