SICILY BY CHRYSAVGI ATSIDAKOU

Today is the day to go our usual trip and this time our tour guide will be the lawyer and wife of the Greek National Team Alexi Tsorva, Chrisavgi Atsidakou. A very delicate lady and mom of two and of course a very good friend of ours, will travel us and tell us few things about Sicily that she -eventually loved!!!!

"I can blame the fact that I had to leave my law firm, few months before I launched it in Greece or the fact that I wasn't so well cause of the symptons from my first pregnancy or maybe that I left my already settled life in Athens, that delayed my actual acquaintance with famous Great Greece, or her "sister", beautiful Sicily!!!!

So if you ever be in Palermo or Panormo in ancient Greek, the Italian city with the largest historic center and one of the biggest ports in teh Mediterranean, you will certainly not get bored!!

For your stay, I highly recommend the Grand Hotel Piazza Borsa, an architectural creation of our good friend Sebastiano, which is centrally located in the old city. Walking through the streets of the center, especially at night, apart from the many squares full of life, you will experience a variety of sounds, scents, colors and flavors that will awaken all your senses!

You will definetely need to visit the famous, majestic Teatro Massimo and if you time, you should arrange to see a concert or an opera, it is a unique experience.. I was lucky to see many of these wonderful works they host and only one work can describe my monents on the Teatro, magic!

Stay away though, from the port or be careful of your bellongings especially your bag and your watches!

Walking around the city you will meet many churches, having unique aesthetics with leading one, the imposing Cathedral of Palermo.

If you are fan of catacombs, you will surely interest with the ones of the Capuchin, which they have an excellent historical importance at the society of Palermo!

If you go at Palermo during the summer time, a walk in Mondello for a swim or a walk, or even for eating some ice cream, is necessary. The summer resort for the people that live in Palermo is only just a few minutes away from the city center, and is called Monte Pellegrino. All the wealthy people of the Sicilian capital have their summer houses there. Many kilometers of golden coastline, luxurious resorts and wild summer nights are waiting for you.

Very near to Palermo is the famous, because of the film Il Padrino ( The Godfather )village Corleone. If you have some days more, visiting this palce is a plus! A very small and graphicall village and it will seem to you that you had a trip back in time...

Regarding the food of Sicily, just like throughout Italy, their cuisine is a unique experiencing pleasure. Try traditional involtini, sliced ​​meat usually wrapped with vegetables, the arancini, which means fried rice, pasta with fish and for dessert over the wonderful Sicilian ice cream, picked crostatta, which I had the pleasure to know how to do it as my beloved girlfriend Trissi, shoed to me!

Favorite night place for the locals to hang out and mine is the hot spot Tribeca. In the heart of the city, a few minutes away from the main viale della Liberta, it serves Italian delicacies, nice sushi, at modern environments with up to date music. If you are in Mondello I strongly recommend you to stop at Pasticceria Alba for lunch and some dessert or at the restaurant Le Antiche Mura for dinner, where I spent one of my best New Year's eve!!!! Amazing environment with a very tasteful Italian cuisine...

Because I'm sure that you are thinking to what to buy from Palermo and Sicily in general, I will disappoint you a little bit. While Italy is famous center for fashion and shopping, Sicily lacks enough at this matter.

I attended though a fashion show of a local designer and I was pleasantly surprised!!!! If you discover them, you will find many interesting pieces for your wardrobe at reasonable prices!

Sicily is not just Palermo. In this short trip we are doing wright now, our next stop will be my favorite Taormina, meaning the rage of Taurus. Oh, my!!!!

For me this paradise and cosmopolitan town with breathtaking views of the Ionian Sea, the gardens, the aristocratic buildings, the palaces, the shops of unique art works, with film festivals and of course the Teatro Greco, a theater masterpiece, like those of ancient Greec, was to me a travelling revelation. I adored the Hotel Metropole Maison D'Hôtes, and I loved walking around everywhere, and is not so big as a city but it is " large " in everything else!!!. I would definitely go back again and again and again!!!!!

Our next stop is the famous Syracuse. The place of Sicily where the Greek presence will touch you. The historical city center is located on the small island of Ortygia. Walking around you will admire the Temple of Apollon, the Square of Archimedes, the great fountain of Artemis and the Duomo, which was derived from the conversion of the temple of Athena that stood there and is the only church in the world that became from an ancient church to a metropolis.

Downtown Syracuse is not accidentally a monument of worldwide cultural heritage of UNESCO. The most impressive attraction however is the Archaeological Park of Neapolis, which is the famous Greek Theatre, with panoramical views of the sea. Every summer brings on stage of great works and is a major tourist attraction in Sicily and not only.

The Grand Hotel Ortigia is for me the best choice of accommodation, while the restaurant Don Camillo will satisfy you for sure. On your walks in the old city center you will find lots of interesting art objects and other traditional yet modern things to buy.

On my next trip there, which I soon hope to book a ticket, and I will bring many other Sicilian tips with me which I will sure would be happy to share with all the COOL UR STYLE fans once more!!!"

Thank you so much Chrisavgi.. Next time you will sure take us with you!!! xoxo