Attico Politeama Palermo

IL TOCCOThe game of ' Tocco...

by piccolina

IL TOCCOThe game of ' Tocco 'is a very old popular tradition in Sicily which has always been played by working-class people. The original point of this game is to drink in a circle of friends around the same table. The rules stipulate that the two main characters, 'U padruni' and 'u sutta' (The boss and his assistant ) actually decide which players have to drink or not, and in which order. When u'Padruni passes judgment, the only one who has got the power to modify his sentence is u'Sutta, by suggesting other orders or by opposing his view. The couple also keep a whole bottle of wine and drink it between themselves, but the real purpose of the game is to enjoy a drink with their friends, excluding the opposite gang who, at that point, are not able to quench their thirst. Certainly the game is amusing when played between friends, but it can also cruel in that a table companion has to join in without drinking a single drop. This is also reinforced when the thirst is sharpened from eating savoury food which is consumed to absorb the alcohol. Since the dynamics of 'Tocco' are based on hierarchy and decision -making, this game has also been used like a supreme court to solve outstanding disputes between two or more people of the same community. That is why very often, when there are two rival gangs at the same table, they are ready to fight, sometimes to the death, if the tension is too strong. In any case, in the game of 'Tocco' there will always be a judge and a defendant someone stronger someone weaker, a winner and a loser just like the Mafia is structured
There has to be an order imposed from the boss throughout the game which sometimes assumes the characteristics of a war.

I saw in a little town out Palermo, the end of this game...the emotion growed moment by moment..unforgettable.

Great late night spot for pizza ice cream drinks

by Paisleypaul about Pizzeria Bar Gastronomia PANORMUS

Great ambience and friendly service, you could both eat and have change from Eu20.00

Pizza Margherita Eu 3.50

Pizza Diavolo Eu 4.00

330 ml mineral water Eu1.00 ; Becks Bier 330ml Eu2.50. Outstanding pizza where the herbs are added like an afterthought to the plain tomato and mozzarella base

Palermo Cathedral

by bambino36

The Palermo Cathedral was built in the place of an ancient muslim mosque in 1184 by order of a norman King called William II.
The Cathedral suffered several renovations through the centuries, thus resulting in it's neo-classical style

Sicilian capital on the up

by Paisleypaul

"Palermo - Return of the King ?"

Palermo, population 750,000, is the capital of the island of Sicilia, on the North coast of the island. Greek, Roman, Norman and Arab influences blend, and sometimes clash, in a mix of tastes as pronounced in the human sense as in the culinary one. Known for half a century for being in a state of decay, government money was creamed off by the Mafia. Any up to date guide book will document how the tide has now turned - there is even a large civic monument to the downfall of the Cosa Nostra. Many beautiful buildings and monuments have now thankfully been cleaned up and restored, there is also still quite some way to go. Palermo is like a boxer who has hit the canvas but after a count of 40 or 50 years has come up fighting.

See also my related pages - Mondello (beach), Monreale (half-day trip) & Cefalu (resort a short train ride away)

"Diverse views -"

This is the Stazione Centrale, Piazza Gulio Cesare, from the bottom of Via Roma.........

(www.trenitalia.it)

.... a contrast with the nearby Porta Sant Agata.