Palermo was the one place I went in Sicily that I didn't enjoy, and unfortunately it was my last stop on my trip. As soon as I arrived, I wanted to leave. My hotel, which I paid twice as much for as everywhere else I stayed, was terrible - just a bed in a dingy room, and unbearably hot.

I didn't take very many photos, both for the reasons that I wasn't really enjoying myself, and that I didn't feel safe taking my camera out in public. The city had a very seedy, poor feeling about it. Many once-beautiful buildings were tired and run down, and there were a lot of shady characters around.

My reading has told me that there is still a strong Mafia presence in Palermo, and that much of the money for restoring the city (damaged badly in WW2), has never quite reached where it should, so buildings have been left as they were. I didn't see any obvious Mafia, but for whatever reason, I didn't stray more than a block from my hotel after dark.

Some people love the city and say it deserves a few good days of sightseeing, but it wasn't for me.