Palermo's Creepy Catacombs

When my parents came to visit and I asked for their list of things they'd like to see, the only place my dad wanted to revisit with wide-eyed certainty was Palermo's catacombs. He'd visited in the 60s - long before there were tour guides and postcards for sale. It was simply a dimly lit Capuchin catacomb illuminated by a few dangling lightbulbs.

This creepy and beautiful ode to life holds a very tender place in my heart...kind of like the Red Sox do in Rob's.



Here's dad with a Capuchin monk who collected our entrance fee. My dad liked this happy, smiling soul instantly. There were only a handful of the living in the catacombs that morning - and so a young Sicilian offered to give us a private tour, and we were allowed to photograph the entire collection.