Pizzeria... Palermo?

Pizzeria Palermo - Enemy Territory or Fine Dining?

I have a confession.  I am too guilty, I must admit it.  We broke down.  We did the unthinkable, for a former CATANIA resident...

WE ATE AT PIZZERIA PALERMO.

For those of you unfamiliar with Sicilian geography, Palermo and Catania are the island's two largest cities.  They sit on opposite sides of the map, and are world's apart in a sort of Montague/Capulet sort of way.  Palermo has always been the larger of the two, and served as the political capital in the days of the "Kingdom of Sicily."  Catania, being on the west, was closer to Greece and thus served more as a bridge to Asia and home to those mysterious Elephants.  (Never quite got the official explanation of that one.)

As the quarterback of the Catania Elephants last season, I was instructed on the rivalry and learned to hate all things Palermo.  It actually felt very similar to my arrival in Tucson, Arizona, where the Wildcats quickly taught me that the "Sun Devils" up in Phoenix were an evil bunch.  Apparently I didn't get the message quickly enough, so one of my teammates made it a point to spray paint his feelings on a local church:

"PA" (PALERMO) EQUALS AIDS.  'nuff said.

    

 Yes, call us traitors.  Yes, call us unfaithful.  Or perhaps, just call us... HUNGRY!  Desperate times call for desperate measures, and I had not had pizza in at least three days.  We decided to go for it.  

From the looks of these two strapping Austrians, this must be a good place to eat!  (Little help here on the translation?)

The quaint interior of Palermo.  No Aids to be found here...

Yet once we got inside, my fears quickly subsided as I was neither ambushed by a hidden Mafioso nor told "eeeempossible."  Instead, a nice lady ushered us to a quiet table in the corner and greeted us in English.  Maybe Palermo wasn't so bad after all...

An "Americana" pizza stands for cheese & pepperoni.  Who's really setting the trend here? 

I quickly perused the menu and found a number of appetizing options.  Few people realize that the Italian border is a mere half-hour drive to the south, and its gastronomical influence is far reaching into Tirol.  (Brief pause to comprehend the complexity of that last sentence... I sure am getting WORDY!)  Bottom line, there's lots of good Italian food here in Innsbruck, so that is one thing I am not missing from my time in Italy.  The Palermo menu was full of large salads, big plates of pasta -- a major difference from Italy in that pasta here is not viewed as a 'primi' or first course but rather an entire meal -- and of course, the pizzas that give it its name.  While tempted by the "Americana" pepperoni pizza, I settled on the "Mama Mia" and was not disappointed!  

All smiles with my Mama Mia!  (Here I go again...)

Christie enjoyed a little penne arrabiata, a spicy tomato sauce that is a favorite in the north, while my pizza lived up to its name.  (I added in a few hand gestures to boot.)  Maybe outside of Sicily, Palermo really isn't that bad. 

As a side note, on our way home we passed through the Sillpark Mall, a trendy shopping area on the cusp of downtown.  Suddenly something caught my eye.  I could only wonder, is this the biggest Cannolo you have ever seen?  Or just a Tirolean impression filled with whip cream?  You be the judge...

~ J. Twice