🇮🇹 Palermo, You Scared the Hell Out of Me! 🔫

Like many, my fascination with Sicily came from The Godfather and Malèna—I imagined a place both charming and dangerous. But nothing prepared me for the reality of Palermo! 😱 🛬 A Rough Start My suitcase arrived smashed (still fighting with the airline ✉️💢). If I win the claim, I’ll share the hack! Stayed in a "fancy" downtown Airbnb, but motorcycles roared all night—slept like 💩. 🍝 Culture Shock Over Pasta Ate at a Google-hyped spot (turned out to be a 🍠 influencer trap). Food = meh, but dirt-cheap. Almost witnessed a street fight 🥊—sketchy groups loomed nearby. Dined in fear. 📸 The "Are You Filming Me?!" Incident While video-calling with back camera on, a guy stormed over, yelling—thought I was filming him! 🚨 Had to apologize fast. 🚔 Thank god for nearby police... or who knows? No racial bias, but his vibe was terrifying. Avoided eye contact all trip. 💩 The "Charm" of Palermo Dog poop EVERYWHERE. The city feels gritty, chaotic, and decaying... but weirdly captivating? My photos look happy (and they’re real!), but this ain’t a fairy tale. ✨ Silver Lining Later visited Cefalù, Taormina, Catania—stunning, clean, "proper Europe" vibes! ✅ Sicily = "White People’s Hidden Gem" confirmed. ⚠️ Palermo? Go with friends. Solo feels risky. #Palermo #Sicily #TravelRealityCheck #TheWorldIsWild 😅