+++Italian holidays+++
Illustrated by us, FuriaAndMimma
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CHAPTER 1 - Palermo
CHAPTER 1 - Palermo
They went back to Italy for their tenth wedding (or rebirth, or
falling off a cliff. Or whatever you want to call it) anniversary. After
years of cautious waiting, Hannibal decided to surprise his husband
with a trip that could be considered as the honeymoon they couldn’t
have, as running from the FBI doesn’t exactly qualify as such.
When
Will found out, he didn’t immediately take it well as he started
worrying until he was informed of Hannibal’s careful planning, that left
space for complete enjoyment and even a bit of hunting, if they felt
like it.
Hannibal had decided to keep as first and last
destination of their holiday the two places that were the most important
for their personal history in the country: Palermo, where he was almost
sure that nobody would come and find them, since the only probable
witness to their encounter there was already dead, and Florence, where
the crowds of tourist would keep them hidden in plain sight. That was
all Will knew about it, as his husband had decided to keep everything
else as a surprise, with the only reassurance of being safe.
They
arrived in Palermo after a few days of sailing (they had taken a little
break in Sardinia to have a swim in the beautiful sea). It was late in
the morning, and the salty smell of the sea and the fish from the
harbour was starting to mix with the acrid smell from the workers and
boat owners’ sweat in Hannibal’s sensitive nose. The sounds of the
screaming seagulls created a familiar environment for Will, reminding
him of past days of travelling from dock to dock and fishing in the
ocean as a kid, then in that same Mediterranean as an adult, near the
house he and Hannibal shared. “I wish I could swim right now” the
younger man said “I swear my bones are melting”.
“You could go to the hotel’s swimming pool” Hannibal replied “I knew you would have wanted to swim away the day’s heat, and as the beaches are too far from the city, and we’re only staying here for a few days, I made sure that the hotel we’re staying at has a nice swimming pool for you to have a dip. I would never deny you your connection to the aquatic world; it is what brought us here, after all”. “Of course you’d turn my wish to swim a little into a deep monologue about our Becoming; I forgot I was talking to Hannibal Lecter, the only man in the world that doesn’t relax even on holiday” Will said sarcastically, while moving to hug his husband in recreation of the event that brought them together in both life and death. “It is true that I’m not relaxing in this moment, but that is due to the heat and smell that is surrounding us in this moment and the long journey that brought us here, and you should know that I’m not making any additional effort in talking the way I am. Now, let’s go to the hotel, so we’ll have some time to rest before lunch”. With that, they started going to their hotel, which of course was the best one in the centre of Palermo.
“You could go to the hotel’s swimming pool” Hannibal replied “I knew you would have wanted to swim away the day’s heat, and as the beaches are too far from the city, and we’re only staying here for a few days, I made sure that the hotel we’re staying at has a nice swimming pool for you to have a dip. I would never deny you your connection to the aquatic world; it is what brought us here, after all”. “Of course you’d turn my wish to swim a little into a deep monologue about our Becoming; I forgot I was talking to Hannibal Lecter, the only man in the world that doesn’t relax even on holiday” Will said sarcastically, while moving to hug his husband in recreation of the event that brought them together in both life and death. “It is true that I’m not relaxing in this moment, but that is due to the heat and smell that is surrounding us in this moment and the long journey that brought us here, and you should know that I’m not making any additional effort in talking the way I am. Now, let’s go to the hotel, so we’ll have some time to rest before lunch”. With that, they started going to their hotel, which of course was the best one in the centre of Palermo.
They checked in, unpacked only what was
strictly necessary for a few days, then Hannibal decided to take a nap,
while Will swam for a while in the hotel’s pool, and then joined his
husband for what remained of their resting time. When Hannibal woke up
hungry and shook Will until he had woken up as well, they decided to
officially start their holiday and get some lunch. “I think we should
have some typical street food, southern Italy has some good options for
that” Hannibal offered. “You say this as if I has any choice. You’re the
only one of us that knows Italian, and I wouldn’t know where to start
even if I did. I want to see you get street food, anyways, I’m sure that
would be fun”. They got out in the streets and walked for a while
before getting some pani ca’meusa (sesame flavoured bread stuffed with
chopped veal's lung and spleen boiled and fried in lard, with local
cheese on top on the meat) at a place near the Vucciaria market that
looked so dirty Will considered it a miracle that Hannibal decided to
get their food there, but both men were impressed with the great taste
of their meal. “Italian local cuisine often has animal organs as
ingredients, as cattle was expensive to buy and to keep, so when it had
to be slaughtered nothing of it could be wasted” Hannibal explained “I
wouldn’t mind to make some variation of this meal, once we’re back
home”. “I’m sure your version will be unnecessarily fancy as always”
replied Will “And the meat not quite the same. I’m sure I’ll like it
anyways”.
After lunch, they arrived at Piazza Pretoria to see the
famous fountain. The heat of the southern Italian sun was starting to
affect them again, so they found a nice place in the shade to admire it
from, which wasn’t easy, as many tourists had the same idea, but in the
end they could admire the beautiful circular fountain in all of its
marble stairs and statues magnificence. “Not many people know the true
history of this famous fountain, but I think that you will enjoy it, as
it’s related to this holiday, amongst other things” Hannibal started
explaining “You see, it was initially meant to be placed in a nobleman’s
Florence villa, but then he died and left his son a lot of debts, so he
had to sell it and it got here.” “That’s actually a nice tale, but do
you really have to make everything in our lives about Florence? I know
you love that city, but there is a limit to everything” “There is no
limit to my love of you, either” “That was just cheesy, and you know it”
“I cannot contradict you on that.” As they took a little break from the
sun, Will looked around them at the people in the square. He was glad
to find out that nobody was looking at them in a way that could mean
that they were risking being recognised, then thought that probably many
had identified them as businessmen on a working trip, since they were
wearing suits (of course Hannibal would have insisted on that, even in
mid-July). That calmed his anxiety about going back to places the police
knew e and Hannibal had history. That also made him realize that he
hadn’t actually seen Palermo the first time he’d been there, too busy
questioning his morality and deciding whether or not to forgive Hannibal
(he had already made a choice when he had sailed all the way across the
Atlantic Ocean to reunite with Hannibal, but he was still in denial
back then) and didn’t really visit the city. Now they had time to create
new, better memories of them in Italy, and for that he was grateful to
Hannibal.
They spent the rest of the day visiting churches (of
course Hannibal would not risk losing any chances to make elaborate
comments about the symbolism in the architecture and wall decorations,
really, he should have been an art history teacher in another life), so
when they got back to their hotel room they were exhausted. They had a
quick shower and a relaxed dinner in the hotel restaurant (that of
course wasn’t up to Hannibal’s standards, but was good enough for Will),
then went back to their room to chill out in bed and talk. “So, what
did you think of today?” Hannibal asked, suddenly worried of having been
a bit too enthusiastic in his description of the architecture “I hope I
haven’t bored you”. “I’m used to you becoming a bit of a know-it-all
when you are exited, darling. I’m glad though, because it gave me a
distraction from dark thoughts. The first time we’ve been here we
weren’t as friendly with each other, and you talking to me just
distracted me from that. So you would know by now that I’m not exactly
looking forward to tomorrow” Will replied, while caressing Hannibal’s
arm absentmindedly. He knew that the next day they were going to the
place of their former reunion in Palermo, and he was afraid that he
would ruin the whole holiday with some bad reaction to the memories the
place would certainly evoke in him. “All the more reasons to go there”
Hannibal replied unworried, while shifting to cuddle the other man “We
can make good memories to distract you from retreating too much into
your own mind and the emotions of betrayal and self-doubt you must have
been feeling back then. Now, let’s get ready to sleep, so that we will
be well rested tomorrow, and start the day on the right foot.” They did
just that and fell asleep in each other’s arms, only wearing pyjama
pants (made of silk, of course) and sleeping over the covers, chasing
some of the cool night air that came from their window into their still
warm room.
They woke up late in the morning, had breakfast (they
ate cannoli and prickly pears, which the had bought at the market the
day before) and had a quick swim in the pool before getting ready and
going for their second and last day in Palermo. They visited the Palazzo
dei Normanni in the morning and early afternoon. The visit went all
right, but Will kept on tensing up every time the chapel was mentioned
by Hannibal, who was translating what the guide said, or by a signboard.
He did enjoy the beautiful decoration, and lost himself in the richness
and history the represented and told of. Afterwards they had lunch in a
nearby restaurant that gave Will some pause and Hannibal some
inspiration for future recipes.
When they went to the Cappella
Palatina, it was the middle of the afternoon. The sunlight fell
obliquely on the wall of the chapel, only to be reflected by the golden
mosaic, creating an amazing game of hide and seek for the eye, leading
the gaze those who entered toward he altar. It was a highly poetic
image, and Will allowed himself to get lost in it, so as not to think
about other things that floated in his mind. “Stay with me, Will. Come
here, hold my hand. Let’s make this better for you” Hannibal said in
Will’s ear, while coming to hold his hand and touching his wedding ring,
reminding him that the past suffering only mattered because it brought
them together, that the old wounds had scarred, but were mostly healed.
Will relaxed at that, and allowed Hannibal to lead him towards a chair
in the front row (that must be the only church with chairs instead of
benches) and whispering sweetly in his ears the symbolism depicted in
the mosaics and his own interpretation of them. After a while, Will
started making sarcastic comments on what Hannibal said, and apparently
forgot all of his previous insecurities. When they walked out, hand in
hand, people stared at them, but they couldn’t care less, because that
church had finally become a safe place for them, and the past had stayed
where it was supposed to.
That evening they dined at the hotel
and packed their bags. They left that morning on the first ferry to
Naples, ready to continue their trip: their next stop was going to be
the great Rome, ancient and modern capital of Italy.
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