More Than A Place: What Palermo Taught Me
Penn Global Seminar: Palermo: Empires, Migration, and Mafia
By: Katrina Korendiy
Katrina, one of the Spring 2026 Penn Global Seminar Correspondents, shares her experience abroad during the Spring Break. Follow along with the group of correspondents on our blog and look out for their images on the @pennabroad Instagram feed.
Before coming to Palermo, I thought I had a pretty clear idea of what the travel component of a Penn Global Seminar would be like. I expected to see historic sites, visit famous landmarks, and connect what we had learned in class to real places. And while all of that did happen, what surprised me most was how much the experience centered not on places, but on people.
Some of the most meaningful moments of this trip didn’t happen in museums or at well-known landmarks, but in conversations. Over the course of two days, our class split into small groups and walked through different neighborhoods in Palermo, meeting with members of migrant and local communities (North African, Ghanaian & Ivorian, Tamil, etc.). These weren’t scripted experiences or formal lectures, they were real conversations about daily life, challenges, and resilience. Talking with street vendors, listening to personal stories, and hearing about the realities of navigating life in Palermo gave me a perspective that I never could have gained from readings alone. It made everything we had studied throughout the semester feel more immediate and human. Instead of abstract concepts like migration or cultural exchange, we were hearing about lived experiences: stories shaped by real people, in real time.
Another unexpected part of the trip was how accessible these moments felt. Whether we were sitting down for tea with Palermo’s former mayor or walking through neighborhoods with local guides, there was a sense of openness and generosity that made the experience feel personal rather than distant. These weren’t just opportunities to observe, but to engage, ask questions, and reflect. At the same time, the physical places we visited added another layer to the experience. Walking through the hilltop streets of Erice felt like stepping into a different time, while the views from Mount Pellegrino and our hike through the Zingaro Natural Reserve reminded me of how diverse and expansive Sicily’s landscape is. Standing with our group overlooking the coastline, it was hard not to feel a sense of perspective: both in terms of the geography around us and the experience we had just shared.
What surprised me most, though, was how quickly these experiences began to shift the way I thought about travel. Instead of focusing on what I was seeing, I found myself thinking more about what I was learning from the people around me. The most memorable parts of the trip weren’t just the views or the sites, but the conversations, the shared moments, and the connections we built along the way.
Looking back, I realize that this trip wasn’t just about visiting Palermo, it was about understanding it, even if only in a small way. And that understanding came not from a checklist of places, but from the people who welcomed us into their spaces and shared their stories with us. As the trip comes to an end, I find myself thinking less about what I saw and more about what I’ll carry with me moving forward. Palermo wasn’t just a destination, it was an experience shaped by the people we met, the stories we heard, and the moments we shared.