Day 2: Palermo & Monreale
The Cathedral of Monreale
Our group stop for the day was to see Monreale Cathedral on the slopes of a mountain 6 miles away from Palermo. This Norman cathedral was built between 1174 and 1189, and is a composite of Byzantine, Norman, and Arab elements in what was a Romanesque building. William II, Sicily's last Norman king, chose this site previously used by the Arab's and Norman kings known as the 'Royal Mountain' for his Cathedral complex. The Cathedral and its' cloister are the beautiful survivors of this complex. Over time a village grew up and modern Monreale has a population of 30,000 people.
The Cloisters of Monreale
The cloister was the main outdoor space for the monks of this Benedictine Monastery, who would have rarely ventured outside of its' confines. The center would have been a lush garden used to grow produce and medicinal plants for the monks, and in the corner was a fountain for the monks to wash their hands. Our guide took us around and showed us specific features before leaving us in the cloister to do what we would with the remainder of our time. We chose to make another circuit of the cloister and look closer at some things. I've never seen a cloister with columns so different - plain, zig zag's carved into them, mosaics inlayed into them - it was such a beautiful bit of diversity. And the capitals were spectacular. The capitol below left is Melusine who was a mermaid but fell in love with a human and married him. She needed to bathe and change into a fish once a week, but told her husband not to follow her. He followed her, and because he hadn't trusted her she left him. The other capitol is armored Norman knights with long shields, sword-fighting the Arabs who are brandishing sabers.
Ballaro Street Market
After arriving back in Palermo we took a group walk through the Ballero Street Market enjoying the sights and sounds of such a busy place. And then headed to...
Il Gesu
This Church wasn't listed on our itinerary, but our local guide brought us and did an amazing job infusing meaning into the many different scenes around this very beautifully decorated church.
Norman Palace & Palatine ChapelWe had several options of things to see or do after our local guide had let us go for the day. We chose to head over to the Norman Palace and Palatine Chapel. The palace has been home to various rulers of Sicily since the 9th century, making it the oldest royal residence in Europe. The Arab emirs started it in the 9th century building upon Carthaginian foundations from the 5th century BC. Over two centuries of rule they built Palermo into the capital with a sprawling palace and gardens. The Normans made the Arab palace theirs, and the Spanish added opulent royal apartments for their rule. We were able to see the Norman-Byzantine mosaics in the Palatine Chapel closer up. It really was a magnificent place to worship for the ruling elite in Palermo.
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After seeing the Norman Palace we headed back to familiar territory at Piazza Bellini with its' 3 churches. We were hoping to be able to get into La Martorana and San Cataldo. We couldn't get into La Martorana because there was a wedding! While I was disappointed I didn't get to see it, because of the 3 that was the one I really wanted to, it was cool to see the groom and his guys in their military uniforms (it was sweltering out so that had to be uncomfortable) and the cute little flower girls with their mom's. We were able to get into San Cataldo and see the small Norman looking interior and gorgeous floor. |
A'NICA (again!)
I tried a different pizza this night - prawns with buffalo mozzarella and a vibrant lime zest. I love seafood and cheese so this was super delicious, though it was harder to eat a pizza that you had to kind of take apart first. I stuck with pizzas that were easier to eat for the rest of our time in Italy. We enjoyed the pizza so much on this trip, especially the chewy and soft crust, I am attempting to recreate it the best that I can.
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