.
Palermo is an old city: it is
over 2,700 years old! It is the capital of Sicily and has a lot of culture
and history! It was created by the Phoenicians, belonged for a while to
Carthage, then it became part of the Roman and the Byzantine empires for a
thousand years, then it was ruled by the Arabs (for 300 years), then
reconquered by the Christians in the 12th Century; then Napoleon
conquered it and it became part of
Italy, after the unification in 1860! The city itself is about 650,000 people,
the Palermitans or, poetically, the Panormiti!
(the greater Palermo has a population of over 1,2 million).It is located in the
northwest of the island of Sicily, right by the Gulf of Palermo in the Tyrrhenian Sea.
We are staying at the Ambasciatori Hotel, at 111 via Roma. A
3-star hotel: Room OK except – and that
is big! – the shower (temperature unstable!). Spectacular view on the skyline
of Palermo from the roof-terrace though (“Seven”), where we take our breakfast
and a drink in the evening. (See picture below)
In Palermo, lots of churches (baroque,
like the rest of Sicily as we discovered the first time around these parts –
see bourlinblogue of Dec 2010!). We visited the churches on Bellini Piazza: La
« Martonara » or the church of Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio, built
in the 12th century, first dedicated to Greek orthodox religion, than in the 13th
C. changed to catholic rites (this is contested by some guides; we witnessed a
marriage celebration there!), and the church of San Cataldo, also built
in the middle of the 12th Century – totally ascetic; very few
decorations if any; a few mosaiques on the ground! (The bell tower outside of
the Martonara is a good illustration of the Arabic – Normand architecture). San Cataldo remains managed
by the «knights of the Saint-Sépulcre » (others say it is
by the « Knights of Malta » - another inconsistency of guides!) Saw also the “fountain of shame” – not impressed!
Visited the Duomo at Monreale, about 8 kilometers from the hotel (went by taxi
– 60 Euros return – but there is a bus service for far less). The cathedral (Santa Maria Nuova) is
quite impressive (see wikipedia for a fiull descrition)! It was built
around the end of the 12th century by the Normands (Guillaume II). It is a
perfect example of the cultures that were prevalent in Sicily at the time: the
Roman-Normand style, by its massive structure; the Arab style, by its arcades
and what is “incerted” in the exterior walls; and the byzantine style, by the
remarkable golden “mosaiques” on the interior walls. Built about the same time
as the Cathedral of Palermo (we drove by but we did not visit –interior rather
dull!), it was a contest between those responsible to the Pope (Cathedral of Palermo),
and the recently conquerors from Normandy who were responsible for it and apparently
did not have the right to name the bishop for Palermo. Royalty were buried in
the Duomo (it includes of course the Normands Guillaume I and II but also, as we saw, Louis
IX – Saint Louis!)
(According to guidebook written
by Rodo Santoro – Palermo and Monreale, there would be a mosaic in the
Duomo depicting the assassination of Becket – strange place –would have
expected it somewhere more faithful to the Pope – as Becket would have been assassinated
at the suggestion of the king (Henry II) and the Duomo was built by royalty as
well – is Santoro to be trusted?)
Went also to visit the very
large cloisters built at the same time as the Duomo (1176-1189), the only thing
apparently left of the Benedictine monastery that used to exist there; it is
right adjacent to the cathedral. (see picture above)
Took the day train to go to Cefalu
(less than an hour away, a site of villegiature on the coast); Saw the cathedral,
built about the same time, in the 12th Century, as the ones in
Palermo and Monreale (again see Wikipedia for more details) Thought, if we ever
come back in that part of the world, that Cefalu would be a good base (rather than
Palermo)! (See pictures immediately above and below)
There are many other things to
see and do in Palermo (like going to the opera at the Massimo Teatro - the third largest in Europe; the puppets theatre;
many other churches; a few museums, gardens, etc. See the following site: http://www.thethinkingtraveller.com/fr/thinksicily/guide-de-la-sicile/villes-et-cites-en-sicile/palerme.aspx but if we were to come back
we could stay in Cefalu http://www.thethinkingtraveller.com/fr/thinksicily/guide-de-la-sicile/villes-et-cites-en-sicile/cefalu.aspx and come by train in Palermo for the day…
Went for lunch at the Mirto
et la Rosa ristorante in Palermo: recommended by the German guide I met on
the Milazzo-Palermo train, and by the hotel. It was very good but Cynthia did not
think it was exceptional! In Cefalu, booked at the Grace but it was not
open! After visiting the cathedral and going to the beach, went eventually to
nearby restaurant Vecchia Marina (on
a terrace, with a view on the beach) which Cynthia found excellent (“best meal
so far”)!
Flew back together to Paris on Monday morning (on EasyJet flight)
Fontainebleau, October 21,
2014
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