“Signore, fiori?” On my way to the famous church of Santo Spirito in Palermo I was asked that question at least five times: whether I wanted to buy flowers. The question is not that odd, as the church is situated in one of the largest cemeteries of the city, that…
Perhaps I had underestimated a bit how important the feast of Epiphany is for the people of Palermo. I found a lot of tourist attractions in the city closed on that day, but the Palazzo Abatellis in the Via Alloro welcomed me with open arms. The palazzo houses the Galleria…
It was starting to get dark when I arrived at the gate that gives access to the complex of Santissima Trinità del Cancelliere, more commonly known under its much shorter name La Magione. The date was 5 January and most Christmas decorations had not yet been removed. The church is…
Together with the palace of La Zisa, discussed previously, La Cuba is one of the summer residences of the Norman kings of Sicily outside Palermo. The palace was built in 1180 by King William II “the Good” (1166-1189). The name of the Arab-Norman building is obviously not related to the…
The palace of La Zisa was once one of the summer residences of the Norman kings of Sicily. The construction of the palace started in 1165 during the reign of King William I “the Bad” (1154-1166). Although the King hired competent workmen who built the palace in record time, La…
The Palazzo dei Normanni is the royal palace of Palermo. The name “palace of the Normans” dates from the twentieth century. It is a name that is not necessarily incorrect – the building was indeed a residence of the Norman kings of Sicily – but it does ignore that many…
There was a big crowd at the Cappella Palatina, the royal chapel of the Palazzo dei Normanni in Palermo. The chapel is not that large, so custodians only let in a limited number of visitors at the same time. When you are waiting in the queue outside, you can take…
The charming town of Cefalù lies beneath a great rock. The Ancient Greeks felt that this rock closely resembled a human head (κεφαλή) and therefore called the town Kephaloidion. In the Byzantine era Kephaloidion was a prosperous town that had its own bishop. This era started in the year 535…
The Corso Ruggero is one of the most important streets in the charming town of Cefalù. The street is named after Roger II, the Norman king of Sicily between 1130 and 1154. Roger II left his mark on Cefalù like no other. From his palace in the town – presumably…
The two employees at the ticket counter looked surprised. A visitor? In January? And a foreigner to boot! But I was obviously more than welcome in the Museo Mandralisca in the charming town of Cefalù. There were no other visitors that morning, so I had the museum all to myself.…
On a beautiful sunny morning in January of 2023 I visited the famous cathedral of Cefalù that rises along the north coast of Sicily. The trip by train from Palermo to Cefalù was comfortable and quick, and from the railway station is was just a short walk to the Duomo.…
On the Piazza Bellini in Palermo there is always a church in sight. On the north side stands the Santa Caterina d’Alessandria, a church that combines Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo elements. More interesting and certainly older are the two churches on the south side. Here, on a platform, we find…
The terrain around the former church of San Giovanni degli Eremiti is one of the most idyllic spots in all of Palermo. If you go for a stroll there, you can image yourself being somewhere in the Middle East. The former church and adjacent cloister are surrounded by a charming…
The church of San Cataldo is definitely the most conspicuous building on the Piazza Bellini in Palermo. With its Arabic lancet windows and three red domes the church could just as well have been a mosque. The San Cataldo, which has been UNESCO world heritage since 2015, is a fine…
From Palermo’s railway station it is still quite a long walk to the small church of San Giovanni dei Lebbrosi. The route is very simple, but those who take it will not cross the most interesting parts of the city. Just follow the Corso dei Mille, named after the Thousand…
I ended my most recent trip to Florence with a visit to the Museo Horne. I had never been to this museum before and had never even passed by it. After my visit I had to conclude that I had definitely missed something all these years. The Museo Horne is…
Long, long ago I had read some information about the Cappella Rucellai, but my memory was extremely hazy. When during a walk in Florence I suddenly saw a sign that directed me to the chapel, I decided to use Google to find out more about the Cappella Rucellai. I liked…
On my way to Arcetri I happened to pass by the church of San Giorgio alla Costa in Oltrarno, Florence. This church can be described with the keywords “small”, “old” (possibly from the tenth century) and “until recently closed to the public”. The good news is that it is no…
The basilica of San Lorenzo is among the oldest and most famous churches of Florence. The church is immediately recognisable by its unfinished façade and the enormous dome of the chapel behind the choir, the famed Cappella dei Principi. There is probably no church in Florence that has a closer…
The Museo dell’Opera del Duomo opened its doors to the public in 1986. Those doors were closed again in 2015 for a much needed renovation and remodelling of the rooms, but as of 2019 visitors may once again enjoy the fine collection of statues, paintings and other objects from the…