I had already spent two hours in the cathedral of Monreale and felt a bit saturated by all the beautiful art and architecture that I had seen there. Nevertheless, I decided to continue my tour of the complex by visiting the convent next to the cathedral. I had previously admired…
“No one can fail to be impressed by Monreale, ablaze as it is with over an acre and a half of superb mosaics, all completed within five or six years, between 1183 and the end of the decade. It lacks the gemlike perfection of the Palatine Chapel, the Byzantine mystery…
The interior of the cathedral of Monreale is dominated by over 6,000 square metres of mosaics. The dominance of these decorations is so immense that visitors are inclined to think that their visit is all about the mosaics. This is certainly untrue. The cathedral has much more in store for…
In true Sicilian style I travelled to the world-famous cathedral of Monreale: on a rattling bus with no number. The bus departed from the Piazza Indipendenza in Palermo, directly behind the Palazzo dei Normanni. The fact that the bus was unnumbered made me a bit insecure, but the grumpy driver…
Opinions about the cathedral of Palermo are quite divided. Some people think that the building is magnificent, and that the mixture of architectural styles presents us with an intriguing summary of the various phases in Sicilian history. Others, however, believe that the cathedral is simply hideous and lament what later…
In many of the more interesting churches of Palermo visitors have to buy a ticket to enter, and the very interesting church of Santa Maria della Catena is no exception to this rule. The lady who sold me a ticket said that it would get me a discount if I…
The Oratory of the Rosary of San Domenico is situated behind the church of the same name. Starting in 1574, it was built for a lay fraternity, the Compagnia della Madonna del Rosario di San Domenico. The paintings on the side walls are associated with the Mysteries of the Rosary.…
Palermo is known for its many beautiful small oratories, but the Oratory of the Rosary of Santa Cita has got to be the most beautiful of them all. The building, which does not look very appealing on the outside, stands next to the former church of Santa Cita, dedicated to…
The sixteenth-century oratory of Saint Lawrence stands next to the medieval church of San Francesco d’Assisi and is closely associated with it. Starting in 1569 the building served as the meeting place for the Compagnia di San Francesco, a lay fraternity with many merchants from Genoa among its members. One…
The church of San Francesco turned out to be a pleasant surprise. In many churches in Palermo visitors have to buy a ticket. The money you pay is then used for maintenance of the church building. The church of San Francesco d’Assisi, however, does not have an admission charge, which…
People visiting the Ponte dell’Ammiraglio in Palermo will not immediately take it for a monument that is on the UNESCO list of world heritage. The environs of the bridge are rather shabby. There is a lot of traffic on the busy Corso dei Mille and a lot of trash in…
“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…