Ciao mia Caro famiglia e amici,
E bouna giornata di Palermo. We have enjoyed two days of churches and art. First the art.
Yesterday, we walked up to the Palazzo dei Normanni, the palace of the Kings of Sicily during Norman domination in the 11th and 12th centuries. Interestingly, Sicily was ruled by a line of Ruggero’s and Frederico’s (that’s King’s Roger and Fred). King Roger II added the magnificent Cappella Palatina, but more of that later in the churches section. The building also houses the Sicilian Parliament.
While there, we chanced upon an exhibition called “VIACRUCIS la pasión de Cristo” by Ferdinando Botero, a famous Columbian artist and sculptor. He has sought to reintroduce the theme of painting the ‘walk of Christ’ which was popular in art until the 16th century, but then almost disappeared. The paintings, in the artists unique style are amazing and maybe confronting. I have snuck in a few pics (when no one was looking).
We then walked down to the Galleria d’Arte Moderne. This is a fabulous collection, from mainly Sicilian artists, from the 19th and 20th centuries. Again, I have slipped in a couple that appealed to me, Pescateri di Sferracavallo by Luigi di Giovanni, and Monte San Giuliano by Francesco Lojacano, one of many extraordinary paintings by this artist from the late 1800’s.
Now to churches. The aforementioned Cappella Palatina, in Palazzo dei Normanni, was commissioned by Roger 2nd in 1132. As is not unusual in Palermo, it features Byzantine architecture with Arabic arches next to Norman architecture. But the mosaics are what grab your attention – from ground level to the soaring roof, every surface is covered with intricate and elegant mosaics. Look it up, as my sorry pic does not do it justice.
Today we caught the bus to Monreale, chiefly to see the cathedral. (Side note: Palermo bus timetables are indicative only. If you wish to be somewhere by a specific time – like before the cathedral closes for two hours – catch a taxi.) We made it with 50 minutes to spare, but only by catching an illegal taxi for the last leg.
Monreale Catedrale also features extensive mosaics. Wikipedia reckons it’s one of the greatest extant examples of Norman architecture in the world. I will let you Google it if you are interested, but it really is amazing, and worth the interesting 10km trip into the hills above Palermo.
One of Sally’s favourite activities when touring Italy is ascendere torri – climbing towers. And today, we climbed two; once to the roof of Monreale Cathedral, and then, on our return to Palermo, to the roof of the Duomo.
Palermo Cathedral has more of a baroque influence, like much of Palermo. It was also magnificent. There’s a pic of Sally on the roof and us both outside, just to prove we were there ( me in my new cappello!).
To finish, I just had to mention our visit last night to Frida Pizzeria. This unassuming pizzeria in a side street in Piazza Sant’Onifrio is reputed to be one of the best pizza restaurants in Palermo, and I’m not about to argue. See the pic below of my enormous Calzone Rustica and Sally’s vegetarian pizza. We struggled to finish but they were magnificent.
A presto, Colin and Sally
Colin & Sally's Travels 