Palermo

Today was exceptional. We ate a light breakfast and left the ship at about 8:45AM. Arriving at Palermo at sunrise one approaches from the west fixing on Monte Pellegrino and Cap Gallo. The landscape is stark, rocky hillsides encircling an enormous, sprawling city. The hillsides were once covered in lemon, orange and lime groves glowing golden in the summer sun. Conch D’Or [Golden Conch] became the nickname for the area. We were one of 4 ships in port [the Costa Pacifica has been shadowing us all the way] and that usually means large crowds. Our driver, Gianni, headed out of town to Monreale first as the church closes in the afternoon. Jimmy and Craig were blown away, declaring the interior of the Duomo to be more impressive than the Sistine Chapel. This 12th Century church was completed in only 10 years and the mosaic interior [they cover over 80% of the surface of the Apse and side altars] achieved international renown as soon as it was completed. The preponderance of gold tile lends the entire church a glow that requires little light to appreciate the remarkable achievement of these Norman artisans. The photographs do suffer [forgive us our artistic trespasses] for the lack of light. We wandered through Monreale taking in the panoramic views of Palermo below. We slowly descended into the old Norman quarter of Palermo to visit the palace and churches of that section. The Cathedral is an incredible structure on the outside but is a letdown inside… anything would be after Monreale. The Piazza Bellini nearby is the sight of the Fountain of Shame that so outraged the sensitivities of the local clergy and nuns that efforts were made to disguise the nudity of the figures represented. Cooler heads prevailed and the lusty nakedness of the gods, nymphs and satyrs are as nature intended. The Piazza is surrounded by unusual churches and is a short walk to one of the most wonderful intersections in all of Sicily. The Quattro Canti [four corners] has three story monuments on each corner. Statues depicting the four seasons [on the ground level], great rulers [on the middle level] and saints [on the third level] adorn each corner. Elaborate candelabra-like streetlights enhance the décor. Look down any of the four directions and you are overwhelmed with beautiful renaissance style structures with ornate ironwork and hundreds of storefronts selling high fashion to the well healed. We continued or tour through the city and headed up Monte Pellegrino to the sanctuary of Santa Rosalia, the patron saint of Palermo. Pilgrims walk barefoot up this great stone cone once a year on the 14th of July, Rosalia’s Feast Day. Heading down the other side we came upon the Beverly Hills / Palm Dessert / Boca Raton / Newport RI of Sicily. Mondello is a beach community of clear turquoise water, sandy beaches and extravagant villas. We saw it from the cliffs high above. We then headed back into the city and finally our ship. The 4-hour excursion in a comfortable new Mercedes van was 260 Euros. It was well worth the price.