More Palermo (17/9)

Compared to yesterday, today was a slack day for a change, but not all of our own making. After breakfast, we headed off into the old town again to see a few more "points of interest". The first of these was the cathedral, and when we walked in we realised that it wasn't what we had been expecting. The cathedral was fairly ordinary compared to some of the churches we had visited. As usual, it had been modified a number of times since the first stone was laid in 1179, and this was on the site of an earlier Christian basilica. It has also been a mosque. The external fabric of the cathedral can be read as the story of the many phases of rebuilding which have occurred - Norman, Catalan Gothic, Baroque, Neo- classical. 

Detail - Capella Palatina

Mozaics in Capella Palatina

What we were really looking for was the Capella Palatina in the Palazzo dei Normanni. We crossed the large Piazza del Vittoria to get to it, and skirted around a protest which was underway at the far end of the Piazza. This area has, since Roman, Norman, and Arab times, and to the present day, been the military, political and administrative heart of Sicily. The Palazzo dei Normanni has always been the palace of the city's rulers, and it was here that we found the Capella Palatina, on the opposite side of the Palazzo to the square. Fortunately this small jewel of a church has managed to survive unaltered since it was ordered to be built in 1132 by Roger II as a private chapel, and this may be the reason for its present state. Almost all of the interior is either covered in mosaics or marble inlay work, floor included. On first entering the chapel, one tends to stop and gape, stunned at what is before you. The workmanship is exquisite, and the overall effect breathtaking. When we arrived there was a conservator lying prostrate on the floor, carrying out some work on a section of the floor. Unfortunately it was lunchtime, so she disappeared before we could really see what she was doing. We eventually moved on from the chapel and had to be satisfied with that. Parts of the Palazzo are opened to the public but not on the days we were in Palermo.

Wedding photos in the gardens
using a quadrocopter for those aerial shots!!

Dazzled by what we had just seen at the Palantina, we decided to head back to the hotel, and wait for the Museum of Archeology to open. Allan needed to put his camera battery on to charge, and there seemed no reason to visit another church after the experience of the Palantina. Our route took us through the English gardens, although these too were looking exhausted. There were actually a few patches of green lawn, but not much. We were unlucky with the museum, because the building is undergoing major conservation work, so most of it was closed. At least admittance was free. You even pay for entry into most of the churches. Hopefully the money goes into the maintenance fund, and not into general revenue. 

We had seen all the key sites we had planned on, so we went for a stroll and wandered through the old quarter again, but this time down back streets finding out where the real people shop. There were small shops and stalls in many of these streets and alleyways, and often several selling the same items were together. If you wanted curtaining fabric (not an inch of patchwork fabric to be seen!) you would go to a particular street and be able to see what was on offer, instead of having to cross-cross the city looking for it. Tired from our exertions, we found a restaurant/cafe for an early dinner. Dining at 8.30pm makes it very late getting back to the hotel.

Something else observed in the heart of town - if you have driven in, you can pay a minder to look after your illegally-parked car. It seems that these guys have a territory staked out, and within this area they play a kind of musical chairs with the vehicles they are looking after, so that none get booked, and that a car can be retrieved when the owner arrives back to claim it. Simple!!

Satellite dish anyone?