We arrive this morning in the port of Palermo, Sicily. This is a very busy port, and very tight quarters. We dock alongside grain elevators and see freighters around us. Shortly after we on the Oosterdam dock, there pulls in at the same dock, next to us, the Costa Diadema, a larger (if that is possible) ship. This of course means twice the number of tourists clambering off the ships and into the port.
We step off board at 8:30 to meet our guide for the day, Cetti (short for Concetta.) We walk to our coach and head out through Palermo’s rush hour traffic, headed for the Monreale Cathedral. Palermo is a bustling city of over 700,000 inhabitants with an unemployment rate of over 30%. Many African and middle eastern migrants have swelled the city and they are everywhere in evidence. Traffic is a melange of scooters, motorcycles, autos of all types, buses and trucks. Although there are the remains of traffic lanes on the streets, it really doesn’t seem to matter. The only notable thing is the lack of honking. People just jam their vehicles in together and proceed.
We reach the parking area of Monreale and start the 90 steps up the mountain to the top. From the outside, this cathedral does not seem too special. However, inside is a completely different story. Over 68,000 square feet of mosaic tiles cover every surface. Not paint, no gilt, but tiles. All the gold is actually tiles formed by placing gold foil between two thin pieces of glass and then firing it in the kiln, breaking the pieces up and cutting them into small pieces. There are reds, greens, blacks, blues, whites, golds, every colour of the rainbow used to create the story of the bible over the entire walls. All this created between 1168 and 1190.
We stand in awe as our guide uses her green laser pointer to highlight the narrative going around and around the walls, multiple stories high. We are amazed and stunned, almost into silence, at the work. As this church is part of a monastery, we then explore the adjacent Cloisters where the priests and monks lived and contemplated their devotions. The cloister encloses a large center courtyard full of symbolism of the story of Christianity. Each pillar supporting the open walkways has a different carved capital with scenes and stories of the testaments, all carved by artisans in Florence.
As the crowds around us increase, we take our leave and then walk back down the steps, which have sprouted hundreds of small stalls hawking every tourist bauble imaginable. By the time we reach the parking pick up area, there are nearly 50 tourist buses loading and unloading. Our driver finally pulls up and we load in for a ride back to the city to see another church. This second church, whose name escapes me, is just as spectacular, again built in the early Middle Ages and chock full off artistic handwork used to explain the mysteries of the religion to the masses.
Following this, we motor back into the central city to the Palermo Parliament building. We purchase tickets and proceed through a TSA like search, including metal detectors and bags through x-ray, into the building. Our destination (surprise, surprise) in the Royal Palace Palatine Chapel - another church.
This one, again begun in the 1160’s took longer to complete - some 90 years. This one is truly unique as it includes dedications in the three official languages of Middle Age Palermo, Latin, Greek and Arabic. It also provides different views of Christ, the closed book Orthodox view, and the open gospel Roman Catholic view, one at each end of the large sacristy. Again, mosaic tiles cover all the walls and floors. The muqarnas ceiling in this church is made entirely of wood, with undulations and painting completed by Moorish artisans, with stalactitic and alveolar elements - look it up on Google!
We then take a driving tour of the central city, and head back to the Oosterdam at 2:00. Impressions of Palermo - a dirty, noisy, bustling city. We spent the rest of the afternoon lunching, reading and dozing. We dined separately and together in the Lido and wandered a bit before retiring after 9:00. Onward to Naples.
