Palermo

27th April

Palermo – a vibrant city full of noisy street markets and vendors, motocicli zooming down cobblestone alleys some only wide enough to walk through single file, beaten up cars, and surprising architectural gems hidden away between derelict palazzi.

 
The history of the place gives some idea of the eclectic nature of the food, architecture and culture. Founded by the Phoenicians, conquered by the Greeks, then the Romans, occupied by the Vandals, reconquered by the Byzantines, captured by the Saracens, then a Norman kingdom from 1072 (the Normans were having a busy time, having also just conquered Britain), passed to the German Hohenstaufen royal family, and then finally to the French Anjou kings. It was heavily bombed by the Allies during the Second World War, as seen by the ruined state of many of the once grand palazzi.

watch your step on the balcony…

Not an auspicious start, though, standing with our bags in drizzle on a dock at 6:30 am on a Saturday with our B&B 3 km away. But after a week walking on the Amalfi coast, trundling across Palermo was a doddle – the rain stopped, the traffic was light and the coffee was great.  Arriving at the Casa di Momo B&B, we found that we’d been upgraded to the top floor apartment, so we have our own kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, a couple of other rooms we don’t have a use for, and a washing machine(!) that sits on our own sunny terrace. There is even a little kitchen garden in pots, with bay, parsley, rosemary and all the other usual herbs. It’s a fantastic base for the next few days.
And just up the road, on Saturday morning, the Ballaro market was pumping!

We took a relaxing stroll from the market (more to come about that in a later post), snapping pictures as we jostled with the crowd. The noise of the vendors and the smells were almost overpowering.
We finally found our way to the Norman Palace, which was closed as the government was in session, but we toured the Capella Palatina, M muttering to me as we joined an enormous queue that this had better be worth it. And it was STUNNING, hence the record number of photos taken on any one day. This is another architectural gem of the ‘melting-pot’ style (a term coined by Pip), built in the 1100s by the Normans, using Jewish, Arabic and Christian artisans, in a building which incorporates gold mosaics of Byzantine style on walls and the roof, inlaid Arabic tile work and detailing on the floors and around the windows, and sections of wooden painted ceilings in the aisles.

For a change of pace, we also visited the remains of the Hermitage of St John, which was used as both a Christian church and as a Mosque,. This is another building which shows the influences of both east and western culture, having distinctive Arabic red domes, but Norman remodelling to create a church. It was a peaceful oasis with a tiny white cloister and small garden.
 
Last on our walking tour was the Cattedrale, shown at the beginning of the post – what an amazing building. It dominates the piazza with its towers, gothic arches, Baroque dome, plus smaller domes tiled in the distinctive green and yellow so common in southern Italy, and Arabic style windows and tiling.
Home via the markets again for an early end to a great day, with prosecco e birra, con formaggio. Bellissima.