Sunday, March 13, 2011

Palermo

We spent three days in Palermo, two of them touring, and another in rest and maintenance (read: doing the wash). Palermo is Sicily's capital, a dense old city of 700,000, in which driving and parking range from difficult to impossible. We stayed at a campground in Sferrocavallo, on the bay, about 15 km from the city center and took buses into town. Even the bus trips were a bit of a challenge. My pedometer got a good work-out in Palermo.
Most of the sights in Palermo are either
Baroque or Norman (yes, Norman, as in
Bayeaux, 1066 and all that; apparently they
had a preference for island kingsdoms;
think: Crusades); anyhow, this is one of
the 4 corners, sort of ground zero on the
Via Vittorio Emmanuel)
























Interior of the Baroque and all-marble Teatini
church, nearby the 4 corners



















Altar, dome, etc.




















Beatiful marble floor throughout















Inlaid



















Teatro Bellini, famous opera composer















Fountain at Piazza Pretoria















Palermo Cathedral















Interior




















Altar and dome




















Interesting floor inlays














Aisle domes




















Tower; all in all, it was not one of the most
impressive cathedrals we have seen; but
wait, there's more...

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