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...