Sicilia: Palermo

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Palermo, in northern Sicily is on the sea at the foot of Monte Pellegrino in a wide bay called the Conco d’Oro (Golden Shell). This city has an exotic style all its own…..it has been owned by many different cultures….Phoenician, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Norman, German, Spanish, French…..and it was under the rule of the Arabs and later the Normans that Palermo blossomed architecturally. You’ll see evidence of these cultures in many monuments and squares. At the intersection of Via Vittorio Emanuele and Via Maqueda is the Quattro Canti (four corners). This is the center of the old town. Each corner of the four corners has a 17^th century Baroque (Spanish) fountain and statue. The Chiesa di San Giuseppe dei Teatini (17^th century) is in the southwest corner of this intersection. Inside it is fabulously Baroque. Just south of here is the oldest Jesuit church in Sicily — Chiesa di Gesu (16^th century Baroque). The Piazza Pretoria has the beautiful 16^th century Fontana Pretoria (made by Florentine sculptors). La Martorana/Chiesa di Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio (12^th century) is in Piazza Bellini. You’ll find fabulous mosaics here. Next door is the Chiesa di San Cataldo (12^th century). The 12^th century duomo in Via Vittorio Emanuele is a grand structure with many architectural styles. The Palazzo dei Normanni/Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace) is today the regional government building. In the palazzo is the Capella Palatino with wonderful mosaics, carvings (look up) and decorative marble. The Chiesa di San Giovanni degli Eremiti (12^th century) has a lovely cloister/garden and the remains of a mosque. The Museo Archeologico Regionale is a must see. Nearby is the Chiesa di San Domenico a 14^th/17^th century church with fine paintings and the tombs of prominent Sicilians. In the Piazza San Domenico note the marble column with the statue of the Virgin (18^th century). The Oratorio di San Lorenzo (13^th century) has beautiful, ornate stucco scenes (by Serpotta). In 1969 Caravaggio’s final work the Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence was stolen as it graced the altar (no one has ever come forward and it has never been found….does that amaze you as it does me? Someone has it!). There’s a nice rose window at the church next door the Chiesa di San Francesco d’Assisi (13^th century). The Oratorio di Santa Zita (14^th century) just behind the Chiesa di Santa Zita has more stuccoes be Serpotta. The Convento dei Cappuccini (17^th century) has underground passages that lead to the Catacombe dei Cappuccini (8000 mummies and skeletons)…..La Zisa is a splendid (that’s what it means) palazzo built in the 12^th century. The Parco della Favorita is worth a visit as the Museo Etnografico has some interesting items and those typical carts of Sicily (which you might buy if you find one at the market). There are some other churches and palazzi — pop in as you tour the town. Market days are Monday through Saturday in Palermo.