Palermo:
Last weekend we headed off on our final trip as a class--to Sicily!! We met at the train station at 6am to catch our train to the airport. We would then fly to Palermo where we would stay for three nights. Our purpose in Sicily was to get a sense for the construction of the Norman kings who pulled aspects from very multiple cultures for architectural and artistic inspiration. In particular, their buildings are very Byzantine and Islamic in their style. After checking in at our hotel, we had free time to get lunch before meeting at the Palazzo Reale dei Normanni. **Before getting any farther, I want to let you know that I am going to do a separate blog post about the food of Sicily (coming soon to a theater near you) because there was a lot of good food! So anyway, we grabbed lunches, details forthcoming, and headed over to the palace. As we arrived, there was some sort of protest going on outside a government building, including people sitting in the street blocking traffic. Our professors suspected it was because that day was the anniversary of the death of a judge who did a lot of anti-mafia work. He was murdered for his views and his work. Because of the nature of the day, it had been chosen as a good day for a worker's protest. It was interesting to see politics at work, and to understand some current local issues.
When we entered the palace, the first place we headed was the famous Cappella Palatina. The chapel is beautifully ornamented on all sides with Byzantine-style narrative cycle mosaics. In addition to the narrative mosaics, which are high up in the apse and along the sides of the nave, the walls of the aisles were also covered in beautiful Islamic designs. These mosaics were at a height such that we could see the individual tiles, and I could see that the colors were rich and beautiful. They included bright blues and deep purples--some of my favorite colors! Following our visit to the chapel, we got to look around the rest of the palace (or parts at least--Sicily's parliament now meets in one wing of the castle) Before I continue, I just want to mention my favorite room in the palace: Roger's Hall. It was a small little room in the living quarters of the palace, which King Roger II had ornamented with mosaics in a similar manner as his chapel. The difference was that the content was secular, depicting plants, animals, and mythical creatures. It was a beautiful little room, and presumably Roger used it for entertaining or something of the sort. We then headed to our next church, the Martorana. When we arrived, there was a wedding in progress so we went next door to a little church called chiesa di San Cataldo. This church was built in the 12th century, but the inside was never completed because its patron was disgraced and executed. This meant that the inside was really quite plain. There were three small domes on the top of the church, giving it a very interesting shape inside. The inside was all stone with no ornamentation on the walls, and spoliated (reused--probably from ancient Roman times) columns. For some reason this plain little building spoke to me more than any of the large intricately adorned churches have. The plainness gave me a good sense for the church's shape and it's geometry, and I found it very beautiful. As corny as it is, I think this tourist website describes it aptly: "With dour stone walls and a refreshing lack of interior decoration, it reeks of ancient legend; I wouldn't have been surprised to see a Knight of the Round Table kneeling at the altar" (http://palermo.for91days.com/2011/12/20/the-church-of-san-cataldo/). At this point in the day, as we sat on the pews in the cool interior of the church, I could see that our early morning wakeup call was really starting to get to people. People were drifting off right and left despite our guide talking to us. Luckily, we were almost done for the day, but we had one more very interesting stop ahead of us: we were finally able to enter the Martorana! There were several interesting aspects of this church. First, were the Islamic elements: There was a great carved wooden door, and a column with an Arabic inscription from the Quran. The thought is that the this column might have been repurposed from a mosque. Finally, there was a mosaic depicting Roger II, the Norman king who commissioned the church, being crowned king by Christ who is appears to be floating slightly off the ground. This was an interesting commentary on the king's legitimacy and where it comes from. From there we were free until dinner. We headed back to the hotel to et cleaned up and went around the corner for group dinner, which was at a restaurant in the same piazza as our hotel. Dinner was lovely and fish-filled! This included an entire half fish on our plate. I didn't like looking at its eye and mouth, but as long as I kept my gaze on the meat, all was well. Because I was exhausted to the point of not feeling well (due to our early morning departure), I headed back to the hotel early to shower and go to bed.
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| "Our" piazza in Palermo |
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| A Palermo archway |
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| Palazzo Reale dei Normanni |
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| The courtyard |
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| Everyone needs an ATM in their palace |
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| Cappella Palatina--facing the altar |
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| The Cappella Palatina--facing the throne at the back |
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Cappella Palatina
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| Cappella Palatina |
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| Mosaics in the Cappella Palatina |
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| Mosaics in the Cappella Palatina |
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| Lotus blossoms in the Cappella Palatina |
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| A mosaic in the Cappella Palatina |
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| Cappella Palatina |
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| A beautiful mosaic floor (from the Cappella Palatina, I think) |
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| The outside of the chiesa di San Cataldo |
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| Inside San Cataldo |
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| Inside San Cataldo |
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| Inside San Cataldo |
Cefalù:
The next morning we had a lovely breakfast at the hotel. Our hotel had a beautiful breakfast area/common space, and they had a REAL espresso machine. They made our drinks to order, which made our day a bit brighter from the start! I went for a brief walk around our neighborhood with a friend before meeting back up with our group to catch our train to Cefalù, a beach town east of Palermo on the northern coast of Sicily. We were all quite excited, because after a quick visit to the Cefalù duomo, we were free for a day at the beach!
After our visit to the duomo, we went next door to the cloister. Around the edge of the cloister, the capitals of the columns (tops of the columns) had been carved with scenes from the bible, and if you walked all the way around, it told a story. My favorite column depicted two griffins. After our visit to the cloister, several of us joined one of our professors for lunch at a seafood restaurant on the pier. The view was lovely, as was the company, which made for a relaxing lunch. I had Pasta Lido (see next blog post) which was delicious. After lunch, I headed to the beach to find some friends who had already been there for over an hour. I dropped my backpack at the beach with the sunbathers, and then went for a quick walk. I had seen signs around Palermo and Cefalù for a horse show that was starting that day, and I wanted to check it out (It was show-jumping competition--the same kind of competition that I used to do. Now I just ride for fun.). The show grounds were just a few blocks down, and right across from the beach. The show was small, with just one arena set up. There were a few people riding around in the warmup right, but it was clear that the show hadn't really started yet. It probably wouldn't really get going until later that evening. After picking up a few Sicilian treats in town to take home with me, I headed back and joined my friends in the water. The surf was very rough, and we alternated waving-jumping and wave-diving (and occasionally just getting knocked over and rolled). It reminded me of my childhood playing in the Pacific Ocean off the Oregon Coast--a similarly rough surf, but much colder water (in Oregon). After a day at the beach, we headed back to the same restaurant on the pier (I was the only one who had already been there for lunch), and had a wonderfully long and fish-filled dinner. After dinner, most people headed back to the train station, but a few of us decided to stay and watch the sunset. First, we grabbed some gelato, and then made our way up some stairs to a higher lookout point on the pier (sort of like a wall that you could walk on top of, but it had very secure railings. Getting up high was a good choice, because the surf had gotten really rough by this point, and was crashing against the rocks and sending spray many feet up in the air. The sunset was one of the most beautiful I had seen in a long time. There was a line of clouds just above the horizon, and so just before the sun set in the water, it got a line of shadow across it (see photos below). It was pretty darn amazing. We finally (reluctantly) went back and caught a late train back to Palermo. It was quite a day! Lots of time for fun in the sun in a gorgeous place!
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| The cathedral in Cefalu |
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| The Cefalù cloister |
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| Evening falls |
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| And sunset begins |
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| Waves crashing against the rocks on the pier |
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The sun going down behind a line of clouds--life doesn't get much more beautiful than that
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Monreale:
The next day we started by visiting a site in Palermo--Castello della Zisa. The castle was another site of the Norman kings and had been built as part of a hunting retreat. William I began construction on the castle, but it was finished under his son, William II. Like many of the Norman building that we had seen already, the Zisa had a very strong Islamic influence. In fact, the name Zisa comes from the Arabic al-Aziz, meaning "noble," "glorious," or "magnificent." The main room on the first floor of the palace had a beautiful water installation which led from inside the palace to the outside. On the top floor, there was another very open room that felt a bit like a mosque, including the openness and lightness of the entire room, and the sunken floor in the center part of the space. In addition, it was also interesting to hear about the castle's innovative water and air conditioning systems that were made possible by the Islamic artisans who worked on the castle. Our professor described the Zisa as a "pleasure palace," a place made for the sole purpose of relaxation and sport. Sounds good to me! It was fun to imagine how much land must have once been attached to the castle. It not sits in a pretty bustling part of the city, and only a tiny portion of the gardens remain.
Next we were off to the town of Monreale, which was about half an hour outside of Palermo. Monreale was up on a hill, and once we got of the bus, we climbed up some stairs and a slight hill to reach the main piazza in the town. Monreale is known for its spectacular cathedral with one of the best preserved mosaic programs. William II began work on the cathedral in 1174, and it was dedicated in 1182. Which sounds like a pretty quick turn around when you see how intricate and beautiful the cathedral is. Like the Cappella Palatina, there were mosaics in the apse and along either side of the nave. My favorite part of the cathedral was the narrative cycle from the old testament around the walls of the nave. There were depictions of the creation of the world, Noah's ark, the tower of Babel, etc. They were all beautiful, and it was interesting to see how they were represented. There was also a mosaic in the apse which depicted William II being crowned king by Christ, who is sitting on a throne. This is like the mosaic that we saw in the Matorana in Palermo depicting Roger II being crowned by Christ. Clearly, there was an interesting set of theological beliefs and ideas about the legitimacy of the kingdom that remained strong among the Norman kings for at least several generations. Following our visit to the cathedral, we visited the cloister next door. Like the cloister in Cefalu, this cloister had amazing carved capitals, but the bodies of the columns were also adorned in amazing black, red, and gold mosaics patterns. This cloister was one of the best preserved that we have seen so far, and the effect of all that beautiful color from the mosaics was quite stunning. In addition, it was a beautiful, sunny day, which lit up the garden in the center as well. We were then free for the rest of the afternoon to get lunch and wander the town. There were several fresh fruit and vegetable stands in town, so I grabbed some food to go and ate in the sunny piazza. Then I wandered, and picked up a few Sicilian souvenirs before heading back to the bus.
Getting to visit two small Sicilian towns was wonderful! Both Cefalù and Monreale were gorgeous, and getting out of the bustling city was refreshing (although not as big as Rome, Palermo is a big city--the fifth largest in Italy). And getting to have free time in each place, meant that we could explore, find our favorite lunch and gelato spots, and soak up some sun.
That evening was the championship game for the Champions League, one of Europe's soccer leagues. This year, there would be two German teams in the final. Several of my friends wanted to watch the game at an Italian bar, so we set off for an early dinner. We found a Middle Eastern place which served falafel and kebabs in addition to other more traditional Sicilian options. It was a nice warm evening, so we sat outside for dinner. As it turned out, this place had a large TV facing the outdoor seating area, and we had a good view of the game. Instead of trying to find a new place, people ordered some beers and stayed put for the duration of the game. I headed home before it was over, and had a nice nighttime walk back through Palermo. In particular, I passed the Teatro Massimo at night, which was all lit up (see photo below). It had been another wonderful Sicilian day, and I was looking forward to my final day in Palermo!
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| The outside of the Zisa |
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| Inside the Zisa |
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| Inside the Zisa |
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| The water installation on the first floor |
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| The Zisa |
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| The cathedral in Monreale |
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| The first piazza in Monreale |
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| The second beautiful piazza of Monreale |
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| A pretty little town |
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| Noah's ark |
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| Making day and night |
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| Decorations on the walls |
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| The floors |
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| A view looking towards the apse |
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| The ceiling |
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| The cloister |
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| Carved capitals |
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| Amazing columns |
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| The view from Monreale |
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| Teatro Massimo by night |
Palermo, Day 2:
Our last day in Palermo was a free day, and with a list of museums and sites in hand, we went our separate ways to explore the city. I went with one other friend in search of the Museo del Mare, or Museum of the Sea. The museum was at the other end of the city on the water, so we headed down to the pier to walk along the water. When we got down to the pier (around 9:30 or so), there were fishermen with they daily catch already displayed. There were several kinds of fish and an octopus. One of the fishermen could tell that I wanted to take a picture of his fish, but didn't want to offend because I wouldn't be able to buy anything, and he waved me over and told me I should feel free to take photos. As I was snapping away, and my friend and I admired the fish, one fisherman picked up the giant octopus and held it out for us to feel (slippery!). Then he handed it to my friend so that I could take a picture. She was very game, taking it without hesitation. We all got a good laugh (fishermen included) while I took her picture. We thanked them profusely and then headed on our way. It was about a forty-minute walk to the museum, but when we hit the street that we were supposed to turn on, it didn't quite feel right. We walked down it for awhile, but it was all residential and a bit run-down, and we didn't see anything resembling a museum. There was one "museo" sign that was broken in half, and pointing in no direction in particular. We were pretty sure we must have taken a wrong turn, so we headed back up the street to look at our map again. We wandered around for awhile, and still couldn't figure out where we were supposed to be, so we finally used my friend's iPhone. It told us that we had been on the correct street originally, so we headed back that way. This time we stopped to ask a couple of people if we were headed in the right direction, and they assured us that, yes, the Museo del Mare really was down that way. Finally we reached the end of the street and all we saw were some barriers in front of an old building. It turned out that the building was the museum, and we had to slip through the barriers to reach it (people could fit, I think it was there to keep cars out). The museum looked closed, but as we were admiring the outside of the building, a man came out and told us that he would open the museum for us. It was a small little place with just a few rooms, and everything was in Italian. He walked us around and gave us a personal tour in (somewhat broken) English. They had models of ships, old engines, steering wheels, cannons, an old horn, documents, etc. Following the museum visit we walked up a more main street in that part of town. There were families out and about coming out of church. We stopped in a bakery to use the bathroom, and I got an amazing pastry that was a rolled soft cookie of some sort (think cannoli shape) filled with nutella and coated with dark chocolate. It was amazingly good! After that, we headed back to our hotel via the street that goes directly through the center of town. We started out in a slightly grubbier area, but soon in turned into a fancy shopping district with stores, coffee shops, a main square and a park. I hadn't loved Palermo when we first arrived, but I think this day solidified my love for the city. After having walked through most of the city on a sunny day, I realized that it was a beautiful and friendly place, with a lot more to offer than I initially realized. When we reached our hotel, we saw that there was a flea market in our piazza, and we took a quick look. I found a fun little framed print. Our weekend in Sicily was truly wonderful, and I think just the break that we needed towards the end of the trip. I can't wait to go back to Sicily some day and explore more of the island.
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| The fisherman with his octopus |
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| My friend, Noelani, got to hold it! |
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| Today's catch |
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| The pier |
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| Remains of an old boat |
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| Outside the Museo del Mare |
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| Museo del Mare |
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| Museo del Mare |
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| An old ship engine |
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| Cannons! |
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| Pretty Palermo |
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| One of the main squares in Palermo |
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| Teatro Massimo by day |
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