Palermo, Sicily (Part 2 of 3).

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In our previous post we sailed from Cefalù to Palermo, strolled around Vucciria market, spend almost a day in Palermo Cathedral and had a Michelin star dinner at MEC restaurant.

Today we get up early for a 3 km city hike towards the Catacombe dei Cappuccini.

Entrance building of the Capuchin cemetery.

The cemetery of Palermo’s Capuchin monastery ran out of space in the 16th century and monks began to excavate crypts below it. Initially the catacombs were intended only for deceased friars. However, in later centuries it became a status symbol to be entombed in the Capuchin catacombs. In their wills, local luminaries would ask to be preserved in certain clothes, or even have their clothes changed at regular intervals. The catacombs were maintained through donations from the relatives of the deceased.

Entrance to the catacombs.

The catacombs contain about 8,000 corpses and 1,252 mummies that line the walls. The halls are divided by category: men, women, virgins, children, priests, monks, and professionals. Click on thumbnail below.

It is macabre experience to “walk among the dead”. Over the entrance arch it reads: “You are what we were. We are what you will become”. We feel a strange mixture of disgust and delight looking at the decomposed corpses, of which some still have their skin and hair. Not a place you want to be locked in at night.

Palermo street view when walking back towards the historic centre.
Palermo is about street-food and Frits opted for a sweet lunch.
This is what the traditional brioche and granita look like.
Liza has a more savoury tooth and chose "Arancine".
Fried rice-balls stuffed with spinach and cheese.

Happy faces eating in the shade of Puerto Nuova; it was soooo good!

After lunch we visit the Norman Palace, adjacent to Puerto Nuova.

The Royal Palace stands on a site of a Phoenician fortress dating from 1000BC. The Arabs had built a fortress on the existing foundations that was later remodelled and expanded upon during the reign of the Normans (1000-1200). Towers, treasuries, courtyards, chapels, and ballrooms were added at various times, according to taste and culture of its successive rulers, resulting in a mix of different styles.

Torre Pisana (the structure to the right) is a good example of the heavy Norman architecture prevalent in the ancient quarter of Palermo. The three story wing to the left stems from 1570 and is home to Sicily's parliament.
After passing the gate you enter the Maqueda Courtyard.
On the ground floor a series of carts and carriages are on display.
Its centrepiece is this Golden Carriage from 1766.
In one of the rooms was an exhibition inspired by Nike, the Greek goddess who personifies victory in any field including art, music, war, and athletics.
The explanatory sign reads: A pregnant Nike.... waiting for an education of kindness, loyalty and fears, to be faced and overcome again, ad infinitum.
Frits trying hard to get his head around this kind of "art".
Of course there is an archaeological exhibition as well. Norman pottery is notably simpler in shape and decoration compared to that from the earlier Islamic age and turns out to be equally heavy and sturdy as their buildings.
The highlight of the visit to the Norman Castle must be the Palatine Chapel, commissioned in 1132 by King Roger II. The entrance is on the second floor of the courtyard.

Byzantine chants are added to the above video. Note the Byzantine mosaics; the wooden ceiling with muqarnas (three-dimensional architectural decorative element), and the frescos, similar to the church in Cefalù (https://www.twobatsea.com/cefalu-sicily/), but more abundant.

The Hall of Hercules, seat of the Sicilian Parliament.
The Church of St. Mary of the Admiral to the left with again the typical Norman mosaic decoration, similar to the Palatine Chapel, and the Church of San Cataldo to the right, both on top of the old city walls. San Cataldo is a unique example of Arabian-Norman architecture. The church body is a Christian cathedral but the roof has three Islamic domes.
The Church of San Cataldo was founded by William I's chancellor, Maio of Bari in 1160. Maio was assassinated and consequently the interior was never decorated. After 1787 the church served as a post office (!), and later it was restored (in 1885). The altar is original.

Next we visit the Santa Catherina Church and Monastery complex, where you can easily spend an afternoon. The Roman Catholic female convent (monastery) was build in 1310 dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria. We visit the monastery’s bakery first.

The nun's pastry kitchen.
The monastery's oven.

Sicily’s baking, even though it has its roots in ancient times such as the Greek colonization or the Arab domination, was born in medieval times, in cloistered convents. The bakery of Santa Caterina was the place of the monastery in charge of making biscuits, stuffed buns, pancakes, jams and so on. The sale of sweets represented an important source of income for the survival of the monastery.

The tradition is kept alive and a now modern confectionery makes its produce according to the old recipes.
We bought a selection to taste and took the delicacies and drinks to the Monastery's courtyard to feast.
Entering the monastery's courtyard, pastries and drinks in hand. View from Santa Catarina Church.

In 1532, the opinion arose that the present church no longer matched the allure and standing of the monastery and it was decided to refurbish and enlarge the church, and the new church was inaugurated 64 years later.

The church’s interior with a dazzling rich decoration of stucco details, statues, coloured marbles, frescoes and paintings. Note the grated windows in the side walls, accessible by interior corridors allowing nuns to receive confession and take the eucharist.

The mosaics are a world apart. Look closely, they are all 3D. Where can we find this craftmenship today?

One of the niches seen from the monastery's inside, where the nuns could attend the eucharist, shielded from the public eye.
View over the ancient quarter from the church's roof. The dome in the background is from the Church of San Giuseppe dei Padri Teatini. It seems Palermo has the highest density of religious buildings of any city we have visited so far.
Right below us, Fontana Pretoria. The story about this (in)famous monument is explained in Palermo Part 1.

We had booked an “evening dinner street food tour” and had to rush to Teatro Massimo, the meeting point and start of the tour, but that is for the next blog.

Thank you for following our journey and reading our stories; Liza and Frits.