Advertisement
We chose Palermo as our base for this trip to Sicily, because there are so many day trips possible by both train and bus, meaning we did not need a car.
We took a bus to the hill city of Monreale, only 8 kilometers from Palermo, on Tuesday, to view the splendid mosaic-covered cathedral and enjoy the panoramic views from the town. When we arrived, the cathedral was of course closed for the mid-day break. Any of you who have traveled here know about the strange opening hours of churches, even those with bus loads of tourists and school children arriving all day, like this one!
While waiting for the afternoon opening, we visited the Cathedral museum and then walked down a touristy street, looking for a cafe that was not crowded with school kids on field trips. Right at the end, the street became quiet, and seemed to dead-end. As we neared the end, a woman invited us into her restaurant... It was in a park-like setting, with spectacular views of the mountains and the city of Palermo. We ended up having lunch, and struck up a conversation withe couple next to us, who, it turned out, were
Italian Americans from New Jersey! When Joann and I went to the ladies room, Vic confided to Bill that he was going to propose in the cathedral right after lunch. His great-grandparents had been married there! We waited in the shadows and snapped some photos...and then got to admire the ring and congratulate them both.
The Cathedral wasn't quite as exciting as the proposal, but very beautiful...the sheer amount of mosaics is breathtaking!
"It is one of the greatest examples of Norman architecture in the world. It was begun in 1174 by William II, and in 1182 the church was elevated to the rank of a metropolitan cathedral.The church is a national monument of Italy and one of the most important attractions of Sicily. The church's plan is a mixture of Eastern Rite and Roman Catholic arrangement. The nave is like an Italian basilica, while the large triple-apsed choir is like one of the early three-apsed churches, of which so many examples still exist in Syria and other Oriental countries. It is, in fact, like two quite different churches put together end-wise. It is, however, the large extent (6,500 m2) of the impressive glass mosaics covering the interior which make this church so splendid. The whole interior surface of the walls,
is covered with minute mosaic-pictures in bright colors on a gold ground." Wikipedia
The next day we took the train to the seaside resort of Cefalu, where a a large rock (268 meters or about 900 feet above the sea) dominates the town. As we arrived I wondered out loud (joking) if we could climb it. Well, we ended up doing just that, without intending to....
We saw a sign for the Temple of Diana, which we had a read about, and walked up hill to the entrance of a paved trail. We asked for senior discounts (half-price) and the attendant did not want to accept my ID!!! We insisted, and started up the trail on we thought would be a short hike. We ended up at nearly the top of the Rock...
The history there is amazing, as are the views. The city was under attack constantly by first the Vandals and then the Saracens. During the
Byzantine domination the settlement was moved from the plain to the Rock, although the old town was never entirely abandoned. In 858, after a long siege,
it was conquered by the
Arabs, and rechristened Gafludi. For the following centuries it was part of the
Emirate of Sicily. In 1063 the
Normans captured it and in 1131,
Roger II, king of Sicily, transferred it from its almost inaccessible position to one at the foot of the rock, where there was a small but excellent harbor, and began construction of the present cathedral. Between the 13th century and 1451 it was under different feudal families, and then it became a possession of the Bishops of Cefalù. Cefalù
became part of the
Kingdom of Italy in 1861.
After our hike, we visited the cathedral (more striking mosaics) and then we went to the beach, where I did a quick swim (water was cool, and it was windy...). Then we had snacks and beers at a lovely seaside restaurant, went for a beach walk, and headed back to the train, and Palermo...
Advertisement
Tot: 0.097s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 14; qc: 28; dbt: 0.0503s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
George
non-member comment
Monrale
Is this the cathedral that is sort of built into the mountain? G