Sicily

Our first visit today was to the city of Monreale to visit the Duomo.  Started in 1172, it features Arab- Norman architecture, its interior an amazing display of mosaics depicting Biblical stories, the most striking being that of Jesus in the central apse, holding a page from the gospel declaring “I am the light of the world.  Whosoever follows me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life.”

After our visit to Monreale we returned to Palermo, where we walked through some city squares and a market of lots of fresh produce and seafood.  We then drove to the coastal resort community of Celafu.  We had a couple of hours to enjoy the beach, the town and to have lunch.   Our group decided to have lunch at a seafood restaurant overlooking the sea.  By the time we were finished with lunch it was time to board the bus!  Oh well, it was a fun afternoon.

It was good to return early to our hotel, since yesterday was a long travel day.  We took a short walk to find a neighborhood grocery store to pick up water and some snacks and spent a relaxing evening  at our hotel. 

 We got into the airport at Palermo at about 9:30 PM after a full day's travel

The next mornign we visited this church.  Started in 1172 it has traces of the Muslim, Roman, Greek, etc. influences from earlier times.  The Normans had captured the island in 1149 and had let the various groups remain as long as they "converted" to Christianity.

The gold color in this church is indeed gold!  They estimate that there are over 20 tons of gold here.  This is one of the very few churches where the gold leaf remains in tact!

Back in Palermo we drove through the main city gates.  These gates were built in the 1600s but were destroyed.  They were later rebuilt when the island was finally brought under the Italian flag by the Gerbaldy family.

The fountain in front of the main cathedral was built for a Florentine Don who could not afford it after it was completed.  The town bought it in 1540 and installed it here.  It is called the "Shameless Square" because the figures are all nudes.

The town of Cefalu lies around the base of this hill.  An old Roman fort stands at top of the hill.  The town reached its peak under the Norman king "Roger II."  He first destroyed most of the town in his fight with the Arabs - and then he rebuilt it and made it a major seaport.  These days it is a sleepy town with lots of tourists.

Our restaurant was located on a ledge overlooking the sea.

Our last stop of the day was to look at the town's main cathedral.  Built by Roger II in the 12th century it has one tower for the pope and one tower for Roger.  Since Roger was building it guess which tower is a few centimeters taller?  (Hint - Roger saw the order as -- God - Roger - Pope - Bishop - priest - everyone else)