Day 1 – April 3, Monday – We had a very busy day exploring Palermo in-between showers. There is so much to see.
There is the Teatro Politema Garibaldi, a performing arts theater. Built in neo-classical style and inspired by the city of Pompeii, the entrance is marked by a triumphal arch. and galloping across the roof are four horses pulling a bronze chariot of Apollo. For more, see: https://orchestrasinfonicasiciliana.it/…/il-politeama…
There is a permanent shrine to the patron Saint of Palermo, Saint Rosalia. When we saw it for the first time we thought it was a float for a parade! For more on St. Rosalia, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Rosalia
Palermo is made up of hundreds, or thousands of tiny twisty streets like this, many going up steep hills. Although this looks like pedestrian only, it was not! The tiny Italian cars seem to manage these streets well.
We saw the Here is fabric artwork by former boxer Omar Hassan, which was on exhibit at the Norman Palace. Great colors! The Palace also had archeological exhibit showing how the palace was built over the original walls of the city.
In the Norman Palace is the Palantine Chapel. One word to describe it is mind-blowing! The mosaics cover every inch of this chapel. When you consider that most of this work was done before 1143, it is even more impressive.
We could not get enough shots of the amazing mosaics! For more on the chapel, see:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cappella_Palatina
There are mosaics of the apostle’s, saints, and other notable figures all over the chapel.
The Palace has apartment rooms that are still currently in use by the Palermo Parliament. There is a mix of old and new in rooms.
Roger Hall in the Palace shows other mosaics on the walls. These are thought to be about the same time frame as those in the Chapel.
In another room of the Palace are these wood tiles in the ceiling, each with intricate artwork.
We loved these super large lemons! There is a shrine to Our Lady on the backside of the Cathedral and we took a quick stop for a snack, delicious cannoli!
We went to a theatre for a traditional Sicilian puppet show at Opera dei pupi teatro Argento. Although the performance was in Italian, we caught the gist of it, and it was excellent. The puppet soldiers would fight. More on the puppets later. We walked past the Massimo Theater, aka Palermo Opera House and finished up with a couple of pizzas.