Day 3 - Monday October 27 - Palermo Sicily on our own

A little about this hotel that we are staying in.  The hotel  was originally an 18th-century noble’s house, the Palazzo Tarallo, here in the heart of Palermo.  The building underwent a significant restoration completed in 2003, which brought it back to its former splendor.  The restoration preserved original structures and added period details. The main floor features lavish frescos and antique furniture, creating aa historic atmosphere.

Wayne and I were on our own today as it was really good to just have a relaxing day after 24 hours of travel.  I was awake at 3:30 this morning but I did turn in at 5:30 pm last night.   However, Mr. I never sleep more than 5 hours slept over 10 hours.  I had to make noise at 7 am to rouse him.  

We had breakfast in the hotel and then took a walk up the mainly pedestrian street in front of our hotel, Via Vittorio Emanuel.  Some pictures as we strolled the street.  

The side streets, flagstone on the ground interest me 

Many of the buildings have apartments above the stores with iron balconies and flowers

We walked past the Palermo Cathedral which is our first stop on our walking tour tomorrow morning so for today, outside pictures only.

Tomorrow I’ll find out what this “float” is all about.

Our next stop was the Villa Bonanno, the gardens in front of Palazzo Reale.

Our climate in Mesa must be similar given the cactus and the palm trees.

The Palazzo Reale.  Mire tomorrow on this as I think we go inside.

Porto Nuova built in 1570 as a triumphal arch and gateway by the Moors.

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped for a coffee and people watching.   So much fun.  I need to say that Wayne ate ALL of this!!!! 

Okay, I lied.  Two forks and we shared a cannoli and a traditional Siciliano cake called Cassata, it’s a sponge cake with ricotta cheese, and some dried fruit on top.

From our hotel balcony we watched some punters performing on the street for tips singing Italian opera.  

A little later, there appeared to be an argument about who had the right to perform on that corner.  The guy with the guitar won as the others packed up.

This afternoon we walked in the opposite direction and explored more shops.  Just a few more pictures of the crowds and the buildings.

The intersection that was created between Via Maqueda and Via Vittorio Emanuele led to the division of the city into four parts called "Mandamenti".

Various names have been coined for the Baroque construction of the four corners because in every season, at least one of the four corners is bathed in sunlight; due to its shape.

The square is perfectly circular, and the corners, made of cut stone are curvilinear. Construction begun in 1608 was completed in 1621. Each corner features three overlapping tiers.  The lower one features the statues of the "Seasons," the middle tier features the statues of four Spanish kings, and the upper tier features the statues of the patron saints.

Time to rest a bit before our first meeting with our tour guide and supper with the group. Meanwhile Wayne is uploading his pictures and trying to spell words.   I think it’s a comedy routine as I start and stop to spell for him.  He just told me that when he’s in doubt, he just throws in extra letters and we can just take them out. So if you’ve read his captions under his pictures, please know that he didn’t ask me to spell all the words he has wrong.  I am not to blame!