Day 4 - Tuesday October 28 - Discovering Palermo

By Ellen Outten

 

Octopus, a favorite to catch and eat in Sicily   That’s the real thing!

It’s a typical busy day when you go on a tour like this.  We were at breakfast at 7 am and in the lobby at 8:30 departing for our walking tour.  

Much of where we walked was a repeat of yesterday but today we received the story and history behind it.  I guess I should start by saying this part of the world, Sicily, in the middle of the Mediterranean, and close to North Africa was the desire of many nations to be won and controlled through conquest. This dates back to and includes the Normans, the Arabs, as well as the French and other nations.


Our first stop was the Pretoria fountain built in 1554 and placed in a Florentine garden. It was moved to Sicily in 1581. It popularly known as the fountain of shame due to the extremely high price paid to purchase it.

Just around the corner is Piazza Bellini.  There are three churches in the square, all catholic.  Two of them date back to the Norman era.  These are the churches of Martorana and the church of San Cataldo.  Both are UNESCO world heritage sites as part of Arab-Norman Palermo.  The last church is the baroque church of Santa Caterina.

San Cataldo has a definite Arab influence in architecture unique to Sicily.  Its ceiling has three red bulge domes and Arab style  merlons.


San Cataldo with its Arab influence.


The next stop on our walking tour was the Palermo Cathedral.  The views from the side and the front are totally different.  This is due to the length of time it took for additions, alterations, and restoration.

Side view

Street view

People walking around on the roof

This gothic church dates back to the 1185 and the last restoration took place in the 18th century. It is a combination of Norman, Islamic, Baroque, Gothic, and neoclassical construction.









From there, we walked through the Bonini Gardens that we walked through yesterday and into the Royal Palace and Palatine Chapel.  This is the royal chapel of the Norman Palace.  The construction started in 1130 and took eight years to build but the Byzantine mosaics covering the inside of the chapel took much longer.  

The entrance to the chapel.

The mosaics are absolutely stunning.  I don’t think my pictures show the intricacy of each tiny stone.  

The ceiling of the chapel 







Adam and Eve

Adam and Eve being banned from the garden)


Another ceiling picture. Can you see the animal in the mosaic ceiling?

Noah’s ark depicted 


Some of the mosaic walls and floors 


Before lunch we were taken to an outdoor market.  I love these.  To see all the fresh vegetables and the fresh fish as well as all the prepared dishes and also some of the pastries, it’s a sight to be enjoyed.  

Broccoli 

Fresh Snapper and Sea bream and mussels 


Prepared dishes that are heated if necessary while you wait.

The top left dish is butterflied sardines rolled around a stuffing of breadcrumbs, garlic parsley, pine nuts and raisins.  Our guide had some heated up for us for all of us to try. Where




Our guide stopped at one of the vendors and bought some food to sample.  
The sardine is on the left, the rectangles are fried chickpea, and the round one in the front of the picture is a potato bowl with seasonings. They were all very good.

As we wandered, we saw a lot of produce that always looks so amazing in these markets.

An entire stall devoted to greens

The long thin vegetables on the right are zucchini 


Persimmons on the left and pomegranates on the right 
I tried the persimmon for the first time. Very sweet.  We also had the fruit of the prickly pear cactus.  Lots of hard seeds.  We were told to either swallow or spit them out but not to bite or chew them.

Pastries, mainly cannoli

Another specialty, Arancini 

Cannoli

By the time we had a few snacks I didn’t want lunch.  However our restaurant, Buatta Cucina, was chosen by our guide.  Close enough that after lunch on our free time, we could walk back to our hotel.   We had a 3 course lunch!  A light salad with a piece of focaccia and then the catch of the day,   I was told the name of the fish but no at I could pronounce it or remember it.  And dessert, cannoli.  Thank goodness they were small.

A walk back to our hotel was needed!  9,561 steps and it’s only 3:30 pm.









Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 28, 2025 at 9:34 PM

    THANKS ELLEN, I BET THERE ARE NO HUNGRY PEOPLE THERE!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Barbara BaydukOctober 29, 2025 at 4:48 AM

    The architecture back in those times are just so stunning thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousOctober 30, 2025 at 6:40 AM

    Your photos are outstanding! I feel like I am there alongside you. Thank you for sharing

    ReplyDelete

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