Day 6 - Thursday October 30 2025 - Palermo to Agrigento

 

Breakfast, as usual at 7 am and then as today was a moving day, our luggage had to be outside our hotel door at 7:15 am.  

We left the hotel at 8:30 am and headed for Monreale cathedral.  This too is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.   It’s an amazing example of Norman architecture.  Construction started in 1174 and the cathedral is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.  It wasn’t completed until 1267.

The main feature of this 70,000 sq ft church are the glass mosaics in the Byzantine style done in the late 12th century and the early 13th century.  It’s absolutely exquisite.  

The organ has 10,000 pipes. 

The pipes of the organ flank both sides of the altar.

We had a special local guide to show us inside the cathedral.  You could really tell that he loved the church and he got emotional about  the mosaics several times during our tour.  In fact, his parents celebrated their 50th anniversary last year in this cathedral.  

Below are pictures from inside.  All of these are tiny little pieces of glass. It’s estimated that it took 10 years to complete.  Experts estimate over 4,800 lbs of gold are in the mosaics in these walls.

Over the front door, Mary with child.

Over the altar, Jesus

Noah’s ark

The last supper depicted 

I was fascinated by the mosaic floor tiles 

We also received a tour of the Cloister.   It was the residence of the Benedictine monks and was built in the 12th century in Norman-Arab style.  The columns are decorated depicting Old and New Testament scenes.  There are 228 twin columns.  

The cloister for the monks 

Two sets of twin columns

How intricate is the carving!

The fountain in the southwest corner of the cloister garden. The column is carved like a stylised palm tree.  It was used by the monks to wash their hands before entering the refectory.  Now it’s a favorite pool for the pigeons. 

We had some free time to wander through the surrounding area outside the church and I saw this cute painted cart. 

To get to the church from the parking lot you had to walk about 10 minutes including a series of steps (92 to be precise).  I took a cab up to the cathedral rather than climb the 92 steps from the parking lot but after our tour, I opted to walk down with everyone else.  

Then it was back on the bus to a wine tasting about a half hour away.  They had 300 acres of vines and also had olive trees.  They go hand in hand here.  

On these tours there’s always a wine tasting, as many as there are tours of cathedrals.  They’re usually free!  In the case of the cathedrals we’ve seen, they’re worth it.  UNESCO world heritage sites are usually amazing!  

This winery tour was a little better than many, frankly because the wine was better.  We tasted three different wines and I actually liked the last.  I’m not a real wine drinker but the red wine was actually smooth and didn’t taste acidic.  

Doubt it can be bought in the US and shipping costs were crazy so I’m just going to have to remember how good it tasted.

Views of the countryside and the vineyard

The climate here sustains cactus, palm trees and oleander yet it’s about 350 north of Mesa (latitude). What the heck!  Yes I googled it.

Wayne is on the right.  The cactus is on the left.

After our wine tasting we went to the most amazing lunch in the home of a resident chef.  

Inside the home 

Our menu

1st course. A fried pizza, goat cheese and pumpkin tart and a vegetable pie. A taste of everything.  Delicious.

What the Italians call “the main”. Pasta with peas, cream, pecorino and crispy bacon.  I left half even though it was amazing. I was full from the wine tasting and appetizers.

This was frozen, but wasn’t ice cream nor gelato but was wonderful nonetheless.

Lunch ended at 3 pm!  Yikes!  Then a two hour drive to our hotel in Agrigento.  Thank goodness supper isn’t until 7:30 pm!

Outside views of the house and gardens.  So many plants.  In addition to being an amazing chef, she’s one heck of a gardener.

It looks like we’re in for one heck of a rainstorm tonight starting around eight pm and ending about midnight.  Tomorrow looks good and sunny but cool.  Temperature is supposed to be about 70 degrees.  This area is a seaside area on the south central region of Sicily.  

Tomorrow we visit the Valley of the Temples.  These temples date back to the 5th century BC.  Most of the temples were finished in 440 BC.  Pompei and Ephesus date to appear the 7th century BC.  And we think buildings dating to the 1700’s are old.  

Dinner tonight was way too much again!  I feel good that I left most of the main course.  

6,500 steps today, not much.  Too much time on the bus.