6-2-26: Monreale Cathedral and Arrival in Palermo

We first drove to the area of Monreale, a town commune that is actually part of Palermo. The Cathedral here is a national monument of Italy and impressive for both it’s size and the mosaic art decorations throughout the cathedral. As you might imagine, the mosaics around the main part of the cathedral tell the biblical stories of Genisus.

The cathedral was built in 1174 and it’s defining feature is a colossal mosaic of Christ above the high altar. Look at the photo I have posted: the right hand of Christ is 7 FEET tall up there!! We also toured the Cloister which housed the monks and boasts 228 carved pairs of columns. Each capital on the columns tells a story!

small aside: from the parking lot to the Cathedral is a staircase- 138 steps! We could walk or they actually have taxis there to make the short trip. I took the taxi!! My knees were not up for that many stairs.

After lunch at a small restaurant nearby, we again headed for the bus and drove the short distance to Palermo. Our guide, Jacqueline, had been with us in Monreale and she continued in Palermo. We toured the main church and learned more about the history of the kings who ruled here. Then: a walk through the town and some history on the Mafia. She spoke extensively about the ongoing efforts to prosecute them, and the judges and others who were killed by them. Sicily has the “upper hand” at this time and is doing a lot to eliminate crime.