Up the Mountain to Monreale Cathedral

Do I still think Martorona in downtown Palermo is the most beautiful church I've ever been in?

Today's agenda had only one item (other than get caught up on my rest): Up the mountainside today to the town of Monreale to see if its magnificent cathedral.

Let's start the day with a healthy breakfast of a double espresso and a cannolo.

Cannoli are from Sicily, not the mainland. So I am eating local. Those of you with Italian blood probably already knew this, but "cannoli" is the plural and "cannolo" is the singular. If you order "cannoli" in Italy, they'll think you want two. Well, I did want two, but I only planned on eating one. A cannolo.

Fortified with a nutritious breakfast (and caffeine), it was time to head up the mountainside to Monreale. I took a tuk-tuk because if you can take a tuk-tuk, why not take a tuk-tuk? The tuk-tuk chugged up the mountainside and, soon enough, brought me to Monreale Cathedral.

If the architectural style looks northern European, that is because it is. The golden age of Sicily was under Norman rule. Fresh off of conquering England in 1066, the Normans then turned their focus on the Mediterranean and, at the behest of the pope, conquered Sicily to win the island back to Christendom from the Arabs.

The cathedral grounds are small.

There is a small, unpretentious fountain.

The town of Monreale, too, is small and unpretentious.

But don't let the simplicity of the exterior fool you into thinking it will be simple and spare inside.

Welcoming you to the cathedral is the man responsible for its construction.

King William II of Sicily, known as "William the Good." This is a statute of a scene in one of the interior mosaics of William the Good presenting the cathedral of Monreale to the Virgin Mary. William the Good reigned from 1166 to 1189 at the age of 35. His reign was characterized by peace and prosperity; thus, "the Good" part of his name is a reference to the good times rolling in Sicily during his reign, not to a chaste lifestyle.

The cathedral was built in the 1100's. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is starting to be a theme among all the most beautiful churches of Palermo. Let's have a look inside.

Again, the pictures do not do it just. Combine an amateur (amateurish) photographer and poor lighting and justice cannot be done to the magnificence of this interior.

The artwork you see are mosaics. These are not paintings. These are not frescoes. All the decorative art you will see on these walls are mosaics.

The greatest mosaic artists in the world at that time were in Constantinople and it is believed they were brought to Palermo for this work. The Sicilian Normans had money back then.

I think the pointed arches show an Arab influence. I could be just talking out of my hat (I did wear a hat today, so it's plausible). But the Arabs did control Sicily prior to the Norman conquest.

The mosaics generally depict Biblical scenes. On top, Adam and Eve. being tempted in the Garden by the serpent. Below, Abraham is about to sacrifice his son Isaac until he sees the ram trapped in the bushes.

Keep in mind the population back then was universally illiterate. These pictures were the means for communicating Biblical stories to the masses. It was the 12th Century version of television.

We then progress to the next scenes:

Adam and Eve, now clothed in fig leaves, have been banished from the Garden. Below, is Rebekah at the well, offering a drink of water to Abraham and his camel, thus showing that she would be a worthy wife for Abraham's son, Isaac.

This is the main altar in the cathedral:

Stepping back for a better view:

Let's have a closer look at the portrait of Christ above the altar.

Again, that is a mosaic. The detail is incredible.

A close-up of the top of the altar. A procession of saints.

This is the view out from the side of the main altar.

Side chapel:

And now the other side of the altar:

And back to the altar, now with votive candles in the foreground (for added artsiness).

One last look out toward the congregation (if services were taking place).

And one last look at the mosaics. Surely you recognize these panels as scenes from the story of Noah's Ark.

Is the Cathedral of Monreale the most beautiful, most magnificent church interior I've ever seen? It's in the top two! I'm going to give Martorana a slight edge only because it is so different from anything else I've ever seen anywhere. I think the art of mosaics may have reached its pinnacle inside the Cathedral of Monreale. Both are magnificent. Come to Palermo and decide for yourself which is the more awesome.

Time to exit the Cathedral.

The exterior of the side is more interesting than the front entrance.

Time to take the tuk-tuk back to Palermo. This is the view of Palermo from Monreale.

The view probably would look more spectacular in the sun. You'd even be able to see the sea.

Once back in town, I passed a few interesting churches.

This is the Chiesa di Sant'Anna la Misericordia, the Church of St. Anne of Mercy.

This is the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.

This is a relatively modern church compared to many of the others. It was built in the 1200's, not the 1100's. It is a little more Spartan looking, but it does sport a rose window. I've not seen rose windows in Palermo.

It was a little early for the evening's passaggeria. So, after resting my bones for the day, it was time for supper.

I chose to eat at Osteria Al Casareccioa, a restaurant in the Vucciria market area. Vucciria is an open air market by day, trendy restaurant scene by night. It also is very close to my hotel.

I had the spaghetti with clams for my pasta course.

A classic Italian dish that I should eat. Clams were very fresh. Not fishy. Not chewy. And since I had not been eating many vegetables here -- just starch, meat, sugar, and espresso -- the four basic food groups of Italian cooking -- I had a side salad.

I didn't order it with extra radicchio. That's just how it came.

I skipped dessert at the restaurant and, instead, smartly decided to grab some treats from a bakery on Via Vittorio Emanuele II, the Cassaro. It is only after I ordered that I found out the name of this particular bakery is La Martorana. Named after my favorite church!

I ordered two small pastries to go. On the left is a pistachio cannolo. It was amazingly delicious, once you get past the fact that the green pistachio flavored cream looks just like guacamole. On the right was a blackberry tart. The base was a cookie, then a layer of cream that tastes very soft and light and yet is strong enough to support the weight of the blackberry. I know, a single blackberry does not weigh a lot, but you would think cream that light and smooth would let the blackberry sink through to the cookies. It's vacation magic.