Italy
Norman Palace

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    • Day 29

      Palermo Revisited

      November 6, 2021 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

      Last full day on this trip and feeling some familiarity in this part of Palermo. Having already spent a few days here, I wondered how to fill my day, and whether I should've left from Rome like a few other people instead of flying tomorrow. Alas, we'll never know, and I'm a big believer of things happening when they do for a reason.

      This morning, I took a tour of the Massimo Theatre. It was really nice to be in a performance space again, and I was reminded of my time of the opera house in Buenos Aires a few days back. I feel this one was a little less impressive, though it is the 3rd biggest in Europe. Maybe it was because the tour was a little short, I would've loved a bit more time to sit in the box, especially since they were auditioning singers for an upcoming chorus.

      More walking and wandering through the old city as one of the other girls had time to explore before her bus was to leave. We ended up walking back down towards the Cathedral and outside the old city gate there before winding back through the nearby gardens and back towards the hotel. I continued to add more steps walking back to the train station with her before heading back towards the hotel.

      Instead of stopping though, I decided to keep going towards Giardino Inglese, an urban park. There's a couple of statues there and some cool trees as well as a very small amusement park. A pleasant surprise and great for a stroll. I really do enjoy wandering in local spots that few people visit, and a wonderful reminder to keep doing that in future trips, to get off the beaten off and just spend time walking around.

      A little break back at the hotel, and out again. Back towards the Cathedral, but this time I'm headed to a family owned puppet theatre to take in a show as recommended by our tour leader. Puppets are a fading Sicilian tradition, and although the entire presentation was in Italian, I caught enough words to understand that the story was about 2 guys fighting over a girl. The show was short but exciting to watch, especially the swordfights between the puppets. It is truly an experience to add to your Palermo visit, and I hope they find a way to keep it alive.

      One last meal as I head back to the hotel for an early night, and perhaps it can't get more Sicilian than this - the infamous street food: spleen sandwich. It's tastier than it sounds, honest. Maybe because in Asian culture, we consume a fair amount of organs. The spleen sandwich is more than just spleen, there's also other organs in there. I think it depends on the lemon vs cheese ratio and left it to the chef to decide =) It is very filling though so if you want fries with it, hopefully you've got someone to share it with. I got mine at Passami U Coppu which is right on the main street as I wanted to make sure it was at a clean place since I was travelling the next day.

      The streets tonight were quite busy and I found myself pulling on my mask as I weaved my way back to the hotel. It almost seems like the pandemic is over, but I know it's not. Dealing with staying safe from Covid has definitely been interesting on this trip, but more on that tomorrow as I recap this adventure.
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    • Day 15

      Palermo Old Town

      October 23, 2021 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

      Some people say you only need one day in Palermo. I think maybe you need 2 (or more if churches and meandering is your thing). Or you could completely Robert Langdon and spend days here church hopping. My focus for today was Old Town before moving hotels to join my group tomorrow. After settling the laundry, I met up with a walking tour to learn a bit more about the city and get myself oriented.

      The Four Corners is probably where you'll want to focus on the sites. The spot itself has 4 facades representing Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter while dividing the old town into 4. You'll want to check out the Pretoria Fountain (citizens used to be ashamed of it hundreds of years ago as the statues are pretty much naked). The best view is from above, on the roof of the Santa Caterina D'Alessandria. This church used to be a convent for the nuns, and there's a confectionary on site you can get some sweets as well. I got a minne di vergine to try as it's Sicilian. The hemisphere shape is like a breast, and it's outer shell is hard, you have to "crack" it open and inside is a pastry shell covering the filling of sheep's milk ricotta and jam. It was a bit too sweet to finish, but I'm glad I tried something local.

      Back to the roof, as you head upstairs, you can also get views of the church inside, similar to the Malaga Cathedral, so if you want to save a euros, just pay the roof entrance and not the entrance to the church.

      Off to Chiesa Santa Maria Dell'Ammiraglio. Can't remember why this was on my list, but the inside is beautiful. A wedding was actually taking place today, so we couldn't go too far in. Next the Cathedral, the church area is free, but you'll have to pay to visit other areas like the tombs. Church hopping to Santissimo Salvatore, the dome was on my list, another good spot to get city views, but not as good as Santa Caterina. This church is in the round, and reminds me of a theatre. There's no pews, but individual chairs with a bit of theatrical flair.

      A much needed nap at the hotel before venturing back out for dinner. The streets are getting busier and busier. For a moment, it almost seems like Covid did not exist. The feeling is a bit bizarre considering how careful we've been at home and trying to be careful while away from home. I'm glad my hotel is close so I can escape the crowds and when the weather gets a bit muggy, that and my feet could use a rest.

      Weekend nights here are hopping. It's late, but the crowds aren't quite thinning yet. I head to Il Salumaio for dinner. My other options weren't quite panning out and I'd spotted cuttlefish ink pasta on their menu while passing by earlier. What drew me is the decor of the restaurant. Inside and upstairs is brick and a dome-ish shape so you kind of feel like it's you're in a cave on underground cavern. Bonus, it wasn't that far from the hotel, and close to Capadonia Gelato for another night of gelato. This place won best gelato in Sicily again.
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    • Day 14

      From Espana to Italia

      October 22, 2021 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

      Travel day today, so that means not much done. Let's start with my arrival into Rome and then to Palermo. I'd taken an antigen test a few days ago, uncertain if I needed it to enter Italy. The IATA says passengers from Spain are exempt, but I wasn't sure if they actually meant residents. Turns out it was passengers, but I'm still glad I had the test as a peace of mind. The covid testing in Europe has been more invasive than the ones back home. Instead of swabbing the front of both nostrils, it's one swab up one nostril. Ah travel in covid times. At least they don't swirl too.

      Landing in Palermo was an interesting process. Travellers to Sicily are subject to a PCR test, and I feel it's a bit of an honor system. After grabbing my bags, I exited to the arrivals zone, and read a sign about travellers from certain countries to check with the Covid info desk. No one is checking, I suppose I could've skipped it, but I didn't.

      What ended up happening was a questionnaire that generated a test code that would send me on a trek with my backpack out of the airport to get tested. And it felt like a trek with 12 kg on my back and more with my day bag. The signage is almost very clear, but coupled with an evening arrival, I kept wondering how much farther I had to go, and noticing practically no one else headed that way.

      On the bright side, the PCR was free, though it was another jab up the nose. The interesting thing is that results were ready in 10 minutes. Huh, go figure. Back the way I came and down to the train station for a ride to Palermo Central Station. It's a bit far, 50 minutes, and then another trek to the my hotel in the historic centre.

      Suite Quaroni is beautiful small hotel (6 units in total) right off Via Maqueda. It does get noisy, but the AC drowns out the street noise that goes late into the night. Great location though for exploring the Old Town, so no complaints.

      1st order of business was to find some pizza! Easy but not as I had a few places on my list. One was booked out, and another had a long line. I ended up back on the main street to randomly pick a place that looked good, oh and got some gelato as dessert. Hard to say no when you're stuffed, but it's right downstairs of where you're staying.

      The streets were bustling, but it is a Friday night. I've definitely noticed less people here wearing masks, and more people. Italy has a green card system so if you want to sit down at a restaurant or go into a sight, you have to show proof of vaccination. For me, that's my vaccine card, so far so good.
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    • Day 2

      Sito UNESCO

      September 8, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

      Palazzo dei Normanni
      Uno degli esempi della Palermo arabo-normanna. Era il palazzo reale, ora sede del parlamento siciliano.
      Ad essere onesto, molto del palazzo ha subito rimaneggiamenti, ma ci sono due-tre esempi di quello stile ancora presenti nel palazzo. Uno è la cappella Palatina, al primo piano, ma merita un capitolo a parte.
      Nelle fondazioni si possono distinguere diversi tipi di mura, da quelle puniche e fenicie fino a quelle medievali.
      Al secondo piano, oltre al parlamento, ci sono le sale rimaneggiate. Quando l'ho visitato, erano utilizzate per una mostra su Carlo Dalla Chiesa (temporanea). Inoltre ci sono un paio di salette con mosaici bizantini: eccezionali!

      Ah, per visitare il complesso, si paga un biglietto; non economico ma vale il costo. Compresa, c'è anche una visita ai giardini reali: piccolini, ma graziosi.
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    • Day 115

      In a pickle

      February 19, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

      Nearly 8000 desiccated corpses have been shelved by category under the Capuchin Monastery.
      Each one is dressed in their Sunday best and pinned to the walls, sitting on benches and shelves or lying in open coffins rigidly maintaining class distinctions. The priests of course have their own corridors / rooms, and so do for professionals, such as doctors. Women are segregated and children have their own space. The 1st class lounge is reserved for virgins all in white.
      It is believed that the particularly dry atmosphere allowed for the natural mummification of the bodies.
      Some say that the priests would lay the dead on shelves and allow them to drip until they were completely depleted of bodily fluids. After a year in the very dry atmosphere of the catacombs, the dried-out corpses would be rinsed with vinegar before being re-dressed and sent to their proper station for ever.
      More probably a recently found description of an embalming process, which was lost for decades, was employed. It consists of “formalin to kill bacteria, alcohol to dry the body, glycerin to keep her from overdrying, salicylic acid to kill fungi, and the most important ingredient, zinc salts to give the body rigidity.”
      The oldest corpse in the macabre collection is that of Silvestro da Gubbio, a friar who passed in 1599. The most recent is that of 2 year old Rosalia Lombardo, embalmed in 1920. She has been so well preserved that people call her “Sleeping Beauty.”
      Photos are officially forbidden but I couldn't resist taking a couple for you.
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    • Day 115

      All that glitters

      February 19, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

      Paid my money to visit the the Palazzo Reale, home of the Norman Kings, but the Royal Appartments were closed so I could only see the Cappella Palatina which is another UNESCO Heritage edifice.
      The chapel, consecrated on Palm Sunday, 28 April 1140, is famous for its mosaics - probably laid by the same chaps that did the Martorana and the central apse of the Cathedral in Cefalù.
      They are believed to have been made for
      We don't know for certain when the mosaics were made, but the mosaics of the nave and aisles were most likely made during the rule of William I (1154-1166), the second King of Sicily, ( 4th son of Roger II and Elvira of Castile,) also known as Gugghiermu lu Malu. (William the Bad / Wicked)
      The sanctuary, dedicated to Saint Peter, is reminiscent of a domed basilica. It has three apses, as is usual in Byzantine architecture, with six pointed arches resting on recycled classical columns and with many Arabic inventions such as the muqarnas ceiling.
      The apex of the dome consists of the Christos Pantokrator, with rows of angels, prophets, evangelists and saints.
      Better and more photos can be seen online; worth the effort.
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    Norman Palace

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