Sicilia Da Sola: Day 3

I woke up early in order to condense two mosaic journeys into a matter of hours. After breakfast I practically ran to Il Palazzo dei Normanni to see the Cappella Palatina. I have never walked so fast in my life and I am feeling it now. Literally zooming past i Palermitani I did notice an interesting street market beginning to open, along Via Maqueda (a street I have learned to find and therefore love). Finally reaching Il Palazzo dei Normanni after about 25 minutes of speed-walking, I had a language fight with a woman in the ticket office. She must have been as eager to practice her English as I was my Italian so I would utter something in Italian like, “Avrebbe una… un prezzo per i studenti?” and she would respond in very good English. It was early so I was ok with being so obviously American.

I got my ticket (8.5E for the royal compartments and Cappella Palatina) and made my way up the familiar stairs. There was a school group there when I arrived, which was absolutely  fantastic to me.

Walking into this little chapel covered in mosaics was energizing and inspiring. This was the first place that I had actually been able to gain admittance to (it being normal operating hours) and I felt sort of initiated in my journey to find, document and appreciate Sicilian art.  The Cappella Palatina is the earliest of the Norman-sponsored mosaic works, having been commissioned by Roger II c. 1132-40, and its splendor has rendered it a jewel of Arab-Norman artwork from the period [1]. Indeed, there are a significant number of Eastern influences in this chapel – from the colorfully patterned dress of some of the angels, to the Arabesque domes that provide background scenery for the mosaic tales of the lives of St. Peter and St. Paul.

While I was spinning about on a mosaic high, I was approached by two young girls, maybe  14 years old, who spoke very quickly to me in Italian. They quickly realized that I was not Italian but I asked them to speak slowly and I would try to understand them. At this point, one of the girls proceeded to give me a tour and a lecture on the choir of the chapel! This was like a dream come true. She pointed out the Byzantine zig-zag styling of the columns, the realistic crafting of the putti on top of the coulmns, and the symbolism of animals in the chapel.

She then passed me on to a little boy, who I can’t imagine was older than 12, and he lectured me on the mosaic portraits of Christ, St. Peter, and St. Paul above the Norman throne, in the back of the chapel. He also pointed out the ceiling, which is covered in muqarnas and reinforces the Middle-Eastern influences in the Cappella, and in Sicily during the Norman era.

Cappella Palatina, Muqarnas

I was then passed on to the girl who had originally approached me and she lectured me on the mosaic stylings of the apse. She pointed out the three portraits of Christ, noting which were more liberally styled, and brought my attention to the Byzantine and Arabic style of clothing on the angels surrounding the pantokrator.

Main Pantokrator

Angles in the Cuppola

Absolutely blown away by these kids’ knowledge, I asked how she knew all of this information. She told me that she and her classmates had the option to study the monuments of Palermo at the Verdi School, and part of it was to give little impromtu tours at popular sites. I asked if she knew of Monreale, and she did, which was absolutely heart-warming. I love that there is an opportunity for students to learn and people the mouth pieces of their own history. The kind of scholarship and passion that I saw in the kids I met today is exactly what I want to eventually support and develop in my own endeavors in Sicily. They were truly inspiring and are easily, only three days in, a highlight of my trip.

I left the Cappella Palatina and set out for Monreale. Bus ticket: check. Bus stop: check. The #389 dropped me in front of the Cattdrale di Monreale, which was excellent, but I made a quick right to the entrance of the Cloister. The woman in this ticket office spoke to me in Italian (mine was much improved in the hour and a half between ticket offices) and even enthusiastically granted me a free ticket because of my student ID and my interest in history and art!

At this juncture I will pause because my experience at Monreale was fantastic and it requires more time and thought to pull together the little bits of information I gathered – which is precisely what I plan to do in Taormina. The Monreale post(s) will also be photo-heavy, so there’s something shiny to look forward to.

In the meantime, know that I completely geeked out, taught some Italians a thing or two about the Cloister, and made a date to return – hopefully with a tour guide I can quiz.

To wrap up, I had lunch overlooking Palermo and the ocean, made my way back to Palermo without incident, and walked back to my hotel slowly during siesta. The city was warming up, getting sunny, and feeling very sleepy around 2PM, which was really lovely and made me like Palermo a little more. I also took a cue and enjoyed a little siesta myself. Now I am off to maybe have a gelato.  La Vita Siciliana!

Cattedrale di Palermo - Gorgeous in the Sun

1. Grady, Ellen. Blue Guide: Sicily. London: Somerset Books. 2006