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Palermo
- Monreale - M.te Pellegrino Mondello
Capital
of Sicily Palermo is an vibrant city. It shows the typical fusion of
foreign art, architecture, culture and life stylizing the narrow streets
of Palermo's old town elegant baroque and Norman monuments exist.
Palazzo Normanni is a royal palace built bt the Saracens in the 9 th C.
enlarged by the Normans and completed bt the Spanish in the 17 th C, it
houses today the Sicilian Regional Parliament.
Continue
to Piazza dei 4 Canti that divides the city into 4 quaters .Each corner is
represented with: a season, a Patron Saint and a king of Sicily.
Going north is the Cathedral founded in 1185 and intended to be power base
in the city. Visit the Royal tombs of the greatest kings and emperors
the island has known. Continue through the oldest area of Sicily where
open air markets are held and where the best fish can be bought othere the
souvenirs and cloth. Drive by the imposing theathers, 19 th C
Massimo just reopened that was used for the shooting of Godfather
movie and teatro Politeama in the center of the city that includes 20 th C
sculpures. If time permits visit the Convent of the Capuccini. In here
8000 bodies of monks are preserved in the basements of the monastery
with different chemical drying process including dehydration , use of
vinegar and arsenic baths. Continue north to Monreale just 20 minutes
north of Palermo. Here you will visit the imposing Norman Duomo , one of
the greatest architectural masterpieces of the Italian Middle Ages.Famous
for the interior gilded and polychrome mosaic decoration: 6400 sqm
portraying scenes from the Old and New Testament.Continue to Mount
pellegrino where the most important shrine of Sicily is Kept St. Rosalia
and then descend to picturesque bay of Mondello where remarkable hotels
and restaurants are located.
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