Executive summary by darmansjah
No other city in Europe has hosted such a variety of
civilizations and waves of conquerors as Palermo, shaped by 25 centuries of
tumultuous history. Examples of this rich and eclectic heritage begin with the
Palazzo dei Normanni, home to the island’s 9th-century Arab rulers and
transformed into a sumptuous palace (now the seat of Sicilian government) by
the Normans in the 12th century but retaining its Islamic aesthetic. The
palace’s Cappella Palatina is completely encrusted with Byzantine mosaics, a
blending of western and eastern traditions depicting harems, wild animals, and
scenes from the Bible. Built in the same period, the Duomo melds similar
influences with domes, towers, and elaborately tiled arches as does the
evocative Chiesa di San Giovanni degli Eremiti (Church of St. John of the
Hermits), topped with five red domes and surrounded by exotic gardens and the
narrow streets of the Albergheria district, which centers on the busy Ballarò
street market.
For the most breathtaking window on this unique heritage,
travel 5 miles from the city center to Monreale, with its magnificent
12th-century Cattedrale di Santa Maria la Nuova. Built of golden Sicilian stone
by the Norman king William II on a mountaintop overlooking his capital, the
cathedral is an extravagant marriage of Moorish and Norman styles, with
multicolored mosaics glorifying every centimeter of wall space. Enjoy a quiet
moment in the adjacent cloisters, where no two of the 216 slender pillars are
alike.
La Vucciria is Sicily’s greatest market, a vibrant spectacle
of merchants singing about their wares: piles of briny octopus and anchovies,
mountains of fresh herbs, plump tomatoes, and glistening olives. Or take a seat
overlooking the sprawling market at Shanghai, a bare-bones trattoria where fresh
fish and greens are hauled up in baskets from the stalls below. Forgo the chaos
for Piccolo Napoli, where the freshest seafood is simply grilled amid more
formal surroundings.
The rambling 17th-century palazzo that was home to Prince
Giuseppe Tomasi Lampadusa, author of The Leopard, is now the inviting Butera
28. The prince’s adoptive son and daughter-in-law, the Duke and Duchess of
Palma, house guests in nine spacious and comfortable apartments, host dinners,
and arrange city tours and cooking lessons. In the heart of the old town, the
six-room BB22 infuses an old palazzo with modern flair. The graceful Villa
Igiea, an Art Nouveau doyenne-turned-hotel, on the bay 2 miles north of the
city center, soothes guests with lush seaside gardens and old-world guest rooms
awash in Sicilian charm.
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