Second in importance only to Palermo's Cathedral, the Chiesa di San Domenico is a church found in the Vucciria neighborhood. Originally constructed between 1458 and 1480, the church sits away from Via Roma at the back of the plaza that shares its name. With its impressive Baroque facade and its sheer size, we couldn't resist taking a peek inside.
I would say it was a pretty successful night. We had discovered Mikalsa, a cool bar within walking distance of our apartment, and heard an incredible concert by Renzo Rubino, a local artist trying to make it big. Plus, we became instant addicts of Mikalsa's home-brewed beer called Panormus, in honor of Palermo's original Greek name.
If you don't want your jaw to smack painfully against the ground, you'd do well to wear a tight chin strap when visiting the Cathedral of Monreale. During our tour, my mouth was wide open, rivulets of drool escaping my gaping jowl. But I didn't care, and I doubt anyone was paying attention. To be inside the Monreale's cathedral and concentrate on anything other than its shimmering beauty is nearly impossible.
Palermo is bounded to the north by Monte Pellegrino, a rock jutting into the Mediterranean which Goethe described as "the most beautiful promontory in the world". Near the mountain's summit is the Santuario di Santa Rosalia, one of Palermo's many patron saints. The mountain park and the sanctuary can be easily visited in a few hours, and make a great escape from the noise and traffic of the city.
Found on the outer limits of the city, the Capuchin catacombs hold the remains of over 8000 souls, their disembodied shells propped up against the walls or resting in open caskets. Down in the cold, dry basement of the monastery, the relentless march of decomposition takes its sweet time. It's a gruesome display. Though some bodies have been reduced to skulls and bones, the majority of corpses are still rotting, and their half-decomposed husks are the stuff of nightmares.
The sculptor Giacomo Serpotta was born in Palermo in 1652, and died there as well, eighty years later. Though he never left Sicily, he achieved a great deal of fame throughout the world for his incredible Rococo stucco pieces. The Oratory of Santa Cita, which he worked on for nearly half his life, is his masterpiece.
Although it's tucked into the maze-like alleys of the Albergheria, the Casa Professa (or the Chiesa del Gesù, as it's more officially known) isn't difficult to find. Just head towards that beautiful green and white tiled dome, visible over most of the neighborhood's rooftops. One of southern Italy's most spectacular Baroque churches awaits.
This might be common throughout Italy, but Palermo is the first time we've encountered a store that sells wine by the liter, as though it were gas. Pumped from a tank, through a nozzle into a large plastic container, with a ticker racking up the price, really as though it were gas. It's even about the same price.
Exquisitely detailed ligneous benches with patterns intertwining mother of pearl and ivory rest upon the crimson marble floor. Splashes of gold in the chandelier and around the altar only serve to highlight the pure white of the rest of the oratory. A reprint of a work from Caravaggio hangs at the front of the room. (But why a reprint ... ?)
