Palermo: Markets and Mosaics

Palermo has three outdoor markets and we managed to hit all of them.

Two we found by design while foraging for supplies and the third on our walk back from the Palentine Chapel and on our way to the completely over the top Chiesa del Gesù.

So a few scenes from the market and then on to Montreale.

Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. And artichokes ready to have their stalks slashed off with a machete.And abundant fresh lemons and oranges. And everything you buy gets wrapped in a cone of newspaper. Makes for easy storing in your shopping bag.And, of course fish.
Scholars have written volumes on the significance of Montreale – this cathedral just north of the city. But suffice it to say it is huge and quite astonishing in its detail and extravagance..

No surface is left unused in this extraordinary assertion of faith.

What appeals to me most is the fusion of faiths and the unique combination of artistic and architectural style. That is what Sicily seems to be about. 

Under the Normans Sicily was a crossroads for interfaith connections and these influences are all made visible in the cathedral with its Arabic arches and Moslem ceilings.

If you climb to the roof there are views out south toward Palermo and to the surrounding hills.

The mosaics on the cathedral columns are a kaleidoscope of color and design.