Private Arab-Norman Tour: Palermo, Monreale & Cefalù

Highlights

• Historic Palermo
• Monreale & its Mosaics
• Cefalù & its Cathedral

What's included

Itinerary

1. 1

   Palermo Cathedral

   1h

   Around 1170, during the reign of William II, the English archbishop of Palermo Walter Off the Mill, traditionally remembered by the name of Gualtiero Offamilio, began the construction of a new cathedral. It was actually the reconstruction of a pre-existing ancient cathedral seriously damaged by the earthquake of 1169. The Gualterian Cathedral chronologically constituted the third of the churches that followed one another on the site; in this place, in fact, already in the early Christian age (4th century), there was a basilica destroyed around the middle of the 5th century during the Vandal persecutions, on the ruins of which was built by the bishop Vittore and by the will of San Gregorio Magno in 590, the "Sanctae Mariae Basilica”, consecrated in the year 604.

2. 2

   Piazza Pretoria

   30min

   Piazza Pretoria is located not far from the Quattro Canti, exactly in the center of gravity of the historic city of Palermo and is commonly called "Piazza della Vergogna" due to the nudity of the statues that make up the beautiful fountain. This is carved entirely in white Carrara marble by the sculptor Francesco Camilliani who created it in Florence in 1554 and subsequently purchased by the city of Palermo.

3. 3

   Quattro Canti

   30min

   The so-called four Canti, located in piazza Villena, represent the center of Baroque Palermo. Its structure, perfectly octagonal, is formed by the alternation of streets (Via Vittorio Emanuele and via Maqueda) and architectural backdrops. quattro canti PWThe facades that form the square, during the day, are always illuminated on at least one side, and this is why they are also known as the "Teatro del Sole". The statues in the square were placed by Mariano Smiriglio, engineer of the Palermitan Senate, starting from 1617 and represent the rivers of Palermo (Oreto, Kemonia, Pannaria and Papireto), the allegory of the seasons, the historical rulers of the city and the patron saints of Palermo.

4. 4

   Mercato di Ballaro

   2h

   The permanent market extends from Piazza Casa Professa to the ramparts of Corso Tukory towards Porta Sant'Agata. The market is famous for the sale of the first fruits that come from the Palermo countryside. Ballarò is the oldest of the markets in the city, [1] attended daily by hundreds of people, enlivened by the so-called abbanniate, that is, by the boisterous calls of the vendors who, with their characteristic and colorful local accent, try to attract the interest of passers-by. It looks like a mass of crowded stalls and with the street invaded by wooden boxes containing the goods that are constantly shouted, hushed, chanted to advertise the good quality and good price of the products. Ballarò is mainly a food market, mainly used for the sale of fruit, vegetables, spices, meat and fish, but there are also household items for cooking and cleaning the house, as in the Capo and Vucciria markets.

5. 5

   Duomo di Monreale - Cattedrale di Monreale

   1h

   Someone called it the most beautiful temple in the world and undoubtedly the Cathedral of Monreale is one of the most beautiful examples of how art manages to enter into harmony with the human heart. Tourists come from all over the world to admire it and many times we, who have it on our doorstep, pass by distractedly and perhaps enter it looking here and there fascinated by the whole but unable to grasp its details. To appreciate the beauty you need special eyes, an educated view or a state of total abandonment. All difficult things to own.

6. 6

   Duomo di Cefalu

   1h

   Symbol of the city and a must-see for anyone visiting Cefalù, the Basilica of the Transfiguration - better known as the Duomo or Cathedral of Cefalù - is a hymn to the beauty that resists time, wars and modernity, as it preserves traces of the Arab Norman on the island. Declared a Unesco World Heritage Site since 2015, it stands in the heart of the historic centre, in the square of the same name, rising in all its grandeur against the Rocca di Cefalù which stands out behind it. Framed by two mighty towers, the work was commissioned by the first King of Sicily, Roger II, in 1131 and consecrated almost a century and a half later (1267).

7. 7

   Cefalu

   4h

   It is located on the northern Sicilian coast, about 70 km from Palermo, at the foot of a rocky promontory. It is one of the major seaside resorts in the whole region: every year it attracts a significant flow of tourists and, in the summer period, the population triples, making the main squares and most important streets of the town crowded. The town, which is part of the Madonie Park, is included in the club of the most beautiful villages in Italy, the association of small Italian towns that stand out for their great artistic, cultural and historical relevance, for the harmony of the fabric urban life, livability and services to citizens. Cefalù is also part of the network of solidarity municipalities.

Before you go

Location

Corso Vittorio Emanuele, 90134, Italy