Sicily Day 3 Cefalu & Monreale

Glorious medieval churches with glittering, gilded mosaic interiors, warm sun and cloudless blue skies, and a leisurely seafood lunch right at the edge of the sea...it was another perfect day in Sicily!

Our outing today took us out of crowded-but-fascinating Palermo, and along the coast, where rugged mountains march right to the sea, their lower slopes crowded with holiday villas and hotels, interspersed with date palms, and groves of citrus and olive trees.

There are flowers everywhere--deep violet-blue morning glories climbing over fences and ruined walls, hibiscus, and a number of trees with large pink blossoms I can't identify.

We took the coastal highway for about an hour north to Cefalu, the oldest Norman church in Sicily, set in the middle of a charming ancient seaside town with narrow cobbled streets (that are lined with rows of tiny parked Fiats and Renaults), multistoried plastered houses crowded together with laundry hanging off the wrought-iron balconies, and small piazzas, each crowded with outdoor seating for cafes and restaurants.

Walking from the bus parking lot, into the city, we noticed that the ancient defensive walls, perhaps dating back to the first Greek settlement, were now incorporated into the walls of the houses overlooking the water.

The church itself is very interesting, both historically and artistically, with architecture that combines European Romanesque with medieval Islamic. The interior was rather plain (though the ancient Roman columns recycled from the nearby Temple of Artemis were interesting) except for the apse, the semi-circular area behind the altar, which was covered in the gilded Byzantine mosaics.

After touring the church, we strolled down one of Cefalu's side-streets to visit the Arab Laundry, where water from a spring was cleverly diverted through a series of square stone pools, each with its own textured limestone slab for beating/scrubbing laundry. The clear, cold water flows continuously through these laundry pools, then continues downhill through a drain built under the houses, to flow into the sea located just a block or two away.

Returning to our bus, we drove halfway back to Palermo, to a small seaside fishing and beach resort village called Porticello. There, we enjoyed a terrific gourmet seafood lunch at at outdoor restaurant located right on the quay.

There were quite a few courses accompanied by a light, fruity white wine. We began with a beautifully-plated first course consisting of a small piece of grilled tuna served over a spoonful of microscopically-diced carrots, almonds, and garlic; a single anchovy, split lenghtwise and lightly pickled with lemon juice, salt and oil; and a small molded terrine of minced swordfish wrapped in paper-thin slices of grilled eggplant, and topped with a pesto made with fresh mint and almonds.

The second course consisted of the now-familiar pasta topped with minced swordfish in a citrusy tomato sauce. It was very good.

The third course was a piece of fresh-off-the-fishing boat grilled snapper with olive oil and lemon, served on a bed of salad. Delicious!

Dessert was semifreddo, made with ice cream studded with caramelized bits of almond, with homemade burnt caramel sauce.

Most of us wanted a nap after that huge meal, but we had one more thing to see...the magnificent cathedral of Monreale. If Cefalu was the first Norman church in Sicily, Monreale was one of the last built, magnificent in every aspect and a wonderful example of the Arabic-Norman architecture that developed during the century of Norman on the island in the 1100s.

But first we had to climb 92 steps up from the parking lot to the cathedral plaza. When we arrived, most of the tour groups had already left (it was nearly 4pm by this time) but there was a wedding in full swing inside the church. So we toured the beautiful cloister attached to cathedral, notable for the fact that the capital of each of the over 200 columns is a unique carving. Some are carved with nature motifs...birds, flowers, etc. Some are carved with scenes from Bible stories or popular tales, and some are mythological scenes. In addition, the columns themselves are carved or inlaid with a variety of designs, including geometric patterns of gilded mosaic tiles, fluting, and intricate floral motives.

When we finished with the cloister, the wedding was still going on (the bridal couple had apparently opted for the full Mass), so Professor Bob gave us a quick lecture out in the piazza about what to look for inside the church, and then we tiptoed in, and quietly moved around the periphery, admiring the wonderful mosaics that cover all the upper walls, arches, and vaults of the cathedral interior. One plus of having the wedding was that the church's staff had opened the huge 12th-century bronze double doors at the rear of the church, and the setting sun streamed in, illuminating the mosaics high over the altar in a blaze of gold, rose, and green.

We stayed as long as we could after the bridal party left, while the staff closed the doors and began turning off the lights, plunging the huge space into gloom.

Then, footsore and sweaty (but not hungry, not after that huge lunch!), we headed back to the bus and back to our hotel, located just downhill, about 6 miles away.

This is our last night in Palermo. We have a slightly earlier start tomorrow (and have to have our suitcases repacked and ready to go at 7:30 a.m) as we begin our trip around the ancient sites around the island.

It's time to break out the hiking boots as we head to the first two of our many archaeological sites--Greek Segesta and Phoenician Motya.