Thread by @PhillipsPOBrien

Got some messages asking for all my Sicily pictures in one tweet thread so starting this. Here are some of Palermo Duomo at night. I can’t imagine a more beautiful exterior

Two more Palermo Duomo pictures, because just two isn’t enough

And here is Massimo

Will update this thread from now on. Capella Palatina tommorow.

Sicily has so many amazing things to see, but the Capella Palatina might be the most wondrous. The Royal chapel of the Norman Kings was built in the 12th century.

It has three main wondrous elements. The ceiling was done by North African craftsmen and has strong Islamic influence.

The wall mosaics are done in the Byzantine style, and positively glow

The floors are done in French Norman style and would not be out of place in a fine Northern European cathedral (sorry no picture). So you have three exquisite styles in one building.

Probably the only other building that compares to CP is Ste Chapelle in Paris, another wondrous smaller royal chapel. Thought SC is a century later and of a unitary design. If I could only visit one church for the rest of my life it would be CP

And yes these pictures are taken while up on the altar. On one of my visits I was the first person inside that day and was invited to take part in the small morning mass to start the day. Spent half an hour staring straight up

Sicily pictures day three. Finding this thread both exhilarating and a bit sad. Will shoulder on if people are enjoying them.

Let’s talk cathedrals. If asked to name Europe’s greatest I’m sure people could name dozens; Chartres, Durham, Florence, Cologne, etc, etc. However outside of Palermo is one as great as any, Monreale.

Started by the Norman king William II, it is overwhelming in scope where the Capella Palatina is small and exquisite.

The mosaics were done by the finest Byzantine craftsmen, and are almost entirely preserved. Certainly I was completely unprepared for their scale and beauty the first time I visited.

I think Monreale gives us an idea of what Hagia Sophia must have looked like when it was fully covered in mosaics. There really is nothing like it in the world.

Plus it has a medieval monastic cloister attached full of beautiful intricate carvings.

When you visit for the first time you will wonder why this is not more well known. It’s just so wonderful.

Ok getting a little sad now...

Feeling a little guilty that most of my picture are of medieval Palermo. I’m limited to what I have in my phone and took the last three years, and it’s not like I was planning this. All of Sicily is much more than history, both Palermo and Catania are vibrant modern cities.

That being said, here are a few more shots of medieval Palermo. Because CP and Monreale are so amazing and people often stop off in Palermo on cruise ships and run to those two sites, they miss out that there are numerous other wonderful medieval sites to see

One of the most interesting is Zisa Palace. Started by William I in the 12th century, it’s remarkable because it was clearly a pleasure palace and not some fortress. Sort of like if the Kings of Westeros built home in which they could relax

These pictures don’t do it justice, it had fountains and running water throughout both to keep it cool and pleasant. It had intricate ceilings, sadly the moldings are long gone, but we can see where they were. It was probably the nicest place to live in the Mediterranean.

Palermo is also full of medieval churches, from the Islamic inspired Eremiti which has mosque like features and a lovely attached garden

There are also some almost entirely ignored medieval churches in the Kalsa area.

And of course there is La Matorana, which has better Norman mosaics than anywhere in the world outside Palermo and would be a wonder anywhere else, but because it’s Palermo you’ve never heard of it

No more churches tommorow,
Promise.

Will head to central Sicily this morning as being limited to pictures in my phone (just the last few years) means I have nothing from west of Palermo. This is a shame as there is so much to see and do there.

Personal favourites are the Greek ruins in Selinunte. The only surviving large bits of a Carthaginian warship which are in Marsala, the island of Mozia (great Carthaginian era remains) and the fish in Trapani. You will have to take my word on it

However last trip ended up going from Palermo to the centre of Sicily and naturally that involves another of one of the greatest cites in the world, Villa del Casale.

The finest collection of Roman Empire mosaics in the world VdC is not just a few rooms, it is a massive complex of palatial corridors, small rooms, large rooms, acres of exquisite craftsmanship

It might have been an imperial hunting lodge, or at least that of one of the wealthiest members of the Roman Empire in the 4th Cent AD.

The one problem is that people often go to VdC on day trips from Palermo and Catania and never see the rest of the centre. Tommorow a little on Morgantina; something I can’t recommend highly enough.