I received a message from someone today who wants to propose to his girlfriend in Palermo or Cefalù. I thought about where I would suggest, and after deciding that the top of La Rocca in Cefalù would be too much of a hike and Palermo center may be a bit too chaotic, my thoughts went…
Tag: cloister
Monreale Offers A Moment Of Peace
Whenever I visit the cloisters (chiostro) of Monreale Cathedral, I enjoy taking a moment at the fountain that anchors one of the corners of the garden. Its elegance and ancient beauty transport me to another era, somewhere far away. Somewhere peaceful. The cloisters were built by Sicilian and Venetian artisans in the early 13th century…
Giving, Norman-Sicilian Style
In the late 12th century, Norman King William II, “The Good” (1172-1189) commissioned Monreale Cathedral in the mountains south of Palermo, where he spent much time hunting in the woods. Legend is that one day after a hunt, while napping under a tree, the Virgin Mother appeared to William in a dream and told him…
The Results Of A Dream
The cloister, or in Italian “chiostro,” of Monreale Cathedral always pleases me. Its 228 individually designed and decorated columns offer visitors a sanctuary from the bustle of the city of Palermo, which is about 30 minutes by car to the north. Monreale Cathedral was commissioned by the Norman King William II, “The Good” (1172-1189) in…
Exhale in Monreale
Most people visit William II’s Cathedral at Monreale in the morning–but something to note is how beautiful it is in the evening when the sunlight is majestic on the 228 columns of the cloister. The inlaid lava stone designs (known as intarsias) create mesmerizing archways, while the peacefulness of the early 13th century corridors built…
Conservationists at Work
Conservationists photographed while working in the cloisters of the Cathedral at Monreale. Each of the 228 columns of the cloister are unique, and their restoration requires painstaking detail in order to maintain the integrity of the designs from the early 1200s when the peaceful, square colonnade was constructed.
A Tranquil Fountain
At one corner of the Cloister of the Cathedral of Monreale, there is a bubbling fountain surrounded by a few of the 228 unique columns that make up this tranquil, not-to-be-missed site. Built around 1200 AD, William II commissioned artisans from Sicily as well as those from Venice in order to create a unique sanctuary–both…
Persia or Palermo?
The Cloister of the Cathedral at Monreale is one of my most favorite places in Sicily. 228 uniquely designed columns and a bubbling fountain line the center garden. The Norman-Arab architecture leads you to believe you could be in ancient Persia. It’s beautiful and peaceful and has a story all its own.
When They Found Out
The splendid cloister of the Cathedral at Monreale built circa 1200 boasts 228 uniquely designed columns. This one depicting Adam and Eve is one of my favorites.
Palermo’s San Giovanni degli Eremiti
The cloister and red domes of Palermo’s San Giovanni degli Eremiti were built by Arab-Norman craftsmen and laborers in 1132 under that command of King Roger II. Its flowering gardens, reminiscent of what one might have encountered in ancient cities along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, are a sanctuary in the midst of the city’s…