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I Love Touring Italy - Palermo, Sicily

f you are looking for a European touristGodfather Part III included a famous violent
destination, consider the island of Sicily,scene  that took place on the Teatro's steps.
an island in southern Italy. Depending on
your specific interests, this beautiful areaThe Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace) also known
can be an ideal vacation spot. It offersas Palazzo dei Normanni (Norman Palace) was
classic Italian food and fine local wine. Andthe seat of government for centuries. It is
many parts of Sicily haven't yet beennow the home of the Sicilian Parliament. The
discovered by tourists. This article presentsCappella Palatina (Palatine Chapel) was the
Sicily's historic capital, Palermo. Aroyal chapel of the Norman kings of Sicily.
companion article presents western Sicily.Its mosaics are well worth seeing. The
Another companion article presents easternbuilding and its furnishings are a great
Sicily.combination of Arabic, Byzantine, and Norman
styles. If you are lucky you'll be able to
Palermo is Sicily's capital and largest citysee the Sala di Re Ruggero (King Roger's
with a population of about 700,000. It wasHall), the royal apartments to get an idea of
founded in the Eighth Century B. C. by thehow  the  other  half  lived.
Phoenicians who wanted to take advantage of
its natural harbor. This strategically cityMake sure to see the Museo Archeologico
was conquered time and time again. ForRegionale Salinas (Salinas Regional Museum of
example, it was once a Muslim city with twoArcheology) with its prehistoric cave
or three hundred Mosques. The period of thedrawings and a expertly reconstructed portion
Norman occupation starting in 1072 andof a Greek temple in Sicily dating back two
lasting for well over one hundred years wasand half millennia. Then for a change of pace
considered Palermo's golden age. Thevisit the Museo delle Marionette (Marionette
conquests continued almost unabated. PalermoMuseum) with its focus on Sicily in the days
was heavily destroyed during the Second Worldof the Normans. Many marionettes are hundreds
War. To some extent Palermo is still in theof years old. There are live marionette
hands  of  a  conqueror,  the  Mafia.performances  at  the  Theatre  Cuticchio.
We'll start our tour with the Cathedral,You might want to finish your tour of this
built in 1185 on the site of a Byzantinevery special city at the Piazza Pretoria
basilica transformed into a mosque by the(Pretoria Square). The fountain that
Saracens in the Ninth Century. Constructiondominates this square contains hundreds of
continued for centuries, with each additionsculptures whose lack of clothing led to the
or renovation done in the style of the times.name, "Fountain of Shame". We suggest that
This building contains a solar observatory,you  see  this  square  at  night.
built in 1690, which served to coordinate
Palermo time with St. Peters in Rome, and toWhat about food? Sicily has always adapted
ascertain the correct day to celebrateforeign foods to come up with Sicilian
Easter. As elsewhere in Sicily, lava was anversions. The Greeks brought vegetables,
occasional  construction  material.fish, and grape vines; the Normans brought
cod and baking. The Arabs introduced nut and
Among the dozen or more historic churchesfruit trees, lamb and goat, cheese and pasta
worth visiting are San Giovanni dei Lebbrosiincluding couscous. Put these influences all
(St. John of Lebbrosi) dating from 1072, Santogether and you have Sicilian cuisine,
Giovanni degli Eremiti (St. John the Hermit)unique  Sicilian  cuisine.
whose style includes multiple Arabic
influences, the Greek Orthodox church LaLet's suggest a sample menu, one of many.
Martorana also known as Santa MariaStart with Pasta con le Sarde (Pasta with
dell'Ammiraglio (Saint Mary of the Admiral),Sardines and Bread Crumbs). Then try Insalata
and San Cataldo (St. Cataldo), with its redde Mare (Steamed Fish). For dessert indulge
Saracen domes. The latter two churchesyourself with Cannoli (Deep fried Pastry
overlook the Piazza Bellini behind City Hall.stuffed with Ricotta Cheese and Candied
The nuns of Martorana were famous for theirFruit). Be sure to increase your dining
fruit and vegetable shaped marzipan that theypleasure by including local wines with your
used to decorate barren fruit trees. Whilemeal.
the convent no longer exists, this candy is
still being made. But you won't find it inWe'll conclude with a quick look at Sicilian
trees. Talking about trees, many churches andwine. Even though Sicilians drink less wine
other buildings are situated in or nearthan the residents of any other part of
beautiful  parks.Italy, Sicily holds first place among the 20
Italian regions for both acreage devoted to
Santa Maria dello Spasimo was built just overwine grapes and for total annual wine
500 years ago. It was honored by Raphael'sproduction. If Sicily were an independent
painting Sicilia's Spasimo hanging in thecountry, it would be the world's seventh
Prado in Madrid, Spain. This churchlargest wine producer. The following
subsequently became a hospital and even astatistic may surprise some people: Only a
warehouse. It is now an open-air theater andbit more than half of Sicilian wine is red.
cultural  center.Sicily produces nineteen DOC wines. DOC
stands for Denominazione di Origine
Talking about theaters, the Teatro MassimoControllata, which may be translated as
(Great Theater) is Italy's largest (andDenomination of Controlled Origin, presumably
Europe's third largest opera house) even ifa high-quality wine. Only about 2% of
its seating for 1350 spectators is less thanSicilian wine carries this sometimes
half of the original plan. The originalprestigious classification. Sicily's
Teatro took twenty two years to build; it wasbest-known wine is Marsala DOC, first
closed in 1974 for safety and remained closedexported to England well over two hundred
for twenty three years, reopening a mere fouryears ago. Most Marsalas are sweet; some are
days before its centenary. The moviegreat, others are not.



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