Day 13 - Palermo Sightseeing

I have a couple of city guide apps, to guide us to the sights. First though, we went to Moto Lupo to get bulbs. Grizzly had written down what he wanted in Italian. If only he could read his own writing! Google translate to the rescue.  Didn't matter,  "finish" was the only response. Guess that meant they didn't have any.

App out, first of 13 'must sees', Palazzo dei Normanni. Built by the Emir of Palermo in the 9th century, when the Normans conquered Sicily in the 11th century they, let's say, made some improvements. In 1132 King Roger II added the Palatine Chapel, the crown jewel of the palace.

No, not much to look at. Better, number 2, the Porta Nuova (New Gate). It dates from 1584, to commemorate the arrival of Charles V to the city.

And on to number 3, Palermo Cathedral. Impressive from the outside, somewhat dull on the inside. 

It does however  have a very interesting feature. A linear zodiac calendar on the floor. A small.hole in the roof of a dome lets a shaft of sunlight in and onto the line, at midday in winter and 1pm in summer (I overheard a guide!) and from the point of light along the line they know what star sign is current. I guess there are easier ways of telling now.

4th up, Palazzo Conte Federico. Again, I think the inside must be far better than the outside. Apart from an inner courtyard, the most interesting things, without having a tour, about the place, were the fact the Federico family have lived in the palace for 400 years, and old racing car. Count Federico used to be a racing driver apparently. 

Number 5, Mercato di Ballaro, a really lively and noisy market, selling mainly fruit, veg, meat and fish but with plenty of street food stalls. If you fancy an octopus, head on, for your lunch, this is apparently the place to go. Veggie options abound too.

 The market has been on the site for hundreds of years and is the largest in the city. Far more interesting than some of the buildings.

When we got through the market, we weren't far from McDs. Grizzly was flagging already.  I did a quick search for motorcycle dealers again and we found one a few hundred metres away. We made haste and with our trusty friend Google translate, purchased 2 headlight and 2 tail/stop light bulbs. €10 the lot. Booty in hand, not that kind!, we dropped in to McDs for a cold drink. Now Grizzly had his bulbs, I knew he would be keen to fit them, and less so to continue the tour with me, in 28 degrees, so we parted.

6th on the tour, Chiesa del Gesu, one of the most important Baroque churches in Sicily  built by jesuits in the 16th century. Wow, this knocked spots off of the cathedral. The inside was beautifully decorated and there was some lovely stained glass. Parts are reconstructed, as the church was bombed in 1943. 

Next on my tour, La Martorana church. Unfortunately closed, so on to number 8, Piazza Pretoria and 9, Fontanna della Vergogna.

Piazza Pretoria is the exact centre of Palermo. There's a large municipal building, the Pretoria Palace, on one side, St. Catherine's church on another and the massive fountain in the middle, with very little room around it. Originally made for a private garden in Florence, financial problems meant it had to be sold, so the Palermo governors bought it. When it arrived, in bits, it was clear it wouldn't fit, so they knocked down buildings on one side of the piazza to accommodate. 

Next up, Quattro Canti square or Piazza Vigliena. Not really a square  it's octagonal.  4 roads, 4 corners. Each corner building has a fountain, statues of the four seasons the four Spanish kings of Sicily, and the four saintly patronesses of Palermo. Probably the most interesting stop on the tour. Well worth a visit. 

I shan't do all four. It is a very popular spot with tourists, including thise in their horse drawn carriages. 

Number 11 was another market. I didn't fancy that, so moved to 12  Chiesa San Domenico. Started in 1640, it wasn't until 1770 it was completed with addition of the bell tower.

So, on to the final stop on the tour, the Teatro Massimo. The largest opeta house in Italy and the 3rd largest in Europe. It is massive and a fitting finale to the brief city sightseeing tour.

Tour completed, I made my way back to the hotel, just over a mile away. When I got back I expected Grizzly to have sorted hus bulbs. He'd done jack in the 3 hours or so since we parted. Lazy fecker. He gave me some cock and bull story but I expect he just had a nap.

I had a shower and then did some washing. It's surprising how quick things dry in full sun when it's 28 degrees outside.

A little later, we went out to change bulbs. The resr worked ok but the headlight still doesn't work. In fact  the headlight bulb had nothing wrong with it, so it's back to the drawing board. It could be a fuse problem now.

Dinner was taken at a place just down the road. We had what they called a flatbread kebab,  a bit of a cross between gyros and a burrito. It was tasty and good value. 3 beers apiece bumped the bill up though.

Tomorrow we hit the road again and will finish the day in Scilla, where I expect we'll have a lorra lorra laughs! Weather shows no signs of changing just yet, long may it continue!

Goodnight Palermo. 

Tomorrow's blog may be a bit shorter too, as we have no POIs.

Ciao