Palermo, Sicily

inlaid wall and towers of Palermo cathedral

After a long day with a missed connection in Munich (thanks to a very late United flight), a superb Lufthansa agent in Munich got us to Palermo only 8 hours late.  Just in time for a lovely sunset spreading its golden light over the rugged limestone mountains surrounding Palermo and across the city's grand cathedral.

Today, we toured the old part of the city.  The real story of Palermo--and Sicily--is its location as a Mediterranean crossroads for layers of invasions and immigration that makes this a very fascinating island historically and culturally.

sign in Italian, Hebrew and Arabic

Last night, as we strolled around our neighborhood on our way to dinner in a local trattoria, we saw people from everywhere.  Africans in brightly colored shirts, Muslim women wearing the hijab, Sicilians of European origin and, of course, lots of tourists.  Refugees from Libya and Syria continue to reach these shores, usually in rickety boats that too often capsize in the rough seas of the Mediterranean. 

arched alley in Jewish/Muslim quarter

Sicily has been ruled by Greeks, Byzantines, Romans, Arabs, Normans, the Mafia and, more recently, Italy's colorful and infamous, though apparently not disgraced, Silvio Berlusconi.  All have left their mark on the culture and architecture of the island, starting with Palermo.
Palermo is a large city set in a valley running into the Mediterranean, with mountains on three sides.  Two rivers used to divide the city into sections, but these are now underground, paved over with cobblestones.  At one time, a large Jewish and Muslim quarter bordered one of the rivers.  This is now the oldest part of the city, where we are staying, and still has many Muslims, but no Jews.  Both were kicked out of Palermo and Sicily during the Inquisition.  Muslims have returned as refugees and now are an important part of the population and culture.  During the centuries when Jews, Muslims and Christians lived together, Muslims built churches for their Christian neighbors.  Today, there are mosques, but no synagogues, except in Siracusa.

Palermo cathedral

In the 8th century, the Moors (North African Muslims) conquered Sicily and ruled until the Normans arrived in 1060.  Later, the Catholic Inquisition dominated the island, as it did much of the Christian world.  Today, there are churches everywhere, many abandoned because there is not enough money to maintain them. 

church built by Muslims

The main market in the old part of Palermo stretches more than a kilometer along old alleyways, filled with everything from fish and meat to spices to every imaginable fruit and vegetable to watches, clothes and memorabilia.  It is swarming with people of all backgrounds, some selling their wares and others searching for what they want to buy.

mosaic of Christ crowning Norman king

Martorana church

My favorite visit of the day was to the Martorana Church near our hotel in the old Jewish quarter.  It began as a lovely Byzantine era Greek Orthodox church (it's still a Greek Orthodox church), small with gorgeous mosaics.  Later, a family enlarged it with a heavily Baroque style, but, thankfully, they kept the beautiful Orthodox part of the church just as it was.

Mosaic of Virgin Mary--Martorana church

This evening, we walked to the harbor, watching several huge cruise ships glide into place, and then through several more piazzas and gardens.  The city is charming though quite poor.  Fortunately, some of the decaying palaces are now being renovated into condominiums that are attracting more residents to the center of the old city.