The fifth place I visited on my trip to Europe was Palermo, Italy!! It is the capital of Sicily. I think this was one of my favorite stops even though it could be very crowded and busy in some areas. I didn't get any pictures of the traffic, but in some locations you just have to cross the street with the cars and scooters zooming around you. I survived, however, and here are some of the highlights:
Teatro Politeama Garibaldi:
It was built between 1867-1874 and operated as an opera house. Today it is the home of the Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana Foundation.
San Giovanni degli Eremiti:
This is a church that dates back to the 6th century.
Cattedrale metropolitana della Santa Vergine Maria Assunta:
It was first built in 1185 and is the Cathedral for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Palermo. It displays Norman, Gothic, Baroque and Neoclassical architecture. They unfortunately had part of the front covered with scaffolding while we were there. Here are some more pictures:
Here are some pictures of the inside:
They had beautiful paintings on the ceiling (I didn't get a very clear picture with my camera though)
Porta Nuova:
Palazzo dei Normanni (Palace of the Normans or Royal Palace of Palermo):
This operated as the seat of the kings of Sicily during the Norman domination and then as the main seat of power for the following rulers. Today it is the seat of the Sicilian Parliament.
Quattro Canti (Piazza Vigliena):
Quattro Canti is a baroque square that was laid out on the order of the Viceroys between 1608-1620. It is located at the crossing of the two main streets in Palermo. The four nearly-identical facades have fountains and statues representing the four seasons, the four Spanish kings of Sicily and of the patronesses of Sicily.
Santa Maria della Catena was built between 1490-1520:
As we left on the boat to head to our next stop, we had beautiful views of the coastline and the sunset:
