City of Arab-Norman and Mafia influence - Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalú and Monreale 1487; Opera di Pupi, Sicilian puppet theatre 00011
What and Why
Welcome to the capital of the Sicilian mafia! Palermo has since established itself as a fine heritage city, in spite of all the noises of the mafia. The exceptionally infused architecture that reflects the Norman, the Arab and the Roman rule shows a distinct flavour of culture all around. Collectively, they are an outstanding example of a socio-cultural syncretism between Western, Islamic, and Byzantine cultures. This interchange gave rise to an architectural and artistic expression based on novel concepts of space, structure, and decoration that spread widely throughout the Mediterranean region.
Similar to other states in Italy (Italian: Italia), Palermo transferred hands incredibly multiple times in history: from part of Magna Graecia (Greek: Μεγάλη Ελλάς, Megálē Hellás) to Carthage (Punic: 𐤒𐤓𐤕 𐤇𐤃𐤔𐤕, qrt-ḥdšt) to Roman Empire (Latin: Imperium Rōmānum) to Norman-Germanic rule to Byzantine Empire (Greek: Βασιλεία Ῥωμαίων, Basileía Rhōmaíōn) to the Emirates of Sicily (Arabic: إِمَارَة صِقِلِّيَة, ʾImārat Ṣiqilliya) to Kingdom of Sicily (Latin: Sicilia) to Two Sicilies (Neapolitan: Doje Sicilie) then to the present Italy. No wonder the blend of flux, heritage and history.
Toponymy
The name 'Palermo' derives from the Arabic form 'بَلَرْم (bal'harm)' during the Arab rule which came from 'Panormus' in Latin during the Roman times, which in turn was derived from Greek 'Πάνορμος (Pánormos)' in Greek meaning 'all port' during the Magna Graecia era.
See
All the main historic sites are located along Via Vittorio Emmanuele and is quite a leisurely walk under the Mediterranean heat. We started from East to West.
Four Songs (Quattro Canti)
A squarish four-corner area of typical Baroque architecture, Four Songs (Quattro Canti) is busy with buskers and is considered the historic centre of the city. The four corners and its respective fountain represent the four seasons; the first-storey represents the four Spanish viceroys (Spanish: virrey), the respective then-rulers of Sicily (Sicilia); the third floor the patron saint of Palermo and the top floor the coat-of-arms of the viceroy.
Correspondingly:
Direction | Southwest | Northwest | Northeast | Southeast |
District | Albergheria | Seralcadio | La Loggia | Kalsa |
Season | Spring | Summer | Autumn | Winter |
Viceroy | ||||
Patron saint |
Co-Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Admiral (Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio)
A brilliant exhibit of Byzantine and Gothic architecture, with the remarkable porous minaret as a tower, the Co-Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Admiral (Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio), or popularly known as Martorana, is characterised by the multiplicity of styles that meet the succession of centuries of use: particularly the Byzantine-Emirates-Sicilian eras. The church is renowned for its spectacular interior, which is dominated by a series of 12th century CE iconographic mosaics executed by Byzantine craftsmen.
Saint Catherine Church (Chiesa di Santa Caterina)
Saint Catherine Church (Chiesa di Santa Caterina) is a synthesis of Baroque, Rococo and Renaissance style and the Praetorian Fountain (Fontana Pretoria) represents the most important landmark and the most beautiful architectural form of Palermo. The fountain is considered so beautiful that it was described as 'unparalleled in Florence (Firenze) and maybe in all Italy'. The Florentine reference was because the fountain was designed for a garden in Florence and moved block by block to Palermo in mid-16th century CE. At one point in the 1800s CE the fountain was considered a sort of mental corruption of Palermo because of the nudity of the statues.
Palermo Cathedral (Cattedrale metropolitana della Santa Vergine Maria Assunta)
The jewel of the crown of Palermo. As a massive architectural complex, the Palermo Cathedral (Cattedrale metropolitana della Santa Vergine Maria Assunta) is characterised by the presence of different styles, due to a long history of additions, alterations and restorations, the last of which occurred in the 18th century CE, especially the Islamic facade plus the Germanic / Norman overall additions. One precaution: There are plenty of gypsies outside the cathedral, especially the main entrance. Beware of the gypsy pickpockets.
Opera dei Pupi Teatro Argento
Along Via Vittorio Emmanuele, there are a number of souvenir shops selling marionettes and eventually they all pointed us to Opera dei Pupi Teatro Argento. Apparently puppet theatres have a very long cultural tradition in Sicily, dating back to the 13th century CE, and Palermo is considered holding the best puppet operas (opera dei pupi) until today. The story of the operas are usually some poems and short chivalric stories of the Franks (Latin: Franci) or mediaeval times.
We were told that Sicilian marionettes are amongst the simplest marionettes to operate, although I do not agree. They are usually carved out of wood and have a sturdy rod that extends up through the body into the head. The puppets are equipped with real armour and wear very elaborate clothings. The skills of puppetry is usually passed on generations after generations along family lines. There are currently a number of 'schools' or variations in Sicily and each of them have different styles and mechanics in controlling the puppets.
Sicilian puppetry is now firmly enshrined as one of the UNESCO ICHs. This tradition is so important that this ICH is one of the earliest submissions and inscriptions since 2008 CE.
Norman Palace (Palazzo dei Normanni)
Unfortunately when we were there, the Palatine Chapel (Cappella Palatina) was partly closed, which was considered the best example of the so-called Arab-Norman-Byzantine style. The chapel was commissioned by the famed King Roger II (Latin: Rogerios, né Ruggeru Hauteville) in 1132 CE. However to me the main draw of the Palace, was the historic museum, which details the invasions of Arab from 8th century CE and Norman to Southern Italy from the 10th century to mid-12th century CE.
The Norman Palace (Palazzo dei Normanni) complex is the oldest royal residence in Europe. The first building of the complex, surprisingly, was constructed by the Emirates during the 9th century CE, and hence you can see a lot of similitudes with various large-scale Islamic construction around the world, especially the large windows.
Capuchin Catacombs (Catacombe dei Cappuccini)
A totally macabre tourist attraction the Capuchin Catacombs (Catacombe dei Cappuccini) all started as an outgrowth of the Capuchin monastery crypt. By the way as you recognise the word capuchin means the cape or cover, and hence the name of the famed Italian foamed coffee. As you can imagine, one is not allowed to take photographs in the catacombs out of respect, and is probably too haunting to share anyway. My troop is too scared to enter...
Monreale Cathedral (Duomo Monreale)
One of the greatest existent examples of Norman architecture, the Monreale Cathedral (Duomo Monreale) was built in 1174 CE by King William II (Latin: Guillelmus II, né Gugghiermu Hauteville) of Sicily. According to a legend, William II fell asleep under a carob tree while hunting in the woods near Monreale. Virgin Mary (Aramaic: מרים, Maryam) appeared to him in a dream, suggesting him to build a church here. After removing the tree, a treasure was found in its roots, where the golden coins found in the treasure were used to finance the construction. The clear highlight of this Norman church was the interior cloister, which is considered one of the finest Italian for size and beauty of detail. Monreale is about 8 km from the centre of Palermo.
The church's plan is a mixture of Islamic and Catholic arrangement. The main internal feature is the large glass Byzantine mosaics, depicting the stories of the Bible. You can walk up the roof and have a tour around the top of the cathedral and enjoy a panoramic view of the cathedral and Palermo.
Buy and Do
Ceramics (Ceramica)
Palermo and Monreale are both famous for artisan ceramics.
Marionettes (Marionetta)
As mentioned above, marionettes have a long tradition in Palermo and it is highly recommended to visit one of the puppet theatres or buy one of the marionettes. It is unfortunate, that none of the great theatres have remained.
Addiopizzo
Addiopizzo is a grassroot movement in Sicily to build a business community on not paying extortion monies, known as pizzo to the mafia. They sustain their existence by communal support and through proper businesses. An obvious sign is prominently shown outside these shops. Please support.
Eat and Drink
We had a simple honest dinner at Caffè del Kassaro, located along Via Vittorio Emmanuele, which serves very good pasta. It is said that Sicily is the oldest Italian region to serve pasta in its modern shredded form. See blog in Noto.
Stay
We stayed in a very good Bed & Breakfast (B&B), Il Sonaglio. The outside looks extremely shabby but the cozy interior and the intimate service was the best we enjoyed during this trip.
Getting There and Around
We took a 12-hour overnight ferry from Napoli to Palermo and continued with our road trip. Palermo seems easily accessible by public transportation. Via Vittorio Emmanuele is a pedestrian-only avenue and all sites are fully accessible by foot. We recommend at least two days for the city. The entry fee to the Norman Palace and the Monreal Cathedral is EUR 6€ and 4€ respectively.
UNESCO Inscriptions
Located on the northern coast of Sicily, Arab-Norman Palermo includes a series of nine civil and religious structures dating from the era of the Norman kingdom of Sicily (1130-1194): two palaces, three churches, a cathedral, a bridge, as well as the cathedrals of Cefalú and Monreale. Collectively, they are an example of a social-cultural syncretism between Western, Islamic and Byzantine cultures on the island which gave rise to new concepts of space, structure and decoration. They also bear testimony to the fruitful coexistence of people of different origins and religions (Muslim, Byzantine, Latin, Jewish, Lombard and French).
The puppet theatre known as the Opera dei Pupi emerged in Sicily at the beginning of the nineteenth century and enjoyed great success among the island’s working classes. The puppeteers told stories based on medieval chivalric literature and other sources, such as Italian poems of the Renaissance, the lives of saints and tales of notorious bandits. The dialogues in these performances were largely improvised by the puppeteers. The two main Sicilian puppet schools in Palermo and Catania were distinguished principally by the size and shape of the puppets, the operating techniques and the variety of colourful stage backdrops.
These theatres were often family-run businesses; the carving, painting and construction of the puppets, renowned for their intense expressions, were carried out by craftspeople employing traditional methods. The puppeteers constantly endeavoured to outdo each other with their shows, and they exerted great influence over their audience. In the past, these performances took place over several evenings and provided opportunities for social gatherings.
The economic and social upheavals caused by the extraordinary economic boom of the 1950s had a considerable effect on the tradition, threatening its very foundations. At that time, similar forms of theatre in other parts of Italy disappeared, some of them to re-emerge some twenty years later. The Opera dei Pupi is the only example of an uninterrupted tradition of this kind of theatre. Owing to current economic difficulties puppeteers can no longer make a living from their art, prompting them to turn to more lucrative professions. Tourism has contributed to reducing the quality of performances, which were previously aimed at a local audience only.
References
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