Monreale Cathedral, SicilyMonreale. Royal mountain.
This lovely town in high hills is west of Palermo, with beautiful Norman cathedral, see ://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/palermo-duomo/. Duomo di Palermo.
Monreale, some 10 km away, has a resemblance to this.
The Normans were in Sicily for hundreds of years, largely as a result of the Crusades and the need for stopping points. This Cathedral was built in the 12th Century. See the history of Monreale at www.bestofsicily.com/monreale; and the lovely photo at www. sights.seindal.dk/photo/5349,s636.
The mosaics here cover the entire interior with Biblical stories - our favorite was the Noah sequence. See more on the Monreale mosaics at www.worksandwords.com/photos/galmonr.
Lunch at cafe overlooking valley. Here is a scene from the general area.
Monreale, Sicily, view Photogenic quiet family nearby, getting A-1 service from everyone, beautiful daughter about 14, elegant wife,. Movie-looking rough-faced husband. Imagine Corleones.
Then they got up, and the father had on below-the-knee pants. Clamdiggers.
Never trust first impressions, but a first impression can be more fun.
If this Cathedral is the Cathedral in Palermo instead, let us know. Our Palermo picture looks so much different that we believe this is Monreale.
Other people mix Cathedrals up also. Go to Images, search for Monreale Cathedral Sicily, and you will find identical photos on the second page up (#22-44 or so), one labeled Catania, the other Palermo. Both Cathedrals, but can't be both. I say it is Palermo, from our photo. See post in this blog. Examine the silhouettes, the towers.
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