More churches

Over the past five days we have been joined by our good friends the MacLeods, together we have driven many miles, shared many laughs and marveled together at the sights of Sicily. We visited many new sites but also returned to two of our favorite places for a more in depth look. The first was Mazara del Vallo, city of art. The largest fishing port in Southern Europe it has a mixed population of 50% Sicilian Catholic and 50% Tunisian Muslim, who have co-existed for centuries and never had any troubles. Children learn both Italian and Arabic and as you exit a cathedral you can hear the call to prayer. In addition to the lovely architecture the streets and walls of the city are decorated with hand painted ceramic tiles, not wall to wall but in series and in some places as murals with poetry and verse. The street names and directions to points of interest are also hand painted as are many pots and vases, unique and fun.

If you have ever been to Europe you may have experienced the feeling of being "churched out". There are so many cathedrals and chapels and we have seen our fair share but they are extraordinary works of art and after visiting the cathedrals in Mazara and yesterday in Palermo, we wonder if the definition of "baroque" isn't "over the top"! The cathedral of Mazara

Every inch of floor, wall and ceiling is ornately decorated, brazen statements of the wealth and power of the Catholic church. St. Catherine's Cathedral in Palermo.

We have had a few disappointments in our travels, arriving to find the venue closed or the star attraction "missing" and we were advised at the Tourist Office that we would not be able to go into the Norman Palace as parliament was in session. We went along anyway and to our delight the politicians had all gone home and it was open to the public. It is an extraordinary palace having been occupied by so many different peoples over the years, they have all added or changed some part of this very large edifice. The tour of the Royal Apartments is one of the highlights of Palermo but photographs were not permitted. However, we were allowed access into the Cappella Palatina (St. Peter's 1130 AD) and to take pictures. This is the highest example of architectonic plan showing the encounter between different cultures and religions involving Byzantine, Muslim and Latin handcraft masters. The ancient mosaics represent the most important episodes of the Gospel and the wooden ceiling is executed in muqarnas, islamic painting with human representation. It is our favorite church in Sicily.