Archive for the ‘palermondays’ Category
Gardens of Palermo: Villa Garibaldi & Villa Bonanno
Welcome back to Palermonday! This week we’re moving on the gardens of Palermo.
Palermo once had so many public gardens and parks, it was known as the “Garden City.” Cherrye and I only got to see two of them as discussed below, but you can read about the other gardens here and here.
Villa Garibaldi was very close to where we stayed near the end of Corso Vittorio Emanuele and the harbor. It was designed by architect Giovan Battista Filippo Basile between 1861 and 1864 in Piazza Marina, which had been used for Aragonese weddings, victory celebrations, and, unfortunately, public executions.
Nearby is Palazzo Chiaramonte (the seat of Palermo University), Palazzo Galletti, Palazzo Villarosa, the Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli, and Palazzo Fatta. There is also a free theater (Teatro Libero) in the square.
The gardens surrounding Villa Garibaldi are definitely intriguing, partially because the area always seemed kind of dark even in sunlight. There were always plenty of people, though, even a photo shoot for some kind of family celebration and lots of dogwalkers (and dogs, of course).
Some of the most interesting features inside the park are the exotic plants, in particular the Ficus magnoliodes–creepy as all get out and one of the largest in Italy.
Also in Villa Garabaldi is a memorial for Joe Petrosino, the NY police officer who was killed in Piazza Marina while in Palermo fighting organized crime; we saw the memorial on our way to the hotel the first day, but I forgot to go back and take a photo. This one will have to do until I get back there.
The other gardens we visited briefly were at Villa Bonanno in the middle of the city, not too far from the Porta Nuova. Villa Bonanno is behind Palazzo dei Normanni and the gardens’ main attraction is an enormous statue of Philip V of the House of Bourbon.
Honestly, Cherrye and I *could have* seen more of Villa Bonanno, but we were tuckered out by that point and used the fabulous scenery, e.g.,
as a backdrop for our afternoon riposo before we took on the famed Capuchin Catacombs . . . which I’ll tell you all about next Palermonday!
La Vucciria Market in Palermo, Sicily
I intended to only write one post combining the markets and gardens of Palermo. When I started it, though, I quickly realized that I can’t. There’s simply too much good stuff to try to cram it all together.
So today won’t be the last Palermonday after all! Today we’ll hit the markets, and next Monday, the gardens, OK? And if you *really* want, perhaps we’ll even explore the Catacombs as well.
So tell me, would you like to see dead people?
Palermo’s markets are famous, and just from what we saw, I have to say–with good reason.
Unfortunately for Cherrye and me, our time in Palermo was limited, so we only had a quick pass through La Vucciria market the morning before we left. The other markets are Capo, Ballarò, and Borgo Vecchio, and then there are tons of little markets, or mercatini, on various days throughout the city.
La Vucciria is split up into food items and then everything else. Here’s a glimpse of part of “everything else”; sorry for the lighting. Didn’t catch the angles of the sunlight well I’m afraid, but you can still get a feel for the streets of the city, right?
There was a lot of nice knock-off stuff that was better quality than at our markets here, and yet I came home with souvenirs from an Indian shop of all places. What can I say? We don’t have any Indians in my village.
The food part was full of lovely sights and smells (except the fish, which doesn’t smell so good). The colors sure were pretty though.
We loaded up on spices but realized later that we should have grabbed some fruit for the train ride home. Lesson learned.
I would go back to Palermo just for the markets, I tell you.
Come back next week for the gardens!
P.S. I should warn my faithful readers that from now until at least early July, I will be cutting back on posting to three times a week. My mom is arriving shortly, and I want to have as much time with her as possible. Woohoo for mom visits!
Duomo in Palermo, Sicily
Welcome back to Palermonday!
A few weeks ago, we started at Teatro Massimo, and then we started a walking tour up Corso Vittorio Emanuele. Now, after passing through the Porta Nuova and seeing Quattro Canti and La Fontana della Vergogna/The Fountain of Shame, we have arrived at the Duomo.
Absolutely one of the most beautiful buildings I’ve ever seen.
Part of what makes the Duomo so unique is its many architectural influences that reflect Sicily’s history as a territory that has seen a truly impressive number of leaders–check out this busy flag of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (thanks Paulus Maximus!).
The Duomo was built by Normans in 1184 on the site of a Muslim mosque that had been built over an early Christian basilica.
Got that?
During the 13th and 14th centuries, Gothic additions were added to the exterior and then the Spaniards added a Catalan touch in the 15th century.
Neoclassical elements were introduced both inside and out during the late 18th and early 19th century by architect Fernando Fuga of Naples.
You can read much more about the architectural details and see great photos of the Duomo, especially of the interior, here.
And just for fun, check out this liceo (equivalent of a US high school) that overlooks the Duomo.
Somehow I don’t think concentration would come easily for me with the gorgeous Duomo outside.
Be sure to come back next week for the last Palermomonday–
gardens and fruits and veggies, oh my!
Happy Memorial Day to those in the US! Hope you have your poppy!
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