Half-day tour to Monreale and Palermo

Today a short drive take us to Monreale, to see where the Arab-Norman art and architecture reached the pinnacle of its glory with the Duomo, built in 1174 by William II. It represents scenes from the Old and New Testaments all in golden mosaics.

You will then transfer to Palermo for a 2-hour walking tour of the city center. The walking tour will start with the lively Ballarò Market, a place overflowing with beautiful fresh fish, and local vegetables and cheese. Originating from the era when Sicily was occupied by the moors, this 1000-year old market has run much in the same manner for centuries. It has strong Arab influences, resembling an eastern souk, and these influences are also evident in the merchandise itself. Next to mounds of ricotta and caciocavallo cheese, barrels of olives and fat slabs of swordfish sit saffron and other spices, as well as sacks of beans and gorgeous indigenous fruit and local vegetables. Here you will have the opportunity to taste a typical palermitano dish, the famous Panelle (a thin paste of crushed ceci/garbanzo beans rolled into sheets, fried and served in pizza-like slices).

Then, walk to Piazza Pretoria to see the famous “four corners” converge in a quartet of baroque palaces from the climax of the Spanish rule dating from 1560. Continue with a short stroll towards Via Maqueda, with the external view of Teatro Massimo (The Opera House) and Politeama Theater. The visit will end in Piazza Ruggero Settimo.