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Mondello, lays along an enchanting gulf, near Palermo in Italy, between Monte Pellegrino and Capo Gallo; it is the most important seaside resort in Sicily. In the last decade, it went through an extraordinary touristic development. It offers a lot of entertainment activities. The town of Mondello with its quite temperated weather even in winter, is one of the most popular seaside resorts. In the far north of the bay, there is a picturesque fishing village. In the centre of Mondello a Saracen tower and the ruins of an old castle stand out on the seafront. The earliest traces of man and his creativity in the area around Mondello date back to the last part of the high paleolithic period, when evidences of a primitive civilization were discovered in Monte Pellegrino above Mondello. Twelve thousand years ago High Paleolithic man lived in these caves in front of the beautifull Tirrenian Sea on Monte Pellegrino.PalermoPalermo is the capitol of Sicily, with about 730.000 inhabitants the biggest town on the island and has its own airport. Palermo is situated on the northwest side of Sicily in a bay, surrounded by two foot-hills. Unfortunately Palermo has a negative image like nearly no other town, everybody who hears Palermo thinks about the mafia immediately, which is existing of course but not visible for the common tourist. But Palermo has a lot to offer to tourists and looks back to a long history.In Palermo, you can find numerous testimonies which show the different culture’s effect on the town. Characteristic stile signs from the antique, the Arabs and the Normans sum up to a unique mixture which demonstrates Sicily’s history chiselled in stone. This is in complete contrast to poverty, which you unfortunately can see at many places in the town. So Palermo today is the town with the highest unemployment rate in Italy.Palermo Hafen Palermo Gassen Picture left: the harbour of PalermoPicture right: streets of PalermoStreets of PalermoSide road of Via Roma in Palermo Front in PalermoMany buildings in Palermo show considerable signs of decay at their front. Church in PalermoOn the other hand, Palermo is rich at beautiful churches. Souvenir Shop in PalermoA typical souvenir shopSights in PalermoIn Palermo, it is worth to visit the cathedral, the Palazzo dei Normanni, and especially the Capella Palatina, in which beautiful Byzantine wall mosaics can be admired. Besides, the archaeological museum on the Piazza Olivella is very interesting and people interested in art can get their money’s worth in the Galeria Regionale Siciliana, where works of Sicilian artists are exhibited.Quatro CantiThe busy crossing of the Via Maqueda and the Corso Vittorio Emanuele is also called Quatro Canti (translated this means “four corners”). It is the centre of the old town and therefore the ideal starting point for discovering Palermo’s various sights. In each corner of the place you can find a swung baroque facing; the Quatro Canti were set up by the Spanish Guilio Lasso in the year 1608. At this point, the four quarters of Palermo meet: “Capo” in the west with its cathedral, in the north “Vucciria” with its market and the access to the old harbour, La Cala. In the East you can find “Kalsa”, the name descends from the Arabian word “khalisa” which means “clean” but this name does not really seem to fit, the houses in the small lanes look more decayed than they are clean. You shouldn’t take a walk in the lonely side lanes after it has begun to turn dark, though also here in the past few years the situation turned better and a few bars and restaurants have opened in the quarter. The last of the 4 quarters is “Albergheria” in the South, here are the Norman palace, the Piazza Pretoria and the famous church La Martorana.Quatro CantiA quarter of Quatro Canti Statue Quatro CantiA statue which is decorating one of the four buildings Quatro CantiThe Quatro Canti are the centre of Palermo’s old town.Palermo - Fountain of Shame Palermo - Fountain of Shame Fountain of Shame - PalermoPiazza Pretoria in PalermoIn the centre of the Piazza Pretoria there is the Fontana Pretoria (Pretoria well), which made Palermo’s residents start a lot of discussions. It was designed in 1554 by the sculptor Francesco Camilliani, who was coming from Florence, and when the fountain was uncovered it very quickly got the surname “fountain of shame”. The nudity of the figures was a little too much for Palermo’s residents. The fountain consists of many various figures and offers some very beautiful sights. Besides on this place there is also the Chiesa di Santa Catarina, with a really interesting baroque front, as well as the town hall (Palazzo Pretorio).Row of pictures above and left: About the fountain (Fontana) Pretoria on the Piazza Pretoria there was discussed a lot in former times because of the nude statues.La MartoronaLa Martorona is a very remarkable church in Palermo. By this church built during the middleages, you can recognize easily the mixture of Arabian and Norman as well as Byzantine and Baroque stile, the outside is equipped with four red cupolas from Arabian times. The bell tower from Arabian and Norman time is decorated with some really beautiful Byzantine mosaics. The original name of this church was Chiesa di Santa Maria dell’ Ammiraglio, it was renamed in the year 1433 by the Spanish king Alfonse of Aragon.The Norman Palace of PalermoThe Norman Palace in Palermo was already built up in the 9th century AD and then was extended later on by the Normans; inside you can find Palermo’s biggest treasure: the Capella Palatina, a chapel of extraordinary beauty, a testimony of the unique Arabian-Norman style, decorated by Byzantine mosaics. At the first sight, it seems there are pictures, but when taking a second look you find out the plastic representations are put together from little mosaic stones. Just to see this chapel makes is worth to come here. But the palace still has more to offer, in the ground floor old walls from Phoenician and Greek time are exhibited and the royal bedrooms are definitely worth a visit. They can only be visited during a guided tour. Then the bedrooms of the king are shown, a Chinese room and the government hall.Interior court of the Palazzo dei NormanniInterior court of the Palazzo dei Normanni Mosaics on the outside of the Capella PalatinaMosaics on the outside of the Capella Palatina Palermo – Capella Palatina insideCapella Palatina insideCapella Palatina Capella Palatina Capella Palatina The wall’s golden brightness and the dusty twilight are giving the Capella Palatina its special charme.Right: further pictures of the inside of the Capella Palatina Capella Palatina Capella Palatina Capella PalatinaMosaics in the Capella PalatinaMosaics in the Capella Palatina Palazzo dei NormanniWalls from Greek time in the cellar vault of the Palazzo dei Normanni Interior court Palazzo dei NormanniThe Interior court of the Palazzo dei NormanniThe Cathedral of PalermoThe Cathedral of Palermo should be visited in any case; the different architectural styles give the building a unique style and a special flair, though experts in architecture maybe look at this building less enthusiastically. The Arabian touch of the decorations give a strange beauty to the building and also the interior of Palermo’s cathedral has a lot to offer: here you can find some royal graves. Left of the main door there are four sarcophaguses. Here are the mortal remains of Roger 2nd, Heinrich 6th, Friedrich 2nd (who originally wanted to get interred in the cathedral of Cefalú and not in Palermo) and his mother Constance de Hauteville. This part can be viewed against the fee of 1 Euro (March 2007), somebody who also wants to admire the crypt and the treasures of the cathedral has to pay 1, 50€ more and can astonish crosses that are set with jewels and bishop’s caps. Besides there are exhibited some holy relicts, e.g. a piece of bone of the upper arm of the Holy Agathe and a tooth of the Holy Agathe. Small stairs lead then from this room to the crypt in which you can admire sarcophaguses from different ages.Cathedral of PalermoThe Cathedral of Palermo Cathedral of Palermo Frescos above the portal of the cathedralFrescos above the portal of the cathedralThe archaeological museum in Palermo (Museo Archeologoco Regionale)A further highlight in the town is the archaeological museum in Palermo; it is one of the most important museums of its kind in Europe. In this exhibition, there are findings from Hellenistic time, the biggest collection of anchors and findings from archaeological sites from all over the island. The most interesting room is certainly the “Sala di Selinunte”; here findings from Selinunte, which is situated at the south coast, are exhibited.The international museum of puppetsYou find them everywhere in souvenir shops: the small puppets, knights with their metal arming. The tradition goes back into the 18th century and was brought to the island by the Spain. The presentations were very popular especially with the simple people who suffered many reprisals – here they could entertain themselves with stories about knights and dames and forget about their daily life. The international museum of puppets in the Via Buttera exhibits some very nice specimens which are a must for puppet fans. On Friday afternoon there are also held performances.Safety in PalermoIn advance, one thing should be said: Palermo has become safer in any case, especially because of the redevelopment of the old town and massive presence of the police. Anyway there is still a risk to become a victim of theft and robbery. As a tourist you should follow some rules: no things of value should be worn visible (it is advisable to wear a money belt under your clothes), and you should avoid lonely areas and streets which are lighted badly; in Palermo there is still a lot of poverty, and where there is poverty, crime unfortunately isn’t far away.Palermo’s historyThe history of Palermo goes far back, the first bigger settlement was already built up 800 years BC, the town named Ziz was constructed in the area of a prehistoric town. During that time, Palermo was one of the most important towns for the Phoenicians on Sicily. But the real flowering time should come by far later. Neither under the Romans who where coming after the Phoenicians and who saw Sicily more or less only as a big granary, nor under the Byzantines Palermo showed its true potential. It was the Arabians under which Palermo experienced its first heyday. For them, the port town with its position was ideal as a commercial centre and reloading point, and in the Islamic world Palermo became one of the most beautiful cities of that time. Under the Normans, which took control over Palermo in the year 1072, Palermo could extend its splendour and became one of the most magnificent towns in Europe. King Roger 1st chose Palermo as his place of reign. The Normans managed to link the Byzantine, Arabian and Norman architectural style to a unique Sicilian-Roman style. Magnificent buildings, like the cathedral and the Norman palace with its Capella Palatina, go back to this time. (Still today the palace is the seat of the government of the autonomous region of Sicily). Also under the following reign of the Hohenstauffens’ Friedrich 2nd, Palermo blossomed out and became the navel of that times’ Europe. Only after Friedrich’s death the slow decent of the town began, after the short reign of the court of Anjou, which was stamped by suppression and enormous tax burdens for the Sicilians, which ended up in the Sicilian vesper that once started in Palermo. The legend says the revolt was started because a Sicilian girl was raped on Easter Monday; afterwards the rebels started moving through the streets and lynched every French soldier they could find. The rebellion extended further and the Sicilian nobility formed an alliance with the Spain which after a war lasting for 20 years took control over Sicily and ruled the island for more than 500 years. Under the Spanish reign, Palermo step by step lost its importance, a decay which lasted until the 20th century. During the 2nd world war, Palermo suffered a lot from the allies’ bombing and when after the 2nd world war the reconstruction started, a lot of money went into the mafia’s pocket which had got control over the building trade. So in the outskirts of Palermo extraordinary ugly areas were built up, and in countermove the restoration of the architectural treasures of the town was neglected. Violence and Crime were blooming in the city and Palermo’s bad reputation spread out all over Europe. Palermo still today shows a lot of scars from that time, but the reconstruction has started and the city has become by far safer. Massive police presence and the progressive fight against the mafia show their effects and now Palermo’s future is looking more pleasant.sicily back sicily home sicily top sicily next
Mondello si e' sviluppata a pochi chilometri di distanza da Palermo, lungo la piccola baia racchiusa tra il Monte Gallo ed il Monte Pellegrino ed effettivamente la localita' e' tra i lidi palermitani piu' rinomati. Mondello si fa notare soprattutto per la sua bellezza naturalistica. Il mare che la bagna ha colori unici e dei fondali ricchi di una vegetazione splendida e di antri sottomarini e scogli affascinanti, uno sconfinato mare azzurro, una dorata distesa sabbiosa sotto un cielo limpido, illuminato dal sole cocente delle estati tropicali, i colori tropicali, le acque cristalline del Golfo dove molti vip locali e stranieri da anni trascorrono in tutta tranquillità i loro week-end e le vacanze estive. Il Golfo di Mondello gode di una eccezionale vivibilità grazie al clima sempre mite ed alla favorevole posizione geografica Mondello da parecchi anni ormai, è una località frequentatissima sia d'estate che d’inverno, il clima particolarmente temperato anche nella stagione invernale,infatti fa di Mondello una frequentatissima meta di soggiorno, con una "vocazione" sportiva testimoniata anche dai grandi successi internazionali ottenuti nel windsurf da alcuni atleti palermitani, che proprio in questa spiaggia hanno imparato, e continuano ad allenarsi . Infatti annualmente la stupenda località siciliana di Mondello , si trasforma in un villaggio turistico unico al mondo capace di attirare migliaia di appassionati che si moltiplicano al calar della notte grazie al Winsurf World Festival che è la manifestazione di sport e spettacoli musicali che raggruppa a Mondello atleti ed artisti di cinque continenti Dell'antico borgo marinaro di Mondello rimangono intatte le barche di pescatori ormeggiate nel porticciolo e la torre della tonnara, oggi è trasformato in un villaggio gastronomico pieno di ristoranti dove il pesce e soprattutto la famosa pasta con i ricci sono le specialità più apprezzate . . L'impronta dell'uomo e della sua presenza creativa, appare nei dintorni di Mondello nell'ultima fase della vita primitiva denominata Paleolitico Superiore. L'Homo Sapiens rivela le tracce della sua esistenza sul monte Pellegrino, sopra Mondello nelle grotte che sovrastano il borgo rivierasco dell'Addaura.. Monte Pellegrino, definito da Goethe “il più bel promontorio del mondo”, deve il suo nome alla presenza del falco pellegrino, predatore ancora oggi presente insieme con altre specie di rapaci come il gheppio e la poiana. PalermoCapoluogo della Sicilia, è circondata dai monti della Conca d'Oro (il sole, sorgendo, illumina foro dei limoni, degli aranci e dei mandarini). Dodicimila anni di preistoria documentano insediamenti umani sui monti che la circondano. La città conserva testimonianze fenice, greche, romane, bizantine, arabe, normanne, sveve, spagnole. Il cuore storico ed artistico della città è dislocato nella parte compresa dall'incrocio (Quattro Canti) delle due lunghe arterie, il corso Vittorio Emanuele (già via Marmorea e poi vìa Toledo) e la vìa Maqueda. Il primo nucleo abitativo (la paleopoli) sorse in quella fascia di terra compresa tra i fiumi Kemonìa (a nord) e Rapirete (a sud) dove, nelI'VIII sec. a.C., approdarono i fenìci, i primi abitatori, che la chiamarono Ziz (fiore) per quanto il nome greco di Panormus potrebbe far pensare ai greci quali fondatori della città. Dell'antica città punica rimane ben poco poiché i suoi resti sono sepolti sotto la città moderna e solo sporadicamente, in occasione di lavori, viene alla luce qualche particolare. Prima di essere occupata dai greci la città, unitamente alle vicine Mothya e Solunto, costituiva una base commerciale fenicia di primaria importanza e proprio in queste città i fenici si ritirarono quando i greci arrivarono nella Sicilia occidentale nelI'VIII sec. a.C.Interessanti i ruderi di antiche costruzioni rinvenuti in piazza Vittoria e le Catacombe del complesso di Porta d'Ossuna risalenti al periodo paleo-cristiano (IV-V sec. d.C.).Da visitare: Santuario di Santa Rosalia, Oratorio di Santa Cita, Cattedrale, Basilica di S. Francesco, Chiesa del Gesù (Casa Professa), Palazzo dei Normanni con la Cappella Palatina, la Chiesa di S. Giovanni degli Eremiti, la Martorana, Palazzo Steri, Palazzo Abatellis (sede della Galleria Regionale che conserva, tra l'altro, tre capolavori d'arte: il busto di Eleonora d'Aragona di Francesco Laurana, l'Annunciata di Antonello da Messina e il Trionfo della morte di autore ignoto), Castello della Zisa, Palazzo Mirto (Museo), Chiesa di S. Giuseppe dei Teatini, Catacombe del Convento dei Cappuccini, Teatro Massimo, Villa Giulia, Parco d'Orleans, Mercati della Vuccìria, del Capo e di Ballarò, Mercato delle Pulci (bric a brac), Galleria d'Arte Moderna, Museo Archeologico Regionale, Museo delle Marionette, Museo Etnografico Pitrè, Orto Botanico, i Graffiti delle Grotte dell'Addaura.Nei dintorni: Mondello, Sferracavallo,Centro storico, Palazzina Cinese, Museo Pitrè, Monreale, etc.
Principali monumenti e palazzi
Itinerario Arabo-Normanno Cappella Palatina e Tesoro Castello a Mare Castello della Zisa Castello di Maredolce Cattedrale Chiesa della SS Trinità o Magione e chiostro Chiesa di S. Giovanni die Lebbrosi Chiesa di San Cataldo Chiesa di Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio o Maratona Chiesa di S. Spirito dei Vespri Chiesa di San Giovanni degli Eremiti e chiostro Palazzo Chiaramonte o Steri Duomo di Monreale Chiostro dei Benedettini Cuba Soprana o Cubula La Cuba Palazzo dei Normanni o Reale Ponte dell'Ammiraglio Tesoro o Cripta della Cattedrale
Itinerario Gotico-Rinascimentale Chiesa e Madonna della Mercè Chiesa di S. Giorgio dei Genovesi Chiesa di S. Nicolò da Tolentino Chiesa di S. Agostino e Chiostro Chiesa di Sant'Eulalalia dei Catalani Chiesa di Santa Maria degli Angeli o della Gancia Chiesa di S. Maria dei Miracoli Chiesa di Santa Maria della Catena Chiesa di San Francesco d'Assisi Chiesa di S. Maria dello Spasimo Chiesa di S. Maria la Nuova Convento e Chiesa di Santa Maria di Gesù e cimitero monumentale Fontana Pretoria Palazzo Abatellis Palazzo Aiutamicristo Palazzo Arcivescovile Palazzo Pretorio o delle Aquile Palazzo Sclafani
Itinerario del '600 e Barocco Arsenale Borbonico Chiesa del Carmine Chiesa del Gesù o Casa Professa Chiesa del SS Salvatore Chiesa dell'Itria o dei Cocchieri Chiesa della Concezione Chiesa della Madonna dei Rimedi
Chiesa di San Carlo Chiesa di San Domenico e chiostro Chiesa di San Giuseppe di Teatini Chiesa di San Matteo Apostolo Chiesa di Sant'Anna Chiesa di S. Ignazio all'Olivella Chiesa di Santa Caterina Chiesa di S. Chiara Chiesa di Santa Cita e cripta della Cappella Lanza Chiesa Di Santa Maria in Valverde Chiesa di Santa Ninfa dei Crociferi Chiesa di Santa Teresa alla Kalsa Chiesa di Santa Maria della Pietà Fontana del Garaffo Oratorio del Rosario Oratorio di San Lorenzo Oratorio di Santa Cita Oratorio di Santa Caterina d'Alessandria Palazzo Mirto Piazza Vigliena a Quattro Canti
Musei e Gallerie d'Arte Albergo dei Poveri Area servizio d'Arte Villa Niscemi Cantieri Culturali alla Zisa Museo Diocesano Galleria d'arte moderna Restivo Galleria regionale della Sicilia Museo Archeologico regionale Loggiato San Bartolomeo Museo del Giocattolo Museo del Mare Museo del Risorgimento Museo di Arte Islamica Museo della Fondazione Mormino Museo di Mineralogia e Zoologia Museo di Radiologia Museo Enologico Museo Etnografico Giuseppe Pitrè Museo Internazionale delle Marionette A. Pasqualino Museo Paleontologico Gemellaro Palazzo Mirto Palazzo Ziino Planetario Santa Maria allo Spasimo Monumento a Filippo V Palazzina Cinese Passeggiata Mura delle Cattive Politeama Garibaldi Stand Florio Villa Igiea Teatro Massimo Villa Malfitano Villa Niscemi Villino Basile Villino Florio
Itinerario del '700 Palermitano Chiesa di San Francesco Saverio Oratorio (ex) di Santo Stefano Oratorio di San Filippo Neri Palazzo Comitini Palazzo Principe di Ramacca Villa Castelnuovo e Istituto Agrario
Itinerario dell'800 e Liberty Castello Utveggio Fontana del Cavallo marino
Itinerario Archeologico Antica cortina muraria Case Romane Grotta Niscemi Grotte paleolitiche dell'Addaura Necropoli punica
Di particolare interesse Catacombe dei Cappuccini Orto Botanico Santuario di Santa Rosalia Statua di Santa Rosalia Belvedere Oratorio dei Bianchi
