la bella sicilia (part five)

nighttime in palermo, politeama theatre

very close to finished with sicily pictures, and i have loved going through them. i shot almost 1000 pictures in the ten days that i was there, so getting it down to a manageable number has been something of an accomplishment. it was a challenging trip but i'm glad i took it.

today is all palermo and things palermitan--i was there for the last three days of my trip and could have used a few more to really get a feel for the city. my favorite was unquestionably the cappella palatina--i've never seen anything so intricately and elegantly mosaiced, even in ravenna.

this is italian high fashion--SERIOUSLY?! normally i'm a huge fan of the windowwares but i swear my grandfather had that exact same rain jacket from either sears or TG&Y

and what will this navy windbreaker/rain jacket/ultimate fashion statement set you back? a mere 950 euros, or about $1300 (impermeabile = raincoat).

il cane di prada

the arizona dream is equated to the american dream in the copy

even "climate-controlled" looks sexy when written in italian

if i really hated rich, i'd make him wear one of these sofa-fabric chapeaus

this cute little kiosk is where one buys cigarettes on his/her morning stroll--i'd smoke too if it meant visiting this dot of art nouveau goodness

yikes. i'd be more than a little concerned if i were the italian prime minister and sicilians were spray painting grafitti demanding my death.

horse and fountain

twin mopeds and carriage

papal fashions in palermo!

cathedral of palermo, in its gothic/spanish/arabic glory

beautiful portico of the cathedral

relic of...? i am halfway expecting to have to do this to rich's hands when he dies

close up of ossified ulna and radius

below the altar lies the crypt--this is pretty much the only norman thing, architecturally, remaining in this church but it is an extremely fine example of it

little miss chainmail

ghost dog? ghost donkey? i like this guy.

upstairs, under a super-fancy baldacchino, is the porphyry tomb of santa rosalia, the patron saint of palermo

palermitan green

although it is hard to tell, this is a full-sized carriage from the 17th century

interior, palazzo reale, leading to the cappella palatina

interior courtyard, palazzo reale

the following pictures are from the interior of the cappella palatina, and i'm not sure words would do much to make the images more interesting--the place is overwhelming with decoration and it is a confusing space because of it, but it is also incredibly beautiful. every surface is decorated with mosaic or cosmatesque marble.















and these are images from the living quarters at the palazzo reale, which were obviously decorated at the same time as the cappella palatina. these are secular mosaics vs. the religious scenes in the chapel.







(i believe this is a dog, but i'd rather think it is a cougar getting ready to pounce)

next time: monreale!