A short trip to the hilltop town of Monreale, just outside Palermo, offers the chance to explore some exceptional Norman-era buildings, most notably the Monreale Cathedral. The church’s interior has an extravagant mosaic that covers more than 6,000 square meters (66,000 square feet), much of it glittering with gold. Afterward, stroll through town to window-shop along the narrow lanes and enjoy the view of Palermo in the valley below.
Tourist at Duomo di Monreale (Monreale Cathedral) in the courtyard gardens, Monreale, near Palermo, Sicily, Italy, Europe
Matthew Williams-Ellis/© Matthew Williams-Ellis
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The Magnificent Mosaics of Monreale
It’s easy to get ‘churched-out’ in Europe but the Monreale Cathedral in Palermo, Sicily was unlike anything else. The incredible detail and colors of its Byzantine mosaics will leave you speechless. Here a restorer painstakingly repairs columns in Monreale Cathedral’s abbey.
