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On this tour you will experience Palermo and the splendour of the Norman palaces, nowadays the locale of the Sicilian parliament's meetings, as well as the Cappella Palatina (entrance 6 Euro), the palace's exclusive church with its mosaics and its stalactite-ceiling seized in gold. This is followed by a visit of the church pc. Giovanni degli Eremiti (entrance 6 Euro). This nearly 1000 year old church is a particularly impressive example of the unique symbiosis between the Christian Norman and the Arab-eastern architectural style, a mixture not to be found anywhere else in the world. The tour continues along „the wall of the bad ones" in the old part of town and arrives at the former church Santa Maria dello Spasimo, whose preserved and renovated ruins are used as the venue for theatre performances, concerts and readings. Our half-day guided tour ends here just in time for lunch.
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The tour „Discover Palermo" starts from your hotel and goes along a panoramic route up to the Monte Pellegrino, the impressive Pilgrims Hill that ascends from the sea and flanks the city in the west. At its summit you will have the opportunity to examine the grotto of holy Rosalie, the patron saint of Palermo.
From the terraces of the mountain you will be able to enjoy again and again the fascinating views of the island's capital in its picturesque vicinity to the Conca D' Oro (the golden shell), to the mountains, to the multiform coast, and, if the weather permits, breathtaking views of the islands north and northeast of the city. In Mondello, the charming suburban outskirts of Palermo, there will be plenty of time to lunch in one of the numerous restaurants famous for authentic Sicilian cuisine and fresh sea food.
After lunch and back in Palermo, a stroll in the city's magnificent nouveau art quarter is followed by a visit of the Zisa, an architectural marvel (entrance 3 Euro), a hunting and sommer residence of the 13th Century, built by Arabian constructors and decorated by Byzantine artists on orders of the Normans. Afterwards the tour goes underground to the so-called Catacombs of the Kapustin (entrance 1.50 Euro). There you will experience a completely different Palermo, namely the place of activity of an ancient Sicilian death cult. In the Catacombs you will find an at parts very well preserved underground cemetery with thousands of bizarrely disguised skeletons. Wealthy Palermo residents were buried here until the late 20th Century. The tour ends here. |
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You will be collected at your hotel and brought to the small town of Monreale, which lies on a picturesque hill 8 kilometres to the south of Palermo. The biggest point of interest here is the Norman cathedral with altogether 6000 square meters of large gold mosaics. Northern French, Arabian and Byzantine constructors and artists were participated in the building of this place of worship. The adjoining monastery (entrance 6 Euro) is famous for its hundreds of delicate columns, every single one a work of art for itself. A visit to the bishopric garden, now accessible to the public after years of closure, is also part of the tour. This generously designed and beautiful garden with impressive African rubber trees lies on a terrace high above the Conca D' oro and offers fantastic views of the bay of Palermo and of the mountainous landscapes of western Sicily.
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Travelguide 
.jpg "Cappella Palatina")
