Taking a break from last month's post on dictators, it's time to move on to the climate implications of long haul flights... this blog is nothing if not cheery!
Travel now comes with carbon anxiety; but even more with the risk of flying somewhere expecting "normal" weather and getting hit with "new normal" weather. For example, while my partner and I were baking in Sicily (dry, sunny, highs of 30, lows 22 in mid-October), torrents of flood waters were washing away homes in Northern Italy, so you never know what you're going to get when you book something 6 months ahead of time, or even a week ahead of time.
There are reports showing that some large number of seats on airplanes (50%, say) are filled by the same group of frequent flyers (10% of the flying public, say), so those of us who take a flight or two a year shouldn't feel too bad about it. The reality, though, is that airlines don't like flying planes half empty, and so they are filling them with tourists, as I saw when getting on my return flight at Catania a week ago. So it is with heavy heart that I will report here what may be my last long haul flight. Heck, my last flight ever. (Yes, there is more than a whiff of Famous Last Words here.)
We flew to Palermo via Zurich as that was the only way to get a Star Alliance connection on the same day. As it was the layover in Zurich was 5 hours, quite a bit more than I would like on no sleep. Palermo airport is doing a good impersonation of an airport in a Third World outpost. But the rental flat on the edge of the Kalsa district was lovely and the street quiet. Views from the rooftop terrace were great, and the church next door (Chiesa Parrochiale de Santa Maria della Pietà ) wasn't as beaten up as it looks in the picture.
Sicily has been occupied by just about everybody, starting with Greeks and Romans in Antiquity, then moving on to Arabs, a bunch of Normans led by a guy named Roger, a Holy Roman emperor of Swabian origins named Fred, etc. The history of all the peoples who moved through this crossroads of the Mediterranean shows in the architecture, even if most evidence of religions other than Catholicism (mosques, synagogues) has been eradicated largely following the expulsion of Muslims from Sicily by the Emperor Frederick in 1239, and of the Jews by the Spanish king, who ruled Sicily at the time, in 1492.
I am not known for being a fan of churches, or indeed organised religion, but the history and architecture in Sicily are indistinguishable from the religious history. So a visit of the cathedral and associated buildings is expected; in retrospect perhaps we should have visited the Norman palace down the street instead. That being said the cathedral is an imposing edifice, and the views from the (crowded) rooftops are very nice if you are not subject to vertigo.
More interesting to my mind was the little Basilica della Santissima Trinità del Cancelliere, a.k.a. Basilica della Magione, and the cloister behind it (Chiostro della Chiesa della Magione), which we stumbled across while wandering randomly through the historical centre. This was built in 1191 under Tancred, the last Norman king, over the remains of a mosque, and retains a number of Arabic items in the architecture. Cistercian monks ran the place and banned all mosaics or decorations that could be a distraction to the worshipper. Later it was transferred to Teutonic knights, presumably following the Holy Roman Empire's takeover of the island (the Emperor at the time was Swabian), and became known as the "Mansio Sanctuary Trinitatis". The Knights expanded the site, adding chapels and enlarging the convent. In the cloister once can see a well made with stones carrying Hebrew inscriptions; it is believed that these were taken from a tomb nearby.
A short distance from the cathedral is another Norman-Arab gem, the Chiesa di San Giovanni degli Eremiti (Saint John of the Hermits), built by King Roger in 1132; traces of an earlier mosque remain. You have to wonder why they built an entire church just for hermits; did they get together here for their annual meeting before heading back to their caves? But I digress.
This is mostly in ruins but the small church still has the Arabic domes on the main body of the church as well as the bell tower, visible (for a fee) from the bell tower of the church next door (Chiesa di San Giuseppe Cafasso). No shortage of churches here. Note the tree obscures most of the bell tower; my vertigo didn't allow me to go all the way to the top of the tower for a better view.
Finally for maximum churchiness, you need to head to the Fontana Pretoria near the intersection of Via Maqueda and Via Vittorio Emanuele. This classic fountain with lots of nudes is surrounded by three churches. The photo shows two of them, taken from the roof of the convent associated with the third (Chiesa e Monastero di Santa Caterina d'Alessandria). On the left, Chiesa Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio (Chiesa della Martorana), and on the right (with the arabic domes on the roof), Chiesa di San Cataldo.
The Chiesa di San Cataldo is an original Arab-Norman church with minimal decoration and showing a range of Arabic influences. Apparently this has been under the control of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem since 1937, having been used for some time prior to that as a mail sorting facility by the post office. It also appears that it was probably joined to the other two churches by a range of buildings that have not survived.
Next door, the Chiesa Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio (Chiesa della Martorana) is a Norman-era church remodelled in a baroque, Byzantine style. The decoration is mind-boggling.
The last of the three, the Chiesa e Monastero di Santa Caterina d'Alessandria, was built on earlier foundations or buildings during the Spanish era. This is equally spectacular and includes a cloister and convent; the last photo shows the little balconies associated with each nun's private cell. A trip to the rooftop of the convent led to more photos at a low cost in vertigo.
Palermo's old town includes a number of narrow streets filled with restaurants. Most target the tourist trade and offer similar menus at similar prices; fortunately a tourist menu in Sicily is way better than some high-end restaurants elsewhere. This one is in La Vucciria, just off Via Roma and Via Vittorio Emanuele.
It appears the going rate to get the accordionist to move on is 5 euros.
In terms of museums, the Museo Archeologico Regionale Antonino Salinas is worth a visit. It has been around since 1814 and includes lots of Greek and Roman sculptures. We also took in the Palazzo Abatellis and the Chiesa di Santa Maria degli Angeli, but were underwhelmed. Perhaps the only regret is not managing a tour of the Norman palace of King Roger and his successors.
And the food was wonderful! Here is a small sampling (no, I didn't take pictures of all my food), starting with sardines wrapped around a stuffing.
Grilled squid and a mixed salad.
Please grill the red one for me, signore!
Jumbo shrimp. Actually these are prawns but I couldn't resist the oxymoron.
So after witnessing a wedding next to our accommodations, it was on to Syracuse (Siracusa), which is not in Greece or even New York State. Stay tuned for Part Two.
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