Sicily Guide

After 800 days, the restauration works for the Palatine Chapel in Palermo have been completed. now the public can enjoy its view.

The Palatine Chapel is the royal chapel of the Norman kings of Sicily situated on the ground floor at the center of the Palazzo Reale in Palermo. The chapel was commissioned by Roger II of Sicily in 1132. It took eight years to build and many more to decorate with mosaics and fine art. The sanctuary, dedicated to Saint Peter, is reminiscent of a domed basilica. It has three apses, as is usual in Byzantine architecture, with six pointed arches (three on each side of the central nave) resting on recycled classical columns.

The Mondello Tower in Palermo will reopen this coming Saturday June 28. Built in 1455 to defend the old fishery from the Arab attacks, the tower will be open to the public on Sundays and Saturdays. Entrance will be free for the first four weeks.

One of my favorite travel writers about Sicily, Kate Singleton, talks about the real estate market in Sicily. She is an expert of this topic having moved to Modica in Sicily a few years ago.

Here is a little bit of what you can get on the International Herald Tribune:

When Sicilians claim that their homeland is a continent, not an island, they are not trying to redefine geography. They are simply drawing attention to the remarkable variety of landscapes, microclimates, gastronomic traditions and historical heritages to be found here.

Variety is also the distinguishing characteristic of the Sicilian property market. Prices, which have been rising as much as 20 percent a year, still seem reasonable, especially to north Europeans but even to Italians from Milan and Turin. There are plenty of handsome townhouses with frescoed ceilings, palaces with some original furnishings, country villas surrounded by lemon groves, fortified farmsteads and even the odd castle.
For more, please visit IHT.com

The Palatine Chapel is the royal chapel of the Norman kings of Sicily situated on the ground floor at the center of the Palazzo Reale in Palermo. The chapel was commissioned by Roger II of Sicily in 1132. It took eight years to build and many more to decorate with mosaics and fine art. The sanctuary, dedicated to Saint Peter, is reminiscent of a domed basilica. It has three apses, as is usual in Byzantine architecture, with six pointed arches (three on each side of the central nave) resting on recycled classical columns.

The Palatine Chapel is going to be closed for restoration and is expected to reopen in April 2008. The cost of restoration is 2,5 millions Euros.