Palermo, Sicily, Italy, the cathedral

 

Palermo. la cattedrale

Palermo's cathedral was built by Frederick II who was both Holy Roman Emperor and sovran of the Kingdom of Sicily. He was known as stupor mundi or wonder of the world for his intellect, broad mindedness and great culture. The birth of the Renaissance can be traced to Sicily. His court gave birth to the scuola siciliana, the Sicilian school that was the first literary movement in Italy. The sonnet BTW, was first developed by  Jacopo Lentini an early Italian poet who along with Cielo D'Alcamo and others established this prolific school that was the true beginning of the Italian language. A century before Dante who called Sicilians the true fathers of Italian and the first. But Frederick had a great foe, the Papacy. Because of geography, the papal states were now surrounded both north and south so the Pope felt trapped. His answer was to have Frederick poisoned while he was hunting in Puglia. What can I say. Nevertheless this splendid church is where our greatest leader is buried. He loved Palermo and made it a truly cosmopolitan city of learning and culture. Sicily was the only place where Christians of the Eastern and western churches, Jews and Arabs all lived together and got along splendidly. This is something that we Sicilians still have in our culture. At any rate, this church should be visited if one is ever in Palermo.

Ballaro' market, Palermo

There are two famous outdoor markets in Palermo, la Vucciria and Ballaro'. There is also a major RAI TV Talk show named Ballaro' because it's a market place of ideas and diversity.  Of the two. the latter is the larger and most important. It has the air of a market in Arab cities and is obviously a result of the brief but important Arab domination. It is full of colors and sounds, not to mention tasty foods.

Have a colorful Tuesday

Have a delicious Thursday / Abbiate un giovedi' delizioso

Shot in Ballaro' with the E PL-2

A return to Ballaro' / Un ritorno a Ballaro'

This ultimate outdoor market in Palermo always fascinates me so that I am posting a few more photos of it. A visitor to Palermo must go there.

Questo mercato  all'aperto supremo mi affascina sempre. Per questo ho postato queste altre foto. Ognuno  che visita a Palermo deve assolutamente  andarci.

Ballaro' market, part 2

A few more from this fascinating outdoor market in Palermo.

Happy Saturday / Buon Sabato

Ballaro' market / Have a delicious week/ Abbiate una deliziosa settimana

Lu baddaro', Ballaro' in Italian is one of two phenomenal outdoor markets in the old quarters of Palermo, a city replete with history and culture. The other one is la Vucciuria, where there are more food stands so one can eat all the Palermitan delicacies. We did manage to savor the famous sfinciuni palermitanu, a pizza that had bread crumbs on top along with  a simple dressing of tomatoes  and spices. It was superb.

Here one can shop at moderate prices and the quality is absolutely first class. It has all the qualities of an Arab bazaar and it harkens back to the days when Palermo was an emirate. There is an energy here that is indescribable along with sounds and aromas that are equally delightful. It is little wonder than a major TV talk show is named Ballaro' taking it;s tittle from the fact that in the show there is an unlimited number of topics and opinions. It is a place worth visiting. With my wife's Marcy's parking karma, we found a spot near the entrance; a miracle.