Journey through Sicily and the famous Catacombs of Italy- Travel #17

Dear Steemit friends, Gemma here, let me take you on a journey through Sicily and into the famous catacombs of Italy. Sicily is the largest Mediterranean island and is located just off the coast of mainland Italy. The capital of Sicily is Palermo and this is where I begin my journey. Palermo's rich history is reflected in historic sites like the Valley of the Temples, the well-preserved ruins of 7 monumental, Doric-style Greek temples, and in the Byzantine mosaics at the Cappella Palatina, a former royal chapel. Sicily not only features architectural beauty but natural beauty as well, located on Sicily’s eastern edge is Mount Etna, one of Europe’s highest active volcanoes. One of the more delicate sites in Sicily is one that highly interests me as a history buff, the underground catacombs. Not as famous as the catacombs in Paris however, just as fascinating. Travelling has to be my number one interest, I learn so much from every place I visit and there's nothing that compares to learning about our intricate and colourful history like visiting the actual place.

Palermo was actually elected as the European capital of street food by Forbes magazine back in 2015, and has been named “the culture capital of Italy” for 2018. I love indulging in culture so Palermo seemed the perfect place to visit. Something that has really intrigued me about travelling through Italy is the perception of the people and their allegiance and identification of where they are from. Italy did not become a unified country until 1861. Prior to that, Sicily was one of the many independent city-states. Therefore there is still a fair bit of the “I’m Sicilian first, Italian second” mentality – as there is with other parts of Italy as well. Romans are the same, "We are Romans not Italians". Now aren't you glad I told you, wouldn't want to make that mistake twice.

To find me, look for my Chihuahua's face

Palermo, Sicily, Italy

Getting to Sicily is fairly easy and you have an abundance of options dependant upon budget, time constraints and personal preference. Falcone–Borsellino Airport is located approximately a 30 minute drive away from downtown Palermo. It offers daily services from major European and United kingdom destinations such as Frankfurt, Paris, London and Belfast. Catania-Fontanarossa Airport is slightly larger and is located in central Sicily approximately a 2 hour drive away from downtown Palermo and offers daily services from multiple destinations throughout Europe and the United Kingdom.

There are several different ports on the Italian mainland from which you can sail to Sicily via ferry such as Naples, Civitavecchia, Genoa, Salerno, and Livorno. The travel time and cost can vary significantly dependant on the departure port you chose to sail from and the company you choose to sail with, you have about 6 ferry companies to pick from so you are spoilt for choice.

If flying and sailing aren't your cup of tea, then maybe trains are more your fancy. Trains cross the Straits of Messina between Villa San Giovanni on the mainland and the city of Messina on Sicily. The prices on train tickets from Italy to Sicily will vary depending on where you’re coming from and the speed of the train you want to take and be sure to take note of the train number you are after to avoid ending up somewhere completely different. There are even some buses that you can take from various points on the mainland to a couple of the major cities on the island of Sicily. SAIS Trasporti buses are the ones that will get you from your last stop on the Italian mainland to Sicily. Usually there are a few transfers involved and if you aren't brushed up on your Italian then I would suggest an alternative method of getting to Sicily. Hiring a car is always a popular option but be sure to invest in a good GPS that gives directions in the language you speak or an Italian speaking one could be quite pointless, trust me, I did that in Florence. I will tell you that story in a later blog in my Italian series so you can look forward to that bit of comedy.

As many of my readers know, I have a very specific and consistence choice of travel, call me a princess but I love the luxury and convenience of travelling via cruise liner. I don't have to lug my bags around, I can take my time getting ready in a 5 star room, enjoy breakfast whilst watching the sail into port. Not only that I can pre-plan my trips by picking up maps, information pamphlets and even book tours right there on my ship. The ship I travelled to Sicily on was the very luxurious Carnival Vista, Carnival's newest and flag ship of the fleet. I travelled with my mother Chrystal and two brothers Wayne and Scott. The ship docks within walking distance to downtown Palermo and the famous street markets and Piazza. As you can see there is every possible way under the Sicilian sun that you can get to Sicily so there really is no excuse on missing out on this amazing island.

The magnificent Carnival Vista

Once on the island of Sicily, what is there to do you ask? You have various options to suit every budget, age group and interests. My younger brother Scott is in a wheelchair and we had to factor this in when planning our trip. Now can I tell you I was extremely impressed with how wheelchair friendly this historic island was. Scott has certainly not let his chair hinder his travels, he has travelled to multiple countries around the world and all in his trusty chair. Quite the inspiration to me. We decided to take a taxi tour, this can be done very easily in many destinations across Europe. Taxi drivers are usually waiting outside cruise ports, airports and tourist attractions. These taxi drivers are most of the time willing to strike a deal to personally tour you around stopping at places you want to go at a fixed price. If you are in a family or group, mine was 4 for example, this is a very affordable option.

Wayne, mum and I in our taxi

As lovers of the theatre our first stop was Teatro Massimo. The Teatro Massimo is an opera house and opera company located on the Piazza Verdi in Palermo. It was built in honour of King Victor Emanuel II and is the largest theatre in Italy. In fact in all of Europe, it comes in at 3rd largest after the Opéra National de Paris and the K. K. Hof-Opernhaus in Vienna. However, despite being the 3rd largest in Europe, it is the most requested theatre to perform at by world famous opera singers due to its perfect acoustics. Who would have ever guessed that a theatre would be one of the largest buildings in all of Sicily. Guided tours are offered here daily and for the film buffs out there, it would interest you to know that the final scenes from the Godfather 3 were filmed here. Apart from the stunning architecture and design of the theatre you will notice a pair of very large bronze lions guarding the stairway leading up to the entrance. As you face the entrance the lion on the left is mounted by a female that is wearing a long robe and is playing a pair of long horns. The allegorical sculpture symbolizes lyrical opera and was designed by Mario Rutelli. He in fact was the son of Giovanni Rutelli the architect behind the grand theatre. The large bronze lion to the right of the stairway was designed by Benedetto Civiletti and represents tragedy. If you look closely you will notice that the male figure that is riding the lion is holding a drama theatre mask in both hands. The allegorical sculpture represents tragedy. So unlike what we know today as the comedy and tragedy theatre masks, these were known as the song and tragedy masks. How incredibly fascinating, there is so much history in the details and I love the details.

Teatro Massimo

Lion statue out the front of Teatro Massimo to the left- Lyrical Opera symbolism

After driving through Palermo, we headed towards Monreale. Monreale is about a 20 minute drive from Palermo. It is a historic picturesque town most famous for the fine mosaics in the town's great Norman cathedral perched on top of a large hill. Monreale is connected to Palermo by a bus network making it an easy trip from the city centre. The cathedral is frequently cited as the island's greatest Norman buildings and great it is. It dates back to the 12th century, when the Norman ruler William II, known as William the Good, founded a Benedictine monastery. This today is the abbey. William was a man of lavish lifestyle and when he got word of the construction of the great cathedral being built in Palermo. He ordered his Monreale's cathedral be finished rapidly and extravagantly which it was indeed. William intended this to be the royal church where he and his successors would be buried, unfortunately though these plans didn't last beyond his own burial. May he turned in his tomb when he found out his place of rest was moved after his death.

The Fountain Triton on the square Vittorio, Monreale

Scott enjoying the sights of Moreale

Monreale Town square

The upper section of the cathedral's interior is covered with over 6,000 square metres of glistering gold mosaics. They were almost certainly hand designed by Byzantine craftsmen. It is the stunning combination of Norman, Byzantine and Islamic influence, art and architecture here that is a spectacular demonstration of the influences in which created Sicily's most glorious era. A trip to Sicily would not be complete without visiting Monreale. This culture and history diverse town is one of the reasons that along with Italian and Sicilian of course, French, German, Arabic and Romanian are very common spoken languages. With all this diversity, you really are spoiled for choice in terms of food, so many local delicacies and treats with international influence, I couldn't stay here too long or you would have to roll me back down to Palermo.

Monreale local

Bell Tower

Markets

You have to keep your eyes pealed, even down secluded alleyways there are spectacular hidden treasures

Monreale guide map

One of the best things about visiting Monreale is the spectacular view of the Sicilian countryside you have. Panoramic uninterrupted views of the lush land. Sicily is truly gorgeous and standing up here taking in the view makes it very hard to leave. Sicily spans over approximately 25,900 square kilometres or 10,000 square miles and is surrounded by three different seas, the Tyrrhenian, the Mediterranean and the Ionian Sea. It is no surprise that Sicily has produced some iconic names such as the mathematician Archimedes, Domenico Dolce, one half of the iconic fashion house Dolce and Gabbana, and musician and composer Vincenzo Bellini. I mean I wouldn't mind making Sicily home, it is just stunning. After taking in the breath-taking Ariel views, it was time to head underground to the catacombs.

A place suspended between life and death, The Capuchin Catacombs. Death is something not interesting to many however all of us one day will be dead. Death is often feared due to the most common reason, the fear of the unknown. I mean so far nobody has come back to tell us what death was like, but this place in many ways, looking into the faces of these mummies, is like reading the story of their life. Truly fascinating, there is even a preserved baby who looks as though she could still be alive, eyelashes and nails all preserved perfectly. The rules are not to take photos in the catacombs and I abided by these rules as to respect the dead. To see these magnificent mummies and preservation of life or death whichever way you choose to look at it, you'll have to visit it for yourself. Even though the catacombs are underground tombs, a lift has been added to allow wheelchair accessibility.

The body that was first housed in the catacombs was that of Fra Silvestro da Gubbio on the 16th of October 1599, still exposed in a simple brown robe and headdress clutching a sign commemorating the event. The practice of mummification is an ancient tradition that has taken hold particularly in Sicily. The Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo express this tradition with the huge number of preserved humans housed in these catacombs. Mummification is so deep seeded in Sicilian tradition that to this day, Palermitan people still choose to be preserved this way. The conservation status of the countless corpses exposed make these catacombs one of the most impressive places to visit in the world.

This place gives a fascinating insight to reflect on the meaning of death and provokes a better understanding of this solemn tradition of the ancient Sicilian society, particularly evident among Palermitan aristocracy. This is a place so evocative that did not remain insensitive even Ippolito Pindemonte, who visited the catacombs on November 2nd, 1777 wrote one of his famous verses here "Death looks at them and it seems to have missed all shots." Powerful words that may not just provoke us to think about the mysteries surrounding death but to appreciate the wonder that is life.

Catacombs

Ending off my journey through Sicily at the catacombs was a humbling yet invigorating, thought jerking experience. It is time to make our way back to port to continue on our adventure. On the way back we saw some interesting buildings and even a horse wearing a hat. I highly recommend you add Sicily to your travel list if you haven't already, it is magnificent in so many ways and this fascinating island in the Mediterranean will not disappoint I assure you.

I hope you have enjoyed my blog on Sicily and the famous catacombs of Italy, thank you for reading and I look forward to sharing more adventures with you, until next time, Vegoutt Everybody!!