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Monreale trip planner
A cathedral glittering with mosaics in the hills above Palermo
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In a church on a hillside 8km (5 miles) south of Palermo lies the greatest medieval mosaic cycle in Europe. The polychrome scenes on a shimmering gold background literally carpet the walls, arches, and apses of mighty Monreale, the last and greatest of Sicily's Norman cathedrals.
When Palermo's British bishop Walter of the Mill starting building the downtown duomo, young William II decided in 1174 to flex his independence from that ecclesiastical potentate by raising his own cathedral outside the city. It's one of the most visually sumptuous day trips you can take anywhere in Italy.
Even if you have only one day in Palermo, spend half of it here; nothing in town can compare.
The cathedral of Monreale
Few people do not gasp in awe when they enter this cathedral, swathed with 68,472 square feet of luminous 
mosaics. The interior is like the Cappella Palatina writ large; it competes with St. Mark's of Venice as the most mosaicked church in Christendom—only less well lit, since few visitors arrive with a bag of coins to feed the many light boxes.
Although not the pinnacle of the Greek craftsmen's artistic prowess, they are nonetheless excellently executed and many panels do stand out, none more magnificently than the 66-foot-high, kindly eyed, and all-embracing Christ Pantocrater in the main apse.
The two side apses are dedicated to St. Paul (left) and St. Peter (right) respectively. The restored wood ceiling of the nave is gorgeous, too, and don't forget to look down once in a while at the marble inlay work on the floor.
The cloisters at Monreale
The attached monastery preserves the beautiful and serene cloisters, a festival of pointed arches supported by twin columns, each pair different from the last: some carved or twisted, some plain, and many inlaid with colored marble and gold mosaic chips in geometric patterns.
Every column capital, too, is unique, carved in a beautifully symbolic medieval style with mythological figures and religious scenes. Even with the bused-in tour groups, these cloisters manage to retain a relaxed, contemplative air, helping make this day trip a double escape from the urban chaos of Palermo.
The Duomo itself (tel. 091-640-4413) is open daily 8am to noon and 3:30pm to 6:30pm. (Free)
The cloisters (tel. 091-640-4403) are open Monday 9am to 1pm, 3 to 7pm; Tuesday to Saturday 9am to 1pm, 3pm to 7pm, and 8pm to 11:30pm; Sunday 9am to 12:30pm. (Adm)
An agriturimo near Monreale
Casale del Principe, San Giuseppe Jato - "Hotels are too cold. They give you a room and that's it," says Tamara Amadei, manager of this 18th-century Jesuit monastery–turned–agricultural estate that rises above a farmland of poppies, vineyards, and olive and fruit orchards just 15 minutes from the glittering cathedral in Monreale. "An agriturismo provides a family experience," she continues, listing some of the activities offered, from cooking and ceramics courses to horseback rides and archery. Geese chatter in a fountain by the stairs leading up into the ancient masseria (stone farmhouse), which has been expanded to house the agriturismo operations... 
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Tips
- How to get to Monreale: Take bus 389 from Palermo's Piazza Indipendenza right to the cathedral.
- Visitor information: Monreale has a tourist office to the left of the cloisters entrance on Piazza V. Emanuele (tel. 091-646-6070), open Monday to Saturday 8:30am to 1:30pm, and Tuesday and Thursday again from 3:30pm to 5:30pm.
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This material was last updated October 2009. All information was accurate at the time.
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