Palermo Cathedral

I wonder if you ever get fed up with my church posts, but bear with me as this one is really worth it. I have said several times that I enjoy visiting churches. It is not only for their architecture, but what better place there is in summer to hide for some time? Churches are great constructions that keep cool temperatures inside all year round. And believe me that this is exactly what I needed when I was in Palermo that day. It was so hot that I envied a certain group of tourists their parasols even though I had my fashionable hat 😊

I must say that I don't enjoy touristic places and rather go somewhere off the main street/square, but this one I couldn't miss. And let me tell you that it wasn't that bad. As usually, I picked a time slot when other people go for lunch or maybe to a beach, so it was not crowded at all.

Cathedral is (of course) located in the very heart of Palermo. I saw it already as soon as I stepped out of my taxi, but I left the visit for the very last day. Surely, there were other places to see and I didn't want to miss them because I would spend too much time in this gigantic complex. And I was right, it was a good decision!

The outside of the Cathedral is stunning and you get excited to see what is inside. Well, don't get excited too quickly, but we'll get to it later.

I don't think that there is any other Cathedral like this one. Sicily was a cross-cultural place for many many many years, and here you can see the impact of various cultures. At first, it was a mosque, then it was rebuilt but the mosque part was left standing. You can see the Arab impact as well as the Spanish and the French. It's a mixture of different style that together make a perfect masterpiece. I could stay outside for ages and take pictures of every single detail, but it was simply too hot for it. I may have to come in winter though.

Speaking of hot... shall we start with the rooftop tour first? Don't forget to put on some sunscreen first!

A part of Cathedral is free, but there are some parts that you have to pay for and the rooftop is one of these. You can get rooftop only ticket or combine it with other parts. I went the full ticket mode of course. When I'm here I want to see it all.

The tour starts with climbing of a narrow staircase which wasn't the easiest for me as I'm claustrophobic. When I'm with my husband I can handle, but it's getting a bit more complicated when I'm alone. But I've managed!

Now, we're on the first rooftop level...

At first, we admire the architecture, and then...

The beautiful square in front of the Cathedral. As you can see, there are not many places to hide from the harsh sun.

Looking at the square, I can't decide if it's more Spanish of Italian. I lean towards the Spanish...

Then we get higher and the mountains start to pop up from behind.. and look, there is the sea too!

It looks like a hiking paradise, just not in the middle of June...

And now, we're on top! You can admire 360 degrees view of Palermo from here...

This is how it looks like and it's impossible to take a photo with no people as there is always someone. Actually, at the beginning there was a person who was making sure that there are not too many people on top. You have to wait a bit for your turn. It's a good thing as otherwise it would be crazy crowded here and like that you get to enjoy it a bit too.

Let's enjoy some photos...

This building is really fascinating. If you don't feel like exploring the inside of the Cathedral, at least make some time for the rooftop tour. You won't be disappointed.

But I'm a geek, so I went inside too. Honestly, it was a bit disappointing as it's far from being as pretty as the exterior. Let me rephrase, it is pretty, but simple and that doesn't go together with the exterior. But it's still worth a visit, even when you only want to cool down a bit.

The main part of the Cathedral is free too. You only need to pay for the tombs and treasury. I remember that I found the ticketing system confusing, and it was a bit difficult to figure it out in English.

Part of the Cathedral was under construction, but the most sections were still available.

This baptistery was my favourite part. I love its vibrant blue colour in combination with golden details.

Usually, I can share with you some interesting details about what I saw, but there was not so much information available, so let's simply enjoy the photos.

Now, we'll go to the paid part featuring the tombs and the treasury. There are religious artifacts as well as many tombs, including the King Roger II and his family.

I feel like the most items in any treasury that I have ever visited were of religious character. It shows the importance of the church in the past.

The entrance to the Crypt with finally normal staircase. Until now each stair was so high that I struggled to climb them, and I'm not even going to mention how it was going back down.