When I was in Palermo, I booked the hotel right in the heart of the city. It was important to me to be able to walk around at night without feeling anxious, so I chose the busiest street in the entire city. The opera house was quite a walk away, and I wouldn't have even known about it if I wouldn't have joined the Pride parade. I was in the right place at the right time 😊 It was dark already and the opera house was long closed, but I promised myself to come back the next day. I didn't have time for any research, so the next day I hoped that it would be open. Otherwise, it would be a nice walk to the part of the city that I haven't seen in daylight yet.
When I arrived there were many people sitting on the stairs in front of the opera house. I figured that they were simply taking a break from the sunshine which was surprisingly strong for so early in the morning. I walk up the staircase and entered the building. It was a bit confusing as there were multiple rooms, and everything was written in Italian, but in the end I found my way. I learned that I could only enter the opera house with a guided tour and that it was starting NOW. I quickly purchased the ticket and the group waited for me for a few moments before we started.
We walked through multiple rooms and floors while our guide was talking about the history of the opera house and Palermo as well. I was surprised to learn that it's the largest opera house in Italy and the 3rd largest opera house in Europe, and I have never heard of it before. Not that I have heard of all opera houses of course.
We started our tour in the foyer. It's a spectacular hall with ceiling as tall as a 5 floors building! It's been used as a waiting room where the visitor wait for the performances to start. There are over 300 performances each year which to me is an impressive number.
The opera house was built in the 19th century and it was a big happening in Sicily. There was a design competition among 35 architects which was one by a local one, however I don't remember his name. There is his busts in the foyer, so when you happen to be there you can check it out 😊
He was asked to create a monumental building which he definitely did. However, you can see that the building is slowly decaying. Of course, there is a lot of beautiful marble, sculptures, painting, chandeliers and so on, but it is obvious that the furniture is dated and you can see cracks in the ceiling and many other damages. Our tour guide informed us that they have difficulties with getting any funds from the government as Sicily is one of their last priorities. This is what I've been hearing all over Sicily. They feel like they don't get enough attention from Italy even though there is so much history and cultural variety. I don't know if it is true or not, but this is how people experience it.
This is what I mean. It's a pity when such gems are not well maintained.
Here we have the entrance to the auditorium, but before we go inside we'll have a look at the model of the opera house.
It reflects the project almost perfectly. It was nice to see it in such a small scale as it is impossible to see the entire building because of its size. The building is almost 130 meters long!
Welcome in the auditorium! It has 6 levels and a special place for the king and his company which we could enter and take a seat for a moment. We took turns in sitting in the most important place. It was fun how we understood that everyone wanted to do that without talking about it.
Yes, this is the special place for the king. He indeed had the best view, but I wouldn't say that about people sitting behind him as the seats go a few rows to the back.
I took dozens of photo as I was caught in the moment and when I was looking at them at home I realized that they all look the same 😊
We couldn't stay long as there were preparation for the performance that was happening in the afternoon, but we watched the assembly for a few minutes. If I'm not mistaken, the stage goes 50 meters to the back. It is gigantic!
The auditorium was only a part of the tour and we continued to explore the rest of the opera house. You might have noticed that I love chandeliers and ceilings, so here are a few of them...
This room was used in the breaks to discuss confidential topics. It's acoustic spreads the sound in a way that you can't understand what people are discussing. It is such a strange feeling that I can't describe, but it's like you were in the forest with a lot of wind. The sound is clean only in one spot. It's crazy what can be done with the right shape and size of the room, and only the walls know what was discussed here.
As in all other rooms in the opera house there is so much detail to admire...
I only took a few photos and then left as I didn't enjoy that feeling which the acoustic was causing. It made me kind of nervous and I couldn't wait to leave it. It was the last room that our guide showed us which for me wasn't the right choice as I really enjoyed the tour, but left with mixed feelings because of the sound. Maybe others didn't mind, I don't know.
It was after 12 when I left, so I looked for a small restaurant with locals where I enjoyed the most delicious pasta with pistachio that is a very typical ingredient for Sicily.
I'm coming back to Sicily in September and I can't wait to enjoy the delicious food and lovely atmosphere there again.
Thank you!
Until next time...
