Exploring the Province of Palermo

The province of Palermo is one of Sicily’s nine provinces, and it has much more to offer than its undeniably splendid capital city. While based for three days and nights in Palermo, we made a number of forays outside the city and discovered a different side of the island. 

Up in the Madonie Mountains, about 50 miles east of Palermo, we discovered the medieval town of Castelbuono. Today, about 8000 people make their home in this delightful hill town. It doesn’t get as many tourists as some other Sicilian towns, but that only made it more appealing. We had a fairly long, steep climb from the parking area at the base of Castelbuono to its historic center. Once we got to the top, we could gaze out over the countryside with its forests of ash and oak trees. 

The view from the top of Castelbuono

Strolling through the tourist area of Castelbuono

Castelbuono street

Entrance to the castle

The castle for which the town is named (Castelbuono literally means “good castle”) dates back to 1316 and was built in Arab-Norman style for the Ventimiglia family. Later alterations reflect the Swabian style. (The Hohenstaufen family that ruled after the Normans was from Swabia.) The castle survived an earthquake in 1819 and has been restored as a museum. As castles go, it’s on the small and cozy side, and as soon as we walked into the courtyard and inhaled the scent of flowering jasmine, I decided I could live here quite happily. 

I've always wanted to live in a house with a courtyard.

One of the most interesting parts of the castle is the palatine chapel, the private chapel of the Ventimiglia family. It is dedicated to St. Anna, the town’s patron saint. The chapel’s ornate decorations, made primarily of stucco, were added in the 1680s and feature whimsical depictions of some of the town’s residents. 

Palatine Chapel of Castelbuono

Castelbuono is located in the heart of mushroom country, and since our visit coincided with mushroom season, we were treated to a fungi-centric menu at lunchtime. The antipasti included several varieties of mushrooms with onions and tomatoes, mushrooms with caciocavallocheese, and a mushroom tart with tomato sauce and oregano, all of which were delicious.   Local wines accompanied the meal. I especially enjoyed the blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Nero d’Avola, a grape native to Sicily. 

And our feasting didn’t end with the dessert course. Following our meal, we walked across the street to Fiasconaro, an internationally known confectionary shop, to try a local product intriguingly called manna. Sonia explained that unlike the Biblical manna, the Sicilian manna is a sweet-tasting sap that comes from ash trees that grow in the vicinity of Castelbuono. Some people claim that it has therapeutic properties. At Fiasconaro, manna is used to sweeten many types of candy and baked goods. Sonia had arranged for us to have a tasting of some of Fiasconaro’s most famous products, including panettone, the special Italian Christmas cake. (If you’ve never tried panettone, you definitely must rectify that oversight immediately! Try to imagine a brioche – but better – and studded with bits of candied fruit. Note that you can even get a panettone at Trader Joe’s before the winter holidays.)

Some of Fiasconaro's beautifully packaged and luscious confections

Did I mention that panettone is one of my all-time favorite foods, which I would gladly consume regardless of the season? I wasn’t going to leave Castelbuono without one of Fiasconaro’s creations. However, given that my suitcase was carry-on size, I had to choose the smallest panettone (the citrus and saffron variety), which came in a decorative tin. I also bought a bag of assorted torroncini (individually wrapped pieces of luscious pistachio-studded soft nougat coated in dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate and lemon). 

Once we were completely stuffed with sweets, we made the short drive north to the coast for a visit to the town of Cefalu, located between a natural bay and a towering granite cliff. With its beautiful beaches and gorgeous setting overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, Cefalu is one of Sicily’s most popular destinations for locals and tourists, especially in the summer. Cefalu is more than just a resort town, however. It also has a rich history, with an Arab-Norman cathedral dating back to the early 12^thcentury. The historic town center is picturesque but nowadays has an unfortunate touristy vibe, with shops selling T-shirts and beach towels interspersed with bars, gelato shops, and restaurants. 

Cefalu on the Tyrrhenian Sea 

Cefalu's beach 

On our last morning in Palermo province, we traveled 20 minutes southwest from Palermo to the town of Monreale. Norman King William II “the Good,” grandson of the Norman conqueror of Sicily, decided to build a cathedral here dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Construction of the Duomo of Monreale (aka Santa Maria la Nova) began in 1174 and was completed in the remarkably short time period of 15-20 years. 

Monreale Cathedral (with the ubiquitous vendors)

Our local guide, Gabriela, explained the orientation of the Arab-Norman style structure. The doors face west, so that one enters where the sun sets and walks towards the altar at the eastern end of the church, where the sun rises. This journey from darkness to light symbolizes the path of purification. She also pointed out that the floor plan follows the Byzantine layout, with no transept.

The dazzling Byzantine-style mosaics (produced by itinerant craftsmen 600 years after the end of Byzantine rule in Sicily) are the highlight of the interior of the cathedral. Requiring more than 5000 pounds of gold leaf, the mosaics cover over 6800 squarefeet, more than Hagia Sophia in Istanbul and St. Mark’s in Venice. The expert craftsmen employed by King William knew to place the gold leaf between two layers of glass to achieve maximum reflection of light. The mosaics cover the walls of the nave, with stories from the Old Testament that viewers would have read in chronological order. The figure of Jesus above the altar in the apse stands 22 feet high. 

The interior of the cathedral was truly breathtaking, and I’m so glad we had a chance to see it. Our final stop before leaving Monreale and the province of Palermo was at a bar in the piazza for an obligatory espresso (or cappuccino) and restroom break. 

In the next post, we’ll be exploring western Sicily.