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Photo: Holger Uwe Schmitt, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The cathedral of Monreale is one of the greatest extant examples of Norman architecture. It was begun in 1174 by William II and completed four years later. The church is a national monument of Italy and one of the most important attractions of Sicily. The cloister has 228 small columns, each with different decorations influenced by Provençal, Burgundian, Arab and Salerno medieval art.
Monreale Cathedral is a Catholic church in Monreale, a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, Sicily. One of the greatest extant examples of Norman architecture, it was begun in 1174 by William II of Sicily and is dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. The church was elevated by a bull of Pope Lucius III to the rank of a metropolitan cathedral in 1182 as the seat of the diocese of Monreale, which was elevated to the Archdiocese of Monreale in 1183. Since 2015 it has been part of the Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Honey-coloured and Catalan influenced. Frederick II, Barbarossa's grandson, died in 1250 and is buried here, far from his ancestral home above Hohenstaufen, Germany. Frederick's sarcophagus is of porphyry dyed with imperial purple.
Historical city botanical gardens featuring many collections of plants, trees, and aquaculture. The garden is associated with the neighbouring university and contains a number of experimental gardens to test acclimation of plant species to Sicily.
The Gesu Church is one of the most architecturally important in Palermo. Constructed between 1564–1633, its late date of completion resulted in an abundant use of polychrome marbles on both floors and walls. This form of decoration, which gradually evolved in Sicily from the beginning of the 17th century, was a mark of the beginning of the Sicilian Baroque period, which was to give Sicily almost an architectural national identity. The church has a modest facade and it's hidden in back street in central Palermo, unlike the great cathedral this one you have to look for.
Beautiful private museum of historical tiles produced both locally and in Naples. Guided tours available in English or Italian will take you through the techniques and historical considerations of tile making and its importance across Italy.
The catacombs of the Capuchin convent contain over 8,000 mummified ex-residents from Palermo and its surrounding villages, some merely clothed skeletons, other remarkably well-preserved and lifelike. Well worth a visit, interesting, if slightly morbid. Children may either find it exciting or terrifying, and it must be the responsibility of their parents to think carefully before taking them. You can arrive via the tram line and a 10- to 15-minute walk. Your visit will not take longer than one hour. No photography allowed