First stop today was the Monreale Cathedral near Palermo. It was started in 1174 by King William II, with various construction phases continuing through 1267.
King William, the Good, dedicated the Cathedral to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. Note that the postcards and artwork for sale behind Mary are not sanctioned by King William.
70,000 square feet of gold and colored glass mosaic tiles illustrate all the major Biblical stories from the Creation, through the life, death and resurrection of Christ.
To give a sense of scale in this space, the palm of Jesus’ hand in this picture is six feet tall.
Monreale, being a city on a hill, overlooks Palermo and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the northeast. Note the flags. Being in the middle of the Mediterranean, and this time of year, there are frequent warnings of high winds. This one was for 36 mph gusts:
