Monreale, Palermo, Chinese Palace and Mondello from Palermo, Private Tour

You will be dropped off by your driver in Piazza Guglielmo II. Here you can visit the beautiful cathedral of Monreale. It has been included in the list of UNESCO world heritage sites and is considered one of the most important medieval churches in the world.

The mosaics of the cathedral are something simply unique and perfect. An area of over 6,000 square meters and over 130 Byzantine mosaics that adorn the church.

It is also possible to access, for a fee, different areas of the cathedral, such as the terraces.

Adjacent to the cathedral is the monastery of San Benedetto.

The cloister of the monastery has a square plan in Romanesque style, characterized by more than 90 columns decorated with mosaics and Romanesque capitals. In the center of the cloister there is a garden, with a fountain in the shape of a palm tree from which water flows.

Also near the cathedral is the interesting Diocesan Museum, which houses collections of paintings, sacred vestments and liturgical objects, as well as a beautiful cycle of frescoes from the 1700s.

From Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II you can see the Duomo, while calmly admiring the garden with the famous marble fountain called Fontana del Tritone.

Another place that is impossible to resist is the Belvedere, located a few steps from the Town Hall. From the Belvedere it is possible to overlook the Conca d'Oro and be conquered by the hills of Palermo.

We will pass through the Royal Palace, through Porta Nuova and Villa Bonanno. Among the most visited buildings in all of Sicily, the Palazzo dei Normanni in Palermo is the oldest royal residence in Europe, today the seat of the Sicilian Regional Assembly. Inside there are several courtyards, including the Maqueda Courtyard and the Fountain Courtyard. From the patio you can access the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, while on the first level there is the Palatine Chapel. There are many works of art contained in the Palace, with nineteenth and twentieth century masterpieces by Francesco Lojacono, Antonino Leto, Joan Mirò and Renato Guttuso.

The Cathedral of Palermo, the most characteristic building in the city. Its construction dates back to 1184 by order of Archbishop Gualtiero Offamilio, in honor of the Holy Virgin Mary Assumption into heaven. Since 3 July 2015 it has been part of the World Heritage Site (UNESCO). The main entrance to the Cathedral is free, but if you want to visit the monumental area and the roofs of Palermo Cathedral, from which you can appreciate a wonderful and evocative view of the city, you have to pay a ticket.

The Mercato del Capo in Palermo is still found today in the upper part of the ancient Arab neighborhood of the Schiavoni, pirates and slave traders. A very popular neighborhood, it was formed in the Muslim era and is nestled between baroque churches and iconic street food. The main entrance to the market is from the fourteenth-century Porta Carini.

A narrow street widens and narrows between the stalls that project from the outside, people make it impassable because they stop to observe, negotiate, taste and buy.

It is also considered the fish market par excellence.

Bright colors and heady scents mix with typical specialties and the voices of the traders, the "abbanniate" inviting you to buy their goods. the less popular one on the Cape is considered the fish market par excellence.

This is why the market is a place not to be missed.

From the Mercato del Capo we go down towards Piazza Verdi in front of the Teatro Massimo. It follows Via Roma which cuts across Piazza San Domenico where the church of the same name is located.

Many buildings have been built on the sides of the street over the years, including the headquarters of some banks, the Palazzo delle Poste, the Biondo theater, the Palazzo del Banco di Sicilia and numerous other buildings built in Eclectic or Liberty style.

At the crossroads with Corso Vittorio Emanuele we go up to reach the Quattro Canti.

You will be dropped off in Piazza Pretoria, where you will visit the main churches, including the La Martorana church, San Cataldo church, San Giuseppe dei Teatini church, the Fountain of Shame and the Four Corners. We continue with the Church of Gesù (Casa Professa), one of the most important baroque churches in Palermo, towards the historic market of Ballarò.

We go beyond the Quattro Canti and reach Via Ruggero Settimo which takes us to Piazza Castelnuovo. Together with the adjacent Piazza Ruggero Settimo it forms a single large space, commonly called "Piazza Politeama", after the theater of the same name which dominates the square. Then there is the Viale della Libertà surrounded by villas and gardens, including the English Garden.

Via della Favorita goes from Piazza Generale Cascino to the east gate of the Parco della Favorita.

The large Favorita park, whose extension amounts to approximately 400 hectares, was created by Ferdinand of Bourbon during his first stay in Palermo, from 1798 to 1802.

At Christmas 1798, fleeing from the riots in Naples, the royal couple Ferdinand of Bourbon and Carolina landed in Palermo, welcomed favorably by the Palermo nobility.

The king, a lover of hunting, purchased a good part of the land located in the Colli plain from the Palermo nobles of the time, to build a reserve where he could give vent to his passion.

As his personal residence, the king also purchased the "casena" of Giuseppe Lombardo, baron della Scala, which was subsequently renovated and embellished by the architect Venanzio Marvuglia. This casena, given its obvious inspiration from oriental themes, was later called Casina or Chinese Palace, and hosted numerous illustrious guests, including Admiral Nelson and Lady Hamilton.

VISITING HOURS

From Tuesday to Saturday from 9.00 to 17.30 (last entry at 17.00); holidays from 9.00 to 1.30 (last entry at 1.00) – closed on Mondays.

The gulf of Mondello is one of the most extraordinary places on the island, at the foot of Monte Pellegrino. The atmosphere of Mondello seems almost tropical thanks to its colors. Full of services, restaurants, small shops, nautical clubs and a small port.

This area is full of villas, all in Liberty style.