First thing in the morning we left to Capuchini Catacombs in Palermo. We parked just in front of it. Some drunk Italian was telling us to pay 2€ for parking. I told him “libero!” couple times as he insisted and then he backed off. Entrance was 3€ per person. Taking pictures or videos was not allowed inside.
The Catacombs of Palermo in Sicily, Italy, were founded in the 18th century, although some of the galleries go back to the 16th century. The catacombs were originally established as a cemetery for the Capuchin friars, and later used as a burial place for the wealthy families of the city. The most famous of the Catacombs of Palermo is the Capuchin Catacombs, which is the largest and best preserved site in the city. It consists of a network of galleries and chambers, containing the mummified remains of more than 8,000 people. The Catacombs of Palermo are a popular tourist attraction, and are considered one of the most important historical sites in Italy.
It is a bit creepy place. All skulls dried out and seems like screamed their last breath in pain and torture. There was men and women section as well as babies. Really creepy! Some of them looks like they are going to come to life! There was one baby that is so well preserved that looks like sleeping. Some of the mummies have preserved the hair and moustache! The bishops and priests seemed like from horror movie! It was very interesting, but don’t recommend to people with weak nerves or PTSD. However, I totally recommend to visit it and you can buy the catalogue with the pictures at the ticket office for 4€. Pictures don’t look so good as the real thing. Just make sure it is open when you visiting (they either close for lunch at 2pm or work until 2pm).
Some pictures from the guide catalogue.
Straight after we head to Monreale to see Cattedrale di Monreale. Our host has warned us that parking is difficult there and we should park in paid underground’s parking, which we did.
The Cathedral of Monreale is a Roman Catholic cathedral built between 1174 and 1184 on the orders of King William II of Sicily, who was also the bishop of Monreale at the time. It is on of the largest cathedrals in the world, and is considered to be one of the most beautiful examples of Norman architecture. The cathedral is constructed of white marble and is decorated with stunning mosaics depicting scenes from both the Old and New Testament. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The cathedral was damaged b an earthquake in 1968, but was restored and remains a popular tourist attraction in Monreale today.
10€ for cathedral, roof top and garden. Worth it!
Famous fresca of Jesús! Similar in Palermo and Cefalu.
So we were told in the parkign if we eat in Trattoria Pizzeria Monrealerestaurant restaurant we don’t need to pay for parking which would have been around 4€.
So we ordered some pizza and cold beer. We’ve paid around 20€.
It was on pedestrian street, so quite nice that there are no cars.
I love Sicilian solutions to the problems. Like this one with massive fan coolers outside as it was really hot!
Pizza with onions and tuna! ❤️
Once stomachs were full we headed towards Cefalu.
We’ve stopped for a quick bathing in the sea at Capo Zafferano becah, but we didn’t stay too long. Oh yes the road was closed for some reason, so we has to go back and go around. The beach was alright, quite crowded.
The road was full of interesting things and stunning views. Some picturesque views were polluted by trash, which I collected in one blog post.
Next stop was another beach – Spiaggia di Mazzaforno. The sea bed was quite rocky.l and slippery. They put sand bags so you can walk through stones to sandy bottom.
Once we arrived to Cefalu we found out traffic limited signs and apparently you can enter Cefalu downtown only at certain times something like 5:30am-9:30am and then couple hours on afternoon. So we had to park the car in the marina which is way down where Cefalu downtown is. So we dropped the bags and I waited with the bags. Then short walk to hotel.
Parking sign were somewhat confusing in Cefalu. But it was free in Marina!
All our bags!
The walk to hotel wasn’t too bad. Nice views!
Hotel was called La Giara. They offered an upgrade for 10€ to a room with a balcony to the street. I had a picture of Jesus over my head.
They clearly saved on the ar work! Modern art! Very abstract!
This was the courtyard view. Amazing! Even light doesn’t get through there!
However, it did had a nice terrace with amazing sunset views!
Finally, we went for a dinner.