Palermo--Oriental aspects--Historical facts--Royal Palace--Count Roger
--The Piazzi Planet--The Palatine Chapel--Walk to Monreale--Beauty of the
Peasantry--Prickly pears--The "Golden Shell"--Monreale Cathedral--Abbey
and Cloisters--English church--Palermo Cathedral--Churches--Catacombs of
the Capuchins--Gardens--Palermo aristocracy--The Bersaglieri--Sicilian
life and characteristics--Climate and general features.
Palermo, formerly Panomus or All Port, and originally a Greek
settlement, is situated in a beautiful fertile valley, and presents much
the appearance of a magnificent garden. The approach from the sea is
splendid, as a full view is then had of its beautiful bay, spacious
harbour, bold headlands, high cliffs, and the great mountain ranges in
the distance, which form so grand a background.
There is a very fine sea-wall, with a drive extending some two or three
miles along the coast, and from this the Corso Vittorio Emmanuele
extends right through the city, crossed about the centre by another fine
road, the Via Macqueda, and these, the two principal streets, divide the
city into four equal parts. The most frequented promenade is the Marina,
opposite the sea, where the Hotel de France is situated. Here I found
very comfortable quarters overlooking the semi-tropical public gardens.
The houses and buildings generally resemble those at Naples, and the
churches are second only to those of Rome in their magnificence. One
might almost fancy one's self in the far East, there are so many
surroundings of a Moorish and Saracenic character, and many of the names
are quite oriental. The cactus, palm, and citron trees, tropical flowers
and sunny skies, carry out the impression. There is no matter for wonder
in this, however, as the Saracens made Palermo the capital of their
Sicilian territories for more than two centuries, when the Normans in
their turn took possession. From 1806 to 1815, it was the residence of
the court of Naples; and in 1860, was captured by the troops of the
brave liberator of Italy, Garibaldi. In the same year, the university,
founded in 1806, was freed from the direction of the Jesuits. Altogether
Palermo has seen a variety of governments, and many changes and scenes
of historic interest. It has always been a rich commercial port, and
well advanced in the refinements of civilization. I think the
inhabitants are far more agreeable than at Naples; more hospitable to
strangers, and less inclined to "spoil" them as Egyptians. They are
especially courteous to the English, probably in recognition of the
substantial sympathy England so freely showed them in the time of their
struggle for freedom.
The Royal Palace is situated on the site of the Saracen Al Kasr, and
within a short tramway drive of the Hotel de France. It is an
unpretentious, castellated building, well worth a visit, not so much for
the beauty of its interior decoration, its paintings and frescoes, in
which it only resembles other palaces in Italy, but for its interesting
history; for it was here the good Count Roger Guiscard (Roger II.), the
first Norman King of Sicily, resided, and did so much to encourage art,
science and the industry and prosperity generally of the island. Our own
lion-hearted Richard landed here on his way to Palestine in 1170; and it
was here, in the observatory of the palace, that Joseph Piazzi
discovered, in 1801, the planet to which he gave the name of Sicily's
mystic goddess--Ceres, and subsequently many other minor planets some
230 in number. Attached to this palace, and under it, is a small but
unique Palatine Chapel in the Gothic style, built by King Roger in 1129.
It is a perfect gem in its way, the walls and ceiling covered with
beautiful mosaics, fine porphyry, and marbles, but it is too dark to be
seen to advantage. The only way to obtain any idea of the real beauty of
the mosaics is to go into the darkest corner, and so accustom your eyes
to the deep gloom, when it becomes radiant with its beautiful scriptural
mosaic pictures.
After viewing the Palace and Chapel, I had a most delightful and
invigorating walk up the road which led directly to the beautiful
country and suburbs beyond the city. The tramway ran up to the base of
the hills in the distance, but I preferred to walk, for it was a lovely
summer's day, though very early in February. The road led up to the
ancient town of Monreale, about four miles distant to the south-west
from Palermo, standing upon a fine commanding height overlooking a most
lovely and fruitful valley, between the two mountain ranges that rise
behind the city. It was through this valley that Garibaldi marched with
his troops, thus avoiding the fire from the forts on the heights around.
As I ascended the hill, I passed the remains of many ancient mementoes
of the past. I was struck by the grace and beauty of the peasantry--the
men, active, swarthy, and handsome, with finely cut features; the women
tall, beautifully shaped, and with long dark hair and magnificent eyes.
Their picturesque dress and the character of their occupations added to
the effect of their appearance.
By-and-by I reached the large Benedictine Convent of St. Martino, where
I stopped to take breath and look round. It was a very hot day, and,
feeling thirsty, I was glad to see a Sicilian peasant selling prickly
pears, a most delicious tropical fruit. The man soon cut a few open for
me, and I found them truly refreshing. To any one who has not yet tasted
a prickly pear, there is yet an epicurean luxury in store. The fruit
grows plentifully in the East, where you will frequently see an uncouth,
impenetrable, cactus-like plant growing by the wayside hedge in a dry,
rocky soil, its great succulent leaves bristling with long, formidably
sharp thorns, and around the edges and upon these thick leaves are
attached most delicately an oval reddish-yellow fruit, which is also
covered with myriads of minute prickles. The camel munches the immense
thorn-clad leaves with impunity, deriving a great deal of nourishment
from them. It is necessary to handle the prickly pear with extreme care,
lest the infinitesimal prickles should get into the hand, the saliva of
the camel being almost the only thing that will effectually remove them
from the flesh. The fruit is dislodged from the plant by means of a
knife or cloven stick; then, when a deep gash is made from top to
bottom, and another across, the luscious, ice-cold, crimson fruit is
ready to be extracted. The taste is a pleasant sweet acid.
Having thus refreshed myself with a few deliciously cool mouthfuls, I
proceeded on my way. Right ahead of me, perched upon the rocky heights
and facing a fine range of mountains, was the ancient Cathedral of
Monreale. It overlooked a broad and fruitful valley literally covered
with orange, lemon, and olive plantations, their tints contrasting
bright and sombre, and their wealth of fragrant blossoms filling the air
with perfume; far away to the left, and parallel to the road by which I
had come, stretched the rich, verdant vegetation, through the bluff
headlands to the blue sea beyond, where Palermo glittered in the sun,
like a queen in her splendour. No wonder she was named of poets, "Concho
d'Oro," the Golden Shell! I lingered for some time, perfectly fascinated
by the beauty of the scene.
Passing through the crowded little town of Monreale--probably a city in
the times of the Greeks and Romans--I gained the piazza where the
beautiful Cathedral, with Benedictine Abbey attached, was situated. I
had expected a Cathedral here as a matter of course, for no Italian
town, however small, is without one, but I was scarcely prepared to find
it so large and so beautiful. It was founded in 1174, by William II.,
surnamed the Good; the front is enriched by two bronze doors by Bounanno
of Pisa, and is further ornamented with mosaics and arabesques.
On entering, I was filled with admiration. The magnificent edifice,
which is some 315 feet in length, is divided into three aisles by
pillars of granite and different-coloured marbles; the pavement of
tessellated marble; and the whole of the ceilings and walls, down to the
very capitals of the Corinthian columns, a grand series of beautiful
mosaics representing Scriptural subjects, separated by, and intermixed
with gold and parti-coloured arabesques. Over the altar, a colossal
figure of Christ in blue and gold mosaic. When the sunlight streamed
through the windows, these beautiful arabesques looked like the finest
silk tapestries, and presented a form of decoration only equalled by
that of St. Mark at Venice; there are also some very fine and
interesting monuments.
I next visited the Abbey, and some of the most beautiful cloisters I
think I ever beheld. Hundreds of delicate columns of white marble,
filagreed and inlaid with gold and mosaics, and with exquisite
capitals, rose before me on all sides, which, with the fine tracery of
the Gothic windows, formed a vista of perfect classic loveliness.
Afterwards, by the kind invitation of one of the monks, I visited the
Convent refectory above. There were some good oil-paintings here; and I
was pleased to see, by the number of schools within the building, that
good work was being done by this wealthy Convent--now probably under the
supervision of the Italian Government.
On returning, I had magnificent panoramic views of the valley and
Palermo constantly before me. I was much amused, on my way back, to see
the peasant women plaiting their daughters' hair outside their houses,
on the high-road, and doing their best to beautify it by unblushingly
introducing long artificial tresses! This was rather disappointing to my
day-dreams, as I had so much admired Nature's rich dark clustering
head-dress on the heads of the handsome Italian peasant women.
There is a nice little English church at Palermo, near the Street of
Palms, and I quite enjoyed the service, everything was so bright and
peaceful. There was a goodly gathering of English folk assembled within
its walls.
Near the Royal Palace, in the Via Toledo, is the Cathedral, a fine
Gothic pile of very striking appearance, standing well back in the
piazza, its rather quaint Campanile separated from it by a narrow
street arched over. The principal porch is in the form of a very
beautiful arch; the interior in the Corinthian style, and chiefly
interesting for the beauty and richness of the high altar. In one of the
chapels are the tombs of Roger II. and the Emperor Frederic, and those
of their respective families.
There are several other churches in Palermo well worth a visit. St
Domenico, which is built in the Doric style, is one of these; but
perhaps the most interesting of all is the ruined church of St.
Giovanni, erected by King Roger in 1132, and which was evidently in the
style of a Byzantine Mosque, with its numerous arches, low roof, and
domes. On leaving this building, and thanking the keeper for explaining
its antiquities to me, I found he belonged to one of the most ancient
Eastern orders of the Masonic craft--a gratifying proof to me of the
wonderful ramifications of this powerful charitable fraternity. The
Church of Martorana is in a semi-Gothic and Saracenic style of
architecture, and was built by one of King Roger's admirals in
1113-1139; it has some very beautiful mosaics. Some of the palaces of
the nobility are open to visitors, and contain much of an interesting
description.
Within an easy walk, towards the Monreale road, are the catacombs of the
Capuchin monastery, which is situated a little off from the high-road,
and looks an unpretentious kind of building. A monk guided me through
the clean, well-lighted subterranean passages, and it was not without
some feeling of dread that I saw on each side of me tiers of the
decaying skeletons of monks, suspended against the walls, and looking
down upon me with their poor hideous mouldering visages. I almost feared
the ropes round these skeleton bodies would give way, and that the bones
would come tumbling down upon me. The Capuchin, with a somewhat humorous
smile on his worn, kindly face, reassured me, and said that when at last
they fell to pieces, the remains were carefully collected and
religiously locked away within an iron door in one of the walls. There
were several lively cats jumping about from coffin to coffin, and these
were looked upon with a most compassionate and friendly air by my good
monk, as assisting him to preserve the bones of his comrades from moth
and mouse--whether the old Sicilian superstition with regard to the
sacredness of the feline species had also anything to do with it, I
cannot say. There is a saddening sort of feeling in entering these homes
of the dead--
"To see skull, coffin'd bones, and funeral state;
Pitying each form that hungry Death had marr'd,
And filling it once more with human soul."
After going through some hundred yards of this vast tomb, I felt glad to
return to the sunlight and pure air of the living world.
On the road to Monreale there is an interesting botanical garden, where
I saw some very fine specimens of plants entirely new to me--camphor,
coffee, castor oil, and others. There are many beautiful gardens in
Palermo, besides the delightful public one known as the "Flora," which
afforded such a charming and refreshing outlook from the Hotel de
France, where I was staying.
The great cross-roads afford one of the principal drives of the _élite_
of the town, and at about three o'clock in the afternoon these
thoroughfares are crowded with the carriages of the Palermian
aristocracy. The circus, where the two roads meet and intersect each
other, forms a large open space called the "Ottangolo," from its
octagonal shape; each of the eight sides is formed by a beautiful
building or fountain. This place is a favourite lounge for soldiers and
idlers generally, who come here simply to enjoy their cigarettes in the
open, sunlit air, and in the hope, like the ancient Athenians, of
hearing "some new thing."
The Bersaglieri regiment, in their shining black hats, with flowing
cocks' plumes, cut a great dash. I often wondered where all these
feathers came from, as the cock seemed quite a _rara avis_ at Palermo.
Perhaps, after all, one fact explained the other, and I had been mixing
up cause and effect. The military were evidently proud of themselves and
their past exploits with Garibaldi; they had certainly proved that there
was plenty of sturdy pluck about them. They are in general a small,
swarthy, handsome set of men, but with rather too much of a swagger for
soldiers who had seen service. The ladies are graceful and dignified; a
trifle too pale, I thought, but I have since learnt that this pallor is
studiously acquired--I suppose, to give more sentiment to the
expression: in other countries, ladies seem inclined to go in for a
_little more_ colour. The nocturnal-like existence of the Sicilian
ladies, however, should be quite sufficient to produce the desired
pallor, without any artificial aid. Their evening commences at 10.30,
when tea is served, and you are lucky if you can contrive to get away by
2 a.m. As a matter of course, they are invisible during the morning, and
are seldom seen before three o'clock in the afternoon, when they drive
out to gain fresh vigour for their nocturnal existence.
From January to May, I believe Palermo is considered a very healthy
place for invalids. It is not subject to changes of climate, and being
on an island is perhaps the cause of its advantage over other places on
the Italian coast, and especially those situated more inland, and on a
river, such as Rome, Pisa, and Florence; for these rivers are generally
the receptacles of the city sewage--dirty, muddy, and polluted streams,
and most unhealthy during the warm season. Yet, strange to say, these
river-sides are frequently selected as chosen places of residence, as
witness the Lung Arno of Pisa and Florence.
One of the features of Palermo is the number of reservoirs, which are
generally situated at the corners of streets, and every house in the
city accordingly has an abundant supply of water. This must also be a
great source of cleanliness and healthfulness.
For a tour of a few weeks, I can fancy no place more interesting than
this fair island. The enchanting Straits of Messina, Catania, Mount
Etna, and lovely Aci Reale; the ancient Girgenti and Syracuse with their
Greek and Roman ruins; Marsala and Palermo. It is also close to the
interesting island of Malta, and is the highway for steamers to all
parts. The place is healthy, and, finally, the living is good and
moderate in price. Travelling, too, is convenient and cheap: the
tramways run quite round Palermo, and the carriages are better and
cheaper than in any other city in Europe.
Although travelling in Italy has its drawbacks, I have found more
pleasure in moving amongst the Italians than the French. There is an
evident respect and grateful sympathy felt by the former towards
England, while the French take no pains to disguise their antipathy. Yet
we were blindly intent on making the Channel Tunnel, foolishly supposing
it would convert our sullen neighbour into a sincere friend and
commercial ally.
I could not but notice in Palermo, the vigorous efforts of the Italian
Government to suppress brigandage. I constantly saw some of the plumed
Bersaglieri posted in the most out-of-the-way places, commanding the
various passes, in order to surprise any attempt that might be made.
Before leaving Sicily, I cannot refrain from recalling that perfect
avalanche of stirring incidents that took place in 1860--incidents that
far eclipse all other events recorded in the momentous history of this
lovely island; and, as the death of the patriotic Garibaldi is still of
somewhat recent date, and the subject is one of universal interest, I
shall, in the following chapter, briefly sketch these thrilling events,
with certain particulars of the part taken therein by the English which
have not been publicly known before.