Palermo at Easter

A view looking over the bay of Palermo from Monte Pellegrino

I have taken a break from digging in the allotment, and office work, to visit friends in Palermo. It is almost a year since I was last here and I have been taking the opportunity to visit some of my favourite; the church of San Cataldo, the cathedral at Monreale and the wonderful bread from a small wood fired bakery there, and the lively street markets of Palermo. The weather is warm and the season's fruit and vegetable production is already well underway. Different varieties of artichokes, vast mounds of fennel, the first strawberries and citrus are sold on overloaded stalls or are being sold directly from the backs of piaggio or aprilia trucks. The fish markets are notable principally for the absence of the big tuna fish. They have not arrived yet, but their arrival is imminent because boxes of beautiful sardine are plentiful. The mackerel and swordfish, which also feed on the sardine are to be found in the market. Meanwhile, messages from Dublin keep me advised of the unseasonably inclement and cold weather conditions taking hold of Ireland.

Under Roger II, Palermo was the most important port and enlightened Court in the Mediterranean, and a shining light in the Medieval age. Sicily today is rudderless and Palermo has changed in the eleven moonths since I left. Recent elections promise little or no change because the same personnel are in charge of the continued slide into the abyss. The people are unhappy in a place where poverty is no stranger. Sicily has a reported unemployment of 30%, but as with everything official here the official figures mask a critical situation in order to present a more acceptable state of affairs than the actual reality. Heavily policed protests on the streets are the visible resistance to the loss of work and pending closure of local factories. There would appear to be little hope, and even less of a future here for most people.  There is however some moderately good news in the papers this week. La Republicca in Palermo reports a hoard of silver removed from the site of Morgantina, (near Aidone in the province of Enna) during the early 1980s is to be returned to Sicily. This hoard of Hellenistic silver is currently on display in Rome having been on display and in the possession of the Metropolitan Museum, New York.

 The atmospheric and undecorated interior of the mid 12th Century Byzantine inspired church of San Cataldo, Palermo.

To escape the chaos and populace of Palermo we decided to take the train to Cefalu. The train's destination was Messina, and as such it served every village and town along the way. Consequently, the two carriages which made up our train were full of people with luggage and crates of every size and shape. We slowly exited the predictable and decaying monotonous structures of the suburbs and when the train tracks retreated from the coast our journey took us through field after field of artichokes, and brightly coloured orange groves. While most people may have had a purpose for their trip, one poorly attired old man, with a northern European appearance, broke the silence and attempted to engage in conversation with his fashionable female Sicilian neighbour. His angular and broad face with narrowed eyes had focused upon a book she had in her hand. He inquired from her what she was reading. She initially attempted to ignore him, and resisted the conversation bringing her patent leather bag closer to her chest and lowering her head a little, but their proximity and his persistence, required her to communicate, and she did so reluctantly.

"Oscar Wilde" she said, but without giving the title, or softening her withdrawn expression. The man's eyes were suddenly alight and he smiled broadly as he began to speak to her warmly and with great interest in Oscar Wilde, and his own personal favourite work, "Salome". Unfortunately the well dressed and elegant lady had never heard of "Salome", and it was only through the gesturing of his hand to his neck and referencing San Giovanni this large and energetic old man managed to relate the background of the story of "Salome".

I could see the disappointment come upon him as she clearly did not know much about Oscar Wilde or "Salome", and once again he adopted a vacant and distant expression. After a few minutes he began checking through his meager belongings in search of something, and eventually drew out a leaflet on Oscar Wilde. She again resisted his overtures but relinquished once again and in doing so he proudly presented her with his valued leaflet. She looked at it, and accepting it she then read it with great interest. She smiled looking at him for the first time and inquired if she could keep the leaflet and the old man gestured to her generously and smiled. Oscar Wilde may have mused on such an encounter and possibly remarked: " There are two types of people that are really fascinating: people who know absolutely everything, and people who know absolutely nothing."

The mid 12th Century Byzantine mosaics at Cefalu commissioned by Roger II

Cefalu is a small coastal town with a little harbour and long beach which stretches practically to the next headland. There is something quite special about this place; the intensity of the suns light is reflected from the azure blue sea onto the patchwork of buildings that line promontory and the sandy shore next to the harbour. We had a lunch which consisted of an octopus salad and grilled swordfish before visiting the Norman cathedral or duomo. The entire cathedral is not decorated with Byzantine mosaic like the one at Monreale. Instead the golden mosaics are confined to the apsidal end of the church and in the vaulting above the altar.

Sprightly mountain goats made their way about the mountain more naturally than the day trippers

To the west of Cefalu there is a mountain which overlooks the quaint terracotta roofs of the town. Getting to the top requires some effort, and we were justly rewarded with not only vast panoramic views to the west along the coast, and to the north towards Ustica and the Lipari islands, but also the cooling breeze that passed over the mountain itself. 

Throughout the Mediterranean the week before Easter, or Settimana Santa, is celebrated with processions along the streets of parishes, and quarters of most cities. For many years I spent Easter in Palma, but this year in Palermo I had an opportunity to witness the Sicilian celebration of Holy Week, and in particular the processions which took place in the city on Good Friday. Where the Spanish are robed in full gowns with pointed hats and veils, the Sicilians carried statues of the dead Jesus and Virgin Mary on large biers wearing impeccably tailoured black suits, with white shirts and black ties. Many of the concelebrants completed their ensemble with gold embroidered velvet gillet smocks over their well tailoured suits. Preceding the biers was an escort of Roman soldiers and women holding the instruments of passion. Shrill brass bands brought up the rear, with a wind section principally made up of clarinets, and a percussion section of deep drums and cymbals. They played somber, but uniquely Sicilian (to my limited ear), religious marching compositions.

 A view of the congregation in front of Chiesa di Santa Caterina

We followed one procession for almost an hour as it slowly made its way from Corso Vittorio Emanuele to Piazza Bellini. The procession moved very slowly as the biers were raised and moved along for only a few meters before being lowered again. A man with a large black castanet signaled the raising and lowering of the biers. The well dressed elder gentlemen of the group marshaled the procession from the front and the rear. While the procession is as a religious one, these individuals take a notable and public role. The procession halted at Piazza Bellini and a female soprano sang two hymns from the steps of Chiesa di Santa Caterina which overlooked the gathering congregation. It must be said that she did so without being accompanied by the brass band who were improving as they went along. We parted company with the procession as it left Piazza Bellini and meandered its way deeper into the narrow streets of the city.

We have eaten on board in the port of Palermo most days enjoying the wonderfully fresh vegetables and fish which are available in the market. Moritz and Caryn have extended their Italian repetoire by including simple dishes such as spagetti a la norma and spagetti a la Romana. They have also managed to obtain recipes from friends. One in particular, Mama Paladino, has been a positive influence in the development of the menu of dishes served on board, offering invaluable instruction and guidence while sharing her vast knowledge. I will close out my adventure through Palermo's Holy Week with her very own recipe for Lasagne.

Quantities are not necessarily exactly defined in this oral tradition of passing on recipes. The following recipe may require some element of code breaking, deciphering and tinkering to achieve her high standards, however she regulates her own true D.O.P. Lasagne being composed of 2 or 3 onions finely chopped; 2 big carrots chopped, and two handfuls of celery finely chopped. 4 tablespoons of tomato paste (estratto di pomodori) and a tin of tomato concentrate (with no liquid). The other principal ingredients are 1 kg minced meat, olive oil, salt, pepper and sugar.Cook the onion, celery and carrots in the olive oil before adding the meat. While the meat is cooking dissolve the tomato paste in a little water and add this along with the tomato concetrate and 750mls of water to the pot with the meat and cooked vegetables. At this point you should add 2 tablespoons of sugar together with your salt and pepper and leave the lot to cook for an hour.

The bechemel sauce used by Mama Paladino is made up of 1 liter of milk, 1 cup of flour, salt and 4 tablespoons of butter. It must be pointed out that she adds grated parmasan cheese to her sauce; the exact quantity of which is a secret but linked to the consistency I believe.

Line a bowl with lasagne pasta before adding a thin layer of meat sauce. Then sprinkle with a layer of parmasan cheese before putting on another layer of lasagne pasta. Keep on repeating the process ending with meat sauce on top which should be covered with a bechemel sauce followed by another layer of pasta lasagne. This final layer of pasta is covered with bechemel sauce, a generous amount of grated parmasan cheese and dotted with knobs of butter. Once construction has been completed, it can be cooked for 30 minutes at 200C. Ciao Regazzi!

A box of octopus being sold at a street stall in Mondello

Sailing to Byzantium - 9

Detail of a secular mosaic from the vaulted ceilings of the private apartments of Roger II

By the middle of the 10^th Century, New Rome or the Byzantine Empire extended as far west as the Straits of Messina. These boundaries were hard to secure and maintain; threats to this medieval superpower would emerge quick and fast principally through the Bulgars, Russians, Venetians, Avars and Slavs, Normans and Saracens who were a persistent threat.

The Normans moved south and invaded Bari by 1071. Under Roger II of Sicily [1095 - 1154] they took control of Calabria, Apulia, Capua and Sicily by means of an astute combination of inheritance, military manoeuvrings and the creation of political alliances through marriage and dowries and most possibly bribes as well, all of which were standard operating procedures in the medieval world; the Kingdom of Two Sicilies would remain intact for another 800 years. Roger II was not on diplomatic terms with the Byzantines and ordered George of Antioch, his Emir [Admiral], to carry out attacks. During 1147 Athens, Corfu and Corinth were attacked. The port of Palermo remained pivotal in the Mediterranean; trade, commerce, and routes of communication between east and west were more important than ever.

By reaching Palermo, we have not quite reached the borders of the Byzantine world but have most certainly entered its sphere of influence. The mosaics in the Cathedrals at Cefalu and Monreale, and in the Cappella Palatina and Chiesa Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio in Palermo are testament to Sicilian ruling family’s taste for Byzantine mosaic decoration on a monumental scale. The court of Roger II and his immediate successors decorated their palaces and churches with a splendour matching those of Byzantium. What remains of the architectural style and design of the other decoration also reveals a strong Islamic influence, which is not surprising when one considers the diversity of individuals, and tolerance of creed and race employed in the enlightened 12^th Century court at Palermo.

Roger II being crowned by Christ, Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio

Among the mosaics that survive in the church of Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio there is a depiction of Roger II being crowned by no less a figure than Christ. This must have been a controversial image at the time as regents were normally portrayed being crowned by the Pope or a Bishop. In the cut and thrust of 12^th century medieval politics Roger had a unstable relationship with the papacy and this unorthodox portrayal may have been an irreverent attack on the pope for failing to recognise his crown until 1130.

Roger II commissioned the Capella Palatina in 1132, two years after his coronation and in the midst of numerous battles and sieges on the Italian mainland and shores. The mosaic decoration was added in stages from the 1140s. The Cathedral at Cefalu was commenced in 1131 but the mosaics do not appear to have been commenced until 1148. The smalln church of Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio, known as La Matorana, was commissioned by George of Antioch and was also commenced by the early 1140s. Last but not least, the Cathedral at Monreale was commissioned by William II and commenced in 1172; it was completed ten years later. Nearly every surface is decorated with in magnificent splendour of mosaic and marble on a scale which is quite remarkable. The mosaics are a great testament to a masterful atelier of Mosaic workers, presumably Byzantine craftsmen. However, I have yet to discover on what terms they were retained for their work. Were they commissioned and patronised for their work in the normal way? Or was an atelier of mosaic workers taken captive in the same way George of Antioch seized the Jewish silk workers from Thebes?

Chist Pantocrator, Monreale

To a large extent the decoration and images conform to a formula tailored to the requirements of the multi faceted Norman interiors; the domes of the churches and apses of the Cathedrals are decorated with Christ Pantocrator. Beneath the churches hemispherical cupolas and decorating the lower register, niche like pendentives, and supporting arches are in hierarchical order the prophets, angels and evangelists. Appearing above the aisles of the Cappella Palatina, Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio and the Cathedral at Monreale, and in proximity to the scenes from the Old and New Testaments, are cycles relating to the lives of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

Deorated Cupola and suports at Santa Maria dell'Ammiragglio

A detail of the mosaics and structure at Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio

The decorated cupola and supports at the Cappella Palatina

Photographing the mosaics in these locations has been a challenge. The light changes constantly and every image is different in colour and tone due to the variations in available light; as the suns rays are interrupted by small amounts of cloud cover being blown rapidly across the sky, resulting in an assortment of images as the light waxes and wanes. Often it was possible to sit and watch as colours, elements, definition and perspective changed by the second. At Cefalu there were very few people in the cathedral, six or seven. A woman stood up and silently moved towards the front of the nave. She straightened her arms by her side and began a Latin castrato chant With the opening two bars she found the right pitch and harmony as the chant found its perfect place in the firmament of mosaic in the tall Norman Cathedral as the soft clouds moved overhead and the waves rolled onto to the long sandy beach of Cefalu.

The Apsidal end at Cefalu Cathedral

A view of Cefalu

Roger II chose to decorate his private apartments in the Palazzo dei Normanni which also houses the Cappella Palatina. The walls and vaulted ceilings capture every available ray of light in the dimly lit room and shimmer with their golden mosaics decorated with arabesques portraying leopards, lions, peacocks, griffons and centaurs. Representations of archers hunting deer, stylised palm trees and vegetation all combine to make a sumptuous environment.

Detail of a secular mosaic from the vaulted ceilings of the private apartments of Roger II

The Cathedral of Monreale is one of the greatest extant examples of Norman Architecture. It was begun in 1174 by William II and in 1182 the church, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The mosaics follow a similar pattern to those in the Capella Palatina and record a number of stories and episodes form the life of Christ, the Old Testament, and cycles relating to the lives of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. Other roundels and decoration depict the saints, but notably William II is also depicted in much the same way as his grandfather being crowned by Christ.

The apsidal end of Monreale Cathedral

The building of the tower of babel

The covenent of the rainbow, Monreale

Jacob's dream, Monreale

The Chiesa San Cataldo offers a stark contrast to the other Norman 12^th century churches and a reminder of the age that created them. It is situated beside La Matorana on Piazza Bellini. This church was commissioned in 1160 by Maione da Bari, an Emir in the service of William I, Roger II’s successor. The unpopularity of Maione da Bari was widespread and he was assassinated in the same year while in the company of the Bishop of Palermo, Hugh of the Mill; the plots and intrigues at the court in Palermo were clearly every bit as interesting as those in Byzantium. Without patronage the church remains undecorated to this day apart from the inlaid marble floors. However, the lack of decoration in the interior still leaves this space being is one of the most atmospheric and peaceful spaces among the Norman churches in Sicily.

The interior of San Cataldo

The Arab-Norman exterior of San Cataldo with the campanile of Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio in the background