Norman Palace, Palermo

This is my 5th visit to Sicily. I’ve avoided Palermo on my previous 4 visits …fearful of the insane traffic and driving I limited my experience to visiting my family on the edge of town. Determined to experience Palermo this time around, I booked a hotel smack in the downtown across from the Opera House. Fortunately, almost the entire area is closed off to all traffic — pedestrians rule! And that has completely changed my Palermo experience. It is beautiful! Again, layers and layers of history. The Norman palace was built in the 12th century. The surrounding palms render a sense of being in an Arabian oasis. Indeed, the Palatine Chapel inside is covered in Byzantine mosaics. The Duke’s rooms, built in the 17th c are lavish with chandeliers and frescoes imitating the recently discovered Pompeiian villas