SICILY

Sicily, a place of indescribable atmosphere where the cultures of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity have been meeting over the centuries, gave rise to an abundance of extraordinary works of art. It was precisely for this reason that we, group from the Brno Department of Art History, decided to visit this island again after four years. The program of this year's trip did not change much in comparison to the last visit, yet, it has been a completely new experience for most of us. We arrived in Palermo late in the evening and, fortunately, met with the other part of the group which left Brno a little earlier and waited for us there. Finally reunited after long hours of travelling, we had a delicious revitalizing dinner in a small, dingy restaurant in order to start our study trip properly.

The next day after the breakfast, our steps led directly to the first of our planned goals, the Palazzo Abatellis. This palace which was originally built for Francesco Abatellis' wife, together with various artistic items preserved in the Regional Gallery it houses, initiated our entry into the world of Sicilian art history. We had a chance to admire pieces such as the monumental fifteenth-century fresco of the Trionfo della Morte or the captivating painting known as the Annunciata by Antonello da Messina. Leaving the palace and its treasuries behind our backs, we left towards the very first church we were about to meet, San Cataldo, which was built in the twelfth century as a private church for King William I. We ended this first day with a visit of another palace, now Palazzo Chiaramonte-Steri, which was, unfortunately, undergoing reconstruction at that time.

The major part of the second day was devoted to the complex of the Palazzo dei Normanni. At first, we were mesmerized by the luxurious interior and mosaic decoration of Cappella Palatina. Thanks to our friends Nicolas and Giada who organized the whole trip, we acquired the permission to enter the presbytery and had a unique chance to observe the apses and the dome from the point of view of the clergy, in the closest possible vicinity. We cannot, of course, forget to mention the exceptional wooden ceiling which covers the chapels' nave, or its opus sectile walls and floors accentuating the royal prominence of the place. Despite the visible presence of many traces resulting from various reconstructions, the overall impression of this space remains unforgettable. After quite some time spent inside the chapel, we moved to another part of the palace, the so-called Sala di Ruggero, where we observed mosaics in a profane context, depicting a great variety of hunting scenes, plants, and animals.

We started the third day of our journey with a visit of the cathedral of the city. It lies right in the heart of Palermo and houses famous collection of royal porphyry sarcophagi, on which we had the opportunity to focus to properly since the interior of the cathedral is unfortunately completely modernized. Our next steps from the cathedral then led to the Zisa and Cuba palaces. Even though these two buildings are quite far from each other, we agreed they share several characteristics, amongst which especially the "secret" of their function, which cannot be clearly determined for either of them.

The last two days of our stay were spent outside of Palermo. First, we visited the little town of Cefalù, where we sought to see the cathedral, which is best known for a beautiful mosaic of Christ in the apse. After entering the presbytery area, we once more opened the discussion about the important role of light within sacred spaces, and how different our perception today must be with artificial illumination. Upon returning to Palermo, it seemed that the Church of Santa Maria dello Spasimo had been waiting just for us, presenting to us its impressive architecture of the main nave, transformed by the slowly advancing sunset. Our last stop in Palermo, then, was the small Church of San Giovanni dei Lebbrosi.

The last day of our trip revolved around another church outside Palermo, the cathedral in Monreale. However, before we could have admired its beauty from a close distance, it was necessary to climb the hill, one of Palermo's dominant ones, on which it stands. Atop, amongst other things, we were rewarded by an impressive view on the scenery, which made us feel like we were holding Palermo in our palm. The church itself was, then, not even a bit less astonishing than the breathtaking view. Honestly, I cannot imagine a better completion of our excursion. Entering the very church, a plethora of glittering mosaics dazzled us: the entire building seems like filled with almost palpable luminosity. Again, we were perplexed over the question of the importance of the light, and we noticed how the space of the church is – perhaps more than elsewhere – forcing us to move, and how it plays with the perception of the viewer entering the church. All these elements merged perfectly in the moment we witnessed the midday prayers.

In the evening, after returning to Palermo, tired and packed with experiences and images, we had a last traditional dinner in the very restaurant that we so fortuitously found on the first day of our stay. The next morning, we said our goodbyes to Palermo as well as to whole island of Sicily and its marvels before setting out on our way back.