Monreale Cathedral Cloisters in Palermo
The beautiful cloister at the Benedictine Monastery of Monreale above Palermo has no equal in Byzantine architecture. The cloister is enclosed by a colonade with pointed arches supported on marble columns. Pairs of spiral columns inlaid with a mosaic of colored stone and sparkling gold, alternating with a couple of plain shafts show at its best the exquisite work made famous by the Cosmati family. Almost no two of the elaborately carved capitals are alike. In one corner a stone pavilion covers a large basin for ablutions surmounted by a column ending in a ball that was perforated to release spouts of water.
Monreale is on the outskirts of Palermo and can be reached by bus number 389 which departs from Piazza Indipendenza in Palermo. It takes about 30 minutes to reach Monreale. Driving is not advised as finding parking is extremely difficult.
The cloister is open in the morning from 9:00 am to 12:30 every day, but open in the afternoon only in summer from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
