As we leave Palermo we stop at the small suburb which claims the magnificent Cathedral of Monreale. In the 11th century after the Christian Normans conquered the Arabs, they built grand churches in Sicily.

The church was built to show the power of William II (William the Good) and was ornamented lavishly with columns sent by the pope and indescribably beautiful golden mosaics from the 12th century telling the story of the Bible on the interior walls. Photos do not do it justice…. Do not miss this. The mosaics are massive. Jesus’s hand is six feet high above the altar. The cathedral has more than 68,000 square feet of mosaics.