From the Disney Brochure:
A Fertile Land Through the Ages
In its own wide bay underneath the limestone bulk of Monte Pelegrino, and fronting the broad, fertile Coca d’Oro (Goden Shell) Valley, Palero is a city steeped in history. Originally a Phoenician, then a Carthaginian colony, this remarkable city was long considered a prize worth capturing. When Roger II was made King of Sicily, t became the prosperous capital of the Norman Kingdom respendent with wonderful palaces, luxuriant gardens, and monuments considered as symbols of this crossroads of culture.
Historical Palermo sits compactly around one central crossroads, the Quattro Canti, which is at the core of four distinct quarters. Here ou will see a reflection of the diverse history of the region through many masterpieces from different periods, including Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance ad Baroque architecture as well as examples of modern art.
From basking in the Mediterranean sun to sampling the local wines, the sights and sounds of Palermo are rich in quality and flavor. Enjoy the Sicilian hospitality and your Palermo adventure.
Today we arrived in Palermo, on the coast of Sicily. As we pulled into port, watching all the local sea traffic of all kinds with the Pellegrino Mountains in the background, I remembered the words from a favorite song, “when that bug bites you, you live with the sting” I was bitten today by the Italian coast. It is breathtakingly beautiful!
Today we met our group at 8:15 for the “sights of Palermo” shore excursion, part bus part tour, part  walking tour, we visited Quattro Canti (Four Corners) which is the traditional center of Palermo & Martorana Church. We went on to the Palermo Cathedral which is both beautiful and architechturally diverse, having been “remodled” over the years by different rulers to keep up appearances, so as to show the people they were “looking after the church” after a couple more stops and sights including mansions with beautiful gardens, we endend our tour at one of the oldest gelateria’s in Palermo with some refreshing ice cream.
Tonight we have dinner in Lumiere’s and we are all looking forward to that!
That’s all for now, more tomorrow as we visit Naples!
