To finish our tour of the city visited the Botanical gardens of Palermo. First founded in 1789 by the University of Palermo and currently hosts around 12,000 species of plant life. There were many exotic species of plants and trees in the gardens. One species of cactus that had been brought back from Mexico adapted rapidly to the Sicilian climate and now grows all across the island. It is also grown domestically as Sicilians eat the fruit it produces. There was also wildlife living in the park as Andrei discovered. Sicily is also famous for it's Oranges and there were many citrus trees throughout the park. The Aquarium, a large round pool divided into 24 sections, is located at the end of the central avenue. Here some more photos from the Botanical gardens of Palermo And so ended our tour of Palermo. Next we would be visiting our work placements, Entermed, Olomedia and Sogest three IT companies in Palermo where we would be working for the next four weeks.
The Palazzo dei Normanni (Palace of the Normans) or Royal Palace of Palermo is a palace in Palermo, Italy. It was the seat of the Kings of Sicily during the Norman domination and served afterwards as the main seat of power for the subsequent rulers of Sicily. Today it is the seat of the regional parliament of Sicily. Catania is an Italian city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse. It is the capital of the Province of Catania, and is the second-largest city in Sicily and the tenth in Italy. Catania is known for its seismic history, having been destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake in 1169, another in 1693, and several volcanic eruptions from the neighboring Mount Etna volcano, the most violent of which was in 1669. Starting our Orientation to Sicilian customs and culture, the group undertook a walking tour of the city with our guide Stefano. Here you can see the Teatro Massimo first opened in 1897 which is the largest theatre in Italy. Originally designed in 1861 following the unification of Italy it was built to promote the idea of national identity in the nation which had been made up of a collection of kingdoms and republics. The piazza or square in front of the theatre Here are some pictures we took of the Cathedral in Palermo simply referred to as Il Cattedrale. Originally built in 1185 it has seen many successive layers of decoration and alteration throughout the centuries as foreign invaders have added their own touches to the architecture. Inside the Cathedral the elaborate decoration and detail which is constantly being restored and maintained is magnificent. Palermo also has many parks and gardens in the city centre which offer welcome respite from the hustle and bustle and noisy mopeds that race around the city. Also many Palermidans like to hang out in the shade when the temperature can feel like being in an oven especially to us fair skinned Irishmen and women. And yes I did take this picture on my phone and yes it it is Sicily not the Bahamas.
Be sure to check out part two of our City tour coming next week. |