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Visit Monreale
The town of Monreale is situated in north-east Sicily, close to Palermo.
Monreale is best known and most visited for the extensive cathedral complex, with the town later developing around the cathedral: see Monreale cathedral for extensive details of the cathedral.
After exploring the cathedral, we suggest spending some time exploring the region around Monreale - the surroundings of the town have considerable cultural and landscape charm.
Going up to “San Martino delle Scale” by a scenic route we can glimpse the so-called “Castellaccio”, a monastery that has the appearance of a fortress dating back to the XIII century and that the Benedictines of Monreale used as a hospital.
Nearby there is also the village of “San Martino delle Scale”, in which there is another Benedictine monastery, probably founded by Gregory the Great (540-604) in the sixth century, rebuilt in the 14th century and completed in the late 18th century by Giuseppe Venanzio Marvuglia (1729-1814). The church, with an interesting Renaissance façade, hold some paintings by famous painters such as the Sicilian "Zoppo di Gangi"(1588-1630) and Pietro Novelli (1603-1647), a painter born in Monreale.
As we saw in the Cathedral of Monreale, the mosaic is the predominant art form in Monreale and the ancient traditions of this technique are still taught today. You can find some craftsmen that still produce works of taste and quality, found in many workshops around Monreale.
A cultural event of great prestige is the “Week of Sacred Music”, held in early November. At this time the cathedral brings together orchestras and choirs from around the world.
Finally, with regard to the local traditions it should be said that Monreale and the “Valle del Belice” produce excellent wines, at an international level. For those who like a particular food it is possible to find restaurants offering both traditional dishes of Sicilian cuisine and of Arab derivation. Some local specialties are the so-called "fritter"or pancakes made of chickpea flour flavored with parsley and fennel grains, the traditional bread of Monreale, a very popular product throughout the province, and finally the biscuits Monreale, such as the “Reginelle” with the sesame, and the “Algerians” with icing sugar.
See also Monreale history and etymology.
See the the Sicily travel guide for more places to visit in the same region as Monreale.