On the third day of the trip, we visited the Benedictine cloister in Monreale. As we walked through the beautiful arcades of the cloister, I realized that the pillars were decorated with geometric patterns of inlaid stone. Upon seeing these patterns, I was taken by the beauty and simplicity of the decorative mosaics.

Upon our visit to La Zisa, I was struck by the palace’s intricate fountain system. I particularly liked the open room with a part of the fountain pictured above, for its beautiful wall decorations and varied use of tile. Above the fountain is a great feature of Islamic decoration — a gorgeous niche sculpted with a complex honeycomb pattern.

On the evening of the 1st day, we went to a traditional Sicilian puppet show (opera dei Pupi) in Palermo. The show was so loud that it scared some small children, who ended up having to leave! The show was a humorous take on the adventures of Orlando that was very well performed by the puppet masters!