Fotografia – Nicolò Carnesi (Bellissima Noia, 2016)
12 Marzo 2018
“E do un altro sguardo al futuro che anche se non mi sorride mi permette di rinascere ancora… io che mi sento una fotografia”
Our second day in Palermo began with a visit to the Palazzo dei Normanni and the Capella Palatina. On our way to the Palazzo, we passed a special set of houses, that were said to be the aftermath of bombings during the Second World War. After seeing this sight, I questioned myself, wondering if they remained untouched because of negligence to rebuild or to remind people of what happened in Palermo during WWII. We then proceeded to the Palazzo dei Normanni and the Cappella Palatina, where we saw some beautiful mosaics and shared a bible story from the book of Genesis that was depicted on the chapel ceiling. This site is also, once again, a UNESCO World Heritage site, the list keeps growing! I took videos of the palace and the chapel, but I also caught a cool Polaroid of Professoressa Gavioli and Frankie sitting on the steps of the palace.
Our next stop was the home of author Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, which is also currently home to the Duke and Duchess di Lampedusa. We were luckily able to get a tour of the house and see original manuscripts of Il Gattopardo. We were surprised by a lovely rain shower as we left Lampedusa’s home. We ended up soaked but happy! I also witnessed one of the best sights my own two little eyes ever saw, as the rain paused and we were getting ready to head back to the hotel, Professoressa Gavioli stopped to tell us about a street that once served as a place for widowed women, excluded from social events during their period of mourning, would watch these events take place while remaining secluded from the public eye. As Prof.ssa Gavioli was telling us about how the gates that led to this street were always closed, she noticed the gates were open. Her face immediately lit up despite being soaked by the unexpected showers, ended her sentence mid sentence and took off towards the Passegiata delle Cattive saying “Follow me!” From this street, we were also able to see the front side of the Albergo Trinacria, where Don Fabrizio passed away in Part VII of Il Gattopardo.
Via Vittorio Emanuele was a street full of surprises all throughout the trip. I saw this cool little wheel barrel full of flowers outside of a flower shop!
Our final tour was of La Zisa palace, another Arabic-Norman styled structured that remains in tact in Palermo. On our way to the actual palace, we walked through a neighborhood located outside of the city center, which was an interesting change in atmosphere. I didn’t get pictures of the Zisa, because I took videos instead, but it too was another UNESCO site! I was sweating nervously at this point in the trip, as I felt the need to see ALL of the sites in Palermo before leaving the city! Below is also an interesting image of an abandoned house, I am still unsure if the structure was once again a remnant of the WWII bombings, or if it was just an old palazzo in need of being reconstructed.
