On the promontory to the south-west of Palermo, a stone's throw from the city, stands the imposing Cathedral of Monreale. What binds this ancient church to the city of Palermo is a history made of mysteries and dominations. It was the ninth century when the Saracens conquered the island leaving the local population an ephemeral freedom of worship. The relationship of these foreign rulers with the locals initially seemed peaceful and free of conflict, but the idyll did not last long. Over the years, the first tensions came to the surface and resulted completely when, in 1174, the Norman king William II of Hauteville planned the erection of a new and sumptuous Monreale cathedral. The project literally shook the diocese of Palermo, frightened by the importance and majesty of this project. The church that resulted from the initial project did not in fact betray the expectations of its supporters: the Cathedral of Monreale still remains one of the most impressive and majestic traces of the Norman domination on the Sicilian territory. If the church amazes already at first glance, it is its interiors that leave its visitors literally speechless: gold, mosaics as far as the eye can see, references to Norman, Arab and Byzantine art make this church a 'unicum' of its kind and still make it one of the unmissable stages of your stay in Palermo.

The Sicilian cannolo is one of the most famous and disputed desserts of Sicilian pastry. Anyone who has visited this wonderful island at least once cannot fail to have tasted such a delicacy! A waffle of fried dough on the outside, a heart of creamy ricotta on the inside, a rain of chopped pistachio and you're done! If originally the cannolo was mainly prepared by Sicilian women on the occasion of the carnival, in February, nowadays we find it always and everywhere, in any month of the year and in every corner of the city and the island! The name 'cannolo' certainly derives from the river reeds on which the dough was once wrapped before the fundamental passage of frying, but the origin of the cannolo itself still remains a real mystery. One thing is certain, the first hints of this dessert have been found in works dating back to the time of Cicerone! Despite its ancient origin, cannolo remains today a cornerstone of Sicilian cuisine and more generally of the Italian one... a recommendation: it is practically forbidden to leave Palermo without first having eaten at least a dozen!