Blog Archives

most of a chair

This? Oh, just part of a chair.

Part of a chair that’s suspended from a window.

Part of a chair that’s suspended from a window in the usual fashion.

Hardly even worth mentioning, really.

Monreale, Sicily
photographed 1.30.2025

two saints and jesus

Yesterday I posted a photo of ancient Roman tiles on the floor of a villa.

Here’s more tile, this time Byzantine glass mosaics dating from the late 12th and the mid-13th centuries. These mosaics (6,500 m2; 70,000 square feet) cover the interior of the Duomo de Monreale, which is considered to be one of the finest examples of existing Norman architecture. Work on the cathedral was begun in 1174.

Fact check: According to a legend, William II of Sicily fell asleep under a carob tree while hunting in the woods near Monreale. The Holy Virgin appeared to him in dream, suggesting that he should build a church there. After removing the tree, a treasure was found in its roots, whose golden coins were used to finance the construction. It is more likely that the church was part of a plan of large construction in competition with the bishop of Palermo, who had ordered the large Cathedral of Palermo.

Duomo de Monreale
Montreale, Sicily
photographed 1.30.2025

lemon gelato

This woman and I crossed paths that day, each of us taking in the Cattedrale di Santa Maria Nuova di Monreale. After that, she sat in the sun and had a lemon gelato, while a couple of little girls played.

Truly, this simple scene means as much to me as the magnificence of the cathedral.

Monreale, Sicily
photographed 1.30.2025