Sicilian Expedition - Palermo, Saluntum, and the Voyage Home

We closed our Sicilian Expedition with a final stop in Palermo and nearby Saluntum. Above is pictured the Duomo di Monreale, built between 1174 and 1182. This was the last great Norman church built in Sicily. The walls are lined with over 5,000 pounds of gold, and the columns are spoliated from older Roman structures.

Here, I am standing on the top of the Cathedral, overlooking Palermo.

We then went a short distance to visit the site of Saluntum, a Phoenician and Greco-Roman settlement that was occupied until the early 3rd century AD.

Adam and several students examine what remains of a theater.

The site overlooked a large bay. Since it was exposed on the peak of a mountain, it was quite windy and cold. I can't imagine living on the mountain during the winter. It was cold enough in the spring. Perhaps that is why the settlement was eventually abandoned.

After that final site visit we went back to Palermo, had some free time in which I bought dinner, and embarked on our return home.