Things to Do at La Martorana

La Martorana hits you like a kaleidoscope. Look up first, past the 18th century Baroque flourishes near the door, into a ceiling blazing with gold mosaics. Light slices through the windows, sparking tesserae that show Christ Pantocrator and episodes from the Virgin's life. The air stays cool, scented with old stone and beeswax, a sharp relief from the sticky heat and the Vespa roar outside Piazza Bellini. Footsteps hush across marble. Maybe another visitor whispers awe. This church, Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio, is a living timeline. You can watch Palermo's strata collide, Norman-Arab bones wearing later Baroque jewelry. The Normans, for whatever reason, kept the original 12th-century bell tower, a square stone guard detached from the body, hinting at the first, fortress-like design.

La Martorana perches on Piazza Bellini, dead center of old Palermo. Stay in the centro storico and the alleys will dump you here eventually. Getting lost is half the fun, past baroque balconies and street vendors. Taxi from Politeama is painless mid-range. Buses stop near Teatro Massimo. From there you stroll the Capo market lanes, dodging fish smells and vendor shouts.