Main Street in Erice
The Hotel Elimo is where we stayed on the mountain top of St. Julius of Erice, Sicily. Erice is over 700 meters high, often enveloped in its own cloud cover.
Castle in Erice Sicily
This is one of two medieval castles protecting the walled border of Erice.
Private Residence
Most private homes in Erice have a walled and gated courtyard such as this one.
Mt. Cofano
Mt. Cofano as seen from the hilltop of Erice in the late afternoon sun. Pretty and statuesque! This is the mountain we hiked yesterday. To see more pictures of Mt. Cofano, visit the gallery which precedes this one.
Cathedral of Monreale
The Golden Mosaics within the Cathedral of Monreale were the highlight of our ventures today. Each small piece of tile was handcrafted, painted and laid by hand by French/Norman, Byzantine and Arab workers with the church, displaying architectural influence from all three cultures in an effort to unite the religious structure of the city. 42 biblical scenes were represented by the mosaics. The building of the church was started in 1174 and completed in 1185 by William II, Norman ruler of Sicily who defeated the Arabs and took back the area of Palermo/Monreale.
