Elegant Norman city located 8 km southwest of Palermo, nestled at the foot of Mount Caputo, on a promontory dominating the Valley of the Oreto and the Conca D'Oro, Monreale is the main tourist center of the capital, renowned for the splendor and beauty of its masterpieces, especially the superb and dazzling Cathedral.
The city was founded in the 12th century around the Benedictine Abbey, now called the Guglielmo II Monumental Complex, with the settlement of religious orders, followed by the construction, between the 17th and 18th centuries, of various ecclesiastical structures. Since the late 12th century, Monreale was surrounded by high walls, interspersed with towers, with the aim of defending the abbey complex.
Among other monuments of great artistic value in the historic center of Monreale are: The Cloister of the Benedictines, which, in size and richness, evokes Islamic courtyards, remaining intact to this day, a place of silence and prayer considered one of the most suggestive sites in the world. It still maintains its original square-shaped structure, punctuated by 26 original arches resting on slender paired columns. The Guglielmo II Monumental Complex, which dominates the square of the same name with its imposing façade, is the seat of the Municipal Civic Gallery "Giuseppe Sciortino," housing paintings by modern and contemporary artists. From this building, crossing an arch, one enters a large rectangular courtyard, beyond which is the Belvedere, a public garden from which you can admire the splendid panorama of the Conca D'Oro and the city of Palermo. The prestigious Santa Maria la Nuova Municipal Library.
And still, in the central Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, you can admire the former Royal Palace, now the seat of the Municipality of Monreale, with its eighteenth-century facade, which incorporates the structures of the ancient Norman palace of Guglielmo II, originally connected to the Cathedral. In the same square stands the Fountain of the Triton, a work by the Palermo sculptor Mario Rutelli, symbolizing the victory of man over brute forces.
Among other historical buildings, there is the former Hospital "Santa Caterina," now the seat of Casa Cultura, located along Corso Pietro Novelli, where the library with modern collections and the municipal historical archive are housed. Along the panoramic road Rocca-Monreale, you can find various fountains, including: the Fisherman's Fountain, the Dragon Fountain, the Hemicycle Fountain, and the Fountain of the Albergo dei Poveri.
