Buon giorno,
The promised rain finally arrived, and I breakfasted to the sounds of a thunderstorm and gently falling rain. But it cleared up. I see dark clouds though, so I'm hopeful for more precipitation. But the morning was cool and the air fresh when I set out and the sun shone nicely.
Because of the rain I planned another indoor activity, and it is another art museum housed in the Palazzo Abatellis. Unlike yesterday, I had no problems finding it. The neighborhood it's in is close to the harbor, and seems more quiet and refined than a lot of Palermo.
The palazzo dates from the late Fifteenth Century, and after the family died out was given to the Dominican Order as a monastery. The building had to be extensively restored after the Second World War and became a museum.
The museum houses a fine collection of Late Medieval, Early Renaissance, and Mannerist art. It is all religious, by the way, but I have a taste for such things. The ground floor is largely given over to some beautiful sculptures and altarpieces. Some are marble. Some are wood polychrome.
Upstairs is the collection of paintings. When I was there the museum was quiet, and I enjoyed the works more than I did the ones at the Modern Art Museum, but I know what I'm looking at. I recognize the depictions of Bible stories and can identify saints by their iconography.
I also had a walk around the cortile garden. My timing was good though because just as I was leaving a large, noisy school party arrived.
On my way home I stopped in at a bakery and bought some bread for breakfast as I had run out. The small loaf cost me only seventy euro cents.
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