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 | Abruzzo Basilicata Calabria Campania Emilia Romagna Friuli Venezia Giulia Lazio Liguria Lombardia Le Marche Molise Piemonte Puglia Sardinia Sicily Palermo Bagheria Cefalu Tuscany Trentino Alto Adige Umbria Valle D Aosta Veneto | | PalermoItaly > Sicily > PalermoPalermo (population 680,000) is the principal city and administrative seat of the autonomous region of Sicily, Italy. The Cathedral has a heliometer (solar "observatory") of 1690, one of a number built in Italy in the 17th and 18th centuries. The device itself is quite simple: a tiny hole in one of the minor domes acts as Pinhole camera, projecting an image of the sun onto the floor at solar noon (12:00 in winter, 13:00 in summer). There is a bronze line, la Meridiana on the floor, running precisely N/S. The ends of the line mark the positions as at the summer and winter solstices; signs of the zodiac show the various other dates throughout the year. The purpose of the instrument was to standardise the measurement of time and the calendar. The convention in Sicily had been that the (24 hour) day was measured from the moment of sun-rise, which of course meant that no two locations had the same time and, more importantly, did not have the same time as in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. It was also important to know when the Vernal Equinox occurred, to provide the correct date for Easter. The "solar clock" can be up to 16 minutes fast or slow. The reason for this is explained fully in Main Articles Analemma and Equation of time, but can be summarised thus: the earth rotates on its axis every 24 hours but it also orbits the sun. Thus the sun will appear directly over the same spot increasingly early (or late) each day. The correct track to draw on the ground is a figure 8 rather than a line. One site of interest is the Capuchin Catacombs, with many mummified corpses in varying degrees of preservation. Close to the city is 600 meter high Monte Pellegrino, with spectacular views of the city, its surrounding mountains and the ocean. The astonishing stucco work of the baroque sculptor Giacomo Serpotta can be seen in many of the city's churches but his masterpiece must be the Oratorio del Rosario in Santa Cita (or Santa Zita). Pages referring to PalermoHere are links to a selection of pages that mention Palermo within this website: Cefalu Content Referred to by This ArticleFind out more about the information contained in this article by clicking one of the links listed below. Sicily Snippets of Articles Relating to PalermoItaly > Sicily > Palermo > Cefalu Cefalù is an ancient city in the province of Palermo, in Sicily, Italy. It is located on the north coast between Palermo and Messina, has about 50,000 inhabitants and is one of the major touristic attractions in the region. It has Roman baths, an ancient cathedral, marvellous beaches in the zone and is a tranquil city full of history. Italy > Sicily The volcano Etna, is situated close to Catania. Etna is 3,320 m (10,900 ft) high, making it the tallest volcano in Europe. It is also one of the world's most active volcanos. Italy > Sicily > Catania Catania is the second largest city of Sicily with 306,464 inhabitants, has the second highest population density on the island and is the capital of the province which bears its name. It is located on the east coast of the island, half way between Messina and Siracuse and is at the foot of the active volcano Mount Etna. | |
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