Enjoy this 2-hour guided tour which will take you to the beautiful town of Monreale, about 45 minutes car drive from Palermo. There, you will visit the majestic Cathedral of Monreale, considered the finest example of Norman architecture in Sicily and one of the most impressive architectural legacies of the Italian Middle Ages. The work was begun in 1174 by William II, and in 1182 the church, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, was, by a bull of Pope Lucius III, elevated to the rank of a metropolitan cathedral. Nowadays, its size is 102 meters (334 feet) long and 40 meters wide (131 feet). It is, however, to a large extent (6,500 m2) the impressive glass mosaics covering the interior which makes this church so splendid. With the exception of a high dado, made of marble slabs with bands of mosaic between them, the whole interior surface of the walls, including soffits and jambs of all the arches, is covered with minute mosaic-pictures in bright colors on a gold ground.  Follow the steps of your expert guide, learn about the fascinating history of this cathedral and explore its beautiful geometric garden. Ready to enjoy a truly stunning gem of Italian, and particulary Sicilian, architecture?