The cloisters of Monreale Cathedral are among the finest Romanesque cloisters in Europe. A square garden is surrounded by 228 paired columns — no two pairs alike — each carved with intricate decorative patterns: geometric interlace, plant forms, figures of animals and saints, and in some cases with glass mosaic inlay in Arab style. The variety is extraordinary; you can spend a long time moving slowly around the arcade finding new details.
The cloisters were built at the same time as the cathedral, in the late 12th century, and represent the same synthesis of traditions. The fountain in the southwest corner — a cluster of columns surrounding a carved basin with water flowing down — is particularly fine. The cloisters require a separate ticket from the cathedral; both are worth having.