PalermoPalermo is the regional capital of Sicily.
Why you should visit
Norman, Arab and Liberty styles stand side by side in the central streets, the theatres and gardens, ancient doorways and the markets ringing with the cries of stall owners in Palermo. Originally a Greek and Roman town, then an Arab capital rich with mosques and gardens, and subsequently conquered by the Normans and then the Swabians, the ancient Panormus (“all port”) has always been strategically important for merchant and commercial traffic and its multi-ethnic past has left fascinating traces. It is a city of great charm which shines under the southern sun, lively, occasionally chaotic, lying between the Tyrrhenean sea and the harsh Monte Pellegrino and surrounded by the luxuriant Golden Horn valley filled with orange groves.
When to go and why
Spring and autumn are the best times of the year to visit Palermo, while the feast day of Santa Rosalia, the patron saint, offers an ideal occasion to go in the summer, as do any of the plentiful events that animate the city.
What there is to see
The variety of influences can be seem in the cathedral, a majestic twelfth century building that has been reshaped on numerous occasions, with an eighteenth century dome and a mediaeval bell tower. Originally a basilica, it was turned into a mosque by the Arabs and then reverted back to being a place of Christian worship at the hands of the Normans. The cathedral is embellished with bifore windows, towers and gothic decorations and houses the relics of Saint Rosalia, the city’s patron saint. It also contains the tombs of the emperors, including Roger II and Frederick II, the cultural patron of the entire south of Italy.
Nearby is the Norman Palace (also known as the Royal Palace). This, too, is a former Arab building and the traditional seat of power: it contains the Palatina chapel, one of the most distinguished monuments from the Norman period. The Byzantine influenced mosaics set into a gold background, together with the church of Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio, are masterpieces that make Palermo an unmissable experience.
The elegant Martorana with its high bell tower and arcades dates from the Norman period, while the Pretoria fountain that takes up almost the entire Piazza Pretoria, is Baroque. The street that leads away from the cathedral to Martorana runs across Piazza Vigliena, which is known as “Quattro canti” because of the crossroads formed by Via Maqueda and Via Vittorio Emanuele and is decorated with seventeenth century statuary and fountains.
The Town Hall looking onto Piazza della Pretoria was built in 1643 and there is a splendid sixteenth century fountain made up of no less than 644 marble groups. The streets in this quarter of the city have Italian, Arab and Jewish names. From here you can head down to the sea, passing through the Vuccirìa, the city’s oldest and liveliest market in Piazza Domenico, which also contains the church of San Domenico, one of the most interesting Baroque buildings in Palermo.
Another religious building from the Norman era is the deconsecrated church of San Giovanni degli Eremiti. This twelfth century church, with its red Moorish domes, was built on the foundations of an ancient mosque.
Palazzo Notarbartolo Greco can be found in the heart of the old town, and nearby is the imposing fourteenth century Steri building (the name comes from hosterium, meaning fortified building), which was formerly the prison and courthouse and which today accommodates the university chancellery.
Also in the vicinity is the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, known as la Gancia, which has a Gothic door, and Palazzo Abatellis, now the site of the Galleria Regionale di Sicilia, which displays art works and paintings dating from the middle ages to the 1700s.
The church of Santa Maria della Catena in the old port was built towards the end of the fifteenth century and shows Gothic-Catalan and Renaissance influences.
The more modern part of Palermo is located on the other side of the city. Passing the Neoclassical Massimo theatre, one of the Europe’s most elegant lyric halls, we come to the city’s second theatre built in Piazza Politeama in the mid-nineteenth century in the Pompeian style. Following the tree lined and shady Via Libertà brings you among the city’s nineteenth-century and liberty architectural triumphs, symbolised by the splendid squared and animated streets.
The Botanical Gardens in Via Lincoln are among the most famous in Europe thanks to its collection of plants from all over the world (for opening times, see www.aapit.pa.it). Farther from the centre are the Zisa (in the piazza of the same name) and the Cuba (in Corso Calatafimi), both Moorish buildings erected during the reign of William II.
Room with a view
Palermo offers a wide range of accommodation to meet all needs: from hotels with views of the gulf to residences, bed & breakfasts and campsites. There are also a large number of farmhouses outside the city that guarantee a peaceful holiday among the fruit trees.
Not to be missed
The shopping on Via Maqueda, Via Roma and Via Libertà is unmissable but it is also pleasant to enjoy the bustling food markets such as Vuccirìa or Ballarò.
A visit to Papireto near to the Norman Palace is a must for antique lovers, and you should take the opportunity to see the fascinating ceramics and pick up one of the traditional Pupi puppets. No holiday in Palermo would be complete without a visit to the city’s oldest ice-cream shop on the waterfront to try the intriguing scurzunera (jasmine) flavoured ice cream.
Food and drink
Fish is at the heart of Palermitan cuisine, from tuna to swordfish to the oily fish that inhabit the waters around the city, although fresh garden produce is also typical and aubergine is used in many pasta dishes. Typical dishes include pasta with sardines, seafood soups and arancini, balls of rice and meat. The fishermen who dock in the bay get their strength back with pane c’a meusa, bread and spleen, occasionally sprinkled with grated smoked ricotta.
Arab influence is also evident in the cookery: Palermitans make much use of chickpeas, spices and, in their desserts, almonds and pistachio nuts.
The desserts in particular are not only delicious to eat, but are also beautiful to behold, like the frutta martorana, coloured almond paste shaped to look like different fruits, or the minnidi vergini (virgins’ breasts), filled with jasmine zuccata (pumpkin flesh).
Cassata palermitana (“scodella” in Arabic) is the typical dessert eaten at Easter and gets the prize for taste and gluttony – pan di spagna with a rich ricotta-based filling, covered with white icing and coloured candied fruit. Palermo is also famous for its ice-cream made with dried or fresh fruit and flowers and “granita”, a semi-frozen dessert made with sugar, water and assorted flavourings (among which coffee and almond stand out).
The province also has two DOC wines: Contessa Entellina and Monreale.
Surrounding area
The surrounding area is enchanting, particularly Mondello, an elegant bathing spot 10 km away where the “polipari” sell freshly boiled and chopped octopus, seasoned with lemon juice and served in big ceramic plates, and Terrasini where the Sicilian Cart Museum is located. The seventeenth century villas of the Palermitan elite can be found at Bagheria and include the Villa Palagonia, known as “Monster’s Villa” because of the strange stone statues, and Villa Cattolica which houses an art gallery containing works by Renato Gattuso. The promontory of Solunto boasts a wonderful sea view as well as Greek and Roman ruins. Finally there is the splendid cathedral of Monreale with its precious mediaeval mosaics set in gold.
Useful information
Frequent bus services provide a convenient link between the city and the beaches. It is worthwhile parking your car and using public transport. The ideal way to unwind after a morning spent among the churches and museums is a swim and a spot of sunbathing on the beaches that are a stone’s throw away from the city.
Special events
Santa Rosalia is the patron saint of Palermo and her feast day (‘u fistinu in Sicilian dialect) falls in July. It is a huge festival lasting for five days from the 10th to the 15th and also attracts the religious and merely curious from all over the province. The festival, which features in the stories of the great travellers of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, is one of the oldest and most popular on the Mediterranean and is famous for its opulence throughout Europe.
Another important international event is the Mediterranean Fair, held in the spring, while the Targa Florio is a must for rally lovers.
