Home /
Location Guide /
Sicily /
Palermo
The breathtaking city of Palermo in the region of Siciliy, Italy is home to a stretch of natural harbour avidly used since the ancient times of the Phoenicians.
Known as city that has seen the most conquests, the Palermitani, the city’s inhabitants, have seen the reign of the Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines and the Italian Kingdom in its long history.
A walk through its cobbletone streets will bring to mind a myriad of cultural influences. The Gesu Church is one of the main architectural marvels in the city from the 16th Century. Its marbled floors and walls on both floors and walls gradually evolved in Sicily from the beginning of the 17th century, marking the Sicilian Baroque period, which was to give Sicily almost an architectural national identity.
Visitors are also encouraged to stop by its Monreale Cathedral, the color of golden honey, another architectural feat. Influenced by the Catalan culture, the cathedral has a display of painstaking mosaics that bring to mine the Byzantine influence.
Closer to the old heart of the city of Palermo are the Quattro Canti, a gently sloping square that serves as the symblic crossroads most pedestrians face. Closeby are the tiny and quaint La Martorana church with its mosaic inlay. The mosaic art is also a common theme at the old Royal Apartments and the Capella Palatina located in the Palazzo dei Normanni.
For a walk down the corridor’s of the city’s fierce past, there is the Museo Archeologico, for artifacts and the the Catacombe dei Cappuccini, catacombs of the Capuchin convent which serves as the eternal resting place for mummified remains of former Palermitani.
For a lazy afternoon break, visit the street markets near the Piazza del Carmine and Vucciria, with a focaccia sandwich (usually the specialty of anchovies, onions, cheese and tomatoes) and a cool glass of local red wine. In Easter season, the piazza comes alive for the traditional dance of the devils with large iron masks representing the Christ’s passion.
