WHAT TO SEE IN PALERMO?

Itineraries in Palermo

1) Palermo Cathedral

The Cathedral of the Holy Virgin Mary of the Assumption, or simply Palermo Cathedral, is the main place of worship in the city of Palermo! Since July 3, 2015, it has been part of the serial site UNESCO: Arab-Norman Palermo and the cathedrals of Cefalù and Monreale! The city's main patron saint is Santa Rosalia to whom the chapel on the southern side is dedicated. The silver reliquary ark of the patron saint, made between 1631 and 1637, is an extraordinary masterpiece of the decorative arts, the highest expression of Sicilian Baroque, a highly refined work of skilled Palermo hands and a processional monument. The interior of the Basilica has a Latin cross plan with three naves divided by pillars with statues of saints. The exterior of the Cathedral offers, in addition to the main facade, three elevations of rare beauty. The four corner bell towers rise according to the architectural canons of the Norman-Gothic style. On display in the Sacristy is the "cathedral treasure": sacred vestments from the 16th to 18th centuries, fabrics, chalices, the gold tiara of Constance of Aragon, a splendid example of medieval jewelry with enamel, embroidery, gems and pearls. Spiral staircases provide access to the terraces: a visit to the exterior upper rooms allows a full view of the city skyline! The crypt contains sarcophagi from different eras!

2) Pretoria Square and the 4 Canti

Pretoria Square, or Piazza della Vergogna, is located a few meters from the Quattro Canti, the exact center of the historic city of Palermo. In the center of the square is the Pretoria fountain by Francesco Camilliani made in 1554. Three sides of the square are enclosed by buildings: the Praetorian Palace, seat of the municipality, the church of St. Catherine of Alexandria, and two baronial palaces: palazzo Bonocore and palazzo Bordonaro. Quattro Canti is the name of the octagonal square at the intersection of Palermo's two main thoroughfares: the Via Maqueda and the Cassaro. The architecture of the square is very simple, representing a perfect octagon formed by four buildings alternating with street outlets.

3) Maximus Theater

The Teatro Massimo Vittorio Emanuele, known simply as Palermo's Teatro Massimo, is the largest opera house in Italy and among the largest in Europe. Halls, galleries and monumental staircases form an architectural complex of enormous proportions. Neoclassical-eclectic in style, it stands on the site of the Church of the Stigmata and the Monastery of San Giuliano, which were demolished in the late 19th century to make way for the grandiose building. On the pediment of the facade can be read the motto "Art renews peoples and reveals their life. Vain of scenes the delight where it does not aim to prepare the future." In the Pompeian hall, one can see a very special resonance effect, purposely achieved by the architect through a slight asymmetry of the hall, such that those in the exact center of the hall have the perception of hearing their own voice amplified out of all proportion, while in the rest of the room the resonance is enormous and such that it is impossible to understand from outside the rotunda what is being said inside.

4) Mondello

Mondello is a seaside hamlet and tourist resort of Palermo; it lies around a bay enclosed by Mount Pellegrino and Mount Gallo and is detached from the city center by means of the Favorita Park. The beach is considered the most famous in the capital and one of Sicily's most coveted coastlines on the national and international scene. It is also one of the capitals of Art Nouveau in Italy and the Mediterranean, thanks to the private Art Nouveau villas built during the 20th century. Mondello's coastline is characterized by fine, soft sand of a light-colored, organic nature, dotted with tiny fragmented shells; in fact, the beach arises from the decomposition of the many mollusks that live in the posidonia forest in the center of the gulf. Among the most iconic Art Nouveau buildings is the Antico Stabilimento Balneare one of the most beautiful Art Nouveau architectural works in Europe!

5) Cefalù and the Rock

Cefalù is one of Sicily's most famous seaside towns, located on the northern Sicilian coast, about 70 km from Palermo, it represents one of the largest seaside resorts in the entire region; despite its size, every year it attracts a huge flow of local, national and foreign tourists, who, in the summer period, reach three times the population! The town, which is part of the Madonie Park, is included in the club of The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy, and its cathedral has been included in the UNESCO of Arab-Norman Palermo and the cathedrals of Cefalù and Monreale. The town, in its medieval core, is located under the rock of Cefalù, which dominates it and together with the cathedral characterizes its so recognizable profile. According to legend, the cathedral of Cefalù arose as a result of a vow made to the Most Holy Savior by Roger II, who escaped a storm and landed on the town's beaches. The real motivation seems rather political-military in nature, given its fortress-like character. On Vittorio Emanuele Street is the public washhouse known as the Lavatoio medioevale, which features a lava stone staircase leading to a series of tanks that are filled with water flowing from twenty-two cast-iron mouths. The Mandralisca Museum houses 15th-century paintings and other archaeological finds, as well as the very famous Portrait of an Unknown Sailor, a painting by Antonello da Messina.

6) Isola delle Femmine Reserve

The Isola delle Femmine Oriented Nature Reserve is a protected natural area located on the islet of the same name located about three hundred meters from the coast overlooking the municipality of Isola delle Femmine. It was created to protect the local floristic heritage and to encourage the stopover of wildlife species that linger on the island in their migratory movements. The seabed, has several archaeological finds from the Roman and Greek periods. The clarity of the waters allows excellent viewing for divers who dive to enjoy the natural beauty of the island's seabed.

7) Monreale

Monreale is part of the site UNESCO of Arab-Norman Palermo and the cathedrals of Cefalù and Monreale, with which it forms a single urban agglomeration. The city of Monreale came into being with the Normans in the 12th century; its most representative building is the cathedral, which has a composite style, as it combines different tastes that hark back to Northern European architecture and Arab art. The two massive and solemn towers flanking the entrance portico do not retain their original form. The interior, illuminated by the magnificent mosaics glittering with gold, is Latin cross-shaped, with the naves divided by columns surmounted by a sequence of ogival arches.

8) Norman Palace

The Norman Palace, also known as the Royal Palace, is located in Palermo and is currently home to the Sicilian Regional Assembly. The palace is the oldest royal residence in Europe, home of the rulers of the Kingdom of Sicily, the imperial seat under Frederick II and Conrad IV and the historic Sicilian Parliament. It is part of the World Heritage UNESCO as part of the serial site "Arab-Norman Palermo and the cathedrals of Cefalù and Monreale." Externally, the building consists of multiple styles that blend on the different orders and the many facets of the various perspectives. The second level of the Loggia of Cortile Maqueda allows access to the Parliamentary Floor, which, through the Mattarella Corridor, allows the path between the rooms of the royal apartments. With access from the loggia on the first level of Cortile Maqueda, the Palatine Chapel, a three-aisled basilica dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul, is presented.

9) Piano Battaglia

Piano Battaglia is a hamlet of the municipality of Petralia Sottana, a holiday and winter sports resort. It is located in the heart of the Madonie massif, between the mountain complex of Pizzo Carbonara and Mount Mufara, in a landscape and environmental context of high value. With the construction of a cable car at the base of Mufara in the 1960s and then two ski lifts on Mufara, Piano Battaglia became the only ski resort in western Sicily. Piano Battaglia is home to a beautiful beech forest and is the starting point for countless hikes to be made in the high Madonie Mountains. Piano Battaglia is home to an interesting geological trail that offers the possibility of observing spectacular fossil coral formations from the Mesozoic, belonging to the domain of the Panoramide Carbonate Platform. Nestled between the mountains of Piano Battaglia is the small lake of Mandria del Conte, a perfect place for mountain walks in contact with nature.

10) Ficuzza Forest Nature Reserve

The Bosco della Ficuzza Oriented Nature Reserve is a protected natural area located in the municipality of Corleone.It is an area rich in streams with a torrential character, forming several natural ponds, the so-called "gorghi." The gorgo is a pond, usually temporary, with winter and spring flooding and summer dry phase. The best known natural or semi-natural gorges in the Ficuzza Forest are two: the Gorgo Lungo and the Gorgo Tondo, the latter also known as the Gorgo del Drago di Godrano. The Gorgo del Drago is a few hundred meters away from Gorgo Lungo and was once wide, though always shallow, and almost permanent. It was transformed in the early 1800s into a fish-farming pond for the amusement of King Ferdinand III of Sicily. The landscape is striking: the whirlpool is embedded in a wooded basin and is accessed by crossing a small, particularly wet valley and is home to the marsh turtle. The reserve is home to 80 percent of the animal species, including birds and wildlife, of the entire region.

11) Santa Flavia and Capo Zafferano

Santa Flavia is a seaside resort overlooking one of Sicily's most beautiful gulfs. Santa Flavia is known for Sant'Elia a smaller and more romantic Sicilian seaside village. Adding to the charm of the landscape is a small white house surrounded by the sea, with a classic sloping roof. In the village, in an inlet among the rocks, lies a charming cove. In the municipality of Santa Flavia also falls the area of Capo Zafferano, a small promontory that juts out into the Tyrrhenian Sea, from it, proceeding westward, begins the Gulf of Palermo on which the Conca d'Oro overlooks. At the end of the promontory is an active lighthouse that was a military garrison during the two world wars. The path leading to the promontory allows you to appreciate the mountain overhanging the sea and be in the company of numerous seagulls. In the Capo Zafferano area, there is the Lido del Carabiniere beach: a private equipped beach that can be accessed only by a modest fee.

12) Capo Gallo Reserve and Hermit's Semaphore

The Capo Gallo Oriented Nature Reserve is a protected natural area, located in the municipality of Palermo, its territory, whose extension is about 586 hectares, is characterized by a heterogeneity of habitats and the presence of numerous endemic species, which is why it is included in the list of sites of Community importance. The reserve area includes several caves of considerable archaeological interest due to the evidence of ancient civilizations found within them. Mount Gallo ends in a promontory, called Capo Gallo, on which there is a lighthouse marking its location. The promontory is located in the northwestern part of Palermo and separates the two gulfs of Mondello and Sferracavallo, which are home to the city's seaside districts of the same name. The coastal side of the Capo Gallo Reserve extends westward to Punta Barcarello and, given the karst nature of the rocks, the sea has molded them into the most bizarre shapes, forming a series of fascinating caves, such as the Oil Cave. In ancient times these caves were inhabited by man, and in some of them prehistoric graffiti and other archaeological finds of considerable importance have been discovered. At the top of the Capo Gallo Nature Reserve stands the semaphore of the Hermit building of Bourbon origin inhabited by a man named Nino, known as Isravele, who decided to lead a hermit's life.