Palermo

Palermo (Sicilian: Palermu) is on the northern coast of the Italian island of Sicily. It is a city with a thousand years of history, beautiful Arab-Norman architecture, amazing food, and lively neighbourhoods. It is a bit scruffy around the edges, but a visit of a few days will make you want to stay for weeks.

Understand


It's the capital city of the autonomous region of Sicily and of its own province. The city's economy is based on local government institutions, port, shipbuilding industry and the mechanical industry. It is also seat to some important Sicilian wine-making companies (like Tasca d'Almerita, Duca di Salaparuta, Corvo, and Planeta) whose popularity in the world is growing.

History
Capital of Sicily, founded by Phoenicians under the name of Ziz (= Flower, but the meaning is still doubtful), later renamed by Greeks Panormos, which means "all port". It reached its golden age during the Arab domination (from 9th to 11th centuries AD) when it became one of the most prosperous cities in the Mediterranean and Europe, known as "city of delights" for its marvelous and lavish gardens, as well as for magnificent mosques and palaces.

After being conquered by the Normans (1060-1080 AD), most of palaces and mosques were destroyed, but the new rulers exploited the cosmopolitan environment of Palermo and the artists, architects and masters from different cultural roots giving the birth to a unique architectural style, the so-called "Arab-Norman Style of Sicily", which is an original mixture of arabesque decorations, Romanesque architecture and Byzantine mosaics. After being home to one of the most famous Emperors of the Middle Ages, Frederick II of Swabia, named "Stupor Mundi" by contemporaries, Palermo began its decadence under the influence of several dominations (French, Aragonese, Spanish and Bourbons from Naples.

In the middle of 19th century, during the so-called "Italian Risorgimento" Palermo was one of the leading revolutionary cities in Italy, strongly contributing to the success of the Thousand patriots' expedition lead by the famous Italian national hero Giuseppe Garibaldi, which ended with the reunification of Italy under the Savoy dynasty from Turin (1860).

Nowadays Palermo faces several problems affecting its economic development, mainly because of the presence of the very powerful criminal organization known worldwide as "Mafia" or "Cosa Nostra".

By ferry
Ferries steam between the port of Palermo and the following several Italian ports on a regular basis: Genoa, Civitavecchia, Naples and Cagliari (Sardinia). International routes are available from Valletta (Malta) and Tunis (Tunisia).

By train
There are overnight through trains from Rome, Naples and even Milan via the train ferry across the strait of Messina. The main railway station,, is located at Piazza Giulio Cesare.

On foot
Although Palermo is a fair-sized city, most of the interesting sites around the centre can easily be reached on foot.

By bicycle
There are a large number of bicycles and e-scooters for hire across the city. These include Lime, RideMovi and others. Prices vary.

By bus
Get a 24-hour ticket for €4. Many buses run on Via Roma. You can take the "Free Centro Storico" bus to move around the old town; it covers all the main touristic areas. To go to Piazzale Indipendenza, take bus 109 from the station. If you want to go to Mondello, take the bus 389. You can also use the mobile app Moovit to browse all the urban lines and plan your trips around the city.

See
Because of its variety of monuments, attesting to its long and rich history, and the number of other cultural and naturalistic attractions, Palermo can offer a very interesting experience to the visitor interested in exploring it. The Cathedral of Monreale, the Royal Palace and Palatine Chapel, the Church of San Giovanni degli Eremiti, the Church of Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio, the Church of San Cataldo, the Palermo Cathedral, the Zisa Palace and the Admiral’s Bridge, comprise together with the cathedral in Cefalù the world heritage site “Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale”.


 * The Gesu Church is one of the most architecturally important in Palermo. Constructed between 1564–1633, its late date of completion resulted in an abundant use of polychrome marbles on both floors and walls. This form of decoration, which gradually evolved in Sicily from the beginning of the 17th century, was a mark of the beginning of the Sicilian Baroque period, which was to give Sicily almost an architectural national identity. The church has a modest facade and it's hidden in back street in central Palermo, unlike the great cathedral this one you have to look for.
 * Quattro Canti - the symbolic crossroads at the old centre of the city and the nearby small, but pretty La Martorana church with Byzantine mosaics inside.
 * Piazza Garraffello near Vucciria on Friday nights a DJ is playing open air if the weather is good. Huge crowd dancing. There are also lots of bars right next to the square.
 * The Zisa and the Cuba, Arabic-Norman royal palaces. The Zisa is in Piazza Zisa; the Cuba in Corso Calatafimi.
 * The Zisa and the Cuba, Arabic-Norman royal palaces. The Zisa is in Piazza Zisa; the Cuba in Corso Calatafimi.
 * The Zisa and the Cuba, Arabic-Norman royal palaces. The Zisa is in Piazza Zisa; the Cuba in Corso Calatafimi.



Do

 * Football: Palermo FC play soccer in Serie B, the second tier. Their home ground Stadio Renzo Barbera (capacity 36,300) is 5 km north of city centre.

Learn
International House Language Centre is right in the centre near Piazza Politeama (via Q. Sella 70). International House has teachers with years of experience. Each year it welcomes Italian language students from every corner of the globe. Its Italian language courses can be combined with traditional cooking lessons, scuba diving sessions and tours of the city and the island. The school was founded in 1975 and is also a centre of excellence for English language teaching. Free Wi-fi available for tourists and students.

Buy
The "Pizzo free" shops are a group of shopkeepers that refuse to pay the racket to the Mafia. The Palermitan consumers sustain them by going shopping in their stores. These shops are easily recognisable by a sticker in the shop/restaurant window.

Eat
Try specialties of Palermo like panino con la milza or panelle, in one of the many sandwich stands in the old city centre.

Stay safe
Palermo is a quite safe city during the day but it can be an intimidating city at night, especially on week days in the winter, when there are not many students, visitors and locals around. Even if crimes against visitors are quite rare, just remember that:
 * Use common sense all day but especially after dark, especially outside the main streets and if you are a woman
 * You should book an hotel/B&B in the city centre (the areas around Piazza Ruggero Settimo, Fontana della Ninfa and Piazza Giuseppe Verdi are fine), both for security reasons and also because public transportation between the city centre and suburbs is not reliable at night. Accommodation in Palermo is quite cheap compared to Italian and European standards, even in the best areas.

During the day just remember to be aware of pickpockets on the streets and city buses as well as motorcycle-riding snatch thieves targeting handbags, wallets and mobile phones.

In summer the city centre of Palermo is safe even during the night, as there are hundreds of bars and pubs open all night and many people around. However don't forget to use common sense.

Driving and crossing the streets in Palermo is quite dangerous as the rules of the road are not followed. Also remember that vehicle theft is a major problem in Italy, but, as evinced by latest figures made available by Italian Police, Palermo is safer than Rome, Naples, Milan, Bari, Catania and Turin, but if you want avoid any risk so the use of private, secure car parks is to be preferred. If you've rented a car, your insurance may not be valid if you do not park in a secure car park.

Connect
As of Sept 2021, Palermo has 4G from Iliad, TIM and Wind Tre, and 5G from Vodafone.

Cope
Palermo's main APT Tourist Office is located at Piazza Castelnuovo 35, open M-F 08:00-20:00 and Sa 08:00-14:00. English spoken. A branch of the tourist office also exists at the airport. Get a free map from one of the blue information booths.

Train
Catania - ~ 3 hours

Agrigento - 2h 4min

Syracuse - ~ 4h 30min

Other places easily reached by train are Cefalù, Milazzo (for the Aeolian Islands), Messina, Trapani and Enna.

Bus
Taormina a beautiful hilltop town near Mount Etna with beautiful Greek ruins and beaches nearby.