Considered (rightly) one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Palermo is a city full of charm. Home over the centuries to Phoenicians, Normans and other illustrious peoples, its having been a crossroads of different cultures has made it a marvel of history, culture and architecture that it is today.
To visit it thoroughly, not even a week would be enough, but we will try to list the main points of interest to give priority to in the case of a visit of one or two days.
Wanting to hypothesize a walking itinerary from our Hotel Principe di Lampedusa, in a few minutes you arrive on Via Vittorio Emanuele, one of the main streets, following which you arrive at the Quattro Canti, where the Palermo baroque is revealed at its best in a suggestive artistic allegory of the four seasons.
Going forward you come to Piazza Pretoria, where the beautiful Renaissance fountain created by the sculptor Francesco Camilliani dominates; the numerous nudes represented here have led to this place also being called the “square of shame”.
Once you reach Piazza Bellini, you arrive at the Church of the Martorana and the Basilica of San Cataldo, buildings that bear the succession of different cultures in their architecture.
n essential and folkloristically genuine stop is the Vucciria market, a place of all the street food delights that Palermo is capable of offering: bread and panelle, arancine, pani ca’ meusa, cannoli with ricotta and so on and so forth.
From this picturesque popular setting you arrive at a decidedly more “intellectual” destination: the Teatro Massimo, one of the most famous monuments of Palermo, famous for being the largest opera house in Italy and for boasting some of the best acoustics in worldwide.
At the end of the mini-tour, we suggest entering the Cathedral of Palermo, which is also the result of different cultural and architectural currents. Its beauty and solemnity truly leave you breathless.
And for lovers of strong experiences, we highly recommend the Capuchin Catacombs, which houses the mummified remains of around 2000 people: the largest and most extraordinary collection of mummies in the world.
