Palermo restaurants., Capital of Culture 2018, is undoubtedly a splendid city. There are many beauties to admire: that's why we created this guide, to help you organize your trip in the best possible way, advising you what to see in Palermo and what to do.
What to visit in Palermo: places of interest
I places to visit in Palermo there are many, but we want to suggest some attractions in particular that you really can't miss. If you love cycling, there is a itinerary in Palermo also for this.
1 Church of the Martorana
The interiors of this Church will leave you speechless. Byzantine mosaics, considered the oldest in the Sicilia, frescoes and domes make it truly unique.
2 Cathedral of Palermo
It is a Gothic style Cathedral, inside which there are the tombs of the royals of Sicily and those of Santa Rosalia, Patroness of Palermo. To be included in the list "Palermo: what to see".
3 Norman Palace
It is one of the most famous monuments of Palermo, with its magnificent Byzantine mosaics. A few meters away you will also find the Archbishop's Palace , Church of San Giovanni degli Eremiti.
4 Quattro Canti
A square closed by four facades on which the dedications to four sovereigns, four patron saints and four seasons are shown. Nearby you will find another important square in Palermo, Square Pretoria, recognizable by the naked statues. It is precisely from this characteristic that it takes its name Square of Shame. These are precisely the main meeting points of the inhabitants of Palermo.
5 Palazzo Chiaramonte
Majestic and imposing, more like a real castle. Currently hosting the University of Palermo, but you can still visit it and admire the famous painting The Vucciria di Renato Gattuso kept inside.
6 Church of the Gesù
La Church of Jesus it is one of the most important baroque churches in the whole of Sicily. A visit to this sacred place is worth putting on your list."Things to do in Palermo".
Among the other important churches of Palermo we remember the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, Church of Santa Maria della Catena , Church of San Cataldo.
7 Massimo Opera House
Il Massimo Opera House it is the first largest opera house in Italy and third in Europe.
In the list “What to do in Palermo” should not be missing:
- a visit tobotanical garden, which is among the most interesting in all of Europe;
- a visit to Puppet Museum, an international museum dedicated to puppets and marionettes that tells the story of the Palermo tradition;
- a visit to archaeological Museum, where you will find many finds preserved over the centuries.
8 Capuchin Catacombs, Palermo
The Capuchin Convent of Palermo is known throughout the world for the presence of a vast cemetery in its basement. The tunnels were dug at the end of the 500th century and form a large rectangular cemetery. The bodies present have never been inventoried, but it has been estimated that there are up to 8.000. The mummies, standing or lying down, fully dressed, are divided by sex and social category, even if most belong to the upper classes, since the embalming process was expensive. In the various sectors we recognize: the prelates; traders and bourgeois in their "Sunday" clothes. Army officers in full dress uniform; young virgin women, who died before they could marry, dressed in their wedding dress. Family groups arranged standing on high shelves, delimited by thin railings similar to balconies; children. From the end of October to the end of March the catacombs cannot be visited on Sunday afternoons.
9 Craft Market in Palermo: Artisans at the Palace
In the splendid location of the Asmundo palace in Palermo, the craft market takes place every first Sunday of the month. The building, built in 1615, is located in the historic center of the Sicilian capital. The market is open all day, from 10:00 to 21:00, to give visitors the opportunity to better discover the works of craftsmanship and collectibles that the stalls reserve. Thanks to the prestige it enjoys, the Palermo market welcomes thousands of enthusiasts every month ready to secure rarities of all kinds.
10 Villino Florio and Garden
In the big park of the Princes of Butera, the Florios wanted to build, in 1899, a villa in the style of the times and commissioned it to Ernesto Basile. Of the large park in which it was located, only a small garden remains, surrounded by an imposing gate. The building stands out for its imaginative, asymmetrical distribution of spaces and for the varied and irregular play of volumes, with the lively external double-flight staircase and the turrets, gables, gables and columns. A symbolic work of European fin de siècle taste, an expression of Italian modernism, at the time of the belle époque the villa hosted the best society, the jet set of the time. The villa subsequently experienced periods of decline, like the Florio family. There are three main levels: the ground floor known as the "leisure" floor with the billiard room and the games room; the first floor called "representative", with the large hall, which was accessed directly from the external staircase and the dining room; and finally the so-called "residence" floor whose access, from the reception staircase, led to the living room and the bedroom.
Do not miss: Palermo, the best itineraries
Palermo: see also
Museums of Palermo
11 “Raffaello Piraino” Costume Museum, Palermo
The Museum displays the collection made up of more than three thousand pieces, ranging from clothing to accessories, whose main nucleus is made up of the collection of Raffaele Piraino, painter and teacher of History of Costume. Examples of ecclesiastical, children's, military and gala clothing are on display, as well as traditional costumes from Mediterranean countries and wedding trousseaus. The collection brings together material dating between the eighteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century, mainly of Sicilian origin.
12 Monumental archaeological area of Castello a Mare
The area formerly occupied by the fortress of Castellammare today it constitutes more than half of the Trapezoidal pier of the port of Palermo. Inside the fortress you can visit two main areas: the so-called Torre Mastra, surrounded by a buffer zone, and a large archaeological area with a rather heterogeneous set of buildings. The Castello a Mare is located in the Castellammare Archaeological Park, near the Cala, in the La Loggia district, north of the port of Palermo. It was the most important defensive bulwark of the port of Palermo until the 1923th century. Until XNUMX the fortress had a quadrangular wall bordered by the sea on two sides, which enclosed an enormous architectural complex within it. In ancient times the castle was composed of a large keep from the Arab era, some Norman parts (such as the Bagnara Chapel), fifteenth-century bastions and entrance area, a Renaissance palace, a sixteenth-century church (the Madonna of Piedigrotta, built on an ancient Arab mosque), two low hexagonal towers and many other structures and factories from more recent times. Of the ancient buildings, part of the main tower, the cylindrical tower and the entrance body remain.
Palermo in a nutshell: how to get there, how to get around, where to sleep, what to eat
13 How to get to Palermo
You can easily reach Palermo by ferry Naples - Palermo or by plane. L'Palermo airport, Palermo Airport Falcone and Borsellino, is about 35 km from the city center, and is well connected thanks to the underground line, buses, shuttles and taxis.
14 How to move in Palermo
Palermo, how to get around: the best way to get around Palermo is on foot. Alternatively you can use the efficient and functional underground line or the urban line buses.
15 Where to eat in Palermo
Where to eat in Palermo: one of the simplest things in Palermo is to eat well. From street food to typical restaurants, you will really be spoiled for choice. We definitely advise you to taste the very famous ones arancini, Baked cassatina and cannoli Sicilians.
16 Where to sleep in Palermo
Where to sleep in Palermo: for your search hotels in Palermo we suggest you orient yourself in the central areas, so that you can move on foot to visit all the beauties that Palermo offers.
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