What to see in Palermo in one day
Palermo Cathedral
Built in 1184, the Palermo Cathedral is one of the most imposing monuments and, despite some alterations over the centuries, it has maintained the original structure, made up of spired towers and a surprising play of biforas, intertwined arches, and pointed arches. Inside, in addition to the Cagini sculptures, the tombs of Henry I, Frederick II of Swabia, and Constance of Aragon, there is the silver urn with the relics of Saint Rosalia, the city’s patron saint.
Palazzo dei Normanni
Continuing along Corso Vittorio Emanuele, you quickly reach Palazzo dei Normanni, built in the 11th century, a symbol of the peak of Swabian splendor during the reign of Frederick II. Today, it can only be admired from the outside, while the Palatine Chapel, very sumptuous, with interiors covered in golden mosaics, is open to visitors.
In front of the palace and connected to it, there is the Porta Nuova, built to celebrate the entry into the city of Charles V, who emerged victorious over the Turkish armies at Tunis. A few blocks from the Palazzo dei Normanni is the church of San Giovanni degli Eremiti (1130-1148), famous for the red domes, typical of Arab-Norman architecture. It is also adorned by a small cloister which, in the nice season, smells of jasmines, oranges, and pomegranates.
Arab Quarter of Palermo
Heading east, toward the Kalsa, the very ancient Arab and partially Baroque neighborhood, you can admire the beautiful church of Santa Teresa alla Kalsa and the 15th-century Palazzo Abatellis, home of the Regional Sicilian Gallery, which among many masterpieces also preserves the famous Madonna by Antonello da Messina.
Between the Kalsa and the Vucciria, in a tangle of very narrow streets, nests also Palazzo Gangi, where the ballroom scene was shot in the film The Leopard by Luchino Visconti.
Teatro Massimo
Heading to the northwest sector, you arrive in 19th-century Palermo, of which one of the symbols is the Teatro Massimo, inaugurated in 1897, twenty-two years after the laying of the first stone.
