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 ogival arches. Inside, besides the Cagini sculptures, the tombs of Henry I, Frederick II of Swabia, and Constanza of Aragon, the silver urn with the relics of Saint Rosalia, the city’s patron saint, is preserved.
Palazzo dei Normanni
Continuing along the Vittorio Emanuele avenue, you quickly reach Palazzo dei Normanni, built in the 11th century, symbol of the greatest Swabian splendor during the reign of Frederick II. Today, it can only be admired from the outside, while the Palia Chapel, very sumptuous, with interiors covered in golden mosaics, is open for visits.
In front of the palace and connected to it is the Porta Nuova, built to celebrate the entry into the city of Charles V, 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 its red domes, typical of Arab-Norman architecture. It is also beautified by a small cloister which, in the beautiful season, smells of jasmines, oranges, and pomegranates.
Arab Quarter of Palermo
Heading east, towards the Kalsa, the ancient Arab quarter and partly Baroque as well, 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 houses the famous Madonna by Antonello da Messina.
Between the Kalsa and the Vucciria, in a tangle of very narrow streets, Palazzo Gangi is also hidden, where the ballroom scene was filmed in the movie The Leopard by Luchino Visconti.
Teatro Massimo
Heading northwest, you arrive in 19th-century Palermo, one of whose symbols is the Teatro Massimo, inaugurated in 1897, twenty-two years after laying the first stone.
