The Cathedral
The Cathedral of Palermo is an almost perfect summary of the city’s millennial history: initially a paleochristian basilica, then a mosque during the long Arab domination, and again a church during the Norman era.
As for the style, Ferdinando Fuga, an architect at the court of Charles III of Bourbon in the second half of the 18th century, imposed a strong neoclassical turn on the building, greatly reducing the previous Arab-Norman, Gothic, and Baroque influences.
However, not everything was lost. Traces of the previous styles are evident in the main apse (Arab-Norman), the main entrance portal (Gothic), and the dome (Baroque). A mix of styles that won’t leave you indifferent.
The cathedral also houses the royal tombs, including the sarcophagus of Frederick II and the tomb of Santa Rosalia, the patron saint of the city.
Teatro Massimo
The Teatro Massimo in Palermo, inaugurated in 1897, is the largest opera house in Italy and the third largest in Europe. It is only surpassed by the opera houses of Paris and Vienna!
Its enormous size, at that time, was a matter of dispute: people wondered if Palermo really needed such a huge work.
The Theatre was built between 1875 and 1897. It was designed and started by the architect Giovan Battista Filippo Basile and, after his death, completed by his son Ernesto Basile.
On either side of the monumental staircase there are two bronze statues representing the Tragedy of Benedetto Civiletti and the Lyrical Drama of Mario Rutelli.
It quickly became one of the most famous theatres in Italy, thanks to the quality of the theatrical performances and operas that take place here.
Closed in 1974, it was only reopened in 1997 after 23 years of work accompanied by political scandals and episodes of corruption.
A curiosity: in 1990 the Theatre was the setting for some scenes of the film “The Godfather – Part III” with Al Pacino.
Today the theatre still hosts world-class operas. The theatre also offers guided tours every day and there are different packages available, with or without access to the “behind-the-scenes”. The complete tour provides access to the roofs of the Teatro Massimo, for a 360-degree view of Palermo.
The Martorana Church
Built in 1143 by the admiral George of Antioch, a faithful servant of the Norman king Roger II, the Martorana Church is one of the most fascinating Byzantine churches in Italy.
It is notable for both its Arab-Norman style, which is why it is included in the UNESCO protected assets, and the subsequent Baroque additions of the 17th century.
In 1433, Alfonso of Aragon ceded the church to the nearby Benedictine monastery founded by the noblewoman Eloisa Martorana. Hence the name of the church, a spiritual reference for the numerous Italo-Albanian colony sheltered in Sicily between the 13th and 14th centuries to escape Turkish piracy.
The church is part of the assets of the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi and, although subject to the Holy See, follows the Orthodox liturgical calendar. The mosaics inside are the highlight of the building, particularly the “Pantocrator Christ” on the top of the dome: a typical representation of Byzantine art, with the blessing Christ surrounded by four angels prostrated in adoration at his feet.
The Martorana Church is open for visits every day, when there are no sacred functions taking place.
The Palace of the Normans and the Palatine Chapel
The Palace of the Normans is many things. It is the oldest royal residence in Europe; it is the seat of the Sicilian Regional Assembly; it is one of the most visited monuments on the island; and finally, it is the palace where the wonderful Palatine Chapel is located.
The latter, dedicated to Saint Peter the Apostle, was built in 1130 at the behest of Roger II of Sicily. It is a three-naved basilica famous for the Byzantine mosaics that decorate it. The largest and most famous of all is the “Pantocrator Christ”, a decorative motif also present in the Martorana Church.
The wooden ceiling with engravings and carvings that refer to the long Arab domination of the city is also very beautiful. It is no coincidence that the Palatine Chapel, together with the city’s cathedral and the other two in Cefalù and Monreale, has been under the protection of UNESCO since July 2015.
The Kalsa and Palazzo Abatellis
To visit the Kalsa (from the Arabic “al-Khalisa”) means to visit what for centuries has been the privileged place of politics, finance, and culture in Palermo. Of course, managing to see everything is not easy, unless a local guide takes you to discover this historic district (one of the four into which the city centre is divided).
There is indeed so much to see: Palazzo Mirto, Palazzo Abatellis, and the Oratorio dei Bianchi are the places where the glorious past of the Kalsa – and of Palermo – is jealously guarded.
The first (Palazzo Mirto) was for four centuries the residence of the oldest Norman family in Sicily, the Filangieri, Counts of San Marco, then Princes of Mirto.
Palazzo Abatellis, on the other hand, is a museum space with many medieval, modern, and archaeological collections accumulated mostly during the 19th century thanks to private bequests and the suppression of religious corporations.
Finally, the Oratorio dei Bianchi, the headquarters of the Noble, Primary, and Royal Company of the Holy Crucifix, where, among other things, it is possible to admire the wooden door “Bab el Fotik”, renamed “Porta della Vittoria” by the Normans who put an end to the long Arab domination in the city.
Fontana Pretoria
In the centre of the square of the same name, facing the town hall, stands the “Fontana Pretoria” or, as the people of Palermo call it, the “Fountain of Shame” due to the nudity of the statues all around (others claim that the reference is instead to the corruption of the local ruling classes of the 18th and 19th centuries).
We are still in the Kalsa, from a historical-cultural point of view, probably the most important of the 4 districts into which the city’s historic centre is divided.
The story of the Fontana Pretoria is rather unique, as it was destined to adorn a garden in Florence, specifically the garden of Don Luigi di Toledo who had commissioned the architect Francesco Camilliani to create the work. The work was completed in 1554, but in 1573 it was sold to the Senate of Palermo – it is said – to meet the debts accumulated by the noble Spanish family. Transporting it from Florence to Palermo was quite complicated. Some pieces remained in Florence; others were damaged along the way. Camillo Camilliani, son of the Florentine artist who had first designed it, was in charge of reinstalling the fountain (some houses were demolished to make room for it).
As for the structure, the fountain rests on an oval base, surrounded by a balustrade that contains the other basins: three positioned concentrically on top of each other, followed by another series of smaller dimensions. As for the statues, they represent deities and mythological figures (Hercules, Venus, Apollo, Bacchus, Diana, Adonis, etc.). A long and complex restoration phase has brought back the original splendour of the Fontana Pretoria, and allowed, after years, the water to circulate again.
The Quattro Canti
The intersection of Quattro Canti represents the intersection of the two main roads of Palermo, Via Vittorio Emanuele (the street where the cathedral is located) and Via Maqueda, which leads to the Teatro Massimo. The intersection formed by Via Maqueda and Via Vittorio Emanuele led to the division of the city into four parts called “Mandamenti”. Each one takes its name from the most important civil building in its area: Capo or Monte di Pietà, Albergheria or Palazzo Reale, Kalsa or Tribunali, and Loggia or Castellammare.
Various definitions have been coined for the baroque structure of the “four corners”, including the “Teatro del Sole” (Theatre of the Sun) because in every season at least one of the four corners is touched by sunlight; or “ottagono” (octagon), for its shape.
When you visit Palermo, you should really take a walk around this intersection to admire these four perfectly symmetrical facades. They were all built following the same model: at the base, there is a fountain that represents the seasons; at the first level, there are statues of the kings of Palermo, while at the top level, there are depictions of the four patron saints of Palermo. If you have had the opportunity to visit Rome, the Four Corners might remind you of the “Four Fountains,” which it is very inspired by.
The Catacombs of the Capuchins
The place where the living meet the dead”. That’s what we read on the website dedicated to the cemetery of the Capuchin Friars in Palermo, and it’s not just a figure of speech. On the contrary, the phrase fully explains the reason why the friars began to mummify the bodies: to give relatives the opportunity to continue to meet their loved ones, just as if they were alive.
It all started with the custom of the Capuchin friars of the church of Santa Maria della Pace to bury their fellow friars in a mass grave under the altar dedicated to St. Anne. However, this habit later forced them to dig other tunnels, given the impossibility of continuing to group lifeless bodies in a space that had become too narrow. It was logistical needs that led the friars to discover that the bodies previously housed in the pit had been preserved in an almost perfect state. Hence the idea of improving the natural mummification processes and extending this practice to the bourgeoisie of Palermo.
This is why from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century, thousands of people, mostly notable figures, decided to entrust the bodies of their deceased to the Capuchins in exchange for substantial donations. This practice ended in the early 1900s, with the significant exception of Rosalia Lombardo, a two-year-old girl mummified (though artificially) at the request of her father and still housed in the catacombs since 1920, considered the “most beautiful mummy in the world.”
The Catacombs of the Capuchins are open every day of the year (including holidays). From late October to late March they are closed on Sunday afternoons.”
The Markets
Historic markets have always been located in the heart of urban centres because they are privileged places not only for the exchange of goods, but also for community interaction and cultural integration. The centrality of their social function is reflected in their urban location. In Palermo, they are found nestled in the fabric of the historic centre: for example, within the district of Albergheria we find Ballarò; within the district of La Loggia there is Vucciria; and in the district of Monte di Pietà we find the Capo market.
Vucciria was once the most characteristic market in Palermo, famous for its numerous fish vendors, although the name “vucciria” comes from the French word “boucherie” which means butcher shop, and in fact for a long time there were butcher shops with veal quarters hanging outside. On the other hand, the peculiarity of these markets is the custom of displaying the merchandise outside the shops, in plain sight. Today, Vucciria appears sadly empty during the day, with most of the shops now closed. However, it is still pleasant to walk along the alleys around Piazza Caracciolo, all paved with perpetually wet “balate.”
In the evening, almost miraculously, the streets are crowded with young people who spend their time in the numerous bars and pubs that enliven Palermo’s nightlife.
The Capo market in Palermo is still active. It extends along Via Carini and Via Beati Paoli, the street of S. Agostino, and Via Cappuccinelle. One of the main entrances is Porta Carini, near the Palace of Justice. In the market, you can find everything: all kinds of fruits and vegetables, fresh fish, butcher shops, and occasional vendors of all ethnicities. All of this is displayed outside of shops and under characteristic colored tents that provide shelter from the sun and rare rain. The typical voices of the vendors (“abbanniate”) inviting customers to buy their merchandise join a variety of characteristic scents and fragrances.
Ballarò is undoubtedly the oldest and most characteristic historic market in Palermo. It extends from Corso Tukory (Porta Sant’Agata along the ancient ramparts) to Casa Professa. It winds through several streets, all paved with often uneven and always wet “balate,” with the crucial centre of Piazza del Carmine and the homonymous Baroque church. It is actually difficult to distinguish the square due to the mandatory paths drawn by the vendors who neatly arrange their goods on wooden crates and marble “balate.” In the market, you can literally find everything, and there are lots of street food stands where you can taste all kinds of Palermo street food and lately even cosmopolitan food. A trip among the flavours, colours, scents, sounds, and noises of a multi-ethnic and suggestive Palermo.