SICILY | Palermo – Trip By Trip

March 2025. We’re embarking on a train trip to Sicily. We fly from Brussels Airport to Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino Airport with ITA Airways. Then we take an Intercity Notte sleeper train by Trenitalia from Roma Termini Railway Station across Italy to Syracuse. Yes, the train is loaded on a ferry to cross the Strait of Messina. After visiting Syracuse, Catania and Palermo, we return to Rome, and home. With 25,832 km², Sicily is only 20% smaller than Belgium (30,689 km²). Quite a lot in four days.

We had a pretty comprehensive exploration of Palermo. We went inside Palermo Cathedral, the Royal Palace of the Normans and the Butera Palace. But we also did the two tours organised by City Sightseeing Palermo. City Sightseeing is well-known for its network of tourist bus services worldwide. There was a yellow-coloured competitor, but nothing to be found online on them. I also forgot their name.

We don’t usually do this bus tours, but now it was appropriate. Having checked out of the hotel, we had no ‘base’ to return to until our Trenitalia Intercity Notte night train to Rome.

Introducing Palermo

Palermo serves as the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, which encompasses the city’s surrounding metropolitan province. It is distinguished by its rich history, cultural significance, architectural heritage, and gastronomy. With a history spanning over 2,700 years, Palermo has played a crucial role in the Mediterranean region. The city is situated in the northwest of Sicily, along the Gulf of Palermo on the Tyrrhenian Sea.

The origins of Palermo date back to 734 BC when the Phoenicians founded a settlement known as Sis, meaning ‘flower’. It later became a possession of Carthage. During this time, two Greek colonies were established in the vicinity, collectively known as Panormos, a name the Carthaginians adopted on their coinage from the 5th century BC onward. The city came under Roman control as Panormus, becoming an integral part of the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire, a status it maintained for over a millennium.

In 831 AD, Palermo fell under Arab rule and became the capital of the Emirate of Sicily. The city, then known as Balarm, experienced a period of cultural and economic prosperity, benefiting from the advancements in science, architecture, and agriculture introduced by the Arabs.

This era came to an end in 1072 when the Normans conquered the city. Palermo then became the capital of the Kingdom of Sicily, a realm that endured from 1130 until 1816. During this time, the city flourished as a centre of power, marked by the fusion of Norman, Arab, and Byzantine influences, which is still evident in its architectural legacy.

The urban population of Palermo is estimated by Eurostat to be approximately 855,285, while the metropolitan area ranks as the fifth most populous in Italy, with around 1.2 million inhabitants. The municipality itself is home to roughly 676,000 people.

Residents of the city are known as Palermitani or, in a more poetic sense, as panormiti. The primary languages spoken in Palermo are Italian and the Palermitano dialect of the Sicilian language.

Palermo serves as Sicily’s cultural, economic, and tourism capital. The city’s wealth of history is reflected in its diverse artistic and architectural landscape, which includes Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque, and Art Nouveau styles.

Visitors are drawn to its Mediterranean climate, vibrant culinary scene, and renowned restaurants, as well as its lively nightlife and music culture. The city’s markets—Vucciria, Ballarò, and Capo—are famous for their colourful displays of fresh produce, seafood, and other local goods.

Palermo is also the main industrial and commercial hub of Sicily, with key economic sectors including tourism, services, commerce, and agriculture. The city is served by an international airport and possesses a significant underground economy.

Due to its historical and artistic significance, Palermo is one of the most important cities in the Mediterranean. It is recognised as a major tourist destination in both Italy and Europe.

The city is home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale. In recent years, extensive redevelopment projects have been undertaken to enhance Palermo’s status as a prominent centre in the Euro-Mediterranean region.

Roman Catholicism is deeply embedded in Palermitan culture. The city’s patron saint, Santa Rosalia, is honoured annually on 15 July with grand festivities that attract both locals and visitors. Palermo continues to be a major destination for tourists, drawn to its historical sites, architectural beauty, and thriving markets that reflect the essence of Sicilian life.

Landmarks of Palermo

The Palermo Cathedral is one of the city’s most significant landmarks. Due to its long history, it exhibits a blend of various architectural styles, with the most recent modifications dating to the 18th century.

The city is home to several remarkable palaces and museums. The Palazzo dei Normanni, also known as the Norman Palace, is an outstanding example of Norman architecture and houses the Cappella Palatina, a 12th-century chapel renowned for its exquisite mosaics blending Western and Eastern artistic traditions.

The Zisa, built in 1160, and the Cuba are two magnificent castles that were historically used by the kings of Palermo for hunting. The Zisa currently serves as the Islamic Museum, while the Cuba was once surrounded by water.

Other notable palaces include Palazzo Natoli and Palazzo Chiaramonte. The Palazzo Abatellis, constructed in the late 15th century for the city’s prefect Francesco Abatellis, is a striking structure in Catalan Gothic style with Renaissance influences. It houses the Galleria Regionale della Sicilia, which contains important works such as Francesco Laurana’s bust of Eleonora of Aragon (1471), the Malvagna Triptych (circa 1510) by Jan Gossaert, and an ‘Annunziata‘ by Antonello da Messina.

The Antonino Salinas Regional Archaeological Museum features a collection of artefacts from the Etruscan, Carthaginian, Roman, and Hellenistic civilisations, including decorative elements from the ancient Sicilian temples of Segesta and Selinunte. The Palazzina Cinese, a royal residence of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, now houses the Ethnographic Museum of Sicily.

Churches

Palermo is dotted with extraordinary churches. San Giovanni degli Eremiti, a 12th-century church near the Norman Palace, is particularly notable for its bright red domes, remnants of Arab influence in Sicily.

The Chiesa della Martorana, also known as Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio, is located in Piazza Bellini and originally featured a compact cross-in-square Byzantine design. Its richly decorated interior includes remarkable Byzantine mosaics.

Nearby, San Cataldo, also in Piazza Bellini, is another fine example of Norman architecture. The church of Santa Caterina, built between 1566 and 1596, is located behind Piazza Pretoria.

Santa Maria della Catena, designed by Matteo Carnilivari and built between 1490 and 1520, derives its name from the chains once attached to one of its walls.

San Domenico, located near Via Roma, serves as the ‘Pantheon of illustrious Sicilians’. San Giuseppe dei Teatini, situated near the Quattro Canti, is an example of Sicilian Baroque.

The Oratorio di San Lorenzo was adorned with stucco work by Rococo sculptor Giacomo Serpotta and his family between 1690 and 1706. It housed Caravaggio‘s ‘Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence‘ until it was stolen in October 1969; the painting has never been recovered.

Serpotta also completed the Oratorio del Rosario between 1710 and 1717. Santa Teresa alla Kalsa, built between 1686 and 1706 over the former Emir’s residence, exemplifies Sicilian Baroque.

The open-air Santa Maria dello Spasimo, originally built in 1506 and later repurposed as a hospital, inspired Raphael’s painting ‘Sicilia’s Spasimo‘, now housed in the Museo del Prado in Madrid. Today, the church serves as an auditorium for exhibitions and musical performances.

The Church of the Gesù, initially built in the late Renaissance style in 1564 and later altered into a Sicilian Baroque structure, was heavily damaged during the 1943 bombings.

The San Francesco di Assisi church, constructed between 1255 and 1277, underwent several renovations before being restored to its Medieval appearance after the 1943 bombings. The Church of the Magione, officially the Church of the Holy Trinity, was built in the Norman style in 1191 by Matteo d’Ajello and later donated to the Cistercian monks.

Squares and monuments

Palermo’s notable squares and public monuments include the Quattro Canti, a small octagonal square at the intersection of Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Via Maqueda, dividing the city into four quarters. Nearby, Piazza Pretoria was planned in the 16th century and features the grand Fontana Pretoria by Francesco Camilliani. The monument to Charles V, erected in 1631, stands in Piazza Bologni.

Palermo was historically enclosed by two rings of city walls, many remnants of which still survive. The first ring surrounded the ancient Phoenician city, incorporating the areas of Palaeopolis and Neapolis.

Via Vittorio Emanuele was the primary east-west road, while the ancient port was located near Piazza Marina. The medieval expansion of the city led to the construction of a second set of walls, which incorporated new districts. Several gates from these walls remain standing today.

Opera houses

The city has a rich operatic tradition. Until the early 20th century, hundreds of small opera theatres, known as magazzeni, could be found in Palermo.

The Teatro Massimo, inaugurated in 1897, is the largest opera house in Italy, covering 8,000 square metres, and the third largest in Europe after the Paris Opera and the Vienna State Opera. It is renowned for its perfect acoustics and hosted legendary tenor Enrico Caruso during both the opening season and the final years of his career. The theatre was closed for renovation from 1974 to 1997 and has since been fully restored. Another significant theatre is the Teatro Politeama, built between 1867 and 1874.

Other sites

Other notable sites include the Palermo Botanical Garden, the largest in Italy, covering 10 hectares (25 acres), and the Capuchin Catacombs, which contain many mummified corpses in varying states of preservation.

Monte Pellegrino, standing 600 metres (2,000 feet) high, offers panoramic views of the city, while Monte Gallo, near Mondello Beach, provides another spectacular vantage point.

The Piazza Marina is home to a Moreton Bay fig tree with a girth exceeding 30 metres and a height of 32 metres, likely the thickest tree in Europe. On Via Roma, the Palazzo delle Poste, an official Italian government building from the Mussolini era, is notable for its stripped classicist architectural style. It features a Futurist mural cycle by Benedetta Cappa titled ‘Sintesi delle Comunicazioni’.

Palermo is also home to the ‘Wall of Legality‘ (‘Il Muro Della Legalità‘), a street art project inaugurated in July 2022 featuring portraits of 38 individuals who played significant roles in combating the Mafia. Created by 19 artists, it is located at Piazza degli Aragonesi.

The city’s cathedral features a heliometer, installed in 1690, which was used to standardise time measurement and determine the correct date for Easter. A small hole in one of the minor domes projects an image of the sun onto the floor at solar noon. A bronze line, la Meridiana, runs north-south, with zodiac signs marking dates throughout the year.

History of Palermo

Palermo’s history spans over 2,700 years, marked by diverse rulers and cultural influences. Founded by the Phoenicians around 734 BC, it became a key Carthaginian port before falling to the Romans in 254 BC. The city flourished under Byzantine rule but saw significant transformation under Arab control (831–1072), becoming a major centre of learning and trade. The Normans later established the Kingdom of Sicily, blending Latin, Greek, and Arab influences, a legacy still visible in Palermo’s architecture.

During the 13th to 15th centuries, Palermo declined under Angevin and then Aragonese rule as power shifted to Naples. Spanish control in the 16th and 17th centuries saw artistic and architectural growth but also economic stagnation. Under the Bourbons in the 18th and 19th centuries, Palermo played a key role in revolutionary movements against foreign rule, eventually becoming part of unified Italy in 1860.

The 20th century brought urban expansion but also the rise of organised crime. Palermo suffered heavy bombing during World War II, and post-war reconstruction was marred by corruption and Mafia influence. The late 20th century saw major anti-Mafia efforts, culminating in the assassinations of judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino in 1992, which spurred intensified state action against organised crime.

Today, Palermo is a dynamic city balancing its historical heritage with modern development. Its blend of Norman, Arab, and Baroque influences, along with a rich culinary and artistic culture, continues to attract visitors. Despite ongoing challenges, it remains a vital cultural and economic hub in Sicily.

Bus tour of Palermo, featuring people watching and insane traffic.

A bus tour of Palermo

City Sightseeing has two routes, which you can do one after the other with 15 minutes margin. One itinerary stays in the core, historic centre. The other one goes slightly further afield.

You get a lot of information, and it’s hard to remember it all. Yet, we wouldn’t have seen the landmarks we saw and we learned things.

Traffic in Palermo is pure chaos. Some will like that, calling it “bustling” and part of the game. I guess it is part of the game. But it’s madness. Double and triple parking is normal, which makes traffic even worse.

It shows Palermo and Sicily are car-depended. Italy is a car country. But how the bus didn’t get involved in an accident, is a miracle.

Shopping and people watching

We also shopped a bit, for local brands of underwear. Italian men are more broadminded – even straight men – so there are more options of colours, fits and shapes.

And I love people watching. Tracksuits and sweatpants are very fashionable and worn by everyone. So are puffer jackets. Black puffer jackets. Not that different from Belgium, it seems.

So?

We had to be creative to fill the day with activities we like, and were realistic. But we managed to explore Palermo in one day. We’re specialists in ‘one-day cities’, s we call them.

Palermo has plenty on offer, for sure.

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