Palermo (Palermu in Sicilian, Paliemmu in Palermo dialect) is an
Italian town of 655 103 inhabitants, capital of the metropolitan
city of the same name and of the Sicilian Region. It is located in
the center of a metropolitan area of over one million inhabitants.
It is the fifth largest municipality in Italy by population. The
city extends over the Conca d'Oro plain and is surrounded by the
barrier of the Palermo Mountains.
Palermo maintained the role
of capital of the Kingdom of Sicily from 1130 to 1816. It was the
protagonist of the Vespers revolutions in 1282 and the revolts of
1848. The long history of the city and the succession of numerous
civilizations and peoples have given it a considerable heritage
artistic and architectural. The serial Arab-Norman Palermo site and
the cathedrals of Cefalù and Monreale, which include several
monumental assets located in the city, was declared a World Heritage
Site by UNESCO in 2015. Numerous buildings, including churches and
palaces, are recognized monuments national.
Palermo is home
to the Sicilian Regional Assembly, the oldest active parliamentary
assembly in the world, as well as an important university seat. His
archdiocese is the metropolitan seat and seat of the primate of
Sicily. Named Italian capital of young people 2017, it was also the
Italian capital of culture for 2018. Palermo is part of the
Eurocities network of the largest European cities.
The city develops along the so-called Conca d'Oro overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. To the north of the city is Monte Pellegrino which reaches 660 m. Next to the back of the town of Mondello we find Pizzo Manolfo.
Palermo enjoys a Mediterranean climate with the mildest winters in
Europe. The summers are hot, long and dry while the winters are warm,
short and moderately rainy. In many areas of the city the temperature
has never dropped below zero. For example, in the Palermo-Punta Raisi
meteorological station, the minimum record temperature is +1.4°C. These
particularly favorable conditions make Palermo very attractive as a sun
holiday resort even in winter. In summer there is a considerable
drought, guaranteeing good weather conditions for very long periods. The
shoulder seasons are very pleasant, often the favorite of travellers.
Having said this, excluding some excesses of summer heat, Palermo's mild
climate makes the city easy to visit in every season.
Background
The city boasts a multi-millennial history and has played an important
role in the events of the Mediterranean and Europe.
“Palermo is
sumptuous and obscene. Palermo is like New Delhi, with the fabulous
palaces of the maharajas and the dying bodies of the pariahs on the edge
of the avenues. Palermo is like Cairo, with a forest of skyscrapers and
gardens among which putrid hieroglyphics of shacks creep in. Palermo is
like all the capitals of those peoples who never managed to be nations.
In Palermo, corruption is physical, tangible and aesthetic: a beautiful
woman, haggard, swollen with bad moods, black nails, and yet equally
arcanely beautiful. Palermo is the history of Sicily, all the cowards
and all the heroisms, the desperations, the furies, the defeats, the
rebellions. Palermo is Spain, the Moors, the Swabians, the Arabs, the
Normans, the Angevins, there is no other place that is Sicily like
Palermo, yet Palermo is not loved by the Sicilians. Westerners of the
island submit because they cannot otherwise, they recognize themselves
as subjects but would never want to be citizens. The Orientals, on the
other hand, even say that they are of another race: the Sicans and us
Sicilians instead.»
(Giuseppe Fava)
The wall paintings in the
Addaura cave testify to the presence of a settlement as early as the
Stone Age, however the city was founded by the Phoenicians between the
7th and 6th centuries BC. like Zyz. The city then called Panhormos by
the Greeks was repeatedly the target of sieges by the troops of
Syracuse, but always remained in the hands of the Phoenicians. It was
only during the Punic wars, after years of maritime blockade of
Carthage's most important base in Sicily, that the city in 254 BC. it
was conquered by the Romans and received the name Panormus, becoming the
main center of the island (Province of Sicily), even if Syracuse
remained the administrative capital, thanks to the settlement of
veterans under Augustus.
Conquered by the Vandals in 429, it
passed under Byzantium in 536 and was conquered by the Saracens in 831,
becoming the seat of the emirates of Sicily, as well as a commercial
center and center for the cultivation of oranges and lemons. With over
100,000 inhabitants it was one of the largest cities in southern Europe
and was able to keep up with the metropolises of Cairo or Baghdad.
«Beautiful and immense city, with the greatest and most splendid
stay [...] Palermo has buildings of such beauty that travelers set off
attracted by the fame of the marvels that the architecture offers here,
the exquisite work, the ornament of so many pilgrims found by art»
(Muhammad al-Idrisi)
In 1072 the city of Palermo was conquered by
the Normans under Roger I and in 1130 it became the capital of the
Kingdom of Sicily. Several churches and palaces in the Arab-Norman style
date from this period; the period of maximum splendor of the city
continued also under the dominion of the Staufer family after Frederick
II of Swabia enlarged the city where he resided. Palermo was the
coronation city of numerous kings of Sicily and it is to this
circumstance that we owe the titles attributed such as: «Prima Sedes,
Corona Regis et Regni Caput».
After the Normans came the Angevins
and Charles of Anjou moved his court to Naples; the city, which suffered
from high tax burdens, went into decline. The impoverishment of the
Sicilian population and the abuses of the Angevin kingdom led to the
revolt of the Sicilian Vespers against the French. This was followed by
the dominion of the Aragonese family and later by the Bourbons. Since
then it has remained, with ups and downs, the capital of the kingdom.
From 1816 to 1817 it was the capital of the newborn Kingdom of the Two
Sicilies and subsequently it became the second most important city of
the duo-Sicilian kingdom itself, until 1861.
In 1860 Garibaldi
marched on Palermo with his red shirts bringing about the end of Bourbon
rule and incorporating Sicily into the Kingdom of Italy.
During
the Second World War the city suffered a series of bombings which
devastated several blocks of the historic center and caused many
civilian victims. At the end of the war, the city earned the title of
city of the mafia due to the expansion of the mafia phenomenon which for
decades held the economy and civil conscience hostage. Criminal
activities have had an impact on the so-called sack of Palermo with
which a large building speculation was carried out to the detriment of
historic buildings, such as liberty villas, and urban planning. In 1992,
with the mafia attacks on judges Falcone and Borsellino, the city had a
sense of revenge that raised its civil conscience, reawakening the
vitality of neighborhoods and projects. Palermo in this process of
improvement must be included the nomination as Italian Capital of Youth
in 2017 and as Italian Capital of Culture in 2018.
Historic center of Palermo - the district where most of the city's
attractions are concentrated.
Modern center of Palermo - A sort
of second center of the city, made up of modern buildings and large
avenues.
Southern Palermo - District made up of popular
neighborhoods such as Brancaccio but not for this without monuments of
interest such as the Admiral's Bridge and Maredolce Castle.
West
Palermo — Montegrappa, S. Rosalia, Cuba, Calafatimi, Mezzomonreale,
Villa Tasca-Altarello, Boccadifalco, Zisa, Noce, Uditore-Passo di
Rigano, Borgo Nuovo, Cruillas, S. Giovanni Apostolo, Resuttana and San
Lorenzo
North Palermo — Pallavicino, Tommaso Natale,
Sferracavallo, Partanna Mondello, Arenella, Virgin Mary and San Filippo
Neri
1 Addaura is a village located south-west of Mondello and which
houses numerous recently built villas. At about 70 m a.s.l., there are
some caves where remains of the Paleolithic and Mesolithic were found
which are located in the Antonio Salinas Regional Archaeological Museum;
graffiti with human figures and animals from the Paleolithic era have
been found in other nearby caves. The Addaura coast was once defended by
a 15th century tower of which not much remains.
2 Belmonte Chiavelli
is detached from the rest of the urban fabric of the city by the Palermo
ring road. To the south is the mountain system of the Monti di Palermo.
The town is located in a steeply sloping area at the foot of Monte
Grifone. From Belmonte Chiavelli a complete panorama of the city is
visible.
3 Ciaculli is a locality in the Municipality of Palermo
which retains the characteristics of a typical country village. It is
located at the gates of the city and has about 9500 inhabitants. It is
part of the II District and together with the hamlet of
Croceverde-Giardina forms the ninth first-level Unit of Palermo. Nearby
is Santa Maria di Gesù, another village of peasant origin. In Ciaculli
the late mandarin is grown, protected by Slow Food.
4 Croceverde is a
small fraction or rural village of Palermo. It rises in the southern
corner of the Conca d'Oro plain, and has about 1100 inhabitants. It is
just a few kilometers from the urban fabric of Palermo, and is bordering
two neighboring localities: to the north-west Ciaculli, bordering by
means of the road of the same name, and to the south-east Gibilrossa, a
hamlet of Misilmeri, known for Garibaldi's exploits. The village is not
far from the municipality of Villabate.
5 Mondello is a seaside
resort, originally a fishing village, which developed around an ancient
tuna fishery. Following the reclamation of the surrounding area, between
1892 and 1910, a garden city was built with numerous Art Nouveau villas
and the Kursaal by the sea. From Mondello you can access the Capo Gallo
- Isola delle Femmine nature reserve. The golden age of this place was
the Belle Epoque, when the rich city bourgeoisie had the villas built in
what was the newest style, the Art Nouveau.
6 Santa Maria di Gesù is
a town or village in the municipality of Palermo. It develops around the
historical cemetery of the same name. It is located at the foot of Monte
Grifone, between the other villages of Ciaculli and Belmonte Chiavelli.
Santa Maria di Gesù, after the construction of the motorway to Catania
in the seventies and eighties, is located right at the entrance to the
Palermo ring road.
7 Sferracavallo is another seaside resort.
Seafaring and tourist village, and developed around the Calandria tuna
fishery, it is surrounded by the Billiemi Mountains and Pizzo Santa
Margherita. During some archaeological excavations in the Impiso,
Pecoraro and Conza caves, materials from the Upper Paleolithic were
discovered. At the beginning the small community had an economy centered
on the sea, over time the inhabitants also devoted themselves to
agricultural activities with the cultivation of vineyards, myrtle and
sumac. Around the 16th century two towers were built to defend the
village from the continuous pirate raids; one of these two towers was
destroyed to make way for the Palermo - Punta Raisi motorway. From the
second half of the 19th century numerous summer residences were built,
one of the first villa Palazzotto by the architect Giovan Battista
Palazzotto around 1886, followed by others in a vaguely Art Nouveau
style.
How to get
By plane
1 Palermo-Punta Raisi Airport (Falcone e
Borsellino Airport) — The airport operates national and international
flights, and various low-cost connections. Numerous periodic and charter
tourist flights in summer.
Connections
Palermo airport is
connected to the city center via the Trinacria Express metropolitan
railway service or shuttle buses operated by Prestia and Comandè. The
trains have a frequency of thirty minutes.
The bus, with a bi-hourly
frequency, takes about 50 minutes from Palermo Central station and 40
from Piazza Politeama.
2 Trapani-Birgi Airport (Vincenzo Florio
Airport) — National and European flights operate from and to Trapani
Birgi, both scheduled and low cost. Seasonal tourist flights in the
summer. Shuttle bus service operated by Terravision and Salemi for
Trapani and Palermo.
By car
From Falcone-Borsellino Airport in
Punta Raisi Palermo proceed eastwards and take the A29 motorway towards
Palermo and after about 25 km you will reach the city. The average
journey time is about 20 minutes.
From Messina via the A20 toll
motorway, from Catania via the A19. From Mazara del Vallo and Trapani
with the A29 motorway.
On boat
3 Port of Palermo (Bus 107 from
Central Station to the Crispi-Scinà stop). Those who reach Palermo from
northern Italy by car may find it convenient in terms of time and
relaxation to avoid the long motorways of the peninsula and use one of
the so-called motorways of the sea. For example, it is very convenient
from Milan to embark in Naples for Palermo, halving the motorway
itinerary. The choice of the ferry is not based on economic reasons but
only dictated, in these cases, by the desire to avoid the stress of
driving or the work in progress during the summer exoduses on the
Salerno-Reggio Calabria for example.
Main connections of the port of
Palermo:
Cagliari (Tirrenia)
Civitavecchia (GNV) Night crossing of
about 12 hours.
Genoa (GNV) Departure at 20.00 journey time
approximately 23 hours.
Livorno (Grimaldi Lines) Departure at 18.30
journey time approximately 19 hours.
Naples (GNV, Tirrenia) Departure
from Naples in the evening around 20.30. The ferries arrive in Palermo
at 07:00 the next day
Salerno (Grimaldi lines)
In addition, local
connection services (sometimes seasonal) connect Palermo to Ustica,
Cefalù and the Aeolian Islands.
Tunis in about 9 hours via GNV and
Grimaldi.
On the train
4 Palermo Central Station, Piazza
Giulio Cesare. There are long-distance trains to and from Milano
Centrale, Roma Termini, Torino Porta Nuova and other major Italian
cities.
As for regional connections, there are direct trains to the
cities of Messina, Catania, Agrigento and Trapani.
5 Palermo
Notarbartolo Station.
6 Palermo Brancaccio station.
7 Maredolce
station.
8 Giachery Station.
9 Fair Station.
10 Palazzo
Reale-Orleans station.
11 Palermo Marittima Station.
12 Station of
Vespers.
By bus
13 Extra-urban bus terminal, Corso dei Mille
(Next to the central station). The Cuffaro bus lines connect Palermo
with Agrigento, Canicattì, Favara, Racalmuto, Castrofilippo and Grotte.
The F.lli Camilleri company connects with Agrigento, or with Aragona,
Raffadali and Santa Elisabetta.
The Prestia e Comandé company
connects with Cianciana passing through Santo Stefano Quisquina, Bivona
and Alessandria della Rocca. Or with Santa Cristina Gela passing through
Villagrazia, Altofonte, Rebuttone and Piana degli Albanesi.
Interbus
connects with Syracuse.
SAIS with Catania. edit
The bus line 389
from Piazza Indipendenza takes you to Monreale, consult here for
timetables.
Many of Palermo's tourist attractions are concentrated in the
historic centre. Therefore it could also be advisable to stroll through
the streets of the center so as to be able to admire the city.
By
public transport
14 Amat Palermo S.p.A. (AMAT), Via Giusti, 7/B, ☎
+39 091350111, ☎ +39 848800817. Public transport manager. It offers
special fares, passes and carnets suitable for tourist visits.
In
Palermo there is a dense network of buses, trams and railways which
helps many tourists to move every day. The urban fare is €1.50, while
the single integrated ticket for tram, bus and metro valid for 1 day is
€5.50 (Dec 2020). The ticket is valid for 90 minutes.
By tram
In the city there are 4 tram lines that serve to connect the suburbs to
the center. Three lines depart from Notarbartolo Station and serve the
suburban districts to the west of the city. For tourists, line 1 is
certainly more useful, which connects the southern districts from the
central station via Ponte dell'Ammiraglio, S. Giovanni dei lebbrosi and
near Maredolce Castle.
Line 1 Roccella - Central Station
Line
2 Piazza Santa Cristina - Notarbartolo Station
Line 3 CEP -
Notarbartolo station
Line 4 Pollaci/Calatafimi - Notarbartolo Station
More tram lines are planned for the future.
By subway/train
A
metropolitan railway network is also expanding which, integrated with a
railway link managed by Trenitalia, allows connections from Palermo
Central station with the other stations in the city, in the surrounding
area and up to Punta Raisi airport. By convention they are divided into
3 underground lines:
Line A: Palermo Centrale-Punta Raisi
Airport. Attention, the urban rate is valid up to Tommaso Natale station
(Mondello -Sferracavallo).
Line B: Palermo Notarbartolo-Giachery, is
part of the Palermo railway ring which, once completed, will carry out
circular runs in the modern center of Palermo.
Line C: Palermo
Centrale-Termini Imerese of which the urban stop is that of Brancaccio
and then continue as a normal railway line.
By car
As
tourists, the car is not recommended, unless you want to make excursions
to the surrounding areas. To get around in the centre, given the chaotic
traffic and the lack of parking, the other alternatives are preferable.
However, reaching all the main hotels and the most renowned restaurants
is not complicated given the semi-orthographic distribution of the city
streets. Most hotels have parking spaces available to customers, it is
better to leave your car there for the entire period of your visit. Some
areas are restricted to traffic, others simply impossible to get around
by car (stairways, narrow alleys, etc.). On the initiative of the AMAT
company there is a car sharing service that can be activated by
subscription, keep this in mind if your visits to Palermo are repeated,
especially considering that the service also has parking at the airports
of Palermo and Trapani.
15 Carsharingpalermo, Via Giusti, 7/B, ☎
+39 0917303010, ☎ +39 848810018. The service works through registration
and subscription. The presence of dedicated parking spaces at the
airports of Palermo and Trapani is interesting.
You can also rent
means of transport such as bicycles, scooters and cars. The manager of
public transport is the AMAT.
C.I.T. – Tourist information centers open with the core times
Mon.-Fri. 8.30/9.30-19.30 in summer and until 13.30 in winter:
1
C.I.T. Teatro Massimo in the Opera House, Piazza Verdi, 13.
2 C.I.T.
Porto, Banchina Crispi. Here also sale of tickets and passes for city
buses, trams, bicycle and car sharing services.
3 C.I.T. Bellini Via
Maqueda, 189. Tickets are also available here.
4 C.I.T. Mondello,
Piazza Valdesi.
The old town with its four districts is crossed by rectangular
streets, from Corso Vittorio Emanuele in west-east direction from Porta
Nuova and Piazza del Parlamento to the port, parallel to this in
east-west direction via Volturno / Via Cavour to the north and Corso
Tuköry / to the south Via Lincoln; The Via Maqueda (with the Piazza
Quattro Canti at the crossing with the Corso) and the Via Roma run in a
south-north direction from the Central Station.
The corners of the
four districts meet in the Piazza Quatro Canti or Piazza Vigliena,
surrounded by four three-story baroque palazzi with concave facades and
each with a fountain.
Piazza Pretoria or Piazza Vergogna, Square of
Shame. There is a fountain in the piazza, surrounded by numerous
statues. According to tradition, one of the adjacent buildings was a
nunnery and the women always had to pass the naked figures when leaving
the building. That's what a city guide told us.
The Cattedrale Maria SS. Assunta in the eastern area of Corso
Vittorio Emanuele shows influences from the most diverse epochs, which
have also shaped the history of Sicily. The cathedral was rebuilt in
Norman style in 1184/85 on the site of a basilica from the 5th century
Byzantine period, which was converted into a mosque by the Arabs. The
west facade with the two towers and the Gothic portal dates from the
14th/15th century. century On the south wall there is a large portico in
the Catalan Gothic style from 1465, which since then has served as the
main entrance from the Piazza Cattedrale. The entrance on the north
facade, surrounded by columns, is made in Gagini's baroque style.
Ferdinando Fuga oversaw a major renovation in the years 1781/1801. The
cathedral received a neoclassical main dome and small domes over the
side aisles. The interior of the church was redecorated in the style of
classicism.
Inside, the statues from Gagini's workshop have been
removed from the altar wall. Part of it was later re-erected along the
pillars. In the left aisle stands the statue of the Madonna and Child by
Francesco Laurana. In the right aisle are the red porphyry sarcophagi
with the mortal remains of Roger II, Heinrich VI, the Stauffer Emperor
Friedrich II, Empress Konstanze, and Konstanze von Aragon. On the right
in a side chapel near the chancel is an altar with a silver reliquary of
the city's patron S. Rosalia. The cathedral treasure is kept in the
sacristy, including the crown of Constance of Aragon, the wife of
Frederick II. In the two-aisled crypt there are also numerous tombs of
princes and celebrities.
The Chiesa S.Giovanni degli Eremiti on the
Via Benedittini, actually dedicated to St. Ermete, was built in 1132/36
under King Roger II. With its pink domes it shows typical Arabo-Norman
features. The cloister dates from the 13th century. and belonged to the
Benedictine monastery.
Even older is the Chiesa di San Giovanni dei
Lebbrosi, which probably dates from 1071 and has very similar
architectural features. The church was later used as a military hospital
and leprosy sanatorium.
The Chiesa del Gesù/ Chiesa di Casa Professa
is the first Jesuit church in Sicily and a beautiful example of Sicilian
Baroque from the 17th century. with sculptures by Gioacchino Vitagliano.
There is access to the city library from the adjacent Casa Professa with
a cloister.
On the Via Maqueda not far from the Piazza Quattro Canti
on the Piazza Belliini is the small Arabo-Norman Chiesa di San Cataldo
with its three pink domes, which was built in 1154/60 as one of the last
churches in the Arabo-Norman style.
Next door is the Chiesa Martorana
or Chiesa S. Maria dell'Ammiraglio, also from the Norman period. Built
in 1143 by George of Antioch, admiral under Roger II, in the
Arabo-Norman style, the church was donated in 1433 to the Benedictine
monastery founded by E. Martorana. A new baroque facade was added in the
17th century. cultivated. The bottom two floors are from the original
campanile, the rest was built in the Catalan Gothic style in the 14th
century. added. The building is decorated with mosaics: Christ
Pantocrator in the dome, four angels at his feet, surrounded by apostles
and four evangelists in the corners. In the former vestibule, the
narthex, there is a mosaic on the left showing George of Antioch and one
on the right showing Roger II crowned by Christ.
The Chiesa di S.
Caterina is just opposite on the Piazza Bellini. The church, built in
1566/96, later received a dome and has an extremely rich interior with
stucco, paintings and marble inlays.
The Basilica della Santissima
Trinità del Cancelliere / Basilica La Magione on the Piazza Magione was
built in 1191 in the Arabo-Norman style and was for a long time the seat
of the Teutonic Knights.
The Basilica di San Francesco d'Assisi was
built in 1260 and has been repeatedly remodeled. A Gothic facade and in
the 15th/16th century. Gothic and Sicilian Renaissance style side
chapels added. The church was last restored after earthquake damage in
1823 and during World War II. Inside there are numerous sculptures and
reliefs by Francesco Laureana, Antonello & Domenico Gagini, among
others, and from the 17th/18th century Frescoes by Pietro Novelli and
sculptures by Giacomo Serpotta.
The Chiesa di Sant'Agostino from the
13th century.
The Chiesa di Santa Maria della Catena is located near
the port. It was built in the late Catalan Gothic style in the years
1490/1520 and is characterized by a portico on the facade. The church is
located on the spot where the port entrance to the Cala was closed off
in the evening with a chain stretched across from the opposite bank.
The Chiesa di San Domenico is one of the most beautiful baroque churches
in Palermo. In the 15th century built it was rebuilt after 1640. The
facade dates from 1726. In the 19th century. the church became a
pantheon with tombs of numerous important Sicilians. The Museo del
Risorgimento is set up in the adjoining convent.
The nearby Oratorio
del Rosario di San Domenico has exceptional stucco work by Giacomo
Serpotta and paintings from the 17th century. to see.
The Chiesa di
Santa Cita and the Oratorio di Santa Cita are located in Via Valverde.
The chapel is a 16th century loggia. prefixed. Inside there is stucco
work by Giacomo Serpotta that is well worth seeing.
From the church
Chiesa del Santo Spirito in the Santa Orsola Cemetery, which was built
much later in the 18th century. was created, went out on March 31, 1282
after the Vespers mass the revolt of the citizens of Palermo against the
lords of Anjou. Since this war, which led to the expulsion of the
Angiovins and the seizure of power by the House of Aragon, became known
as the Sicilian Vespers, the church, which dates back to 1178, is also
called Chiesa del Vespro.
The Palazzo dei Normanni: The Saracens built a fortress in the area
of older Phoenician fortifications, which the Normans conquered in the
12th century. was converted into a palace and administrative
headquarters. The building was renovated in the 16th century by the
Spanish viceroys, who also resided here from 1555. rebuilt and most of
the towers demolished; the Torre Pisano is still standing. In the
building where the Parliament of Sicily sits today, there are still the
Sala dei Venti and the royal private chambers, the Stanza di Re Ruggero,
which are decorated with mosaics depicting hunting scenes.
The
Cappella Palatina, built under Roger II in 1130/40, was consecrated in
1143 as the court chapel in the Palazzo Reale. The three-aisled building
has a marble & porphyry floor, a ceiling with rich Arabic carvings
(muqarnas) and is lined with mosaics of stained glass and gold leaf. In
the dome, Christ Pantocrator is surrounded by eight angels. The sides
show scenes from the life of Christ and the apostle Paul. At the
entrance is the mosaic-decorated royal throne. Worth mentioning is the
Easter candlestick decorated with human and animal figures.
The
Castello della Zisa was built under Wilhelm I/Wilhelm II in the
Arabo-Norman style. Worth seeing is the Sala della Fontana, a reception
room with a stalactite vault. The palazzo is surrounded by a park with
water basins. The Museum of Islamic Art is housed in the "Zisa". A
little to the north is the Cappella della Santissima Trinità alla Zisa,
which is probably based on a Byzantine building that was "converted"
into a mosque under the Arabs and then used again as a church.
La
Cuba is the castle of the Norman kings, which was built on an artificial
lake in the royal park under William II until 1180. A surrounding Arabic
inscription on the upper edge provides information about the
construction period. The only pavilion left from the royal park is the
Cubula, a small square building with the typical Arabo-Norman pink dome.
The Palazzo Abatellis in Via Alloro was built in 1490/95 for Francesco
Abatellis, the royal harbor master and magistrate, and is designed in
the Catalan Gothic style with two flanking towers. The building now
houses the Galleria Regionale della Sicilia.
Nearby, in Piazza
Marina, is the Chiaramonte-Steri Palace, owned by Count Chiaramonte of
Modica. The Catalan Gothic building was later the seat of the Spanish
Viceroys (until 1517) and from 1600-1782 of the Inquisition Court.
Inscriptions by prisoners from this period can still be found on the
dungeon walls.
The Palazzo Sclafani was built by Matteo Sclafani from
1330. The southern façade of Villa Bonanno is the only one still
preserved in the Arabo-Norman style.
The qanates are an Arab-era subterranean tunnel system where fresh
water was discharged into the city for irrigation and for the fountains
and ponds of the palazzi, and waste water; they remained in operation
for centuries.
The Ponte dell'Ammiraglio was built in 1132 under
George of Antioch and, along with the Norman bridge at Bronte, is one of
the few examples of Norman-Arab bridge construction in Sicily. After
relocating the course of the Oreto, which the bridge once spanned, it is
now in a park. Near the bridge, on May 27, 1860, Garibaldi and his
"Thousand" met the Bourbon troops.
The Capuchin Crypt or Catacombe
dei Cappucini is located on Via Cappucini. It was under the 16th
century. erected Capuchin monastery laid out. When the monks discovered
that the deceased were mummified in the crypt beneath the monastery, the
mummified corpses were placed as a memorial to the living monks. Over
the centuries, not only monks but also important people from Sicily and
benefactors of the monastery were mummified and displayed in the
catacombs with their clothes on. This type of burial was only banned in
1837. Visiting the catacombs with the mummies sorted in different
corridors is not for the faint of heart and children...
The Porta
Nuova was built in 1583 to mark the entry of Charles V after a battle
against the Arabs. On the east side of Via Vittorio Emanuele is Porta
Felice, built in 1582 by the Spanish viceroy to improve access to the
city from the sea.
Archaeological Museum, Piazza Olivella, 24, - Palermo. Tel.: +39 091
611 68 05, fax: +39 091 611 07 40, email:
museo.arche.pa@regione.sicilia.it . Finds of marine archaeology,
sculptures and especially temple metopes of Temples C, E and F from
Selinunte, bronze sculptures from the Greek, Etruscan and Roman periods,
pottery and vases from the Greek period, Roman frescoes and mosaics and
finds from prehistoric times.
The Museo Etnografico Siciliano
Giuseppe Pitrè shows a Sicilian folklore collection including the
typical painted donkey carts and Sicilian marionettes. Very close by is
the Palazzina Cinese, which was built in Chinese style in 1798/99 by
order of Ferdinand III as an exile residence, and the Parco della
Favorita.
Museo internazionale delle marionette Antonio Pasqualino
(at Vicolo Nascemi near Piazza Marina), Piazzetta Antonio Pasqualino 5,
Piazzetta Antonio Pasqualino, 5 - Palermo. Tel.: 091328060, fax:
091328276, email: mimap@museomarionettepalermo.it. 3500 marionettes and
reconstructions of historical puppet theaters. Features: free WiFi,
wheelchair accessible, library, archive, bookstore. Open: Mon-Sat
9:00-13:00, 14:30-18:30, Sun 10:00-13:00.
The Galleria Regionale
della Sicilia is located in the Palazzo Abatellis. Sculptures and
architectural fragments from the Roman to Renaissance period, sculptures
from the 12th - 16th centuries are on display. by Antonello and Domenico
Gagini, the bust of Eleonora of Aragon by Francesco Laureana and in the
Pinakothek paintings by Italian and Flemish masters from the 14th to
17th centuries, including a picture of the Virgin Mary from 1473 by
Antonello da Messina and the Malvagna triptych from 1510 by the Flemish
master Jan Gossaert.
The Museo del Risorgimento tells the story of
the "March of the Thousand" under Garibaldi with the integration of
Sicily into the Italian kingdom in 1860.
Orto Botanico, Via Lincoln, 2. Tel.: 091 23891249, email:
botanica@unipa.it. The park with the imposing entrance and
administration building erected in 1789 on Via Abramo Lincoln shows
12,000 different Sicilian and tropical plant species. It is open to
visitors and also serves as a research center for the University of
Palermo. Open: 09.00-17.00 in winter, -20.00 May-Aug. Price: 5.00/3.00€.
last change: Feb. 2017 (details may be out of date) edit info
Just to
the east is the even older Villa Giulia Park, laid out in 1777, with a
symmetrical layout and a sundial made from a marble dodecahedron.
The
Parco della Favorita is located at the western foot of Monte Pelegrino.
In its area there is the Palazzina Cinese and also a trotting track, an
equestrian center and a soccer field.
Miscellaneous
Picturesque details suddenly appear in the cityscape. In the historic
district of Il Capo, it is worth paying attention to the ancient
wrought-iron balcony railings, or looking out for the brightly painted
bicycles and carts of the craftsmen.
Bathing fun is given on the beaches of Mondello, in addition to a
restaurant on a pier (which, in Art Nouveau style, is reminiscent of the
English seaside resorts), other Art Nouveau villas (Stilo Liberty) can
be seen in the quarter.
Hiking in the Riserva naturale orientata Capo
Gallo, the eastern entrance from the direction of the Torre di Mondello
on the Via Gallo to the marina and the lighthouse is - as it is private
property - subject to a fee, further accesses from the west via
Sferracavallo and the Via Barcarello, from the south can be climbed via
Partanna and the Via Grotte Partanna and the height of the so-called
Semaforo can be reached at over 500 m.
right next to it is the Isola
delle Femmine, which is also under protection, landing and bathing is
only allowed in the southern part of the island. The entire sea area
from Capo Gallo to Isola delle Femmine is protected as an Area naturale
marina protetta.
Monte Pellegrino: Visit and hike in the Riserva
naturale orientata Monte Pellegrino: Palermo's local mountain with the
Parco della Favorita was placed under protection in 1991/95. Access to
the mountain with the pilgrim sanctuary can be made from the south via
Via Bonanno Pietro or Via Bonanno Pietro. walk the pilgrimage route Via
Santuario Monte Pellegrino to the Grotta and Santuario di S. Rosalia,
the patron saint of the city. A road continues to the Statua S. Rosalia,
paths up to the north slope of M. Pellegrino with a beautiful view of
Mondello. From the north, the way up the mountain on the Via Monte Ercta
can also be easily managed by vehicle, on foot you can walk from the
Parco della Favorita via the Valle del Porco up the mountain.
Good Friday Procession, Church of San Matteo. Good Friday. Every
year, the confraternity of the church organizes one of the most
heartfelt processions in the city which involves some of the main
streets of the historic centre.
Feast of Santa Rosalia (u fistinu).
10/15 July.
Feast of Saints Cosma and Damiano, Sferracavallo. last
Sunday of September. The heavy fercolo with the simulacra of the saints
is carried through the streets of the village by a large number of young
people dressed in white with a red handkerchief tied around their hips,
one around their necks and with bare feet. The festival is not only
religious but also civil and also includes the game of antinna a mari, a
sort of maypole placed on the sea.
Morgana Festival, Piazzetta
Antonio Pasqualino 5, ☎ +39 091 328060, mimap@museomarionettepalermo.it.
in autumn. The Morgana Festival is an annual review of traditional and
contemporary puppet theater and puppet theatre. Organized annually, it
brings companies and performers from all over the world to the stage in
an integrated program that is enriched with exhibitions, study and
training initiatives, book presentations for adults and children.
Shows
Palermo offers various possibilities for cultural
entertainment thanks to the presence of various theaters including the
Teatro Biondo, the Teatro Massimo and the Politeama for music and
symphony concerts and other small private realities.
There are
also numerous Sicilian puppet theaters that offer a varied program of
shows to get to know this Unesco Masterpiece of the oral and intangible
heritage of humanity up close.
There are also several jazz clubs
where international but also local songs are performed, Palermo being a
city where there are several jazz bands.
Night clubs
Palermo's
nightlife is concentrated above all on 4 areas in particular: Vucciria,
Ballarò, Massimo (called Champagneria) and Magione. These are the four
focal points where flows of people usually meet to drink, eat, joke and
dance. Despite being popular neighborhoods, especially Vucciria, Ballarò
and Magione, at night it is possible to meet any type of person: from
the student to the freelancer, from the teenager to the father of a
family. Like all areas where the "movida" is concentrated, it is
certainly foreseeable that there are also risks that need to be paid
attention to.
The area of the Vucciria market (Piazza Caracciolo
in the La Loggia district) and that of via Calderai constitute the
nocturnal gathering of music lovers (especially reggae and rap), who
organize concerts and live shows there.
Beyond these areas it is
also possible to spend a quieter evening strolling through the streets
of the centre, along Via Libertà and perhaps moving to one of the
numerous pubs in the neighboring streets.
In the summer, a large
part of the city moves to the Mondello area in the evening, the city's
seafront where it is possible to enjoy a refreshing ice cream.
The Mercato Vucciria wikipediacommons is a historic market in the Via
Roma - Piazza Carraciolo - Via Argentia - Cala area. It developed from a
meat to a fish and vegetable market. With the still loud barkers, he
reflects a part of Sicilian everyday life.
On the Mercato Ballarò in
the area between Piazza Casa Professa, Corso Tukory in the direction of
Porta Sant'Agata, mainly vegetables, fruit and groceries as well as
household items are sold.
The Mercato Il Capo in the district of the
same name extends near the Palace of Justice in the area of Via Beati
Paoli and Via Sant'Agostino.
The information on restaurants and nightlife is all from the years
before the start of the Corona crisis. A number of the companies
mentioned do not seem to have reopened. (Status: Oct 2022)
Ristorante Charme, Piazza Papa Giovanni Paolo II, 7 90146 Palermo. Tel.:
+39 091 690 0810. Italian restaurant. Open: daily 12.30 p.m. – 11.00
p.m.
Ristorante Ottava Nota, Via Butera, 55, 90133 Palermo. Tel: +39
091 616 8601. Sicilian restaurant. Open: Mon 8 p.m. – 11 p.m., Tue – Sat
1 p.m. – 3 p.m. + 8 p.m. – 11.30 p.m., Sun 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Badalamenti Cucina e Bottega, Viale Galatea, 55, 90151 Palermo. Tel.:
+39 091 450213. Open: daily 12.00 - 15.30 + 19.00 - 23.00.
Osteria
Mercede, Via Pignatelli Aragona, 52, 90141 Palermo. Tel: +39 091 332243.
Seafood restaurant. Open: Mon closed, Tue 7 p.m. – 10.30 p.m., Wed – Sun
12.30 p.m. – 2.30 p.m. + 7 p.m. – 10.30 p.m.
Bottega del Gusto di
Dario Tringali, Via Abruzzi, 19b, 90144 Palermo. Tel.: +39 091 513475.
Open: Tue – Sun 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. + 7.30 p.m. – 11 p.m., closed on
Mondays.
Bistrot Cuor di Caffè, Via Cavour, 107, 90139 Palermo. Tel:
+39 091 887 2793. Sicilian restaurant. Open: Tue – Sat 8:30 a.m. – 11:00
p.m., Sun 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m., closed on Mondays.
Torquemada, Via
Pignatelli Aragona, 64, 90141 Palermo. Tel.: +39 091 332771. Pizzeria.
Open: daily 12:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. + 7:00 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.
Rosso di
Sera, Piazza Marina a Sferracavallo, 7, 90147 Palermo. Tel: +39 331 620
4026. Seafood restaurant. Open: Tue – Sun 12pm – 11pm, closed Mon.
Ristorante Palazzo Branciforte, Via Bara All'Olivella, 2 - Piano Terra,
90133 Palermo. Tel.: +39 091 321748. Open: daily 12.00 - 15.00 + 19.00 -
23.00.
Sesto Canto, Piazza Sant'Oliva, 26, 90141 Palermo. Tel.: +39
091 324543. Open: Mon – Fri 1pm – 2.30pm + 8pm – 10.30pm, Sat 8pm –
10.30pm, Sun closed.
I Candelai, Via dei Candelai, 65, 90134 Palermo. Tel: +39 091 327151.
Open: Sun – Fri 3.45pm – 3.30am, Sat closed.
Black Out Discoteque,
Viale Lazio, 51, 90144 Palermo. Tel.: +39 392 168 3222. Open: Sat 11pm –
4.30am, Sun 3pm – 8pm.
Triskele Pub, Via Sedie Volanti, 26/28, 90134
Palermo. Tel: +39 328 713 2960. Pub. Open: Tue – Sun 9 p.m. – 3 a.m.,
Mon closed.
Jayson Pub, Via dei Nebrodi, 95, 90146 Palermo. Tel: +39
091 754 2649. Irish Pub. Open: daily 6.30 p.m. – 2 a.m. Edit info
Vespa Café, Via Orologio, 48, 90133 Palermo. Tel.: +39 392 395 6614.
Open: Sun – Thu 5 p.m. – 1 a.m., Fri + Sat 5 p.m. – 2 a.m.
B&B Teatro Massimo, Via Orologio, 31, 90133 Palermo. Tel.:
+39(0)3388323334, Email: bbteatromassimo@alice.it. Bed and Breakfast
Teatro Massimo is an elegant residence in the heart of Palermo, located
just 50 meters from the famous Teatro Massimo, in the pedestrian area of
the historic center.
B&B Palermo, Via Porta di Castro, 223, 90134
Palermo. Tel: +39(0)91 7025564, Mobile: +39(0)328 2639433, Fax: +39(0)91
8771577, Email: bebportadicastro@gmail.com. The B & B Porta di Castro is
an old building renovated and well equipped.
B&B Palermo Art, Via
Cavour, 161, 90133 Palermo. Tel.: +39(0)328.544548291 6110009, email:
info@bedandbreakfastpalermoart.com. B&B Palermo Art Lincoln is located
in the city center on Via Lincoln.
Villa Addaura, Lungomare
Cristoforo Colombo, 1931, 90151 Mondello Palermo. Tel.: +39(0)091
6849031, email: info@villa-addaura.com. Villa Addaura, bed and breakfast
in Mondello, Palermo, is located in a beautiful seafront location, which
is only 10 meters, just 5 minutes by car from Mondello.
B&B Palermo
Lincoln Suite, Via Lincoln, 161, 90133 Palermo. Tel.: +39 (0)91 6176750,
email: info@bedandbreakfastapalermo.com. Price: €30.
Quintocanto
Hotel & Spa, Corso Vittorio Emanuele, 310 - 90100 Palermo. Tel.: +39
(0)91 348426, Fax: +39(0)91 7302738, Email: info@hoteluccardhome.com. A
brand new 4 star hotel near the Quattro Canti Square.
Apartment
«Cala», Piazza Fonderia 10, Palermo (PA), IT-90133. Mobile: +39 (0)333
6638666, email: marcello@orizzonterosso.com. Free pick-up from the train
station or airport if booked in advance.
Buccheri La Ferla Hospital, Via Messina Marine, 127-197, ☎ +39 091
479203. Emergency Department
Palermo is a fairly safe city during
the day but can be intimidating at night, especially on weekdays in the
winter when there aren't many students, visitors and locals around.
Although crimes against visitors are quite rare. Remember that:
You shouldn't go out alone at night, especially if you are off the
streets in the center and if you are a woman;
You should book a
hotel/B&B in the city center (the areas around Piazza Ruggero Settimo,
Fontana della Ninfa and Piazza Giuseppe Verdi are fine), both for safety
reasons and because public transport between the city center and the
suburbs is not reliable at night. Accommodation in Palermo is quite
cheap compared to Italian and European standards, even in the best
areas.
During the day, remember the danger of pickpockets on the
streets and city buses, as well as motorcycle theft targeting bags,
wallets and mobile phones.
In summer the city center of Palermo
is safe even at night, as there are hundreds of bars and pubs open all
night and many people out and about. However, don't forget to use common
sense.
Driving and crossing the streets of Palermo is quite
dangerous as the rules of the road are not always respected. Also
remember that vehicle theft is a big problem, but as demonstrated by the
latest figures made available by the Italian police, Palermo is safer
than Rome, Naples, Milan, Bari, Catania and Turin; however, if you want
to avoid any risk, avoid leaving bags and objects visible or use paid
parking lots.
Palermo is gripped by the problem of illegal
parking. Each free car park has a valet on "duty" who will ask you for a
donation. They are often "sublet" to immigrants who work for others.
Many are not satisfied with a little one-off money but will also want to
know how long you leave it asking for more. Unfortunately it is a known
problem and difficult to solve given the high unemployment rate of the
city and the links with local crime. Calling the traffic police or the
police will almost certainly expose you to the risk of damaging your
car. The only common sense thing is to pay, as it's a way to keep her
safe.
Some districts of Palermo as well as not being touristic
are not safe because they are particularly degraded areas of the city.
The infamous ZEN neighborhood in northern Palermo is definitely an area
to avoid. Brancaccio, in southern Palermo, has some attractions but it
is still a degraded neighborhood where car theft or other problems are
possible.
Although the perception of crime is high, Palermo is in
51st place (2023) in the European Crime Index below Milan, Turin and
Rome.
Monreale - This city half an hour by bus from Palermo is a UNESCO
site thanks to the splendid Arab-Norman cathedral covered in precious
mosaics.
Bagheria - a small town east of Palermo. There are some
beautiful eighteenth-century villas and a museum of the famous painter
Renato Guttuso.
Cefalù, Milazzo (for the Aeolian Islands), Messina,
Trapani and Enna can be reached by regular trains. While for Catania,
Taormina, Agrigento and Syracuse it is better to take the bus.
Island
of Females
Capo Gallo Oriented Nature Reserve —
Barcarello —
Accessing from the village of Sferracavallo (locality Barcarello) you
can take the beautiful and panoramic path along the coast. Ideal for
those who want to swim in absolute tranquillity, in very clean water and
without going far from the city. Also reachable by bus from the center
of Palermo. Also accessible by bicycle.
Itineraries
The
Palermo area is a place full of destinations to visit. Using Palermo as
a base by car, it is possible to visit the hinterland easily during the
day. The itineraries to follow are along the coast: heading east (A29)
to Alcamo and heading west (A19) to Cefalù. Other itineraries follow the
roads inland: SS624 towards Piana degli Albanesi, SS121 towards Alia and
Villalba, SS118 towards Santo Stefano Quisquina and Bivona and the Bosco
della Ficuzza.
Santa Rosalia itinerary — Tourist, religious and
naturalistic itinerary of over 180 km, between the provinces of
Agrigento and Palermo, to be done on foot, by bicycle or on horseback,
which winds through 7 former nature reserves now absorbed by the Sicani
Mountains Park and 15 municipalities (Santo Stefano Quisquina,
Castronovo di Sicilia, Prizzi, Palazzo Adriano, Bivona, Burgio, Chiusa
Sclafani, Bisacquino, Contessa Entellina, Campofiorito, Corleone, Piana
degli Albanesi, Altofonte, Monreale, Palermo), connecting the Hermitage
in the territory of Santo Stefano Quisquina to the Sanctuary of Monte
Pellegrino through the places linked to the cult of Santa Rosalia. The
path, which is part of the Vie sacre di Sicilia project, consists of
royal dirt roads, mule tracks, paths and abandoned railways. Funded by
the Regional Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and
Mediterranean Fishing, it was officially inaugurated on 4 September
2016.
UNESCO Visitor Center, Via Vittorio Emanuele, 353 (next to Palazzo
Riso), ☎ +39 0916116368. information on the monuments of Palermo and
especially on the Unesco ones.
Consulate of the Russian Federation,
Viale Orfeo, 18 (A Mondello), ☏ +39 899933912. Consulate for Russian
citizens as well as for visa applications.
The area preserves remains of human presence since the Paleolithic.
In the Addaura caves there are some inhabited cavities, which present
among other findings, engravings and drawings datable between the final
Epigravettian and the Mesolithic, depicting anthropomorphic and
zoomorphic figures.
The city was founded by the Phoenicians
between the 7th and 6th centuries BC, probably with the name of Zyz.
Previously the area had been a commercial and logistic center for
northwestern Sicily.
The Greeks, settled in eastern Sicily and
only minimally in western Sicily, rarely approached Palermo: in 409 BC.
the Syracusan general Hermocrates carried out a raid during which the
territory was looted and 500 of its inhabitants were killed in front of
the walls, which, however, were not attacked. In 397 BC. the tyrant of
Syracuse Dionysius I, during the war against the island of Mozia, a
Carthaginian colony, attacked and sacked Palermo, which remained
faithful to Carthage. Finally, according to Polybius, Pyrrhus, in the
war against Carthage, conquered Palermo, the main Punic stronghold in
Sicily after the destruction of Mozia.
In 254 BC. the city was
conquered by the Romans who managed to subtract it from the
Carthaginians of Amilcare Barca, forced to take refuge at the foot of
Mount Pellegrino during the first Punic war, in the battle of Palermo.
Attempts to reconquer the Carthaginians were in vain and the city became
a Roman conquest with the name of Panormus. Under the government of Rome
Palermo continued to play the role of strategic port in the
Mediterranean, experiencing a period of tranquility and prosperity, so
much so that the city grew and equipped itself with splendid buildings
for shows known from epigraphs and ancient texts and in part still
identifiable. Palermo was a Roman city until the barbarian invasions
caused the looting and devastation of the city.
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Sicily was largely
devastated in 535 with the arrival of the Vandals in the west of the
island. The reconstruction of Palermo took place thanks to the
Byzantines, who held Palermo for three centuries.
With the
conquest of the city, commanded by Belisarius, Sicily became a
peripheral province of the Eastern Empire.
In the 9th century the
Muslims from North Africa invaded Sicily: the conquest was begun in 827
and Palermo was taken in 831. Muslim governors moved the capital of
Sicily from Syracuse to Palermo and the city was provided with all the
bureaucratic structures and services necessary for a capital. The Arabs
introduced the first citrus groves, forming the Conca d'Oro and thus
opening up a new possibility of economic development. In 948 the city
had over two hundred thousand inhabitants, making it one of the most
populous cities in the world. The city became the prosperous capital of
the new Kalbite emirate in 948, but autonomy encouraged Christian
struggles for independence, eventually paving the way for the Norman
conquest. In 1071/1072, after four years of siege, Roger I of Altavilla,
the first Norman count, conquered Palermo. In 1098 the Normans completed
the conquest of the rest of the island: the capital, first of the Gran
Contea di Sicilia, then of the Kingdom of Sicily, remained in Palermo,
but the inhabitants dropped drastically (60,000), finally falling to
51,000 in 1330. The arrival of the Normans in Palermo led to the
construction of a considerable number of Christian buildings and the
city reached its maximum splendor under the government of Roger II.
After the Norman kingdom in Sicily, the Hohenstaufen ascended the throne
(from 1194 to 1266), who made Palermo an imperial administrative center.
Upon the death of Frederick II (1250), Palermo and Sicily lost
importance in the political landscape: power moved to Naples, with
Charles of Anjou and the Angevins (from 1266 to 1282). The War of the
Vespers against the French began in Palermo in 1282. At the end of the
war, the crown of Sicily was offered to the cadet branch of the
Aragonese, and Palermo became its capital.
The domination of the Kingdom of Spain, which placed the seat of the
Viceroy in Palermo, placing a political, cultural and religious border
against the Islamic world, resulted in the isolation and impoverishment
of Sicily. The agriculture of the island was pushed towards the
cultivation of durum wheat, necessary for the Spanish fleet to sustain
the crews, and therefore, in addition to producing less income, it
generated famines from excess exports. Many revolts broke out, which,
however, had more as a target the body, in charge of the distribution
and collection of taxes and fees and made up of Sicilian nobles, than
the king of Spain. The two centuries of Spanish rule in Palermo ended in
1713 with the Treaty of Utrecht, which marked the end of the War of the
Spanish Succession.
In 1734 the city became the domain of the
Bourbons, who kept the Kingdom of Sicily and Naples separate. In 1816
the kingdoms were united in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies: Palermo
lost the status of capital, becoming the second administrative center
after Naples. However Palermo continued to possess the title of capital
of the island part of the kingdom.
The spring of the peoples, also known as the revolution of 1848, or
riots of 1848, began precisely in Palermo on January 12 of that year and
represented the first fuse of the European explosion. The Sicilian
insurrection led to the declaration of independence and the restoration
of the Kingdom of Sicily. A revolution followed in Naples on the 27th,
which forced Ferdinand II two days later to promise a Constitution,
promulgated on the 11th February. Reconquered Sicily with the army, the
sovereign restored absolutism and anti-Bourbon hostility was
consolidated on the island.
In 1860, after the revolt of the
Gancia had occurred in Palermo, which was bloodily repressed by the
Bourbons, the Garibaldi disembarkation took place in Marsala, who
reached Palermo on 27 May, entering the city through the Termini gate.
On that occasion the city was bombarded by the Bourbon army with losses
among civilians and destruction. In 1866 the city was the protagonist of
the seven-and-a-half revolt against the new Kingdom of Italy by
disillusioned former Garibaldians, pro-Bourbons, republicans and
starving people, with consequent bombardment by the fleet, which
destroyed many architectural structures. However, the fiscal policy of
the Savoy government did not change, leading to the regicide of Umberto
I.
In the first twenty years of the 20th century, Palermo went
through a flourishing era, with a brief but intense Art Nouveau period,
mainly characterized by architectures of eclectic taste. The
protagonists of this season were the Florios, a family with an
industrial tradition, which made the city a protagonist on an
international level in the so-called Belle Époque. Not affected by the
First World War, Palermo suffered considerable destruction due to
bombing during the Second World War, until it was occupied in July 1943
by the allied troops of US General George Patton.
In October
1944, the city was the scene of the Bread Massacre, an episode that
effectively kicked off the EVIS season, which ended with the granting of
the status of Region with Special Statute to Sicily, which made Palermo,
once again vault, the center of bureaucracy and regional policy.
Starting from the end of the 1950s, the main Sicilian criminal
organization, Cosa Nostra, experienced a phase of growth thanks to the
economic boom and the process of urbanization of the peasant population,
managing to infiltrate public spending, post-war reconstruction building
works and city expansion. It was the era of the sack of Palermo, the
uncontrolled expansion of the city towards the north, even at the cost
of demolishing liberty villas. From the 60s to the 80s, there were 3
mafia wars with many deaths among the members of the mafia. At that time
and later, entrepreneurs, journalists, doctors, magistrates such as
Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, policemen and the Italian
cultural heritage were also affected, which led to a strong response
from the state and civil society and a consequent retreat of power
mobster. There was therefore talk of the "spring of Palermo", both for
the considerable activity carried out, not without controversy and
controversial choices, by the then mayor Leoluca Orlando aimed at
promoting and recovering the image of the city in Italy and in the
world, mortified by the long series of murders and mafia crimes, both
for the promotion of a culture of legality also in the cultural and
educational fields with the birth of citizens' associations and
committees.
In March 2015 some jurists, human rights activists,
public administrators and non-governmental organizations signed the
Charter of Palermo to urge the world community to review the legislation
on residence permits and policies related to migration phenomena,
supporting international human mobility as inalienable right of the
person. In November 2015 Palermo became part of the Safer Cities program
launched in 1996 by the UN-Habitat agency of the United Nations,
assuming its global co-presidency.
Palermo rises within a plain of about 100 km² (the Conca d'Oro) squeezed between the gulf and the limestone mountains, which take their name from the city. Some rocky conformations push towards the coast creating a real physical split between different neighborhoods.
The
hydrography of the Conca d'Oro in Palermo has been radically changed
over the course of history. The first inhabited settlement was built
between two rivers that are no longer visible, the Kemonia and the
Papireto, while the Oreto river (the only river to flow between the
city streets in the twenty-first century) was located well beyond
the city walls. The two rivers that cut the city no longer flow on
the surface but in the basement of the historic center: their traces
are evident in the toponymy and in the conformation of the streets.
There were also many seasonal streams, which helped to create
swampy areas or in any case rich in water: this is the case in the
San Lorenzo area and in the Mondello area. Gorges called valloni, a
sort of bad weather streams that channel the alluvial descents
(sometimes causing damage), are present in the areas on the slopes
of Monte Grifone; among the best known are the valleys of Croceverde
and that of Belmonte Chiavelli.
The Qanat are an enormous
work of hydraulic engineering carried out in the subsoil of the
city, starting from the Arab era, to bring water to the surface,
intercepting the natural groundwater. Three canals are accessible
and guided tours are organized by speleologists.
According to the Köppen climate classification, the climate of
Palermo belongs to the group called Csa: Mediterranean climate with
dry and hot summer season and warm and rainy winter. The
intermediate seasons have very pleasant temperatures. Summer is dry
and hot, generally torrid, although frequently breezy thanks to the
presence of sea breezes.
It is not uncommon to hear the
sirocco, the African wind that raises the temperature (historical
peak of 45.6 ° C recorded at the Astronomical Observatory of
Palermo), with humidity levels that even drop below 15%. In winter,
with the sirocco, maximums above 20 ° C can be recorded (the thermal
peaks of February 2010 and November 2014 stand out, where they
touched +30 ° C for several days).
The wettest period for the
city is between October and March. The pluviometric peak for Palermo
occurred during the disastrous flood that flooded the city in
February 1931 and amounted to about 395 mm in 39 hours. Often,
especially in autumn, sudden storms hit the capital, managing to
pour even 130 mm of rain in a few hours, as happened on September
16, 2009, when there were floods in the hilly hamlets of Belmonte
Chiavelli and Croceverde-Giardina.
The phenomenon of fog is
rare, a little less rare in areas such as the Parco della Favorita,
thanks to its position sheltered from winds and the richness of
vegetation.
The hottest area of the city is the historic
center. National weather information centers often use data from
Punta Raisi airport to indicate the weather situation of the
Sicilian capital. But the airport (divided from the city by some
elevations) is located about 22 km and usually records higher
minimums in winter and lower maximums in summer.
Minimal
temperatures below freezing are extremely rare. Only the peripheral
areas of the foothills manage from time to time to register some
negative value, while in the city center it is an almost unknown
phenomenon. Since the twenties in the central area of Palermo only
the weather station of the Astronomical Observatory has recorded
negative minimums during the snowfalls of 8 January 1981 (-0.5 ° C)
and those of 30-31 January and 1 February 1999 (up to -0.2 ° C). It
had previously dropped to -1.9 ° C in February 1895 during another
snowfall. The other stations have always recorded positive lows.
Snow in Palermo is not an impossible phenomenon, even if it is
rare and short-lived.
More frequently the snow phenomena stop
on the peripheral and foothills areas, but sometimes it snowed with
accumulations even on the seashore. The greatest snowfall since the
war was that of 8 January 1981. The last significant snowfall in
Palermo dates back to 31 December 2014.