Palermo is the capital of Sicily and it appears to be a city of contradictions: parts of Palermo are elegant, swish even, with an interesting mixture of Baroque, Byzantine and Norman architecture, whilst others are full of half derelict buildings and the obvious scars of corruption and lack of infrastructure. Tourism is a curious thing in Sicily, despite the amount of money it brings to the region, the Sicilians don’t appear to be the slightest bit interested in selling their tourist attractions, and it is certainly not that there aren’t any. Sicily is full of places and monuments of historic and cultural interest; you just have to uncover them yourself!
The locals, like the city, are noisy and sociable, friendly and warm. If you are lucky enough to befriend a local, you will get an interesting insight into the “real” Palermo, failing that, here are a few of the delightful places I discovered on my trip and that may be of interest to others:
Once you have found accommodation in Palermo you can get down to exploring the city. Let’s start with the past…..Quartiere della Kalsa is the historic neighbourhood of the old city, dating back to the Middle Ages when it was built as an exclusive oasis for the city’s leaders. Although it was damaged during the second world war, you can still see some interesting ancient architecture here and the area has a distinctly historic feel. Walking around the dusty back streets of this neighbourhood, it is hard to imagine that you are in the same city as those clean, wide avenues lines with chic shops and cafes that are in the modern centre of Palermo.
Galleria Regionale della Sicilia is your place if you are interested in art as this “Palace” has an enormous collection of paintings and frescoes dating back over 600 years. If you are more interested in contemporary art, the Galleria 61 is the place to discover new talent.
Palazzo dei Normanni is a magnificent 9th century palace which houses an impressive collection of treasures, from Arabic mosaics to African wooden sculptures. The building itself is stunning and you can easily while away a pleasant morning or afternoon here.
Ballaro Market is a great place to get feel for traditional daily life in Sicily. Even if you don’t buy anything, seeing the locals go about their business and all of the colours and smells of the local fresh produce makes for a very stimulating morning. There are plenty of budget B&B’s in Palermo where breakfast comes included in the price of the room, so you can fill up on breakfast there and come to the market for a cheap, healthy, Mediterranean lunch, leaving you with some extra cash for a great plate of pasta and sardines in a local restaurant for dinner!
Glory and decay are two seemingly contradictory words that aptly describe this unique city and you have to experience both to capture the true essence of Palermo.
