Palermo is the capital city of Sicily and is located on the northwestern side of the island. The city is around 2,700 years old and is rich in culture, history, not to mention gastronomy. The city has hot summers with temperatures easily reaching the high 20’s and it gets on average around 2,530 hours of sunshine every year.
The main sights of interest here include the city’s cathedral, which over its lifetime has been updated and added to so it has a myriad of different architectural styles. San Giovanni degli Eremiti, St. John of the Hermits, is located near to the Palazzo dei Normanni and is a sight well worth seeing if only for its unusual red domes.
The church of Jesus was built in 1564 over the Basilian monk’s convent and was later expanded in 1591; however, in 1943 the church was heavily damaged by Allied bombings, which destroyed most of the mural paintings on the ceilings and walls. The church of St. Francis of Assisi was constructed between 1255 and 1277, it has been renovated a number of times during the 15th, 16th, 18th and 19th centuries. After the bombings in 1943 the church was resorted to its medieval appearance.
The Palazzo dei Normanni is by far one of the most beautiful and enchanting palaces in Italy. Zisa and Cuba are majestic castles/houses that were used by the kings of Palermo for hunting purposes and today the Zisa houses the Islamic Museum. The Museo Archeologico Regionale is one of Italy’s main museums, it contains a number of remains from various civilisations such as the Etruscan, Carthaginian, Roman and Hellenistic times, as well as the decorative parts from the temples in Segesta and Selinute.
The fabulous Teatro Massimo, Great Theatre, was originally opened in 1897, but was closed in 1974. In 1997 it was re-opened after painstaking renovation work had taken place in order to bring it back up to its original former glory. It is also the largest theatre in all of Italy and the third largest in Europe.
The Capuchin Catacombs have many mummified corpses, all in varying degrees of preservation and close to the city there is Monte Pellegrino, which stands at 600 meters in height and gives those who are brave enough to tackle it a spectacular view of the city, sea and surrounding mountains. The food here is just as varied and wonderful as its history and attractions; one main dish that was created here and spread to the rest of the island is pasta con le sarde. It is made with wild fennel, fresh sardines, anchovies, saffron, sultanas and pine-nuts.
Looking for self catering holiday accommodation in Palermo? Then below is a selection of Apartments in Palermo and villas in Palermo that can be rented direct from their owners. You can either click on each listing for further details or you can use our search engine on the left if you are looking for something in particular.
