Get to know Palermo

Also the capital of the region, Palermo has more than 600,000 inhabitants and is the fifth Italian municipality by population. It is set in a splendid position, in the center of the golden basin, so named for the warm color of the oranges that still grow abundantly in its citrus groves. Its historic center is so rich in monumental complexes that it has become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Why wait then to visit this magnificent city! First the Phoenicians, then the Arabs, the Greeks and finally the Normans, it is thanks to their conquests, their hegemony that Palermo, over the centuries, has been able to promote its take-off thanks to its position and the resources of the earth. The city is a real Arab and Norman itinerary that can only be covered by participating in a Palermo Walking Tour. Here, with a local tourist guide, you will cross the squares, the imposing churches, the royal palaces, the gardens and the monumental buildings. A journey through history, culture, traditions that are imbued here in the deep heart of the city. The testimonies of the writers and artists who visited it along the drains leave no doubt about the charm of the first time. Pirandello, Sciascia, Guttuso and Nuvolari. These are just some of the names of the great artists. Are you ready?

What to see in Palermo

Thanks to its long and complex history, the attractions that the city of Palermo has to offer are countless and wonderful. We cannot fail to remember:

– Palazzo dei Normanni, the oldest royal residence in Europe dating back to 1130;

– Palermo Cathedral, built between 1000 and 1200, is one of the most impressive monumental complexes in the city and the main place of worship of the metropolitan archdiocysis;

– Teatro Massimo, one of the largest opera houses in Europe second only to the Opéra National in Paris;

– Palatine Chapel, a magnificent Norman-Byzantine style basilica dating back to 1140 and which has become a UNESCO World Heritage Site;

– Fontana Pretoria, monumental fountain in Piazza Pretoria built in 1554 by Francesco Camilliani that can be visited by participating in a Palermo Walking Tour;

– Market of Ballarò, one of the most historic and traditional markets in the city of Palermo, a combination of colors and vitality;

– Chiesa del Gesù, a magnificent baroque style church, the most monumental in Palermo and the whole of Sicily;

– Church of the Martorana, from which the famous almond fruit trees take their name, an Arab recipe handed down by Catholic nuns.

There is probably no city in the world that offers a contamination of cultures, in which the dialogue between Christian and Islamic civilizations has been so profound.

Palermo Guided Tours

To fully understand the real Palermo among the recommended tours there is certainly the Palermo  Walking Tour where you can admire the magnificence, through the splendor of its squares and its Arab monuments, of a city so large and rich of treasures. And if you want to move a little further, you cannot miss a Monreale Cathedral Guided Tour. In a small town not far from Palermo stands one of the most beautiful cathedrals in all of Sicily. The extraordinary mosaics that cover the interior walls of the cathedral are the most famous in Italy, in which the story of man is told from creation to the last judgment. A unique tour that will allow you to admire the external and internal architecture, the hair, the columns, the marbles, the cloister of the Cathedral of Monreale declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Palermo today tries to amaze anyone who comes to visit it because it has an extraordinary heritage of beauty and a lot of history to tell.