Visiting Palermo

Palermo, Sicily is among the most conquered cities on the planet. This city has been the home, and sometimes capital, of nations and peoples including the Greeks, the Arabs, the Norman and the Romans. This island capital has remnants of all the various cultures that have called it home in the form of its architecture, its food, its culture and a good number of ancient ruins that attest to the once occupants of this island. Today, Palermo is a very modern city, having just fewer than 1 million people living in the metropolitan area in total. It is one of the most important ports in the Mediterranean.

Palermo’s main attractions include the restaurants, the art venues, the historic sites and the local music scene. The architecture is a mix of styles. Romanesque buildings stand alongside others which are decidedly Gothic. Baroque churches tower over parts of this city, which has been the seat of local rulers Christian, Muslim and Pagan alike. Some of the churches in this city offer a history of more than architecture and religion. The painter Raphael graced the church of Santa Maria dello Spasimo with a painting of its patron saint. Today, the church is an open air ruin which attracts people from around the world.

This island has been home to a great many nobles over its history. Their story is also told in the buildings. The Zisa and Cuba castles were once the hunting residences of local rulers. Today, the Zisa castle holds the Islamic Museum, which holds artifacts from when the Arabs ruled this island. For those who want their history a bit more in the rough, consider a visit to the Capuchin Catacombs. Within these chambers guests will see very old remains, many of them mummified, all of them part of this city’s history.