top 10 things to do in palermo

8/16/2019 Top 10 Things to Do in Palermo

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Top 10 Things to Do in Palermo (According to Cherrye)

1. Stroll Along Via Vittorio Emanuele

Although Palermo’s centro storico is one of Europe’s largest, most of the city’s main

attractions line Via Vittorio Emanuele, one of the two main streets in the city. Start at

the Palazzo dei Normanni, the mosaicfilled Norman palace that is home to Sicily’s

regional go!ernment, and head down Via Vittorio Emanuele towards "a #ala. As you

wal$ down the street, you will pass churches and %uildings %uilt in distinct Ara%,

Norman and &yzantine styles, each paying homage to the time it controlled the region.

Pay special attention to the statues and fountains called the Quattro Canti, or 'our

#orners, where Via Vittorio Emanuele and Via (a)ueda intersect.

*. Crunch on Cannoli

+hese deep fried ricottafilled cones ust may %e Sicily’s %est in!ention - e!er - %ut

you ha!en’t tried them until you’!e had them in Palermo. Seriously. +he stuff you get

in the /nited States, or e!en in other regions in 0taly, ust can’t compare. Scheduleyour diet appropriately and allow room for a least a few of these Sicilian specialties

e!ery day.


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. Fill er !p at the "ine Pump

Sicily is one of 0taly’s largest wine producers, so if you go to Palermo and don’t try the

wine, don’t whine to me a%out it. 0f you plan on staying for a while - or are a hea!y

drin$er - head to Vino 2 #o in Piazza (arina where you can fill an empty fi!eliter

ug with your choice of red or white wine. 3ust %e sure to plan ahead - no small plastic

%ottles are allowed.

4. Snac# on Street Vendor $il%a

5ou might %e seeing a pattern with the food and wine suggestions here, %ut Sicily is

one of the most famous culinary regions in the world - and well, 0 li$e to eat. 6hen 0

told my friends 0 was heading to Palermo, they had one recommendation for me - eat

milza. Milza, a fried spleen sandwich, is a Palermo specialty and is sold in restaurants

and on street corners throughout the city. 0 didn’t try it - 0’m a scared meat eater - %ut

you totally should.

7. &denti'y Architectural Styles at

Palermos DuomoPalermo’s 8uomo was %uilt in 1194 %y the Normans, then added to %y the :oths, the


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Spaniards and an architect from Naples. Standing in front of the 8uomo on Via

Vittorio Emanuele, you can see the distinct influences of each of these groups and

while the styles don’t necessarily %lend, they create a magnificent architectural

structure that shouldn’t %e missed.

;. Ta#e Pictures at the Fontana

Pretoria

0 didn’t do much homewor$ %efore 0 went to Palermo, instead choosing to follow the

maze of streets, fountains and piazzas where they led. So, you can imagine mysurprise at stum%ling into a s)uare full of shamefully nude, yet somewhat modest,

statues in the Piazza Pretoria. And 0 wasn’t the only one who was shoc$ed. +he

Pretoria 'ountain, also called the 'ountain of Shame, elicited cries from churchgoers

when it was un!eiled in 17


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9. et ,uiet in the Catacom-s

0’!e ne!er %een much of a gaw$atthedead type of gal, %ut the #atacom%s in

Palermo, or the Catacombe dei Cappuccini is one of the most so%ering places 0’!e

%een. +he catacom%s were %uilt in 17 and housed their first mummified %ody - one

of the monastery’s own priests - in 17@@. &etween the 1osalia "om%ardo who passed

away in 1@*=. She was em%almed with a mysterious method that has preser!ed her

%ody and she still loo$s, @= years after her death, as if she is ust sleeping.

@. Ta#e a *us to $onreale

3ust a =minute %us ride from the Piazza 0ndipendenza in Palermo, (onreale towers

o!er the city and offers panoramic !iews of the Conca d’Oro the :olden ShellB. +he

main attraction is the 1*th #entury NormanAra% cathedral that has 1= indi!idual

mosaic scenes, co!ering more than ;,=== s)uare meters. Plan time to tour the cloisters

and the royal tom%s, where 0taly’s Cing 6illiam 0 and 00 are entom%ed, along with the

heart of Cing "ouis 0V of 'rance.1=. .e/Enact the od'ather at Teatro $assimo

+he +eatro (assimo Vittorio Emanuele in Palermo is recognized %y Godfather fans as

the setting of the final scenes of the famous trilogyD 5ou $now, the stairs where (ary

died. 0f The Godfather is not your thing, this colossal theatre, the largest in 0taly and

third largest in Europe, is still worth a !isit. :uided tours are a!aila%le +uesday

Sunday for 7.==.


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+FE G"8 (A>CE+S

Gpening hours? 6ee$days from the earl morning to the e!eningH closed on holidays.

"A V/##0>0A

0n #aracciolo s)uare and neigh%ours, its name comes from the french word I%oucherieI that

means %utcherIs mar$et, %ut you can find e!erything? fresh fish, food stuffs, fruits 2

!egeta%les, clothes, etc.All these things are displayed on stalls or hung in front of the stores gi!ing the atmosfere of

ara%ic su$.

0" #APG

0t de!elops %etween SantIagostino street and Porta #ariniH you can find e!erything li$e

Vucciria mar$et ? goods, wearing e!en used clothesB, useful o%ets for the house.

&A""A>G

0t co!ers the old )uarter of Al%ergheria from #armine s)uare to &allarJ s)uare. E!en here you

can find e!erything you need.

#ASA P>G'ESSA

0t is near the omonimous s)uare of #asa Professa. +here are new and used clothes, materials

and all $ind of used things.0 "A++A>0N0

0t is neKt to &orsa S)uare, its name cames from the ara%ic word ISu$elattarinI it means

groceriesImar$et %ut e!en in this case it is not only for groceries. +oday you can find can!as

and ropes, wholesales of wool and cotton for em%rodery, underwear, soc$s, hand$erchief,

military clothes for hi$ing, leather ac$ets, ru%%er %oots, military %oots, sailor umpers and

$nitwear.

(E>#A+G 8E""E P/"#0

'lee mar$et. Anti)ues and local modern o%ets. Gpen wee$days from morning until afternoon.

Folidays half a day.

Palermo has a rich artisan production. 'or eKample the production of artistic ceramics and of

sicilian puppets and carts, copper and tin wor$s in V0A #A"8E>A0, the ma$ing of chestnut

wood and rush %as$ets near +FE #A"A and wroughtiron articles. A !isit to the flea mar$et

(E>#A+G 8E""E P/"#0B, to %rowse among anti)ue and modern and anti)ue $nic$

$nac$, is of great interest. +he confectioners offer many delicious ca$es with ricotta cream

cannoli, casate etc.B and also ca$es made from marzipan, the delicious marzipan fruits called

Ifrutti di martoranaI

"A V/##0>0A

"a Vucciria is a PalermoIs colourful mar$et . 0f you lea!e Piazza (arina with the sea %ehindyou youIll reach #orso Vittorio Emanuele, ust %efore Via (a)ueda on the right you should

see hear and smellB the mar$et once immortalised %y the painter >enato :uttuso. Fere the

colours, fla!ours and !oices of Palermo come together in a sensual medley second to none.

Stallholders will try to entice you to %uy their wares from freshly caught fish to luscious

!egeta%les and pungent spices. 'ood stalls sell an array of sandwiches filled with ust a%out

anything you can fry? panelle, chic$pea fritters, au%ergines, octopus the list is endless. 0f you

prefer to sit while youIre eating try the I+rattoria ShanghaiI, which, despite its #hinese name,

ser!es traditional Sicilian food. As you sit supping o!erloo$ing the mar$et youIll %e forgi!en

for thin$ing youIre in the middle of Shanghai, or #asa%lanca or......


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Have an ice-cream sandwich for breakfast

Gr ele!enses, or lunch, or dinnerD or all day long "a L%rioscia col gelato’ is an a%solute

must when !isiting Palermo, %ut ma$e sure you choose your gelateria wisely. Fere’s one tric$

0 find useful when udging the )uality of gelato - always loo$ at the colour of pistachioH if it’s

too %right or unnaturally green, go somewhere else. 0f they don’t ha!e pistachio, definitely gosomewhere else Some of the %est gelaterie in Palermo include Pasticceria Al-a piazza San

:io!anni &osco,


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to ta$e food and water with you, as you won’t find restaurants or cafes in these area.

Snor$elling gear is also a must.


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top 10 things to do in palermo

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