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Artistic delights abound at every corner, maybe most strikingly in the spectacular
mosaics in the Palatine Chapel in Palermo and the Duomo of Monreale.
Palermo, the regional capital of Sicily, is one of those cities with its own very
distinct, almost tangible atmosphere, a place of mystery where reality often
outperforms the traveller’s imagination and preconceived stereotypes. It is a
buzzing Mediterranean centre whose 1 million inhabitants are a fascinating cocktail
of apparently conflicting characteristics. Visiting Palermo is still somewhat of an
adventure in a world where so many places have become tourist-friendly to a fault.
You won’t find many restaurants with menus translated into 5 different languages,
you may have trouble communicating in English in many places, and some parts
of the old town centre have remained untouched since they were bombed during
the war. There are many back streets that have only just opened up to those
from without and it is still often difficult to obtain any information worth having.
However, this is also a stimulus to those who wish to embark on a little adventure,
to discover things for themselves, to dig into the very fabric of the city and to try
to understand what really makes Palermo (and its people) tick.
The often faded grandeur of many of Palermo’s wonderful palaces and churches
in the centre gives way to popular areas whose way of life doesn’t fully belong
to the 21st Century. This is particularly true of the markets, whose Arabic origins
are still evident today thanks to their noise, smells, colours, narrow labyrinthine
streets, the splendid array of food and other goods on display and the general
‘souk’ atmosphere.
The Capital of Sicily
SICILY Flavours
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SICILY
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