History majors, rejoice. The streets of Palermo act like a timeline through its erratic past (and we’re always keen for a history lesson if it also involves gelato stops). Here’s what to make time for when you’re in town.
05 August, 2022
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The biggest opera house in Italy, the magnificent neoclassical
Teatro Massimo is a must-see. Its historical importance aside, fans
of The Godfather will recognise the mustard-yellow theatre from the
final acts of the trilogy. Throughout the summer season, jazz
concerts, cinema and dance recitals get booked up well in advance,
so if you want to ogle the ornate, gilded interior, get ahead and
book before your trip.
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If you pay to enter one church in Sicily, it should be this
beauty. Marvel at the baroque-meets-rococo interiors and vaulted
frescoes and ogle every corner dripping with stucco and intricately
carved wood. In 2017, when the last Dominican monks moved out, the
cloisters opened to the public for the first time in the church’s
700-year history. The full ticket gives you access to the convent’s
rooftop terrace, with spectacular views over piazzas Bellini and
Pretoria and the city beyond. Reward yourself with a cannoli at the
secret bakery sequestered within the cloisters afterwards.
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History buffs, this one’s for you. Also known as Palazzo dei
Normanni, this vast palace belonged to the kings of Sicily during
the Norman rule, making it the oldest private residence in Europe.
Construction is actually thought to have started in the ninth
century during Islamic rule, and typical Arabic vaults are still
present in the basement. Inside, you’ll find the Palatine Chapel, a
Unesco World Heritage site, and one of the best examples of the
city’s unique convergence of art and architecture.
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Spread across 10 hectares of the central Kalsa district of
Palermo, the University of Palermo’s 1779-opened Botanical Gardens
are – like much of the city’s architecture – an archive of the many
centuries of colonising influences that have played out in Sicily.
Many of the original neoclassical greenhouses are still intact and
in use. Weave between the wacky cacti and through sun-dappled
citrus groves to spy the majestic Ficus magnolioides. The largest
tree in Palermo and the symbol of the garden, it was shipped from
Australia as a sapling in 1845.
