Location: Palermo
Top Things to do in Palermo
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The 10 Best Free Things to do in Palermo, Sicily
Palermo is an urban melting pot characterized by history and culture so diverse that it often feels conflicted. Discover an intriguing range of architectural styles, from Arabian domes to baroque buildings, and enjoy delicious cuisine that spans a variety of origins. Be sure to visit the Palace of the Normans, the Palatine Chapel and the church of St. John of the Hermits. Art and music lovers won’t want to miss the Galleria d’Arte Moderna (the “GAM”), the Salinas or an opera or ballet at the Teatro Massimo.
Restaurants in Palermo
1. Grotta dell'Olio
2. Quattro Canti
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,725 reviews
The traditional center of Palermo called "Quattro Canti" (Four Corners) is located at the intersection of Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Via Maqueda, making it the heart of this city's old historic district.
Reviewed By Mairwen1
This central square was a really good starting point for exploring Palermo. We started our day here at the crossroads of Palermo’s two main roads, Via Maqueda and Corso Vittorio Emanuele. It is a striking and unusual square. On each corner there are 4 matching concave Baroque buildings, all facing inwards towards the centre. If you stand in the middle and tilt your head right back to look up, they create a circular frame for a blue sky and almost seem to be curving in on you. It’s quite a strange effect. The facades are highly ornate, with curves and flourishes, columns, cherubs and fountains. There is a heavy dose of Baroque theatricality. Why have one cherub, when you can have 20 or more? Each facade has corresponding symbolic features that form a theme. Starting at the ground level, each one has a fountain. Together these represent Palermo's 4 rivers. Above that, is a figure representing one of the 4 seasons. Higher again on the second tier, is one of the Spanish kings. Finally, if you cast your eyes to the top level, each façade has one of Palermo's 4 patron saints (Sant'Oliva, Sant'Agata, Santa Christina, and Santa Ninfa). Read together, the symbolic meaning is to do with hierachy and power. The kings have power over nature but the divine power of God and the saints is the most powerful of all. There are all sorts of interesting detail if you look closely. After a while, we noticed that Spring is a young woman with a bouquet of flowers, whilst winter is an elderly person, nearing the end of their life and carrying an urn. Later in the day, when we came back this way, the square looked different again. The sun had shifted so that it was shining on a different facade giving quite a different effect. Grime and soot from traffic have blackened the buildings over time but it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to consider how stunning they would have looked when new and the stone was gleaming . NEARBY: From the Quattro Canti, we walked 2 minutes around to Pretoria Square, Santa Caterina church and the wonderfully named ‘fountain of shame’.
3. Piazza Pretoria
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,016 reviews
This grand square features a splendid fountain, erected during the heyday of the Spanish Inquisition, which features sixteen statues that are nudes of nymphs, humans, mermaids and satyrs; truly a surprise that this type of art was permitted during that dark time in history.
Reviewed By Mairwen1
The star attraction of the piazza is the wonderfully named, Fountain of Shame. Built in the 1500s as an extravagant feature for a nobleman’s garden in Florence, it features racy marble sculptures of naked gods and goddesses, mermen, sirens and tritons. After the nobleman’s death, it was brought to Palermo in 644 pieces and re-assembled here. Remarkably, someone decided that the best spot for the newly acquired fountain was right outside the windows of the Santa Caterina Church and Convent. This was always going to cause problems (surely, they could have predicted that). The nuns were appalled but rather than cower behind their windows, they took matters into their own hands and went out to throw clothing over the statues. They weren’t alone in the outrage. The general population was also dismayed and regarded the fountain as scandalous and immoral, hence the nickname. The fountain is fenced off and we couldn't see any signs for opening hours but the gate was open when we passed by in the morning and we could walk around both tiers of the fountain. It’s free to enter. The piazza is ringed by several significant buildings. These are: i) the Town Hall – It’s the one with the flags and the marble eagle just below the central balcony. It was built in the mid-1400s and has had several additions and changes over the centuries. ii) Palazzo Bonocore – a 16th century building with 3 large arched doorways and open to the public iii) Palazzo Bordonaro – this has sadly fallen into disrepair and is quite derelict iv) Church of San Giuseppe dei Teatini with the colourful yellow & green dome v) Church of Santa Caterina - Dominican nuns lived and worked here from 1311 to 2014. The bakery is still there. NEARBY – From the fountain, we went along the narrow passageway beside the town hall to Piazza Bellini to look at the 3 churches of Santa Caterina, Martorana and San Cataldo. In the other direction, it is only 2 minutes away from Quattro Canti.
4. Fontana della Vergogna (Fontana Pretoria)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,268 reviews
Reviewed By AlexSwallow - Sheffield, United Kingdom
Loved this amazing fountain, the animal sculptures were particularly interesting. It is great that you can walk right up and over it- and as it is so central in the city it is very easy to get there as a tourist or regularly walk past it if you live there. The square it is situated in, is just by the Four Corners and there are lots of beautiful churches very close.
5. Chiesa di San Domenico
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 352 reviews
This baroque church, built in 1640, is noted for its bell-tower decorated with Maiolica ceramic tiles from Caltagirone.
Reviewed By 873AmyB873 - London, United Kingdom
This church in a small square is simply stunning to look at. It’s also got the tomb of one of the anti-Mafia judges who was assassination by the mob, which is very interesting and also moving.
6. San Giuseppe dei Teatini
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 610 reviews
Reviewed By AlexSwallow - Sheffield, United Kingdom
Palermo has lots of stunning churches, but of the ones I saw this is the standout for both architecture and atmosphere. Really worth a visit.
7. Cattedrale di Palermo
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 8,166 reviews
This cathedral was started in 1185 by the norman archbishop Gualtiero Offamilio. You can visit the Royal and Imperial tomb of Frederik the II, the urn with the relics of the patron Saint of Palermo Santa Rosalia, plus a treasury with a precious medieval crown and a crypt from the VII century. The church is free to enter, there is a ticket to access the monumental area composed by royal tombs, treasury, crypt and the roof.
Reviewed By israroz - Ra'anana, Israel
The location of the large and impressive building of the Palermo Cathedral is the place where a basilica was built in early Christianity and with the Muslim conquest of Sicily on the ruins of the Basilica a Muslim mosque was built, many Muslim motifs have survived to date and can be seen in several places in the Cathedral. The cathedral is rich in exceptionally large and remarkably interesting variety of works of art from different historical periods. Roof climbing provides the climbers a wonderful rooftop views of Palermo. Sunset hours are highly recommended. “NOT 2 B MISSED”
8. Church of San Francesco of Assisi -Chiesa di San Francesco d'Assisi
9. Chiesa del Gesu
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,250 reviews
Reviewed By edinburgher2 - Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Tucked away in a side street in old Palermo and in close proximity to Chiesa di Santa Caterina d'Alessandria and Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio (La Martorana) so very easy to visit all three. We didn’t visit the crypt or the museum, only paid the E2 to visit the church interior. Entering inside, expect one of these “jaw -dropping moments” as the interior is almost overwhelming. The more you look at individual carvings, the more detail you see and the skill of the carvers is obvious. Hours could be spent here. Cannot recommend this enough. The high ratings are totally justified.
10. Ustica
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