Palermo

Palermo has been Phoenician, Greek, Roman, Arab, Norman, Swabian, Angevin, Aragonese and Bourbon, and all of it is still visible — often in the same building. The Arab-Norman churches, with Byzantine gold mosaics under Islamic wooden ceilings, are unique in Europe and UNESCO-listed as a group with Cefalù and Monreale. The city is scruffy, loud and half-restored, with baroque palaces next to war damage never rebuilt, and it has the best street food in Italy. It is not a polished city break; it is a much better one than that.

For the Cappella Palatina and Monreale, which are worth the flight on their own. For the markets — Ballarò, Capo, Vucciria — which are North African in feel and where most of the eating happens. And as the base for western Sicily: Cefalù, Segesta, the Zingaro reserve and the Egadi islands are all day trips.

Things to do

• The Cappella Palatina — Inside the Palazzo dei Normanni: Byzantine mosaics, an Islamic muqarnas ceiling and a Norman king's chapel, all at once. The single best thing in the city.
• Monreale Cathedral — 6,500 m² of gold mosaic and a Norman-Arab cloister of 228 paired columns, 8 km uphill. Allow a half day.
• Ballarò and Capo markets — Go hungry, before noon. Panelle, arancine, sfincione and a glass of wine from a plastic cup.
• Palazzo Abatellis — Antonello da Messina's Virgin Annunciate and a huge fifteenth-century Triumph of Death fresco, in a Catalan-Gothic palace.
• Teatro Massimo — The largest opera house in Italy and the third largest in Europe — daily tours, and the Godfather III staircase.
• The Capuchin Catacombs — Eight thousand mummified bodies in habits, arranged by trade and sex. Genuinely unsettling; not for everyone.
• Mondello and Monte Pellegrino — Bus 806 to the beach, or up to the Santuario di Santa Rosalia on the mountain above it for the view over both bays.

3 days in Palermo

1. Day 1 Arab-Norman Palermo

   Palazzo dei Normanni and the Cappella Palatina at opening. Ballarò market for lunch on your feet. Afternoon: the Cathedral, San Giovanni degli Eremiti's red domes, and the Quattro Canti. Aperitivo in the Kalsa, dinner nearby.

2. Day 2 Monreale and the markets

   Morning bus up to Monreale — cathedral and cloister. Back for a late lunch at the Capo market. Afternoon at Palazzo Abatellis, then the Teatro Massimo tour. Evening drinking in the Vucciria.

3. Day 3 Coast or Greek temple

   Either the train east to Cefalù for the Norman cathedral and the beach, or a car west to Segesta's unfinished temple and the Zingaro reserve. Back for a last cannolo.

Practical

Best time to go

April–June and September–October. July–August is 35°C+ and many Palermitani leave for the coast; the city still works but the middle of the day does not. Winter is mild (15°C in January) and the citrus is in season — genuinely one of the best winter city breaks in Europe. Holy Week and the Festino di Santa Rosalia in mid-July are the two big set pieces.

Getting there

Palermo Falcone-Borsellino (PMO) is 45 minutes from the centre by the Trinacria Express train or the Prestia e Comandè bus. Overnight ferries from Naples (about 11 hours), Genoa and Civitavecchia dock at the port a short walk from the centre. Trains along the coast to Cefalù take an hour; the interior is slow — hire a car for the rest of Sicily.

Getting around

The historic centre is walkable and best walked. Buses are erratic; the tram serves the outskirts only. Taxis should use the meter — agree the fare first if they won't. Do not drive in the centre: the streets are narrow, the parking is informal, and 'parcheggiatori abusivi' will expect a euro or two either way.

Eat & drink

Street food first: pane e panelle (chickpea fritters in a roll), arancine (round in Palermo, and feminine — the argument with Catania is real), sfincione, and for the brave, pani ca' meusa — spleen sandwich. Then pasta con le sarde, caponata, and swordfish. Sweets are a discipline of their own: cannoli filled to order, cassata, and granita with brioche for breakfast in summer. Marsala and Etna wines on the list; Nero d'Avola everywhere.

Know before you go

Cross roads decisively — the traffic is Neapolitan in temperament. Keep bags closed and to the front in the markets, and don't leave anything in a parked car anywhere. Many churches close 13:00–16:00 and some of the Arab-Norman sites keep short or shifting hours; check the day's opening before setting out. Monreale is a 30-minute bus ride uphill — go in the morning, when the mosaics are lit.