HISTORY OF PALERMO:
Palermo was founded in the year 734 BC by the Phoenicians, who called it Zyz. In 397 BC, the city came under the domination of Carthage, before becoming part of the Roman Republic, the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire, for the next one thousand years. Read More [...]
As the Western Roman Empire was falling apart, Palermo was conquered in turn by the Vandals in 440, and by the Ostrogoths in 488. Between 831 and 1072, the city was under Arab domination. The Normans conquered Palermo in 1072, after a long siege, and the city returned to Christianity. Following the Norman conquest, Palermo became the capital of a new kingdom that existed between 1130 and 1816, the Kingdom of Sicily.
Between 1479 and 1718, Palermo was ruled by the Kingdom of Spain. Later, for a few years, the city was under the control of the House of Savoy, then passed to the Austrians between 1720 and 1734, and came under the Bourbon rule after 1734. In 1861, along with the rest of Sicily, Palermo became part of the newly created Kingdom of Italy.
GEOGRAPHY OF PALERMO:
Today, Palermo is the capital of Sicily and the most populated city on the island. Located in the northwestern part of the region, in the Gulf of Palermo, the city lies in a basin formed by the Papireto, Kemonia and Oreto rivers, and is surrounded by a mountain range which bears its name. Read More [...]
Palermo is located 70 kilometers west of Cefalù, 105 kilometers east of Trapani, 220 kilometers northwest of Catania and about the same distance of Acireale and Taormina, 225 kilometers west of Messina, 240 kilometers northwest of Ragusa, 250 kilometers northwest of Modica, 265 kilometers northwest of Syracuse, and 270 kilometers northwest of Noto.
TRANSPORT TO PALERMO:
You can get to Palermo by plane, arriving at the Falcone Borsellino International Airport, located 32 kilometers west of the city, at Punta Raisi. Read More [...]
If you arrive in Sicily at the Catania–Fontanarossa Airport, you have at least two options to get to Palermo: you can take the SAIS bus from the aiport, or you can take the train from the Catania Centrale railway station. By bus, the ticket costs 14.00€ and the trip takes about 2 hours and a half, while by train, the trip takes about 4 hours and the ticket costs 14.90€.
You can get to Palermo also by ferry, from Salerno, Naples, Livorno and Cagliari, or by train, from Naples and Rome, across the Strait of Messina.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN PALERMO:
Known and appreciated for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, Palermo is a surprising city that you have to discover by yourself. Read More [...]
The city is the main seat of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale, a series of nine religious and civic structures dating back to the era of the Norman Kingdom of Sicily.
The main tourist attractions are the Cathedral of the Assumption of Virgin Mary, the Catacombs of the Capuchin, Piazza Pretoria with its beautiful fountain - Fontana Pretoria, Palazzo dei Normanni, the Quattro Canti Square, also known as Piazza Vigliena, and Teatro Massimo, the largest theater in Italy.
EVENTS IN PALERMO:
The most important event in Palermo and one of the most important in Sicily is the Feast of Santa Rosalia (Festa di Santa Rosalia), dedicated to Saint Rosalia, also known as La Santuzza (Little Saint), the patron saint of the city. The feast commemorates the miraculous appearances of the Saint from 1624, when Palermo was hit by plague.