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Palermo the capital of Sicily
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Palermo, encircled by mountains and the sea, is a city steeped in history. The earliest inhabited nucleus (the Palaeopolis) was situated in the strip of land bounded to the S by the River Kemonia and to the N by the Papireto. This is where the Phoenicians arrived in the 8th c. BC and set up a trading station. In 480 BC Palermo, together with Carthage, fought in the epic Battle of Himera, which saw the Phoenicians and the Greeks of Sicily pitched one against the other. As is known, the Greeks were victorious. In the First Punic War, Palermo was one of the most important strategic points in the Carthaginian defences, and it took an active part against the Romans, who however finally defeated the city in 251 BC. After the Barbarian invasions Sicily and Palermo became part of the Byzantine Empire and went through a long period of decline. The Arabs arrived in 831 and from then on, throughout the period of Muslim domination, Palermo once again played its part as a capital city, becoming one of the most important economic and cultural centres in Sicily. After the Norman conquest in 1072, Palermo maintained its role as a hegemonic city; it was enriched with new quarters and monuments, and in 1130, when Roger II was made King of Sicily, it became the prosperous capital of the Norman Kingdom, resplendent with palaces and luxuriant gardens. In the Palaeopolis the Norman sovereigns built their palace where, on the orders of Roger II, the splendid jewel of the Palace Chapel was created. After the Normans, power passed to Frederick II of Swabia, whose court saw the development of an extremely refined school of poetry and science which attracted to it the most talented personalities of the age. In the 13th and 14th c. the Angevins were followed by the Aragonese. With the victory of the Aragonese, after the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282-1302), the great feudal families of Sicily - including the Chiaromontes and the Sclafanis - began to establish their hegemony. In the 15th and 16th c., at the height of the Spanish Age, Palermo became - thanks to its position - a strategic point of particular interest in the struggles against the Turks, with the result that its military role was accentuated. A massive boundary wall surrounding the entire city was designed in 1536 by Antonio Ferramolino, and eventually constructed. In the 17th c., baroque age, Palermo went through a period of extraordinary splendour. The considerable building activity noticeably changed the appearance of the town. The municipality and the religious orders vied with each other in the construction of palaces, churches and convents, and architects, sculptors and stuccoers were called in from far a field. In the 18th c., after the brief Savoy and Austrian dominations, Sicily passed to the Bourbons. In the wake of the new ideas of the Enlightenment, numerous buildings of public and social importance were erected, e.g. the Royal Library, the Astronomical Observatory, and the Cemetery. A new crossroads was created in 1778 by the Praetor Regalmici in the extension of Via Maqueda. I Quattro Canti di Campagna (the "Country Crossroads") marked the beginning of the city's expansion north-wards. Further expansion occurred after the unification of Italy, when the elegant mansions of the nobility and the financial and entrepreneurial haute bourgeoisie began to line the long thoroughfare of Via Libertà. Via Roma was opened up between 1885 and 1895, at the expense of a considerable part of the old city and numerous buildings dating from l6th c. and baroque Palermo. The Second World War profoundly transformed Palermo's social and urban equilibrium: part of the old city suffered severe bomb damage and was abandoned by its inhabitants, who moved out to the new building estates. In recent years attempts have been made to revitalize the old historical centre in order to reveal the cultural richness of the city in its various stratifications, so that the inhabitants can once again rediscover their history and identity.
Main monuments and highlights of Palermo
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A visit to Palermo can only start in the heart of the old city, where the Palaeopolis used to be. Here, over the ruins of a pre-existing Muslim palace, the Normans built their residence. The Royal Palace, or Norman Palace, overlooks the square today called Piazza della Vittoria, where the Villa Bonanno gardens were laid out in 1905. On the E side of the square we can see the remains of Palazzo Sclafani, which belonged to one of the most powerful families in 14th c. Sicily. The Royal Palace, which is shaped more or less like an irregular parallelepiped, used to be characterized by four great comer-towers: la Pisana (the only one extant today), la Joaria, la Greca and la Chirimbi. In the mid - 16th c. restructuring work began which partly transformed the building and gave it more or less its present appearance. Recent archaeological excavations have brought to light the remains of the Punic-Roman boundary walls. Entering the Palace, we come into a great courtyard surrounded by a loggia (Viceroy Maqueda Courtyard, 1600), where the orderly succession of round arches bestows an air of elegance and harmony. The last open gallery in the Maqueda courtyard leads to the Salone d'Ercole (The Chamber of Hercules), which looks out over the Fountain Courtyard, and is now the Council Chamber of the Sicilian Regional Assembly. The frescoes in the Chamber, by Velasquez (Giuseppe Velasco), 1799, depict the Labours of Hercules. Next to the Viceroys' Room is a space, probably once part of the ancient Joaria tower, leading to Roger's Room. This is particularly interesting because of the splendid mosaic wall-decorations, possibly dating from Roger's time, representing hunting-scenes, animals and plants, recalling the figurative culture and mosaic art of the Muslim East. Between the Fountain Courtyard and the Maqueda courtyard is the Palace Chapel. (The entrance for visitors is from Piazza Indipendenza.) The Chapel, built on the orders of Roger II, immediately distinguished itself by the geometric purity of its shape. But it was then incorporated inside the Palace. The interior of the chapel, close and secluded, consists of a nave and two aisles linked to the central body of the sanctuary, the space of which is divided by four great facing ogival arches. The wall decoration, in delicate mosaics of Byzantine tradition, creates exceptional colour effects and also functions as an edification and exaltation of Christianity. In the dome is Christ Pantocrator surrounded by angels. In the transept are stories from the life of Christ, and in the nave stories from the Old Testament. The figure of the Pantocrator returns in the apsidal dome. The aisles are dedicated to stories of St Peter and St Paul. The wooden ceiling, in stalactite and honeycomb style, painted with various scenes and decorative features, is an extraordinary work of art produced by craftsmen of Muslim extraction who were still very active in Sicily during the Norman age. Leaving the Palace, we skirt Piazza della Vittoria and come to the l6th c. Porta Nuova (situated at the beginning of Corso Vittorio Emanuele), an unforgettable monument with its imposing mass, majolica-tiled pinnacle and the enormous busts of the four Moors, represented as prisoners with mutilated arms. (From the other side of Porta Nuova it is possible to reach the visitors' entrance to the Palace Chapel, and the Chiesa di San Giovanni degli Eremiti.) Beyond Porta Nuova is the ancient barracks of San Giacomo, built by the Spaniards between the 16th and 17th c. We come immediately to the building of the old Seminar (1583-l591), the work of Giorgio di Faccio, which has two magnificent balconies in the façade (the right-hand one is the original work of Vincenzo Gagini). The Archbishop's Palace, built by Archbishop Simone di Bologna in 1460, stands in the same block. The original three-light window in Gothic-Catalan style is interesting. The Palace houses the Diocesan Museum (now being restructured), which contains numerous examples of religious art, some of considerable value. On the first floor, after the Zoppo di Ganci Room, there is the Sicilian Eighteenth Century Room with interesting paintings by local artists. On the 2nd floor there are some fine Siculo-Byzantine panel paintings (12th-l3th c.) and some 14th-l5th c. paintings, including the Roll of the Brethren of St Nicholas, signed by Antonio Veneziano. Also notable are the Flagellation, by Simone di Wobreck (16th c.), and five tempera paintings in the velvet room representing the patron saints of Palermo. The room dedicated to Pietro Novelli (St Francjs. The Annuncjatjon. The Pjetà) and to the Novelli school is particularly important as also the rooms with paintings by the Gaginis, with numerous panels by Domenico, Fazio and Vincenzo. Opposite the Archbishop's Palace stands the powerful mass of the Cathedral, which on the side facing Corso Vittorio Emanuele overlooks a wide open space laid out by Archbishop Simone di Bologna in 1452. The history of the building is long and complex. Originally a Byzantine church stood here, transformed by the Arabs into a mosque. Archbishop Gualtiero Offamilio, William II's minister. promoted the construction of the Cathedral between 1184 and 1185, but in the course of time it was destined to have numerous additions and alterations. The upper orders of the comer towers were built between the 14thand 15thc. and in 1453 the Gothic-Catalan southem porch was added. The splendidly carved portal is the work of Antonio Gambara (1426). The work carried out between 1781 and 1801 under the supervision of the architect Ferdinando Fuga gave the Cathedral its present neoclassical appearance; in the same period his collaboration with Attinelli and Marvuglia led to the creation of the great dome, which emerges so powerfully from the main body of the building. The choir, the titulus, the antititulus and the apses which form the voluminous mass of the cathedral develop around the nave and the aisles. The external walls of the apses are covered with sumptuous decorations, with intertwining arches, discs, fascias and bichromatic inlay-work in lava and limestone, of great refinement and elegance. On the right of the main entrance, but on the left, as we enter through the portico, are the sarcophagi of Frederick II, Roger II, Henry VI and Constance de Hauteville. Among the sculptures there are some interesting works, the baptismal font by the Pennino brothers and the statues of the Madonna by Laurana and others by the Gaginis, some of which belong to the large retable behind the high altar, removed during l8th c. alterations. The sacrament chapel, at the end of the left aisle, is decorated with precious stones and lapis lazuli. At the end of the right aisle is the Chapel of Santa Rosalia, closed by a richly ornamental bronze gate, with the saint's silver urn, an object of particular devotion. The Cathedral Treasury contains some extremely interesting items: goblets, vestrnents, monstrances and the famous crown of Constance, a tiara found in her tomb. As we leave the Cathedral, the Loggia and the Chapel of the Coronation look out over Via Matteo of P. Bonello. The chapel was built in Norman times on the site of a Muslim mosque, remains of which can still be seen in a hypostyle room of the Aghlabid age (9th c.). Inside the church is the Loggia of the Coronation (16th-17th c.), so called because the Kings of Sicily presented themselves here to the people after being crowned. Returning to the Cassaro (Corso Vittorio Emanuele), we come to the l6th c. Palazzo Castrone Santa Ninfa, which is characterized by the regularity of its form and its elegant decorations. We then pass the former Collegio Massimo of the Jesuits, which is now the Sicilian Regional Library. Further along is the Chiesa del Santissimo Salvatore, where once there was a convent, with adjoining church, of Brazilian nuns (11th c.); the present building, elegant and majestic, dates from the 17th c., and reflects the tastes of the time. The interior decoration, rounded and sinuous, brings together the warm colours of the variegated marbles and the sharp splendour of the stuccos. We now arrive at Piazza Bologni, originally a fine square for the noble palaces that still overlook it (Ugo, Villafranca and Belmonte-Riso). As we enter the square, we see the monument to the Emperor Charles V, a bronze of 1631 by Scipione Li Volsi. Further down the Cassaro is the crossroads with Via Maqueda, at Piazza Vigliena, known as the Quattro Canti di Città (Four Corners of the City), which with their concave structures enclose the heart of Palermo. Once denorninated the Theatre of the Sun, they were built to the design of the architect Giulio Lasso between 1608 and 1620, at the point where the Cassaro bisected the new city thoroughfare: Via Maqueda. The statues in each corner represent the sovereigns of Spain, the seasons and the patron saints of the city; they are the work of local artists of considerable renown and skill (D'Aprile, La Mattina, Tedeschi and others). Behind the S corner is the Chiesa di San Giuseppe dei Teatini (l612), designed by Giacomo Besio in accordance with the canons of the most ornate baroque taste, in order to celebrate with due dignity the powerful Theatine Order, to which he himself belonged. This spacious church, with a nave and two aisles, is decorated with variegated marbles and stuccos which create intensely colourful effects. Proceeding by way of Via Maqueda it is just a few steps to Piazza Pretoria, where we can see: the Senatorial Palace, now the Town Hall, the 15th c. baroque Chiesa di Santa Caterina, and the magnificent fountain by Francesco Carnilliani and Michelangelo Nacherino, reassembling by the son of Francesco, Carnillo. The Senatorial Palace dates from the second half of the 15th c. but it was considerably altered in the 16th and 17th c., and again in 1823 to repair damage caused by an earthquake, and yet again in 1875, to the design of Darniani Almeyda. The Chiesa di Santa Caterina is of 15th c. origin. Modified after 1566, it has a façade on two orders, set off by pilaster-strips and embellished by a fine Gaginesque portal. The interior is typically baroque in concept, with a single hall which combines the area of the transept, the presbytery and the great dome; the decoration is among the richest and most ornate of the period. The adjacent Piazza Bellini is overlooked by the Chiesa di Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio, also known as la Martorana from the name of a nearby convent (no longer extant) founded in 1194 by Aloisia Martorana. The church is partly concealed by a baroque concave façade, which together with other alterations carried out in 1588 transformed the building. The original church was built in 1140, on the orders of George of Antioch, the Grand Admiral of Roger II. In front of it is the campanile, possibly an entry tower originally. This 1eads to the short space of the nave and aisles, which is followed by the centrally planned triapsidal sanctuary. There are splendid Byzantine mosaics, in close juxtaposition with baroque marble work and frescoes. The two mosaics in the aisles representing Christ crowning Roger II and Admiral George of Antioch at the feet of the Virgin Mary are interesting, also because of their symbolic political significance. Next to the Martorana is the Chiesa di San Cataldo, built in the second half of the l2th c. by Maione of Bari, William first minister, and extensively restored by the architect Giuseppe Patricolo at the end of the 19th c. Externally the church appears as a cube shaped block, its regular outline gracefully varied by agile series of ledges; around the windows, in the upper part, there are three small very oriental-looking vermilion cupolas. The bare austere interior has a nave and two aisles, and a small apsidal sanctuary. Returning to the Cassaro, just beyond the Quattro Canti, is the Chiesa di San Matteo, the second church of this name, on which building began in 1633 using the proceeds of alms. The façade, by Gaspare Guercio and Carlo Aprile, has a magnificently ornate decoration, in three orders with agile features and intense chiaroscuro effects. The Latin-cross interior, with a barrel vault, is divided into a central nave and side aisles by elegant, simple columns. The decoration with white and gilded Stuccos, partly the work of Giacomo Serpotta (18th c.), is outstanding. The splendid frescoes are by Vito d'Anna. From the square in front of the Royal Palace, we could have made our way, not to the Cathedral, but directly to the picturesque Chiesa di San Giovanni degli Eremiti. Now we will have to retrace our steps to Porta Nuova, and Piazza Indipendenza (from where, as said, it is possible to gain access to the Palace Chapel), turning left into Piazza della Pinta, and right into Via Benedettini. This church ("St John of the Hermits") was built in 1132 on the site of a pre-existing Muslim construction, on the orders of Roger II. The exterior, although restored by Patricolo, is purely geometric in shape, the effect being stressed by the small squared regular blocks in the external walls. High in the campanile are windows set into agile recesses. The church, cross-shaped in form, has a bare and simple Interior space, modulated upwards towards five typical little cupolas of clearly Muslim style. Outside the church is a quadrangular cloister, with little arches supported by regular continuous rows of small columns; this is very interesting, also because of its picturesque setting in a garden full of various plants and citrus fruit trees. From Via Benedettini and Via A. Mongitore, we reach Piazza Montalto, by which we enter the long thoroughfare of Via Albergheria. At the cross-roads with Via San Nicolò is the 13th c. Chiesa di San Nicolò, agile and slender in form; parts of the exterior are original, while the interior was completely redone in the l8th c. Adjacent is the San Nicolò Tower, and, next to this, the Norman Busuemi Tower. By way of Via dei Biscottari and Via G. Mario Puglia, we come to Piazzetta Speciale, Salita Raffadali and eventually Piazza Casa Professa. Here we can visit the Chiesa del Gesù and Casa Professa. The first Jesuit church was built here between 1564 and 1578; in subsequent years, unti1 1633, it was gradually enlarged by the creation of the chapels and by altering the transept. The present-day church has been massively restored, having been severely damaged by bombing in World War II. Latin-cross in plan, it has a nave and two aisles and communicating side-chapels. The transept has apsidal wings, the presbytery has a deep apse, and the cupola rises broad and all-encompassing above the junction of the arms of the transept. The interior decoration, on which the most famous local artists collaborated, is characterized by a seemingly endless series of sculptures, frescoes, paintings, and variegated marble works and stuccos that cover every corner of the church, conveying an excellent idea of the typical ornateness of Jesuit churches in the baroque age. Next to the church is the Casa dei Gesuiti, known as Casa Professa, today used as the City Library. Not far away is the l5th c. Piazza Ballarò, one of the most important spots in the old part of Palermo, the site of a picturesque street market which also straggles along Via Ballarò as far as the large square with the Chiesa del Carmine, built in 1626-67 to the plans of the architect Mariano Smiriglio. The façade, though restored in 1814, still shows in its ornate decoration the typical features of baroque taste. The fine cupola presents tall figures of Telamones between the columns in the tambour. The interior has a nave and two aisles, with a transept and a deep central apse, reflecting the endeavour to achieve a skilful equilibrium between the various spaces. From Piazza Carmine, by way of Via del Bosco (the continuation of Via Albergheria), we come to Via Maqueda. A number of noble palaces stand along Via del Bosco, including the l8th c. Palazzo Comitini, now the seat of the Province of Palermo (the entrance to the building is in Via Maqueda). Nearby is the l7th c. Chiesa di Sant'Orsola, belonging to the Compagnia dei Neri, whose task it was to celebrate Masses for the dead. On the exterior, intensely dramatic figures of penitents, skeletons and the damned devoured by hellfire satisfied the typical taste of the time. The late l8th c. interior decoration is particularly rich and ornate. Just beyond the church, in Piazzetta dei Santi Quaranta Martiri, is Palazzo Marchesi, an exceptional example of Catalan Gothic. Retracing our steps, we find between Via Maqueda and Via Divisi (the continuation of Via del Bosco) Palazzo Santa Croce-Sant'Elia, one of the finest mansions of l8th c. Palermo, with a profusion of decorative features (on the main floor, there is a series of finely worked goose-breast balconies). In Via Maqueda, beyond the l7th c. Chiesa dell'Assunta, is Palazzo Cutò, the elegant residence of the Princes Cutò (17th c.). From here, by way of Via Roma, the long thoroughfare almost parallel to Via Maqueda opened up at the end of the 19th c., we come to the ancient and busy Lattarini quarter (the name derives from an Arab term meaning grocers' market). Here the quadrangular Piazza Cassa di Risparmio is dominated by the bank building, designed by Ernesto Basile in the early years of the 20th c. From here, by way of Via Lattarini, we reach Piazza Sant'Anna and the l7th c. Chiesa di Sant'Anna. The l8th c. façade by Giovanni Amico is splendidly scenographic, one of the finest in baroque Palermo, with its elegantly sinuous forms and decorative features. The interior is vast, with a nave and two aisles, and an ample transept; the ornate l8th c. decoration has been largely restored. We now proceed to Piazza Croce dei Vespri where we see the l8thc. Palazzo Ganci. Entering Via Garibaldi we come, on the left, to Palazzo Aiutamicristo, built towards the end of the l5th c. by Matteo Camelivari on the orders of Matteo Aiutamicristo. Little unfortunately remains of the original flamboyant Gothic structure. Internally, despite its degraded condition, the ample quadrangular courtyard with double loggia survives, still revealing its original elegance. Further along Via Garibaldi we come to the Mura della Pace (Walls of Peace), with the Oratory of that name. From Via Mura della Pace we reach Piazza Magione, which is overlooked by the Chiesa della Trinità, one of the last of the Norman buildings, constructed in about 1191 by Matthew of Ajello, Chancellor of the Kingdom. Although in the course of time it has been considerably altered and restored, its original form is still quite visible. Externally it presents a complex combination of volumes and a rich variety of decorative features. The main façade is characterized by three deep-set portals. The exterior of the apses is of remarkable shape, with its elegant series of interlacing blind arches. In the interior, the longitudinal body of the nave and the aisles is solidly linked to the centrally planned body of the sanctuary .On the left side of the church are the remains of the ancient Cloister. Returning along Via Garibaldi and turning down Via Paternostro we come to Piazza San Francesco, named after the Church of that name built by the Franciscans after 1255. The façade was restored in the 19th c. by the architect Patricolo and the fine rose window was rebuilt. The portai is magnificent (1302). There are a nave and two aisles, with chapels built from the 14th c. on. The Mastrantonio Chapel, decorated with sculptures by Francesco Laurana (15th c.), is particularly interesting. A refined 16th c. choir and some graceful female figures by Giacomo Serpotta (1723) embellish the church. Nearby is the Oratorio di San Lorenzo, built in the 16th c. and then stupendously decorated by Giacomo Serpotta, with stuccos representing the stories of St Laurence and St Francis. From here we come out once again on to the Cassaro: opposite the neo-classical Palazzo delle Finanze (Revenue Palace), which looks out over the Cassaro, is the Fontana del Garraffo, an exquisitely designed fountain with agile marine figures and intense chiaroscuro effects (by the architects G. Vitaliano and P. Amato, 1698). Nearby is the 16th c. Chiesa di Santa Maria di Porto Salvo, which has been much restored over the centuries. Now we go down to Piazza Marina, a wide open space mainly taken up, since 1860, by the Garibaldi Gardens. In the E part of Piazza Marina stands the splendid Palazzo Chiaromonte, also called lo Steri, from the Latin hosterium, a fortified building. Building on it was begun in 1307 by Manfred I Chiaromonte and continued by his successors. In the 17th c. it became the seat of the Inquisition Court and remained so until 1782. The palace is quadrangular in plan, with simple walls in which there are splendid two - and three - light windows, embellished with bi chromatic inlay work, and other finely shaped decorative features typical of the Chiaromontine age. The main hall is on the first floor. The ceiling is a masterpiece of wood-work and pictorial art produced by local painters (Cecco di Naro. Simone da Corleone and Dareno da Palermo), which clearly shows the strength of the link with the oriental world. The scenes depicted represent various religious or lay subjects, and themes extolling the Chiaromonte family. Leaving the Palace, we see on the corner with the Càssaro the 16th c. Chiesa di San Giovanni dei Napolitani, with its slender bare form. The interior is decorated in ornate 18th c. style. Opposite, to the right, between the Cassaro and the Cala, the old port, there is an exceptional monument: the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Catena. The building was constructed in the 16th c. on the site of a pre-existing church, probably to the plans of the great architect Matteo Carnalivari, in a flamboyant Gothic style developing towards Renaissance taste. The horizontally development of the façade is offset by two tall lateral pilaster-strips and is capped by a lacery-work cymatium. On a lower level are three deep matching portals. The interior, now freed from its 18th c. stuccos, is balanced and harmonious. The space is divided into the nave and two aisles by high columns; the nave is covered by a cross vault and the aisles by a barrel vault. The Cassaro terminates at the massive and imposing Porta Felice (16th c.) which leads to the Foro Italico, formerly Strada Colonna, Porta Felice has been restored and a number of statues of uncertain name have been set up. Adjacent to the Porta is the former Ospedale di San Bartolomeo, 1608, bombed in 1943 and restored in the late 1990s. In the Piazzetta Santo Spirito is the famous Statue of the Sea Horse, by Ignazio Marabitti. To the back of the Foro Italico stretches the ancient and popular Kalsa quarter, where in 937 the Fatimids built their fortified citadel Halisah (the Chosen One), the head-quarters of the Emir and his troops. Piazza Kalsa is dominated by the Chiesa di Santa Teresa. This church was built between 1686 and 1706 to a plan by Giacomo Amato and it is considered one of the masterpieces of Palermo baroque architecture. The façade is extremely varied and the decorative features with their projections and recesses give the whole construction an intense chiaroscuro effect. Inside there are some fine 18th c. paintings and stuccos. Beyond Piazzetta Santa Teresa, in the Piazza dei Bianchi, is the Oratorio dei Bianchi, with its adjacent House. Turning the comer we come to Piazza dello Spasimo and the Chiesa dello Spasimo, founded in the 16th c. and now a cultural resort. Once it contained a famous painting by Raphael, the Madonna dello Spasimo, later donated to King Philip IV of Spain. From here, having made our way to Via Alloro, we come to the Chiesa della Gancia (Santa Maria degli Angeli). This church was built by the Franciscans at the end of the 15th c., together with a hospice (Gancia), of severe and geometric form. In the façade is a simple portal bearing in the upper part a bas-relief Madonna. The interior, though altered, still shows signs of its original structures. It has a single nave and a series of side chapels. There are notable sculptures by Antonello Gagini and stuccos by Giacomo Serpotta in the Chapel of the Madonna of Guadaloupe. In the external part of the church, outside the transept, we can see the safety hole, through which two patriots managed to escape and save their skins during the 1860 revolt. Also in Via Alloro is the 15th c. Palazzo Patella-Abatellis, built by the architect Matteo Carnalivari. The massive shape of the palace is strongly marked by its long narrow cornices and its splendid portal, which is surrounded by the motif of a twisted rope and bears above it three lozenges with the Patella coat of arms in the middle. The Palace contains the Sicilian Regional Gallery, with works from the Middle Ages to the 18th c. On the ground floor is the famous fresco of The Triumph of Death, originally in Palazzo Sclafani. The incisiveness of the figures and the dramatic nature of the content make this a true masterpiece. There are also 15th and 16th c. sculptures, including the splendid bust of Eleanor of Aragon, by Francesco Laurana. On the 1st floor: in the first rooms there are 13th and 14th c. paintings, including a Madonna by Turino Vanni and the Madonna dell'Umiltà by Bartolomeo da Camogli. Next to this is the room with Antonello da Messina's Our Lady of the Annunciation, a splendid masterpiece of extraordinary refinement and psychological intensity (15th c.). The collection is completed by Flemish artists and works of the Sicilian 17th and 18th c. continuing along Via Alloro we come to the 17th c. Chiesa della Pietà, designed by Giacomo Amato, a splendid example of Palermo baroque architecture. The façade, in Via Torremuzza, is richly scenographic and the interior no less so, with ornate and elegant decorative features. From Via della Cala we come to the Loggia quarter, which is bounded by Via Roma and the Cassaro. Passing by Via dei Chiavettieri and Via dei Cassari, we come to Piazza Garraffello, where there is an elegant 16th c. fountain. We proceed along Via Argenteria as far as Piazza Caracciolo, which is at the centre of the Vucciria, a lively street market. Nearby, to the right, in the square named after the church, is the Chiesa di San Domenico (1640), one of the most splendid buildings of baroque Palermo. The façade, full of movement and rich in scenographic features, was added in 1724 and is embellished by numerous statues. The interior is somewhat severe, with columns supporting round arches that divide the church into a central nave and two aisles. A number of tombs of illustrious Sicilians are situated here, and there are numerous sculptures and paintings. Beside the church is the ancient Dominican Convent, now the seat of the Società siciliana per la storia patria (Sicilian Historical Society). In Via Bambinai, behind San Domenico, is the splendid Oratorio del Rosario di San Domenico, built in the 16th c. and decorated with Serpotta's stuccos in the 18th c. Nearby, in Piazza Valverde, we can visit the Chiesa di Santa Maria di Valverde, which has notable marble decorations added in the 17th and 18th c. Between Via Valverde and Via Squarcialupo is the 17th c. Chiesa di Santa Cita, with a nave and two aisles, containing a number of works by Antonello Gagini. The adjacent 17th c. Oratorio is splendidly decorated by Giacomo Serpotta's richly vivacious and exuberant stuccos. The 16th c. Chiesa di San Giorgio dei Genovesi is at the end of Via Squarcialupo. The church, usually closed, sometimes opens for weddings. We can now return to Piazza San Domenico and from here cross Via Roma to Via Bandiera. This picturesque street is overlooked by a number of stately mansions, such as the 16th c. Palazzo Termine-Pietratagliata and the 18th c. Palazzo Oneto. Not far away, in Piazza Olivella, is the monumental Chiesa di Sant'Ignazio, built between 1593 and the 18th c. Largely destroyed by bombing in World War II, it has been considerably restored. The interior is vast and imposing, with its majestic nave and aisles and deep side-chapels. The great dome rises above the meeting-point of the arms of the transept. The decoration of variegated marble, stuccos and frescoes covers every corner of the church in an uninterrupted sequence of lively multicoloured elements. To the right of the church is a little Oratorio, the work of Venanzio Marvuglia (18thc.), which is typically neo-classical in character. Nearby, in Via Monteleone, is the Oratorio di Santa Caterina, attributed because of the stuccos (c. 1725) to Giacomo Serpotta, with the documented assistance of his son Procopio. Also in Piazza Olivella is the Regional Archaeological Museum, with its rich collection of exceptionally interesting items. On the ground floor, after the rooms devoted to Egyptian and Punic art, and the Roman statues in the cloister, we can see in order votive stele from the Zeus Meilichios sanctuary at Selinunte (6th-5th c. BC), Greek epigraphs, lion head eaves from Himera, sculptures from Selinunte, and the Casuccini Etruscan collection. On the first floor there are Punic and Greek funerary stele and a variety of other items. Also noteworthy are some extremely interesting Sicilian terracotta, clay figurines and bronze statuettes. The next contains two exceptionally fine bronze sculptures: The Ram (3rd c. BC) and Hercules Killing the Arcadian Stag, of Roman age. In the southern gallery are the figured terracotta from the Sanctuary of Demeter Malophros at Selinunte. On the second floor there is a rich collection of vases and black and red figures arranged in chronological order. Leaving the Museum we take Via Bara all'Olivella and come out in Via Maqueda. We are now in Piazza Verdi, dominated by the Teatro Massimo, one of the largest theatres in Europe, built at the end of the 19th c. to the design of G. B. Filippo Basile and completed by his son Ernesto. From the Massimo, by way of Piazzetta Stimmate and Via Raimondo Maestro d'Acqua, we come to the Chiesa di Sant'Agostino, built at the end of the 13th c.: it still has its original finely carved portal, with a fretted rose window above. The rich internal decoration is by Giacomo Serpotta. Also from the Massimo, through a maze of streets, we reach the busy Capo quarter, where there is another lively street market. From Piazza Capo, by way of Porta Carini, we come to the 17th c. Chiesa della Concezione, which externally is unremarkable. The interior however is most preciously decorated in every corner of the building. There are some fine frescoes by Olivio Sozzi in the vault (18th c.). From Piazza Concezione we can reach Piazzetta del Noviziato, where the Church of the same name stands. This is one of the most interesting examples of baroque architecture in Palermo, with a profusion of decorative features. We return to Teatro Massimo and follow Via Ruggero Settimo as far as Piazza Castelnuovo. Here we see the other large city theatre: the Politeama Garibaldi, built in classical style in 1874 by G. Damiani Almeyda. Above the triumphal entry arch we see the splendid bronze quadriga by Mario Rutelli. The Palazzo della Zisa, built by William I and completed by his son William II, stands in the W part of the city. The exterior of this palace is clean-cut and square, varied by oblong single-light windows and agile recesses. Inside, among the various rooms, one in particular is memorable: the splendid central hall, with its mosaic decoration. Once it had a fountain, from which the water flowed outside. Another splendid Norman Royal Palace, similar to the Zisa, is la Cuba, in Corso Calatafimi. Two other interesting Norman buildings are the Church of San Giovanni dei Lebbrosi (St John of the Lepers) in Via Cappello, in the E part of the town, and the Ponte dell'Ammiraglio (Admiral's Bridge), in Piazza Scaffa, named after Admiral George of Antioch who ordered it to be built. San Giovanni dei Lebbrosi is perhaps the oldest Norman church in Palermo. According to tradition, it was built when Robert Guiscard and his brother Count Roger were besieging the city, in about 1072. The rear part and the body of the nave and aisles remain of the original structure. The campanile dates from 1930. Its plan is that of a St Anthony's cross, with a transept. Two rows of columns divide the interior into a central nave and two aisles. The Ponte dell'Ammiraglio (seven large arches, plus a number of smaller ones) testifies to the high scientific and cultural level that was reached in Norman Sicily. Today the bridge is partly earthed up, while the course of the River Oreto, which used to flow under it, has been deviated. In the NW part of the city, beyond Piazza Leoni, stretches the vast Favorita Park, created in l799 by the Bourbon King Ferdinand III; it terminates at the picturesque Palazzina alla Cinese (Chinese Palace), a building in mock-Oriental style designed by Venanzio Marvuglia. In an out-building of the Palace is the Giuseppe Pitrè Folklore Museum, which contains documentation and testimonies of the life, art and traditions of the Sicilian people: glasses, spoons, flageolets, bagpipes, wool-winders, Christmas cribs with shepherds, ex-votos, old prints, dolls, carts, traditional costumes, pottery , and other characteristic items from past centuries. Monte Pellegrino, the mountain that dominates Palermo, offers some interesting views: as we gradually climb towards the summit a beautiful panorama unfolds itself. At the top is the Sanctuary of Santa Rosalia, the patron Saint of the city, built inside a sacred cave. The marble statue of St Rosalia, covered in fine gold lamina, the work of Gregorio Tedeschi (17th c.), lies in a great glass case inside the sanctuary.
Text taken from: "Sicily and its islands" by Ugo La Rosa editore.
Other main destinations in Sicily
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Other main destinations in Sicily are: Siracusa - Monreale - Cefalù - Erice - Segesta - Selinunte - Agrigento - Piazza Armerina - Caltagirone - Catania - Taormina - Mount Etna - Aeolian Islands
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Lotto Colle del Gelsomino - 95024 Aci S. Antonio (CT) - Italy
Tel. +39.095.7652696 (ext.309) - Fax +39.095.7652696 (ext.319)
BlueStone Tourism Services
Tour Operator for Sicily
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Address
Eris Centre - Suite 309
Via Pulica s.n.
Lotto Colle del Gelsomino
95024 Aci S. Antonio (CT)
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Tel. +39.095.7652696 (ext.309)
Fax +39.095.7652696 (ext.319)
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