Sicily

Palermo is a city of compelling contradictions, difficult to define yet impossible to ignore. One time Arab emirate and seat of a Norman kingdom, it became Europe's grandest 12th-century city. Recently, however, its notoriety has originated more from assassinations, corruption and decrepitude.

Before the 20th century

Phoenician tradesmen founded Palermo by a natural harbour in 8 BC. Originally named Zîz, the Greeks called it Panormus, which translates as 'all-port'. It became a part of the Eastern Roman Empire which was inhabited by Greek speakers; however, Palermo was never a Greek city-state.

Palermo is thought to have been conquered more times than any other city in the world.

It was a Phoenician city until Sicily was conquered by the Romans between 264 BC and 241 BC. When the Roman Empire split, Palermo fell under the rule of the Eastern Byzantine Empire.

The Byzantines then divided Sicily in two during the 9th century and began warring. Euphimius, the victor, had plans to reunite the Roman Empire. He requested an army from Arab rulers of North Africa. They arrived in Palermo in 827 but Euphimius died within a week. Rather than return home, the Arabs stayed and conquered Sicily themselves. During their reign, which began in 905, they pronounced Palermo the capital and it soon became a culturally important city within the Arab world. It was also a tolerant city - Jews and Christians were allowed to worship in peace.

Over a century later, the Normans attacked Sicily and successfully conquered it. The ensuing years saw a unique blend of Norman and Arab culture.

The Holy Roman Empire took Sicily in 1194 and various rulers followed - Angevin, the house of Aragon and finally the kingdom of Spain in 1479.

In 1734, Sicily and Naples became unified and were known as the kingdom of the Two Sicilies. However, Palermo was soon reduced to the status of a provincial city.

The Risorgimento, or the unification of disparate Italian states into one nation, meant that Palermo had another chance. Before long, it was the thriving centre of Sicily and economic development ensued.

Modern history

Palermo survived much of WWII without a scratch. However, the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943 inflicted immense damage. La Kalsa, the area by the port, endured devastating carpet-bombing. On close inspection, Mother Teresa considered it no better than the Third World and established a mission there.

In 1947, Sicily became autonomous. Its extended self-rule greatly boosted Palermo's importance. Unfortunately, the presence and power of the Mafia jeopardised potential improvements to the city.

Recent history

August 2005 saw a devastating plane crash just 29km (18mi) off the Sicilian coast near Palermo. A charter flight carrying 39 people left Bari, Italy, and was heading for Djerba, Tunisia. It made an emergency landing in the Mediterranean Sea and 14 people died, most of whom were young tourists. The disaster was blamed on the fuel indicator which was designed for a smaller plane and did not read correctly. The aircraft simply ran out of fuel.

Top Accommodation

Top Restaurants

Palermo has a typically Mediterranean climate which means long, hot and often dry summers, and relatively moderate winters with daytime averages not too far below 10°C (50°F). The region is also affected by the humid sirocco (southerly wind) in summer.

Average weather

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Transport

Getting around

Palermo's orange city buses are frequent but often crowded. Most stop at the train station but tickets must be purchased before you board. They are available at tobacconists or booths at the terminal.

There are two small buses - Linea Gialla and Linea Rossa - that operate in the narrow streets of centro storico.

Driving in Palermo can be stressful for the uninitiated.

Getting there and away

Falcone-Borsellino airport is at Punta Raisi, around 31km (19mi) west of Palermo.

It's possible to find charter flights between Palermo and major European cities year-round. From the UK, British Midland has flights out of Heathrow and Ryanair flies from Stansted. From Germany, Hapag-Lloyd Express has flights into Palermo. Evolavia does twice-weekly flights from Charles de Gaulle in Paris.

A half-hourly bus service run by Prestìa e Comandè transfers passengers from the airport to the centre of town - outside the Politeama Garabaldi theatre and the train station.

An hourly train service, the Trinacria Express, also runs from the airport to the central station (every 45min).

There are plenty of taxis outside the airport.

The Stazione Marittima (ferry terminal) is located off Via Francesco Crispi. Ferries depart regularly from Molo Vittorio Veneto for Cagliari (Sardinia), Genoa, Livorno and Naples. Buy tickets from any travel agency in town.

The main intercity bus station is around Via Paolo Balsamo, east of the train station. Sicily's buses are privatised and different companies have their own ticket offices, mostly in the Via Paolo Balsamo area. Ticket offices and destinations are listed in the Agenda Turismo.

Palermo is accessible on the A20-E90 toll road from Messina and from Catania via Enna. Car hire is not cheap and it pays to book your rental online before you leave home.

Regular trains leave for Messina (via Milazzo, 3.5hr, every 30min), Catania (3.5hr, two daily), Syracuse (6-10hr, five daily) and Agrigento (2.5hr, 11 daily). Timetable information is available at the station.

Health & Legal Requirements

Dangers and annoyances

Theft of, and from, vehicles is a problem. If driving, you are advised to use one of the attended car parks around town.