Situated on the north coast of the autonomous region of Sicily is Palermo, both the capital of the province and of the region itself. It is an ancient city which has been ruled over its long history by many different powers. It was once a nexus for essential trade routes in the Mediterranean Sea.
We arrived at the Palermo Airport, which is actually not in Palermo, but in Punta Raisi. There are many options one can take in order to get to Palermo, ranging from the train at 6.50€/person, all the way up to private shuttle service starting at 50€/person. Being from a family of railroad workers, I prefer to take a train when possible. Not only is a far cheaper, but in Italy they almost always run on time.
One last thing, unfortunately our Tickets For Two were electronic, so it does not make sense to show, nor take a photograph of them. Let us just say, we had two tickets on a Ryanair flight from Turin to Palermo at a very reasonable rate.
A Working City
In our contemporary time, I would say the city of Palermo is struggling between its ancient roots, as with many other parts of Italy, and its desire to be modern. This is reflected in many ways as you walk through its narrow alleyways and marbled streets. Some of which are well worn with centuries of wear.
Churches of Palermo
Palermo sports amazing architecture and a church around almost every corner. The Gesu Church and the Palermo Cathedral, may be of particular interest.
The Massimo Theater
On the other cultural side of things, there is the Massimo Theater. An impressive building that is named after the piazza in which it resides.
Other Parts of the City
A few other interesting sites include the Porta Nuovo and several parks, one of which has a magnificent example of an Australian Banyan tree. However, there are many site to enjoy while strolling the city streets, sometimes it pays just to get lost, even if your favorite map is uncooperative.
Hotel Massimo Plaza
Situated in the Piazza Massimo, almost at the start of the pedestrian zone on via Maqueda, was our unassuming hotel, Hotel Massimo Plaza. The staff was very helpful and our breakfast was served in our room, which we often find very helpful, especially when the weather is not cooperating, like it wasn’t on this trip.
Restaurants
In our short stay in Palermo, we found the following restaurants noteworthy. The cuisine of Palermo is typical for a southern Italian port city, most restaurants having plenty of fish and seafood on the menu. However, there are plenty of pizza places and small cafes as well, where one can purchase smaller items for takeout or to eat as they walk.
Ristorante Pizzeria Italia
This restaurant was just around the corner of our hotel and offers authentic and excellent southern Italian pizza. You may see the term pizze in your travels, but do not be deterred, that is just the plural form in Italian for more than one pizza, it’s the same thing.
We ordered a caprese and a pizza each, I had a glass of wine and we ordered a bottle of water and the bill came to 25€ with 4€ coperto.
On To Cefalu
After our short stay here, it was on to the real start of our trip, Cefalu. Although there is plenty more to see and do in Palermo, our trip itinerary did not allow us any more time here. So using our senior discount cards, we purchased two more Trenitalia tickets and we were on our way.
In the event we do return, we plan to stay here longer and perhaps see more of the western portion of the island as well. Aside from the rain, we still had a pretty good time here and enjoyed the city of Palermo for its sites, cuisine and true grit.