Palermo Sights

“Those who have ever been to Sicily and haven’t visited Palermo have never seen Sicily at all”. Everyone will understand the sense of this famous Goethe’s phrase if to apply it to the capital of the island, the city of Palermo, which is one of the most beautiful and original settlements in the whole Italy.

The evidence of the former grandeur of Palermo is the world-famous Norman Palace (Palazzo Dei Normani). The history of its construction is the bright example of “continuity” of the nations on the island. Long time ago the Arabs began to built the palace. However, they wanted to build a secured citadel instead of a luxurious residence. But the new masters of the island – the Northmen – decided the other way. Nowadays the palace is the main monument in Palermo. It is located on the Victory Square. To many historians’ and architects’ opinion Palazzo Dei Normani is one of the most beautiful palaces in Europe.

The atmosphere of Palermo, the city that is more than 3,000 years old, is created by a great number of numerous sights. The special value is added by the churches and cathedrals like the church of Santa Maria dell’ Ammiraglio or La Mortarana that are well-known far beyond the borders of Sicily. The church of San Cataldo and the main cathedral of Palermo – ll Duomo can be also added to this list. What’s remarkable: many religious constructions in Palermo were built in the Norman Age, but they were built in accordance with the same scheme that the Palazzo Dei Normani was built. After two centuries of Arab reign there were left more than 200 Islamic mosques in Sicily instead of which the Northmen built their churches.

Besides the nice constructions, Palermo offers captivating landscapes. The city is located at the bottom of a scenic mountain San Pelegrino. The valley, where the city is situated is called Conco d’Oro that is translated into English as a Golden shell. Such a name was given to the valley because of the citrus plants that grew here long time ago. From sea the coast seemed to be gold because of a large amount of ripening oranges.