48 hours in Palermo

This ancient, eclectic city, with its layered history and extraordinary monuments, offers a full range of experiences, all within walking distance, making it easy to take in must-see highlights and backstreet secrets on a two-day stay.   

Although the Capo Gallo Nature Reserve and some of the surrounds are beautiful, we’ll stick to the city itself, as you’ll have plenty of stunning coastline and scenery to come if you’re linking this up to a wider Sicily trip. 

Day 1 – Glamour and grit 

Sicily is capable, as few places in the world are, of mixing poverty and nobility. The island has been in the hands of the ancient Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Swabians, French, Aragonese and Bourbons in its time, carrying a little of the influence of them all into the present day. With Palermo the undisputed Italian capital of street food, yet also home to an incredible array of grand architecture, it’s the perfect distillation of this mixture.  

The list of majestic buildings to explore is a long one but the most famous, and rightly so, is the Norman Palace and Palatine Chapel. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and the oldest royal residence in Europe, the palace is an extraordinary place of courtyards, towers and rooms, set off by the striking chapel, a basilica completely decorated with gold Sicilian-Norman style mosaics. It’s a popular spot, so buy tickets in advance and avoid Sundays if you can.  

After more awestruck marvelling, perhaps at the four facades of Palermo Cathedral, Michelangelo’s design in the Chiesa del Gesu di Casa Professa, the Catalan-Gothic style of the Galleria Regionale or a host of others, you’re likely to get hungry. At which point, it’s time to trade gilt and glamour for the grit and grills of Palermo’s food scene.  

Three markets in town, Vucciria, Ballarò and  Mercato il Capo are particularly worth heading for when it comes to street food, although Francu U Vastiddaru, down by the port, is considered by many to be the place to go for fritti, a general term for a range of fried finger food. You should definitely try as many as you can manage of pane e panelle (sandwiches stuffed with chickpea fritters), sfincione (a type of focaccia usually topped with a sweet tomato sauce, onions and caciocavallo cheese), cazzilli (potato croquettes with parsley) and the famous Pani Ca Meusa, a spleen sandwich that tastes much better than it sounds. If you’re feeling brave, approach the grills where a person known as “ù stigghiularu” winds lamb or veal innards on skewers studded with onions and shallots, making the distinctive stigghiola, a smoky and slightly messy snack. Whatever you go for, throw in a couple of arancine, the fried balls of rice stuffed with a variety of fillings. 

You may not want to eat again for the rest of the day, so for the evening, head to one of Palermo’s rooftop bars. The Igiea Terrazza has fabulous harbour views and the simply named Il Bar, in Piazza San Domenico, is so close to the facade of the cathedral that you can almost clink glasses with the statuary.

Linguistic note 

If you’re a fan of pluralisation pedantry, then you’ll love Sicily. In western Sicily, including Palermo, it’s arancina (sing) and arancine (pl). In eastern Sicily, it’s arancino (sing) and arancini (pl).     

Day 2 – Antiques and arboreal escape 

To experience a true local ritual, make sure that you’re around for at least one day of the weekend. On Saturdays and Sundays, the Piazza Marina, a park which surrounds the Palazzo Garibaldi, hosts an outdoor antique market where the Palermitane come to browse and wander, overlooked by the ropey roots of the largest Banyan tree in Europe and the beautiful domes and fountains of the surrounding buildings and gardens. After a morning coffee, a browse and perhaps the purchase of a unqiue souvenir, take the ten-minute stroll south to the Botanical Gardens to sample another of the city’s treasures. The gardens themselves, opened in 1795, are a lovely place to find some shade and some peace, but within them is something special – Bar Vabres. The 50-year-old esablishment is another of Palermo’s secret gems and the perfect place for a quick lunch of perfectly fried arancine. 

The perfect end to the day is probably a walk along the Foro Italico, Palermo’s newly revamped seafront. A huge effort has gone into restoring buildings, creating exotic palm gardens, adding sculptures and weaving in cycle paths. Now you can stroll happily along this panoramic spot, looking out over the Tyrrhenian Sea as you choose from local eateries and seafront bars, or dig your toes into the sand on small beaches where you (or at least most cold-attuned Brits) can sunbathe even in winter.  

If you’re using Palermo as a base for a wider Sicily itinerary, you’ll find endless joy in strolling its streets, but if you do only have a couple of days before exploring further, then this brief dip into its enormous variety is a great way to go. 

Places to stay in Palermo

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