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Visit the Cathedral of Palermo
First stage of an itinerary to discover Palermo
Palermo is a city of many souls as the dominations that have followed in the course of its millennial history: Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Swabians, French and Spanish have determined the appearance of the city today.
Visit the historic center of Palermo with one of our guided tours.
The immense artistic and architectural heritage of the city, consisting of Baroque churches, historic buildings and Arab domes, has been included since 2015 in the UNESCO list as a World Heritage Site within the Arab-Norman Palermo site and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale.
The monuments that are part of the UNESCO itinerary in the city are: the Royal Palace and the Palatine Chapel, Church of San Giovanni degli Eremiti, Church of Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio, Church of San Cataldo, the Admiral's Bridge and the imposing Cathedral.
We choose to leave with our itinerary from the Cathedral, certainly one of the monuments in which every era has left a sign of its passage over the centuries.
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| The Cathedral of Palermo |
The large religious building dedicated to the Virgin Assumption is located on a site occupied by a church since the fourth century A.D. On the ruins of this church, destroyed by the Vandals in the fifth century, was built a Byzantine church consecrated in 604, transformed by the Saracens into the great mosque Gami during the long Arab domination (between the ninth and eleventh centuries after Christ) and later converted to Christian worship by the Normans (1185).
The Cathedral was modified many times over the centuries becoming an expression of multiple styles.
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| The West prospectus of the Cathedral in Palermo |
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| The East prospectus of the Cathedral in Palermo |
The most radical intervention is the one that since 1781 has transformed the interior of the cathedral with typical Baroque enrichments.
The precious marble Tribune with statues, friezes and reliefs, made by Antonello Gagini in the sixteenth century, was dismantled in the same period. It decorated the central apse. Today the statues are placed in correspondence of the central nave.
An extraordinary journey is what takes us to visit the area of the Royal tombs with the sarcophagi that guard the mortal remains of Roger II, founder of the Kingdom of Sicily, the great Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, his father the Emperor Henry VI, of his mother Queen Constance of Altavilla and Queen Constance of Aragon wife of Frederick II.
To her belongs the precious crown exposed in the Treasury of the Cathedral along with precious liturgical furnishings.
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| Tomb of Frederick II in the Cathedral of Palermo |
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| Crown of Constance of Aragon in the Treasury of the Cathedral of Palermo |
Our itinerary also takes us to visit the Crypt with the tombs of the Archbishops of Palermo, including that of Gualtiero Offamilio who was responsible for the construction of the Norman church.
An unmissable experience is also to climb on the roofs of the Cathedral for a breathtaking view of Palermo.
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| The roofs of the Cathedral of Palermo |
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| The dome of the Cathedral of Palermo |
Once the visit of the Cathedral is completed, it is time to take a break with a delicious granite of fresh fruit.
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| Sicilian Granita in the Palermo streets |
But we are ready to start again with a walk in one of the colorful markets of the city.
A short distance from the cathedral are the Mercato del Capo - near the monumental Teatro Massimo - with the small but very rich church of the Immaculate Conception and the lively market of Ballarò (the other famous market of the city is the Vucciria, but we will reach it in one of the next routes in the city).
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| The Mercato del Capo in Palermo |
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| The market of Ballarò in Palermo |
Colors and scents of fruit, vegetables, fish and the exquisite sweets of the Sicilian tradition alternate along the main road and it is impossible to walk without browsing through its stalls or without giving in to the temptation to taste a sandwich with the spleen (ca' meusa).
One of the masterpieces of Sicilian pastry on sale on the market stalls is the fruit of Martorana: almond pastries in the shape of fruit that faithfully reproduce the real one.
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| Martorana fruit in Palermo |
A curiosity: the name of this specialty comes from the Church of Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio also known as the Church of Martorana. The church decorated with beautiful golden mosaics is among the most beautiful in the city. It was built in 1143 by George of Antioch, admiral of the Norman king Roger II, not far from the Benedictine monastery founded in the twelfth century by the noblewoman Eloisa Martorana.
A tradition tells that the fruit of Martorana was created by the nuns of the monastery of Martorana, to replace the fruits harvested from their garden and to beautify the monastery during a visit of the pope of the time.
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| Church of Martorana or Church of Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio in Palermo |
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| Moisaics at the Church of Martorana or Church of Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio in Palermo |
Our itinerary took us to the heart of Palermo.
Sitting in Piazza Bellini with the monumental Fontana Pretoria, a few steps from the Quattro Canti, we decide to fully enjoy the atmosphere of a truly unique city, already thinking about the next stages that will lead us to discover the other wonders of Palermo.
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| Fontana Pretoria in Palermo |
To take away a very special souvenir we will take a tour of the many workshops of ALAB: Association of Free Artisans - Artists Balarm (Balarm is the name of the city of Palermo during the Arab domination).
These workshops promote art and crafts as a tool to redevelop the historic center of Palermo. Here we will meet innovative artisans and their unique creations.
Our guided tours give you the opportunity to live the tbestourist experience without hassle (we buy the churches and museum tickets for you, we walk together safely in the town, etc), to save time and optimize your travel.
At this link you can read the detailed information of our guided tours in Palermo and in the main towns of Sicily island.
Please feel free to contact us at info@bestguidedtours.com, we will be happy to help you in case you desire to take part in our customized guided tours in the city of Palermo or are looking for inspiration to plan your next travel experiences to Italy.
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