Palermo and Monreale

At the foot of Monte Pellegrino lies the charming and chaotic Phoenician city: Palermo. It prospered with the Romans, but reached its maximum splendor first with the Arabs and later with the Normans who made it the capital of the kingdom. Between the 1600s and 1700s there was another golden age that left a strong testimony in the civil and religious architecture that is still to be admired.

Via Maqueda, Via Roma and Corso Vittorio Emanuele are among the most famous streets because they give access to the vision of the greatness of the past that does not spare narrow streets, dead ends, historic markets and neighborhoods inhabited in the late Middle Ages by merchants and craftsmen.

From the important streets listed, the markets of Vucciria, Ballarò, Via Bandiera are easily reachable. Palazzo delle Aquile Mirto dei Normanni, Piazza Marina – Vittoria – Del Parlamento – Quattro Canti – Fontana Pretoria. Among the Churches: Santa Caterina – San Giuseppe dei Teatini – Cathedral – Palatine Chapel – La Martorana – Teatro Massimo and Politeama.

We will complete the tour by visiting the wonderful Cathedral of Monreal.