Discover Monuments and Markets in Palermo

One of the best ways to get to know a city is through its food and markets. Mercato di Capo is one of the best markets in Palermo. The stalls in this market sell a wide variety of food including local specialties, fruits and vegetables, meat and fish. When you walk through the market, you will hear vendors yelling or chanting in their Palermo dialect

The Cathedral, the beautiful Arab-Norman Palermo Cathedral, which became part of UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in the 2015. You will see it also inside. Erected in 1185 by Walter Ophamilio, the Anglo-Norman archbishop of Palermo. As an architectural complex, it is characterized by the presence of different styles, due to a long history of additions, alterations and restorations, the last of which occurred in the 18th century.

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The Palazzo dei Normanni (Palace of the Normans) or Royal Palace of Palermo was the seat of the Kings of Sicily during the Norman domination. Today it is the seat of the Sicilian Regional Assembly. The building is the oldest royal residence in Europe.

The Cassaro is the most ancient street of Palermo. Following the unification of Italy, it has been officially renamed Via Vittorio Emanuele II, but the old and distinctive name is still in use. The street is rooted in the age of the foundation of Palermo by the Phoenicians.

If you are looking to immerse yourself in the local culture of Palermo, the Ballarò Street Market is the place to go. As the city’s oldest street market and one of the most vibrant markets in Europe, Ballarò also provides a glimpse into Palermo’s past where you can listen for street vendors speaking a local dialect similar to Arabic. Said to be more than 1,000 years old. The name Ballarò comes from Bahlara, a town outside Palermo where Arab merchants historically made their home

The Church of the Gesù is one of the most important Baroque churches in Sicily. Built by the Jesuits in the late 16th century on the edge of Palermo’s Jewish Quarter, the church took almost 50 years to build, with help from hundreds of artists and artisans. Inside, visitors will find colorful frescoes, intricate stone carvings and marble reliefs in a stunning setting for reflection and worship.

The church known most commonly as “La Martorana” is an architectural example of Sicily’s changing allegiances over the centuries. The facade alone features three different architectural styles. The Martorana (Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio is the official name) dates back to 1141. You can no longer see the original Norman facade, but you can still see the typical Norman red dome from the exterior. Thankfully, once you’re inside the church, the original 12th century mosaics still shine in all their Byzantine glory.

It is the Palermo’s most famous square. The centerpiece of the Piazza Pretoria is the fountain, known as the Fontana Pretoria. Designed in the 1550s by a sculptor from Florence named Camilliani, the fountain was originally commissioned for a private villa in Tuscany, but was gifted to the city of Palermo in 1574. There are 16 figures on the Fontana Pretoria, all of which are entirely or partially nude, that circle the fountain. There is no side from which you can simply enjoy the water itself without seeing a nude statue - which many Palermitans in the late 16th century found scandalous. This is the reason for which the citizens call it "The fountain of the shame".

Despite the fact that the Quattro Canti - also known as the Piazza Vigilena - is an intersection that’s often full of cars, it’s still one of the attractions visitors seek out in the city. This is largely because of the four buildings that sit at the four corners of the intersection - “quattro canti” means “four corners” - which are Baroque buildings dating from the early 17th century. The four buildings are almost identical, save for a few details. Each of the four buildings is slightly curved, giving the piazza a rounded footprint, and there are statues in niches that represent the four seasons, the four Spanish kings of Sicily, and the four patron saints of Palermo. Each building is connected to a different Palermo neighborhood, and the patron saint on that building is the patron of that neighborhood.