Beautiful Palermo is renowned for its melding of Arab and Norman architecture. San Giovanni degli Eremiti, with its striking red domed roofs, was church, mosque and then church again. The 11th century Palazzo dei Normanni, built for Norman King Roger II on the highest point of the city, is the oldest royal residence in Europe (with Punic ruins in its cellar). Today it is the Sicilian Regional Assembly.
The stunning Cappella Palatina was the Norman kings’ chapel, adorned with Saracen arches and luminous Byzantine mosaics. Walk past ancient palazzos to Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral, another church-mosque-church convert. Impressive Piazza Vigliena (Quattro Canti or Four Corners) is a gem of 17th century city planning.
It is an octagon of perfect symmetry with Baroque buildings on its four corners, four fountains heralding the four seasons, statuary of four Sicilian kings and four patronesses. At Piazza Pretoria, view the ‘notorious’ Fountain of Shame, so named for the 16 marble nudes cavorting in its waters. San Cataldo and Martorana churches in Piazza Bellini are both Arab-Norman. The Piazza Marina is your refreshing end, strolling through the delightful Garibaldi Gardens.
