Manu’s Menu

Authentic Italian Home Cooking & More

  • Home
  • About
    • About me
    • About this site
    • About my photography
    • Privacy and Disclosure Policy
  • Recipes
    • Visual Archive
    • Regional Italian Recipes
  • Books
    • The Cool Side of Summer
    • Manu’s Christmas Menus
    • MsM’s Mobile App
  • Work With Me
    • Affiliate Sign-Up
    • Featured On
  • Out & About
    • Africa
      • South Africa 2019
    • Americas
      • Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Belize
      • CHILE AND ARGENTINA 2018
    • Asia
      • India
      • Japan 2015
      • Japan 2017
      • Japan 2018
      • Singapore
    • Europe
      • Slovenia and Croatia 2019
      • Italy 2019
    • Oceania
      • French Polynesia (Tahiti) 2017
      • French Polynesia (Tahiti)
      • New Caledonia
      • New Zealand
      • South Island – New Zealand Guide
  • Blogging Tips
    • Blogging Platform
    • Web Hosting
    • Technology Tips
    • Food Photography
    • Increasing Traffic to your Blog
    • Links
      • MsM in Your Kitchen
      • Events
        • 150 years of the Unification of Italy
        • Olio, Erbe e Fantasia – LILT
  • Tips
    • Techniques
      • Pasta and Gnocchi
      • Pizza and Other Doughs
      • Sauces and Other Basics
      • Decorations
    • Cake and Cookie decoration
      • Cake & Marshmallow Pops
        • Flowery Cake Pops
        • Hello Kitty Cake Pops
        • Dorothy the Dinosaur Cake Pops
        • Christmas Tree Cake Pops
        • Sea Marshmallow Pops
      • Fondant Cakes
        • Moo Cake
        • South Pole Cake
        • Lola Cake
        • Hello Kitty Yogurt Cake
        • Dorothy the Dinosaur Cake
        • The Little Mermaid Yogurt Cake
        • The Little Mermaid Fondant Cake
        • Sweet Sushi Mini Fondant Cakes
        • Peppa Pig Cake
        • Tinkerbell Cake
        • Miffy Cake
        • Olaf Yogurt Cake
        • Frozen Cake
      • Sugar Cookies
        • Heart Sugar Cookies
        • Dorothy the Dinosaur Sugar Cookies
        • Christmas Tree Ornament Sugar Cookies
      • Eggless Sugar Cookies
        • Chinese New Year Cookies
        • St. Patrick’s Day Cookies
      • Shortbread Cookies
        • Shortbread and Chocolate Hearts
        • Baby Shower Shortbread Cookies
        • Flounder Shortbread Cookie Pops
      • Easy Chocolate Cookies
    • Conversion Tables
    • Gift Ideas
      • Christmas 2010
      • Christmas 2011
      • Christmas 2012
      • Christmas 2013
      • Christmas 2014
      • Christmas 2015
    • Ingredients
    • Where I Shop for Italian Food in Sydney
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Recipes / Italian / Palermo Guide – Italy

Palermo Guide – Italy

November 6, 2015 By Manu 5 Comments

IMG_9981

I am very excited about the next few posts on Italy, as I will be taking you with me to Sicily. You see, I was born in Milan (in the north of Italy), but my family comes from the beautiful island of Sicily and being away from Italy made me realise how much I owe to this place and how much I actually miss it. It is a huge part of who I am and it plays a major role in the food I cook. So let’s start and let me show you around the biggest and most important Sicilian city with my Palermo Guide.

Palermo is my father’s home town and I used to spend a part of my summer holidays there every year. We would stay at my grandparents’ house and enjoy all the amazing things the city has to offer. My grandparents used to live near a big market called “Il Capo” and the best part of the day for me was our daily morning walk to the market where we would buy the food for the day. Palermo is very famous for its amazing street food and the local markets are the perfect place to experience it. More about it later.

During our trip, we visited Palermo over 2 days. We were staying in the seaside village of San Vito Lo Capo (a guide on that will follow), so we drove there in the morning and left in the evening. As we did not have a lot of time, we only visited the main attractions and showed the girls a few key areas of the city.

IMG_9963

Before getting into the details of what to see and do, let me give you a brief historical background, as I think it is fundamental to understand this city better. This is how Wikipedia briefly describes Palermo’s history: “The city was founded in 734 BC by the Phoenicians as Ziz (‘flower’). Palermo then became a possession of Carthage, before becoming part of the Roman Republic, the Roman Empire and eventually part of the Byzantine Empire, for over a thousand years. The Greeks named the city Panormus meaning ‘complete port’. From 831 to 1072 the city was under Arab rule during the Emirate of Sicily when the city first became a capital. The Arabs corrupted the Greek name into Balarm, the root for Palermo’s present-day name. Following the Norman reconquest, Palermo became the capital of a new kingdom (from 1130 to 1816), the Kingdom of Sicily and the capital of the Holy Roman Empire under Frederick II Holy Roman Emperor and Conrad IV of Germany, King of the Romans. Eventually Sicily would be united with the Kingdom of Naples to form the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies until the Italian unification of 1860.”  See what I mean? All these influences are still visible in the architecture, culture, language and food of the city!

IMG_0018

SIGHTSEEING

We started off our day with a visit to one of Palermo’s famous markets: Ballarò. Palermo is famous for its markets that are reminiscent of the Arab history of the city… they do remind me of the souks you find in Arab/North African countries.  We visited Ballarò, which is mainly a food market and it is considered a foodie’s heaven.

PicMonkey Collage ballaro 1

PicMonkey Collage ballaro

Other important markets include Il Capo and La Vucciria, probably the most famous of all. In the local dialect, Vucciria means “voices” or “noise” as all the vendors shout to attract customers. All markets are open Monday through Saturday from around dawn until 2 pm, but try and get there early to see all the action.

PicMonkey Collage ballaro 2

After the market, we passed through the old Jewish area of town and we visited Via dei Calderai. This is a very interesting place to visit and something that you may not find on your tourist guide. It is the area where blacksmiths still work and sell their products.

IMG_9905

They make all sorts of things, including pots and kitchen utensils. If you want to buy the tin to make Cassata Siciliana or Cannoli tubes, this is the place to go!

PicMonkey Collage latta

Then we walked around until we arrived in Piazza Bellini to visit the churches of San Cataldo (the one with the domes, famous for its Arab-Norman architecture) and Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio (also known as Martorana).

IMG_9910

IMG_9935

The latter belongs to the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi of the Italo-Albanian Catholic Church, a diocese who officiate the liturgy according to the Byzantine Rite in the ancient Greek language.  The church is renowned for its spectacular interior, which is dominated by a series of 12th century mosaics executed by Byzantine craftsmen.

PicMonkey Collage san cataldo

Then we went to see the Pretoria Fountain which is situated in front of the city’s town hall.

PicMonkey Collage vergogna

This is a magnificent fountain and it is also known as the “Shameful fountain” because all the statues are nude.

IMG_9942

The next place we visited was the baroque Quattro Canti (4 corners) square. It is the intersection of two of the main city streets and each corner has a building with statues of its 4 patron saints: Agata, Ninfa, Oliva and Cristina.

PicMonkey Collage 4 canti

We finished off our day excursion with a visit to the little town of Monreale, on the slope of Mount Caputo, overlooking Palermo and the very fertile valley called “La Conca d’oro” (the Golden Shell), famous for its orange, olive and almond trees.

PicMonkey Collage monr view

The Cathedral of Monreale is one of the greatest examples of Norman architecture in the world. It contains a splendid cloister and impressive glass mosaics.

IMG_0036

The half dome of the central apse has a colossal figure of Christ, with a seated Virgin and Child below, the other apses have full-length figures of St Peter and St Paul.

PicMonkey Collage mon 2

The subjects in the nave depict scenes from the Old Testament and the New Testament. The design, execution and choice of subjects all appear to be of Byzantine origin.

PicMonkey Collage monr a

From the Arab inspired gardens of the Cathedral you have an impressive view of the city. That evening, the sky was so clear that we could see the Aeolian islands from there!!

IMG_0074

I love this place and I used to come here as a child… it’s so peaceful!

PicMonkey Collage mon 1

IMG_0050

Then we got back into our rented Fiat500 and went back to San Vito lo Capo.

IMG_0452

We just stopped briefly in the town of Castellammare del Golfo for a quick panoramic pit-stop.

IMG_0097

The second day, we visited the Cathedral which is characterized by the presence of different styles, due to a long history of restorations. It was even transformed into a mosque during the Saracen rule! The Cathedral also contains the tombs of important kings, including Frederick II, the Holy Roman Emperor. He was called “stupor mundi” (the wonder of the world), and the first European by Nietzsche. Frederick was an avid patron of science and the arts and he played a major role in promoting literature and in what was to become the modern Italian language.

Palermo

Then we saw Palazzo dei Normanni, the seat of the Kings of Sicily during the Norman domination. Today it is the seat of the regional parliament of Sicily. The building is the oldest royal residence in Europe.  It contains the famous Cappella Palatina, the best example of the Arab-Norman-Byzantine style of the 12th century. There are wonderful mosaics and it’s a site not to be missed!

Another example of Arab-Norman architecture is the nearby church of San Giovanni degli Eremiti. Look at the beautiful red domes!

Post55

After a stroll along the central streets, we stopped for a couple of photos: Teatro Massimo and Teatro Politeama.

Then we went to visit La Zisa Castle, another great example of Arab-Norman architecture.

PicMonkey Collage zisa 1

It was originally built for king William I of Sicily, as summer residence for the Norman kings. The Zisa is clearly inspired by Moorish architecture and if you have been to Granada, you would see how similar it looks to the Alhambra. The name Zisa itself derives from the Arab term al-Azīz, meaning “dear” or “splendid”.

IMG_0459

My family’s history has very strong ties to this place, as my ancestors owned La Zisa from the 17th century, when Giovanni of Sandoval and Platamone (Marquis of S. Giovanni la Mendola and Prince of Castelreale, originally from the Royal House of León, in Spain) bought it. The latter’s (and my family’s) marble coat of arms with two lions can be seen over the entrance fornix.

PicMonkey Collage zisa 3

From 1808 to the 1950’s the building was used as residence by the princes Notarbartolo di Sciara – heirs of the Sandoval family (my grandmother, a Notarbartolo by birth, was born here). The castle was then acquired by the Region of Sicilia and restored. The Zisa is today opened to the public.

PicMonkey Collage zisa 6

PicMonkey Collage zisa 5

Here is a family photo of the castle taken in the 1800’s.

1 Castello della Zisa

And this is my grandmother’s grandfather Francesco Paolo Notarbartolo.

2 bisnonno.jpeg

This is him again with his wife.

3

This is my grandmother’s grandmother with my grandmother’s father, Filippo.

4

It felt a bit strange to visit the place where my grandmother was born and see it from an “outsider” point of view…

PicMonkey Collage zisa 2

I love Moresque architecture and this visit was an amazing (and emotional) experience. Can you believe that they even had an “air conditioning” system?? It worked by circulating cold water inside the walls! How ingenious!

PicMonkey Collage zisa 4

The most notable room is the central hall, with a mosaic decoration; once it had a fountain too, from which the water flowed outside.

PicMonkey Collage zisa 7

Since July 2015 La Zisa is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

PicMonkey Collage zisa 8

IMG_0530

If you have some spare time, I suggest you visit the nearby town of Mondello. There is a very beautiful beach and the sea is fantastic!

Another interesting site is the Capuchin Catacombs, with many mummified corpses in varying degrees of preservation. I used to love it as a child, but it is quite creepy.

Close to the city is the 600 m-high Monte Pellegrino, offering a panorama of the city, its surrounding mountains and the sea. It also houses the remains of the most important patron saint of the city: Santa Rosalia.

FOOD

Palermo is the famous throughout Italy for its amazing food, particularly its street food. As you know, I often feature Sicilian recipes on the blog, as this is an important part of who I am. Dishes like Arancine, Panelle, Anelletti, Cannoli, Cassata, Sfincione… they all come from here.

PicMonkey Collage street food

As I wrote above, Sicilian history is quite special and all the different people who ruled the island left something behind. All these different influences (Greek, Spanish, French and Arab) can be easily seen in the local food. I will write a more detailed post about Sicilian food and all the amazing things we ate during our stay, so stay tuned!

RESOURCES ON MSM

SOME RECIPES FROM THE REGION OF SICILY:

STREET FOOD

Arancine
Panelle
Cazzilli/Crocche’ di patate
Rascature
Ravazzate
Spiedini
Crostini
Sfincione
Ham and Cheese Sicilian Brioches

PASTA

Spaghetti with home-made Tomato Sauce
Pasta con i Broccoli Arriminati
Baked Anelletti
Sedanini with Swordfish and Eggplant
Busiati with Pesto Trapanese and Fried Eggplant
Pasta con le Sarde alla Palermitana
Busiati with Herbs, Pistachios and Zucchini

OTHER MAINS

Beef Agglassato
Sarde a Beccafico
Gatto’ di Patate
Baked Swordfish Involtini
Eggplant Involtini
Fish Couscous
Pork Involtini alla Palermitana
Home-made Sicilian Pork Sausage with Fennel
Falsomagro

APPETISERS, SIDES & DRINKS

Sicilian Almond Milk
Bruschetta with Matarocco
Olive Schiacciate
Caponata
Cabbuci
Sweet and Sour Pumpkin
Eggplant Patties

DESSERTS

Cannoli
Cassata Siciliana
Buccellato
Martorana
Cassatelle Trapanesi
Biancomangiare with Citrus Salad
Cubbaita
Pesche Dolci alla Siciliana
Almond Cookies
Fig Cookies
Coffee Granita
Almond Parfait
Gelo di Melone
Genovesi

Browse through all my Sicilian recipes here.

TRAVEL IN ITALY:

Venice Guide – Italy
Milan Guide – Italy
Rome Guide – Italy

RESTAURANT REVIEWS – ITALY:

Nonna Betta – Rome
Da Enzo al 29 – Rome
Da Bucatino – Rome

Palermo

HOW TO GET AROUND IN PALERMO

The best way to get around Palermo is on foot! All the main attractions are in the centre, so I suggest you find a central accommodation and move around on foot.

HOW TO GET THERE

By Plane

Falcone-Borsellino Airport is at Punta Raisi, 30km west of Palermo on the A29 motorway. There are regular flights between Palermo and most mainland Italian cities. Some international connections are also available.

You can get to the city centre by bus (35 to 50 minutes, depending on traffic) or by train (Trinacria Express – 45 minutes to 1¼ hours). On the way to Palermo from the airport, you will pass from Capaci, the site of one of the biggest mafia massacres. In 1992, judge Giovanni Falcone was killed here by a bomb. Today you can see a monument that is dedicated to him and the people who died with him that day.

IMG_0454

There is a taxi rank outside the arrivals hall and the set fare to/from central Palermo is €45, and all the major car-hire companies are represented at the airport.

By Train

Regular services leave from Palermo Centrale train station to other Sicilian cities. There are also Intercity trains to Reggio di Calabria, Naples, Rome and Milan.

By Sea

From Palermo’s port, Grandi Navi Veloci runs ferries to Civitavecchia, Genoa, Naples and Tunis; Tirrenia goes to Cagliari and Naples; Grimaldi Lines goes to Salerno.

By Car

Palermo is accessible on the A20-E90 toll road from Messina, and from Catania (A19-E932) via Enna. Trapani and Marsala are also easily accessible from Palermo by motorway (A29), while Agrigento and Palermo are linked by the SS121/189, a good state road through the interior of the island.

MAP

Share

Related Posts:

  • San Vito Lo Capo Guide – Italy
  • Trapani, Erice and Segesta Guide – Italy
  • Baked Nutella Iris
  • Pasticceria Peralta – San Vito Lo Capo
  • Panificio La Sala – San Vito Lo Capo

Filed Under: Italian, Regional Italian Dishes, Travel Tagged With: holiday, Italian, Italy, Palermo, Regional Italian Dishes, Sicilian, Sicily, travel

« Sicilian Ricotta Crêpes
Bell Pepper Involtini »

Trackbacks

  1. Trapani, Erice and Segesta Guide - Italy says:
    November 20, 2015 at 10:09 pm

    […] Venice Guide – Italy Milan Guide – Italy Rome Guide – Italy Palermo Guide – Italy […]

    Reply
  2. Cividale del Friuli - Italy Guide says:
    July 27, 2020 at 8:56 pm

    […] Palermo – Italy Guide […]

    Reply
  3. Grado and Aquileia – Italy Guide says:
    September 10, 2020 at 8:33 pm

    […] Palermo – Italy Guide […]

    Reply
  4. Friuli Eastern Hills – Italy Guide says:
    October 12, 2020 at 8:11 pm

    […] Palermo – Italy Guide […]

    Reply
  5. Friulian Alps – Italy Guide says:
    November 9, 2020 at 11:40 pm

    […] Palermo – Italy Guide […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Welcome to Manu’s Menu!

Hi! I am Manu, the author of Manu's Menu. I was born and brought up in Italy and my blog can show you how to create authentic Italian food in your own home! Read More…

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

HOMEMADE PASTA MADE SIMPLE – THE BOOK. CLICK TO BUY IT FROM AMAZON NOW!

Homemade Pasta Made Simple

Archives

Categories

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Video Recipe: Orecchiette with Crudaiola Sauce

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqSyzFElbRY
foodgawker bowls-150x150
tastespotting150
Tasteologie badge
Pasta & Gnocchi

The Cool Side of Summer e-Book – Click to buy it now! On SALE for only $9.99!

The Cool Side of Summer e-Book

MsM’S EBOOK – CLICK TO BUY IT NOW!

MsM’S EBOOK – CLICK TO BUY IT NOW!
Genesis Theme Framework for WordPress
Community Table Contributor Badge
Sunday Supper Movement

manusmenu

manusmenu
Now on the blog - Low Fodmap Vanilla and Miso Cara Now on the blog - Low Fodmap Vanilla and Miso Caramel Cheesecake Slice.  Clickable recipe link in my profile.

#recipes #manusmenu #manusmenucom #instafood #instayum #foodbloggers #foodstyling #baking #lowfodmap #lowfodmapdiet #miso #cheesecake #cake #dessert #japan
Now on the blog - Low Fodmap Ragù Bianco. A tradi Now on the blog - Low Fodmap Ragù Bianco. A traditional pasta sauce from central Italy. Clickable recipe link in my profile.

#recipes #manusmenu #manusmenucom #instafood #instayum #foodbloggers #foodstyling #Italian #italy #italianfoodbloggers #italianfood #pasta #pastasauce #ragu
Now on the blog - Trieste, Italy Guide. A surprisi Now on the blog - Trieste, Italy Guide. A surprising city. Come check it out. Clickable link in my profile.

#manusmenu #manusmenucom #travel #travelblogger #italy #tourism #Europe #trieste #holidays #beautifuldestinations #history #food
Now on the blog - Sausage and Potato Sourdough Cre Now on the blog - Sausage and Potato Sourdough Crespelle. The best comfort food. Clickable recipe link in my profile.

#recipes #manusmenu #manusmenucom #instafood #instayum #foodbloggers #foodstyling #baking #sourdough #sourdoughstarter #crepes #crespelle #food #foodgram #italianfoodbloggers #italianfood
Now on the blog - WWI, Italy Guide. A guide about Now on the blog - WWI, Italy Guide. A guide about some of the most important landmarks of the Great War. Clickable link in my profile.

#manusmenu #manusmenucom #travel #travelblogger #italy #tourism #Europe #cividale #friuliveneziagiulia #beautifuldestinations #war #history
Now on the blog - Sourdough Crêpes. So good. Use Now on the blog - Sourdough Crêpes. So good. Use up some of your #sourdough discard to make these delicious sweet or savoury crêpes. Clickable recipe link in my profile.

#recipes #manusmenu #manusmenucom #instafood #instayum #foodbloggers #foodstyling #baking #sourdough #sourdoughstarter #crepes #crespelle #food
Now on the blog - Cividale del Friuli, Italy Guide Now on the blog - Cividale del Friuli, Italy Guide. Clickable link in my profile.

#manusmenu #manusmenucom #instafood #instayum #foodbloggers #travel #travelblogger #italy #tourism #Europe #cividale #friuliveneziagiulia #beautifuldestinations #history #food #italianfood
Now on the blog - Hugo. A refreshing Italian cockt Now on the blog - Hugo. A refreshing Italian cocktail and an alternative to your everyday spritz. Clickable recipe link in my profile.

#recipes #manusmenu #manusmenucom #instafood #instayum #foodbloggers #foodstyling #Italian #hugo #spritz #prosecco #drinks #cocktails #elderflower
Now on the blog - Low Fodmap Pork Meatball Satay S Now on the blog - Low Fodmap Pork Meatball Satay Stir Fry. So good. Clickable recipe link in my profile.

#recipes #manusmenu #manusmenucom #instafood #instayum #foodbloggers #foodstyling #lowfodmap #lowfodmapdiet #satay #stirfry #pork #meatballs
Now on the blog - Quick Pickled Cucumbers. So crun Now on the blog - Quick Pickled Cucumbers. So crunchy and refreshing. Clickable recipe link in my profile.

#recipes #manusmenu #manusmenucom #instafood #instayum #foodbloggers #foodstyling #picklingcucumbers #pickles #pickling #garden #cucumber #vegetarian #vegan #video
Now on the blog - Coffee Panna Cotta. Wobbly and d Now on the blog - Coffee Panna Cotta. Wobbly and delicious. Clickable link in my profile.

#recipes #manusmenu #manusmenucom #instafood #instayum #foodbloggers #foodstyling #Italian #pudding #italy #italianfoodbloggers #italianfood #coffee #pannacotta
Now on the blog - Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls. Recipe Now on the blog - Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls. Recipe adapted from the wonderful @jennifer_rodda. The best way to use up some of your Sourdough discard. Clickable recipe link on my profile.

#recipes #manusmenu #manusmenucom #instafood #instayum #foodbloggers #foodstyling #baking #sourdough #sourdoughstarter #pastry #cinnamonrolls #teatime #breakfast
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2011-2020 - Manu's Menu and Manuela Zangara. All rights reserved.