I flew from Naples on the mainland of Italy to Palermo in Sicily on an easyJet flight. It was a short one hour flight. I arrived two days early before my tour so that I can explore Palermo on my own. From the Palermo Airport I took a Prestia e Commande bus to the city center. The ticket was €6, compared to about €40 if I had taken a taxi. However, it required me to walk about 1km to my hotel. Normally I would have booked a room at the same hotel where I would be staying for the tour. But Hotel Frederico was fully booked. So I found Le Quattro Stagioni on Booking.com and checked to make sure that it is within walking distance from Hotel Frederico.
On the outside Le Quattro Stagioni (LQR) looks like part of an old building. I was met at the reception by the owner David. Inside was a beautiful hotel. I paid about €165 or $187 per night. Breakfast was custom-ordered. There was a variety of choices; all of them good.
Entrance to the hotel
Bedroom
Bathroom
Coming to the tour early gives me a chance to explore the city on my own at my pace. David gave me a map and told me the best places to go in Palermo. Besides, I know that the first day walk-through the city is only a cursory walk. You don't have time to go into any of the churches, palaces or museums.
My first stop upon leaving LQR is walked towards the Teatro Politeama This is one of the most significant landmarks in Palermo. In the next few days I will walk by this landmark several times because it is so centrally located and there are usually some of kind of event going on. Looking at the crowd that gather there in the evening it is one of the most popular gathering places. The piazza is called Piazza Ruggero Settimo.
Teatro Politeama
A Concert
A few blocks away in a northwesterly direction is another famous landmark - Teatro Massimo. It is the biggest opera house in Italy and one of the largest in Europe.
Side view of Teatro Massimo
Frontal View
In front of the theater is the most popular pedestrian mall in Palermo - via Maqueda. Along this street are the restaurants and tourist businesses. On weekends the street is packed with tourists from Italy and around the world.
via Maqueda - popular street for tourists
Restaurants lined the streets
However I did not take this busy street. Instead I took the side streets and headed towards an outdoor market called Capo. According to Google, The Mercato del Capo is one of Palermo’s oldest and most vibrant historic street markets, running primarily along Via Sant'Agostino, Via Carini, and surrounding alleyways in the historic Seralcadio district.
If you have been reading my blog you know I love to visit markets. This is where locals hang out and what they sell and eat is reflection of what is grown in the area. Here is a YouTube video of the market:
Below are some of my pictures that I took of the Capo market:
Sign on the small street
A narrow street
Selling pastries
A fishmonger
A variety of fruits
Prickly pear fruits are popular here
Deep-fried seafood, very popular in Sicily
Fried sardines
Pomegranate juice is very popular here
From the Capo market I headed west towards the Palermo Cathedral, erected in the 12th century. This is another major landmark in Palermo and as expected, very crowded.
The Cathedral is an UNESCO World Heritage Site
Outside Views of the Cathedral
Inside the Cathedral
Next I headed to the Royal Palace, a short distance away. Officially, the name of this palace is called Palazzo dei Normanni, meaning Palace of the Normans. Sicily, in the 10th century was conquered by the Normans. Inside the Palace is also the Pallatine Chapel.
The official name of the Palace and Chapel
Information about the Palace
Ceiling inside the Chapel
An ornate chapel
There is so much to see and do in Palermo that I have to split this post into two parts. In the next post I will show other parts of the city that I visited.
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