Palermo is a big city. Fortunately, the historic center is easily walkable.
We partially followed Rick Steves' tour and partially explored on our own. From our hotel, we walked towards the Mercato di Ballaro in search of street food.
We passed the Chiesa di San Matteo, a Baroque Roman Catholic church. This was very ornate on the outside but unfortunately, it's temporarily closed so you can't see the interior.
The horses in Palermo wear these ridiculous hats.
The Mercato di Ballaro is Palermo's largest market. You can find the usual stalls selling fruit & vegetable, fish, cheese, flowers and others selling more exotic items. The mafia is not as dominant as in years past but we did see a guy walk up to vendors and collect a little plastic bag of goodies. He continued this throughout the market so by the end of his trip, he had quite a load. Part of the mafia? Possible pizzo? We will never find out.
There was a stand selling salumi and another selling fried small fish and panelle but I was overall disappointed in their street food offerings.
This stand sold tendon. Not something you'll find in the US.
Near the Mercato di Ballaro, the Chiesa del Carmine Maggiore is very plain on the outside.
The inside is otherwise, This dramatic altarpiece was built in 1492.
The Chiesa del Gesu was also unremarkable on the outside.
Its interior was more ornate.
The Chiesa di S. Cataldo has an Arab influence.
The Chiesa di S. Maria dell'Ammiraglio contains Sicily's oldest Byzantine-Norman mosaics. It was originally planned as a mosque.
Chiesa di S. Caterina was the church of a prestigious convent. First-born daughters of noble families were given a dowry to marry into aristocracy. Subsequent daughters lacked the dowry and were instead "married to the church." The church was given a donation to care for these daughters
The Fontana Pretoria is better known as the Fountain of Shame. The nude figures were too racy for conservative Sicily. At first, the nuns tried to dress the figures and when that didn't work, they took chisel and hammer and removed the offending parts. Today, there is a fence surrounding the fountain to prevent future work.
The Palazzo Pretoria is now the City Hall.
The Quattro Canti or Four Corners is the heart of the historical center. It divides the city into 4 neighborhoods. The buildings at each corner have 3 levels of statues. The bottom level represents each of the 4 seasons, the middle level have Spanish kings and the top level are patron saints.
The back of the Teatro Massimo. It is Italy's largest opera house and Europe's 3rd largest. Begun in 1875, it took 23 years to build. Performances are year-round. If you can't get tickets to a show, there are backstage tours available.
The front of the Teatro Massimo was where the final scene of The Godfather, Part III was filmed. You can enter through the left to visit the ticket office.
The two ornate kiosks out front were the original ticket booths.
Rick Steves recommended stopping at Via Bara all'Olivella, #60 to check out these inlaid handicrafts. They were reasonably priced at €5 and make a nice Christmas ornament.
Chiesa di Sant'Ignazio all'Olivella
Sicily's main post office, built in the 1930s, is an example of Mussolini's fascist architecture.
Chiesa di San Domenico is Palermo's 2nd largest church. Giovanni Falcone is buried here. He was the judge and prosecutor who helped to bring down the mafia and was killed by a mafia bomb in 1992.
Not sure why this building had a column in one of its building corners.
Clean self-service laundromats found throughout the city.
Mercado La Vucciria had the most authentic street food.
Dilapidated and graffiti'd buildings in the back alleys of Palermo
Chiesa di S. Francesco d'Assisi is a Gothic style church. You won't run out of churches to see.
Rick Steves recommended the Antica Focacceria S. Francesco for a snack.
Another building with a column embedded in the wall.
We stumbled upon a filming site. We were told it was an American production but not the name of the production. I don't even think the crew knew what was being filmed.
In the evening, we took a stroll toward the marina. The Porta Felice Pilone Sud is the waterside entrance to Vittorio Emanuele.
The Tempio dei Concerti was where outdoor music was played.
Across the street, in the Foro Italico, we came across kite flyers.
Mural of Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino faces the marina on Via Cala. These 2 judges were instrumental in helping to bring down the mafia. For that, they paid the ultimate price. Both were assassinated in 1992.
2022 04 25
Comments