In its own wide bay underneath the
limestone bulk of Monte Pellegrino, and fronting the broad,
fertile Conca d'Oro (Golden Shell) Valley,
PALERMO is
stupendously sited. Originally a Phoenician, then a
Carthaginian colony, this remarkable city was long considered
a prize worth capturing. Named Panormus (All Harbour), its
mercantile attractions were obvious, and under Saracen and
Norman rule in the ninth to twelfth centuries Palermo became
the greatest city in Europe - famed for the wealth of its
court, and peerless as a centre of learning. There are plenty
of relics from this era, but it's the rebuilding of the
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries that shaped the city as
you see it today.
It's worth making Palermo your first stop in Sicily. It's
the island's main transport centre, and it boasts Sicily's
greatest concentration of sights. Quite apart from the Arab
influence in its finest churches, there's more than a hint of
the city's eastern past in its undisciplined centre, a
sprawling, almost anarchic mass with no real focus: great
pockets of medieval alleys, nineteenth-century piazzas,
twentieth-century bombsites and contemporary office blocks all
conspire to confuse what is essentially a straightforward
street grid. Money from Rome and from the European Union has
been earmarked for a redevelopment of the city centre, and,
despite signs of improvement, the obstacles remain huge: this
is partly due to the age-old system of kickbacks for contracts
and tenders to bent politicians and the Mafia, which have
creamed off much of the money. One of the few to stand up
against this state of affairs has been Leoluca Orlando
, who, following his deposition by his own Christian Democrat
party in 1990, went on to found and lead the anti-Mafia and
anti-Masonic party, La Rete , and he continues to make
progress against the forces of graft and corruption as
Palermo's mayor. While doubtless retaining his place on the
Mafia's hit list, Orlando's prominence on the national stage
has helped to focus attention on reform of the city's
institutions and reverse the tendency of neglect and decay
that has characterized the city for centuries.
The essential sights are all pretty central, and if you are
disciplined enough you could get around them in a couple of
days. Paramount are the hybrid Cattedrale and nearby
Palazzo dei Normanni (Royal Palace), with its superb,
mosaic-decorated chapel, the Cappella Palatina ; the
glorious Norman churches of La Martorana and San
Giovanni degli Eremeti ; the Baroque opulence of San
Giuseppe dei Teatini and Santa Caterina ; and three
magnificent museums - inspiring collections of art,
archeology and ethnography.
This historical jumble of treasures has its downside. Many
people have continued to live in their medieval ghettos,
unemployment is endemic, the old port largely idle and petty
crime commonplace. Some areas - La Kalsa and area around La
Cala in particular - can be positively dangerous if you're not
careful, and every pensione owner will warn you to
watch your money and camera. Don't be paranoid, though: things
are not significantly worse than any other European city, and
the only rule is to avoid any quiet neighbourhood, especially
at night.