t Strolling along Corso Vittorio Emanuele, with Italian flags blowing in the wind
g West Palermo g Contents
The main street in the heart of Palermo, Corso Vittorio Emanuele lies atop the Phoenician road that connected the ancient city with the seaside. The locals call this street “Cassaro”, from the Arab Al Qasar, or castle, to which the road led. In the Middle Ages this road was the most important artery in the city, but in the 1500s it became an elegant street. In that period the street was extended to the sea and two city gates were built: Porta Felice to the north and Porta Nuova to the south, next to Palazzo dei Normanni. It was called Via Toledo during the Spanish period. The stretch between Porta Nuova and the Quattro Canti is home to several patrician mansions. On the western side is the former hospital of San Giacomo, now the Bonsignore barracks; the Baroque Collegio Massimo dei Gesuiti, the Regional Library; Palazzo Geraci, a Baroque residence rebuilt in the Rococo style; the Palazzo Belmonte-Riso, which houses the Contemporary Art Museum; and the 18th-century Palazzo Tarallo della Miraglia, restored as the Hotel Centrale. On the eastern side are San Salvatore, a lavishly decorated Baroque church, and San Giuseppe dei Teatini. Just beyond Vicolo Castelbuono is Piazza Bologni, which has several Baroque buildings, among them the Palazzo Alliata di Villafranca.
t Strolling along Corso Vittorio Emanuele, with Italian flags blowing in the wind
Hidden Gem
Unearthed during the renovation of a flat, Camera delle Meraviglie (Via Porta di Castro 239), 5 minutes south of Piazza della Vittoria, is a secret room adorned with gold and silver Arabic inscriptions.
This square is completely occupied by the Villa Bonanno garden. In the middle is the Teatro Marmoreo fountain, built in honour of Philip V, with statues of the continents partly under this ruler’s dominion (Europe, America, Asia and Africa). Archaeological digs have unearthed Roman villas and mosaics; the finds can be found in the Museo Archeologico Regionale and the Sala dell’Orfeo pavilion. Among the palazzi and churches facing the square are the Baroque Cappella della Soledad, with multicoloured marble and stucco decoration, and the former hospital of San Giacomo, with the lovely Norman Santa Maria Maddalena in the interior.
t A figure from the Teatro Marmoreo fountain, Piazza della Vittoria
The Arabs built this palace over the ruins of a Punic fortress in the 11th century. The following century it was enlarged and became the royal palace of the Norman king Roger II, with Arab architects and craftsmen building towers and pavilions for the king and his retinue. Not much is left from the Norman age, partly because the palace was abandoned when Frederick II left his Palermo court. The Spanish viceroys preferred to use the more modern Palazzo Steri.
The present-day appearance of the Palazzo dei Normanni, now the seat of the Sicilian Regional Assembly, dates back to alterations made in the 16th and 17th centuries. The entrance is in Piazza del Parlamento. A short walk uphill is the Maqueda courtyard, built in 1600 with three rows of arcades and a large staircase leading to the first floor and the Cappella Palatina, one of the few parts remaining from the Norman period.
The royal apartments, which now house the Sicilian Parliament, are on the second floor and can only be visited when accompanied by a guard. The most interesting room is the Sala di Re Ruggero, the walls and arches of which are covered with beautiful 12th-century mosaics with animal and plant motifs in a naturalistic vein that probably reveals a Persian influence: there are centaurs, leopards, lions, deer and even peacocks. The vault has geometric motifs and medallions with owls, deer, centaurs and lions. The tour ends with the Chinese Room, frescoed by Giovanni and Salvatore Patricolo, and the Sala Gialla, with tempera decoration on the vaults.
t The Arab-Norman red domes of San Giovanni degli Eremiti casting a striking outline over the streets of Palermo
Built in 1132 for Roger II over the foundations of a Benedictine monastery that had been constructed in 581, San Giovanni degli Eremiti displays an Oriental influence. It was built by Arab-Norman craftsmen and labourers, and their work is most striking in the red domes and cubic forms. The delightful garden of citrus trees, pomegranate, roses and jasmine leads to the ruins of the monastery, a small cloister with twin columns and pointed arches.
The cross-plan interior has an aisle-less nave ending in the presbytery with three apses. The right-hand apse is covered by one of the red domes, while above the left-hand one is a fine bell tower with pointed windows and a smaller red dome on top.
Experience West Palermo
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DRINK Reminiscent of a genteel time, Palermo’s historic coffee bars remain a popular gathering place. Admire frescoes on the walls of Pasticceria Costa, sip coffee overlooking a palm-fringed garden at Teatro Massimo’s literary-centric cafe, or visit the timeless Bar Marocco, where not much has changed since 1936. Pasticceria Costa D3 ⌂ Via Maqueda 174 ¢ Mon ∑ pasticceriacosta.com Bistrò del Teatro C2 ⌂ Piazza G. Verdi ¢ Mon ∑ teatromassimo.it Bar Marocco B4 ⌂ Via Vittorio Emanuele 494 ∑ barmarocco.it |
The Theatine congregation spared no expense in the construction of this church (1612–45). Despite the fact that the façade was finished in 1844 in Neo-Classical style, the church exudes a Baroque spirit, beginning with the cupola covered with majolica tiles. The two-aisle nave is flanked by huge columns, the ceiling is frescoed and the walls are covered with polychrome marble decoration. On either side of the entrance are two marble stoups held up by angels. The chapels are richly decorated with stucco and frescoes, and the high altar is made of semi-precious stones.
t The striking interior of San Giuseppe dei Teatini with its towering columns and frescoed ceiling
Picture Perfect
Take a self-guided tour through the historic centre to find the city’s most photogenic spots. Look up and capture laundry strung across narrow alleys and elaborate gardens dangling from balconies.
In a restored palazzo right in front of the Piazza Bologni, the Contemporary Art Gallery was conceived as a multi-functional centre, with a bookshop, café and multimedia room on the premises. The palazzo itself was built in 1784 by Venanzio Marvuglia, who was one of the most prolific architects of the time. The collection has been laid out so the whole building can be admired; works placed inside and outside take you through old courtyards and hidden corners. Works by great artists such as Pietro Consagra, Allesandro Bazan and Carla Accardi are part of the permanent collection.
This church perhaps represents the peak of Baroque art in Palermo. The late 16th-century façade was one of the sets for the film Il Gattopardo (The Leopard). Work on the decoration began in 1597 and was interrupted permanently when the Jesuits were expelled in 1860. The interior is covered with marble inlay – walls, columns and floor – in a profusion of forms and colours, blending in well with the fine stuccoes of Giacomo Serpotta, the imitation bas-relief columns and the various decorative motifs. The pulpit in the middle of the nave was the work of the Genoese School (1646).
To the right of the church is the western section of the Casa Professa, with an 18th-century cloister affording access to the City Library.
t One of the four concave façades that border the 17th-century Quattro Canti
The intersection of Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Via Maqueda is Palermo’s most fashionable square: Quattro Canti. dates from 1600, when the new town plan was put into effect and the city was divided into four parts, called Mandamenti: Capo in the northwest, Castellammare or Loggia in the northeast, La Kalsa to the southeast and Albergheria in the southwest. The piazza is rounded, shaped by the concave façades of the four corner buildings (hence the name) with superimposed architectural orders – Doric, Corinthian and Ionic. Each façade is decorated with a delightful fountain that rises to the height of the second floor of the buildings and statues of the Mandamenti patron saints, of the seasons and of the Spanish kings.
Experience West Palermo
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SHOP La Stanza di Carta In this small, well-ordered bookstore, towering wooden shelves and secret, tucked-away nooks hold many new, used and rare volumes. The owner of La Stanza di Carta (which translates as “the paper room”) is a passionate bookseller. He assures patrons that in his gorgeous shop “you can find what you didn’t even think to look for”. D4 ⌂ Via Giuseppe D’Alessi 1 # 10am–2pm & 4–7pm daily |
Sant’Orsola was built in the early 17th century by the Society of St Ursula, known as “Dei Negri” because of the dark habits the members wore during processions. The late Renaissance façade is decorated with figures of souls in Purgatory and angels. Three skulls lie on the architrave. Sant’Orsola’s aisle-less interior is an example of a light-filled Baroque church, with deep semicircular chapels linked by galleries. The vault over the nave is decorated with the fresco The Glory of St Ursula and two medallions depicting Faith and Charity. The painting The Martyrdom of St Ursula by Pietro Novelli is in the second chapel on the right, while frescoes of scenes of the saint’s life are on the vault. Another work by Novelli, Madonna with the Salvator Mundi, is in the sacristy. From the sacristy there is access to the Oratorio di Sant’Orsola, decorated with 17th-century paintings and stucco sculpture.
This church, seat of the Carmelite friars, dates from the 1600s. It lies on a much higher level than the nearby Mercato di Ballarò and is topped by a cupola covered with multicoloured majolica tiles supported by four Atlantes. The interior is dominated by an altar resting on pairs of spiral columns decorated with stuccoes by Giuseppe and Giacomo Serpotta (1683) of scenes from the life of Mary. The painting by Italian artist Pietro Novelli, The Vision of Sant’Andrea Corsini, is also worth a look.
Most Italians don’t understand Sicilian: it is recognised by UNESCO as an endangered language.
t An orchestra rehearsing in the opulent Teatro Massimo opera house
The Teatro Massimo is one of the symbols of Palermo’s rebirth, designed in 1864 by Italian architect Giovanni Battista Filippo Basile. To make room for it, the city walls of Porta Maqueda, the Aragonese quarter, San Giuliano convent and church, and the Chiesa delle Stimmate di San Francesco and its monastery were demolished. Dedicated to King Victor Emanuel II, its 7,700 sq m (9,200 sq yd) size makes this the biggest opera house in Italy, and one of the largest in Europe. The theatre is now home to five rows of boxes, a lavishly decorated gallery and a ceiling frescoed by Ettore Maria Bergler and Rocco Lentini. The entrance, with its Corinthian columns, is also monumental in style.
Groups of ten or more can book in advance to attend the Cocktail Tour, which is a special guided tour of the theatre that includes having a cocktail in the Royal Box.
t The grand façade of the Teatro Massimo at dusk
t A sea of colour at the Mercato di Ballarò in Palermo’s Albergheria quarter
The Albergheria is one of the poorest and most run-down quarters in the old town, but also one of the most intriguing. A highlight is the Mercato di Ballarò, a vivid combination of colours, smells and atmosphere. This noisy and gritty bazaar is a jumble of Sicilian fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and household items. A visit is not complete without tasting delicious panelle (pancakes made using chickpea flour), served in a bread roll with some excellent seasoning.
Within a stone’s throw of the market is the unassuming Tower of San Nicolò dell’Alergheria. Erected in the 14th century to defend the walls of the Cassaro, you can get a rare, 360-degree view of Palermo’s beautiful rooftops, impressive domes and countless spires from the soaring terrace.
Experience West Palermo
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EAT Moltivolti Intertwining a bar and restaurant with co-working and meeting space, Moltivolti is a fusion of industrial interiors, an ethnic menu and an inclusive, welcoming atmosphere. C5 ⌂ Via GM Puglia 21 ∑ moltivolti.org ¡¡¡ Ballarak Ballarò This hipster craft brewery offers more than an assortment of lagers, ales and pilsners; it also serves enticing pub grub. C4 ⌂ Via Saladino 7 ∑ ballarak.it ¡¡¡ Ai Normanni Dine on dishes such as spaghetti with truffles, prawns and sea urchins from Ai Normanni’s seasonal seafood menu. B5 ⌂ Piazza della Vittoria 25 ∑ ainormanni.com ¡¡¡ |