Three days in Palermo are never enough. But if they are the right days, planned to the rhythm the city demands, they can give you a sense of a Mediterranean capital quite unlike any other. This itinerary begins from a very precise spot: Via Cavour 118, on the corner of Via Maqueda, the piano nobile of a nineteenth-century palazzo facing the Teatro Massimo. Everything starts here, and here is where you return in the evening, to a shower and the quiet of double-glazed windows.
Day 1: the old town, from the Normans to the Kalsa
The first morning is about understanding how Palermo is layered. Set off early, before the sun turns up the volume, and walk down Via Maqueda towards the Quattro Canti. A few steps on and you are in Piazza Pretoria, with the fountain Palermitans call "the Fountain of Shame". A pause in Piazza Bellini for La Martorana and San Cataldo is enough to make the point: here Byzantium, Islam and Latin Christianity genuinely lived side by side.
Palazzo dei Normanni and the Cappella Palatina
Continue on foot to the Palazzo dei Normanni. The Cappella Palatina is worth the queue: its golden mosaics are one of the high points of medieval European art, and in no other city will you find a Norman king having himself portrayed in Byzantine robes above an Arabic inscription. Book online, and avoid Saturday mornings.
Lunch and afternoon in the Vucciria and the Kalsa
For lunch, head back towards the centre and drop down to the Vucciria. The market that Guttuso painted in 1974 no longer exists in its original form, but Piazza Caracciolo is still alive, a place to enjoy a glass of wine and, for the brave, a pani câ meusa (spleen sandwich). The afternoon is for the Kalsa: Palazzo Abatellis with its "Triumph of Death", Piazza Magione with the lawn where Falcone played as a boy, and a stroll down to the Foro Italico for sunset over the sea.
Wander back slowly up Via Alloro. Porta Maqueda is twenty minutes away on foot, and along the pedestrianised Via Maqueda you might hear a violinist running through a scale just as you open the front door.
Day 2: Monreale in the morning, the Capo market in the afternoon
The second day is the day for a trip out of town. Monreale is fifteen kilometres away, reached by bus (route 389 from Piazza Indipendenza) or by taxi. Set off early, after breakfast served on the floor: cappuccino in ceramic cups, fresh Sicilian pastries, seasonal fruit — and you are on your way by nine.
The Duomo of Monreale
The Duomo is one of those places that words cannot quite capture. Six thousand square metres of mosaics, the apse with Christ Pantocrator, and the Benedictine cloister with its 228 paired columns, every one of them different. You come out exhausted by beauty. For lunch, a trattoria in the village: pasta with sardines, or a simple caponata, and a glass of Nero d'Avola.
Back to town and the Capo market
In the afternoon you return to Palermo and head to the Capo market, five minutes from Porta Maqueda. It is the right moment: the fish stalls have already closed, but the fruit, vegetables, spices and cheeses are in full voice. Walk along Via Sant'Agostino as far as the church of the same name, pick up something for dinner, and head home. For an aperitivo, simply walk down to Via Bara all'Olivella, behind the Teatro Massimo: a small square, tables outside, excellent Sicilian wine at a fair price.
Day 3: Mondello, shopping on Via Maqueda, an unhurried departure
The last day changes pace. In the morning, head to Mondello, the Palermitans' own beach, twelve kilometres from the centre (bus 806 from Piazza Sturzo, or a taxi). Even out of season, the white of the Liberty-style bathing huts and the blue of the Gulf of Palermo are worth the trip. A coffee at the Charleston, a walk along the pier, and back in time for lunch.
Via Maqueda and the Quattro Canti
The afternoon is given over to the pedestrianised Via Maqueda, which begins right in front of the Teatro Massimo. It is the Palermitans' favourite promenade: artisan workshops, independent bookshops, Caltagirone ceramics, the odd young concept store. Stop at one of the historic pastry shops for a cassata or a cannolo (the latter always filled to order, never in advance), and end with a visit to the Teatro Massimo: the guided tour lasts half an hour and even tells the legend of the nun's step.
Where to stay: location matters more than anything
Three days like these only work if you have a central base. Porta Maqueda is right opposite the Teatro Massimo, within walking distance of everything you have just read about: no late-night taxis, no hunting for parking, outside the ZTL restricted zone. Five period rooms on the piano nobile, four with a balcony overlooking the theatre, and double windows that bring the city down by an octave the moment you close the door. If you are arriving by plane, Falcone-Borsellino airport is 45 minutes away by Trinacria Express train or by taxi: you'll find all the details on our how to get here page.
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