Athenaeum Palermo

General information on Sicily (english version)

by Propermark

Sicily is the largest region in Italy, and it is surrounded by the Tirrenean Sea, the Ionian and the Sicilian Channel. It is surrounded by many islands: Eolie, Ustica, Egadi, Marsala, Pelagie and Pantelleria. Many are the rivers with a low stream and the mountains, the Etna with its 3.263 m which is the biggest active volcano in Europe. The region is big producer of wines, olives, citrus fruit, legumes, vegetables, cotton, tobacco, cereals and fruits, spread is also cattle, sheep and pig breeding. Longed destination for tourists thanks to the bathing resorts and beautiful natural and archaeological spots.

Football match

by toonsarah

The main reason for our visit to Palermo was to go to the UEFA Cup match between the home team and Newcastle United. The game took place at the Stadio Renzo Barbera in one of the city's suburbs. The the stadium holds 26,600 spectators though was by no means full on our visit, and the setting is lovely, with steep hills rising up behind the stands.

As this was a UEFA match we'd bought our tickets in advance from Newcastle, but if you're in Palermo and fancy getting tickets for a league match, these can bought at Snai outlets labelled 'Palermo Gold Partner', including Via Toscana 8, Piazza Valdesi 1, Via G.le Streva 20, Via Petrarca 7, Via del Bersagliere 2 and Via E. Restivo 10. You'll need ID both at the time of purchase and at the stadium.

Palermo were founded in 1900, and are apparently the world's only team to play in pink and black. There is a story (surely apocryphal) that the unusual choice of colours dates back to a laundry mistake, prior to which the Sicilian team wore black and white.

A cathedral on the hill

by 12vic

Monreale I would put as one of the first things to do from Palermo. It is not difficult to get to and you can use the city buses to get there. The tickets should be bought in advance and cost 1 euro and last for 90 minutes so unless you want to spend a lot of time up in Monreale, the same ticket can get you back,

The bus (389) stops outside the cathedral and from the outside it looks much less impressive than the cathedral in Palermo but when you step inside you can see why it is so amazing. The Cathedral is decorated in a Byzantine style and it unusual among cathedrals as it has a very uniform style (it was built very quickly ).

The golden mosaics tell stories which can be read, the inner ring tell the stories from the Old Testament and behind them are the stories of the New Testament. Towards the altar there are the stories from the lives of St Peter and St Paul and a ring of saints with Christ in the middle looking down on the services being conducted.
It is hard to describe except to say it is all decorated in golden mosaics and is exceptionally well preserved. You should go in daylight though because otherwise you cannot see well and the lights to illuminate the panels cost one euro.

San Cataldo

by marco2005

The tiny Church of San Cataldo, located near the Martorana, was built around 1154 by Maio (or Maione) of Bari, who was the "Emir" or Prime Minister of King William I "The Bad."

Inwardly and outwardly, the church retains its twelfth-century ambience; it doesn't even have electric lighting. Externally, its most distinctive features are the three pinkish red domes or cupolas.

Even if you've already seen Saint John of the Hermits, San Cataldo is impressive in its austerity. The Church, which is a religious seat of the knights of the Holy Sepulchre, is open only occasionally but worth a look if you have a chance. Down the steps at street level, at the base of its foundation, are the remains of a Roman wall

(from: www.bestofsicily.com)

In Sicily

by bambino36

MAFIA... it's the word everyone comes up with when Sicily is the subject. Well I think the Godfather is just a movie. Palermo is a beautiful city. I've been there for a week and had time to visit places around Palermo like Isole Delle Femine, Mondello and Cefalu.
Inside the city there's a lot of things to visit and I did it without a map ... just started to walk in one direction and exploring it. And never forgot to pay attention to the traffic...

Palermo, the capital of both Palermo Province and the island of Sicily, is the largest city and chief port on the island and it's located on the northwest coast.
Palermo is hasty, noisy, exciting and culturally very rich. Endowed with a past that strongly influences the present, this city presents itself as a fusion typically sicilian of art, architecture and foreign lifestyles.
Walking through its streets we can admire baroque and norman monuments side by side with arab cupolas, spanish palaces and renaissance churches.
The city of Palermo doesn't have many characteristics strictly italian or, I dare, even european and it's full of surprises. The geographic isolation forced the city to forge it's own identity.