Italy Travel And Hotel Guide

Spanning Corso Vittorio Emanuele, on the far side of the Palazzo dei Normanni, the primeval sixteenth-century Porta Nuova commemorates Charles V’s Tunisian exploits, with suitably grim, turbaned figures adorning the western entrance. This gate marked the extent of the late medieval city, and the long road beyond heads to Monreale. The Corso runs back towards the centre, past the huge bulk of the Cattedrale (Mon-Sat 7am-7pm, Sun 8am-1.30pm & 4-7pm; free) - a more substantial Norman relic than the palace. It’s an odd building, with the fine lines of the tawny stone spoilt by the late eighteenth century addition of a completely out-of-character dome. Still, the triple-apsed orient end and the lovely matching towers are all original, dating from 1185. And despite the Catalan-Gothic deception and arches, there’s enough Norman carving and detail to rescue the exterior from mere curiosity value. The same is not true, however, of the inside: it is grand enough but cold and Neoclassical, the only items of interest are the fine portal and wooden doors (both fifteenth century) and the royal tombs , containing the mortal remains of some of Sicily’s most famous monarchs - including Frederick II and his wife Constance. There’s also a treasury (daily 9.30am-5.30pm; L1000/¬0.52) to the right of the choir: a sumptuous collection which includes a jewel- and pearl-encrusted skull cap and three simple, precious rings, all enterprisingly removed from the tomb of Constance of Aragon in the eighteenth century.

From the cathedral you can bear left, around the apses, and up into the CAPO quarter, one of the oldest areas of Palermo and another tight web of impoverished streets, unrelieved by space or greenery. Just around the corner from Piazza del Monte is the fine church of Sant’Agostino (Mon-Sat 7am-noon & 4-5.30pm, Sun 7am-noon), built in the thirteenth century. Above the main door (on Via Raimondo) there’s a gorgeous latticework rose window; inside, some calm sixteenth-century cloisters; and - along Via Sant’Agostino, behind the market stalls - a sculpted fifteenth-century doorway attributed to Domenico Gagini.

The stalls of the clothes market (daily 8am to around 8pm) along Via Sant’Agostino run all the way down to Via Maqueda and beyond, the streets off to the left gradually becoming wider and more nondescript as they broach the area around the late-nineteenth-century Teatro Mássimo . Strictly Neoclassical in style, this is a monumental structure, supposedly the largest theatre in Italy, and beautifully cleaned up after years of closure; unless you book an appointment to visit (tel 091.589.575), the interior is best appreciated during one of the classical concerts held here November and May).

The theatre marks the dividing line between old and new Palermo and beyond here there’s little that’s vital, though plenty that is grand and modern. Via Maqueda becomes Via Ruggero Séttimo , which cuts up through the gridded shopping streets to the huge double square prefabricated up of Piazza Castelnuovo and Piazza Ruggero Séttimo . Dominating the whole lot is Palermo’s other massive theatre, the Politeama Garibaldi , which also houses the city’s Galleria d’Arte Moderna (Tues-Sat 9am-8pm, Sun 9am-1pm; L6000/¬3.10) - a vibrant collection of twentieth-century Sicilian art and sculpture.

Tags: corso vittorio emanuele, exploits, extent, far side, medieval city, palazzo dei normanni, porta nuova, sixteenth century, sun 8am, tunisian, western entrance