Romantic and intriguing Palermo is an exhilarating overdose of the senses. Sweet aromas of trattoria ovens and heady Vespa fumes mingle amidst the salty drafts that waft their way through the tight-knit streets from the Med. Boisterous locals and tooting horns echo over a din of snapping cameras, while the gleaming majesty of the town’s renaissance palaces, Catalan cathedrals, baroque ornamentation and pompous neo-classism does well to wow any onlooker.
This is the mysterious heartland of Sicily; home of the Cosa Nostra, capital of Italy’s al fresco nightlife scene (check out the Piazza Garraffello after dark), and gastronomic kingpin of the island as a whole. Don’t leave without trying the panelle fritter or panino con la milza packed meat sandwiches.
For perhaps the best introduction to this city’s truly enthralling history and character, visitors should ask their Palermo tourist guide for a walking route around the old town that encompasses the wealth of its iconic palaces, churches and sights, with plenty of those precious local tips weaved throughout!