Editing Palermo (section)

== Landmarks ==
=== UNESCO World Heritage Sites ===
{{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| WHS = Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale
| Image = 
| Caption = The Cathedral of Palermo
| Criteria = Cultural: ii, iv
| ID = 1487
| Year = 2015
| Area = 6.235 ha
| Buffer_zone = 483.03 ha
}}

Palermo has a large architectural heritage and is notable for its many Arab-Norman buildings. [[World Heritage Site|UNESCO World Heritage Sites]] include the [[Palazzo dei Normanni|Palazzo Reale]] with the [[Cappella Palatina]], the [[San Giovanni degli Eremiti|Chiesa di San Giovanni degli Eremiti]], the [[Martorana|Chiesa di Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio]], the [[Chiesa di San Cataldo]], the [[Palermo Cathedral|Cattedrale di Palermo]], the [[Zisa, Palermo|Palazzo della Zisa]] and the {{ill|Ponte dell’Ammiraglio|it|Ponte dell'Ammiraglio|vertical-align=sup}},<ref>{{Cite web |title=Palermo and its Arab-Norman architecture become UNESCO heritage site |url=http://www.italoamericano.org/story/2015-7-7/palermo |access-date = 8 July 2015 |date=7 July 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150709005401/http://www.italoamericano.org/story/2015-7-7/palermo |archive-date = 9 July 2015 |url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sites in Italy, Jordan and Saudi Arabia inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/1312/ |website=whc.unesco.org |access-date = 8 July 2015 |first=UNESCO |last=Centre |archive-date = 8 July 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150708004130/http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/1312/ |url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalú and Monreale – UNESCO World Heritage Centre |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1487/ |website=whc.unesco.org |access-date = 8 July 2015 |first=UNESCO |last=Centre |archive-date = 7 July 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150707100827/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1487/ |url-status = live}}</ref> adding to the list that makes Italy the country with most UNESCO world heritage sites.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thesalmons.org/lynn/world.heritage.html |title=UNESCO World Heritage List |website=www.thesalmons.org |access-date=25 November 2015 |archive-date=15 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181015160807/http://www.thesalmons.org/lynn/world.heritage.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://top5ofanything.com/list/28beede4/Countries-with-the-Most-UNESCO-World-Heritage-Sites- |title=The Top 5 Countries with the Most UNESCO World Heritage Sites |first=Noel J Riggs, Steve B |last=Scott |website=top5ofanything.com |access-date=25 November 2015 |archive-date=26 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151126043140/https://top5ofanything.com/list/28beede4/Countries-with-the-Most-UNESCO-World-Heritage-Sites- |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.touringclub.it/notizie-di-viaggio/nuovi-siti-unesco-per-litalia-diventano-patrimonio-dellumanita-la-palermo-arabo |title=Nuovi siti Unesco: per l'Italia diventano Patrimonio dell'Umanità la Palermo arabo-normanna, Cefalù e Monreale |first=Touring Club |last=Italiano |date=7 July 2015 |access-date=25 November 2015 |archive-date=26 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151126054752/http://www.touringclub.it/notizie-di-viaggio/nuovi-siti-unesco-per-litalia-diventano-patrimonio-dellumanita-la-palermo-arabo |url-status=live}}</ref>

{{wide image|Panoramica Cattedrale di Palermo.jpg|550px|Palermo Cathedral}}

=== Palaces and museums ===
[[File:Palermo-Castle-bjs-1.jpg|thumb|[[Palazzo dei Normanni]], seat of the Sicilian Regional Assembly]]
* [[Palazzo dei Normanni]] (the Norman Palace), a notable example of [[Norman architecture]], this palace houses the [[Cappella Palatina]].<ref name=EB1911>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Palermo |volume=20 |page=599 |first1=Edward Augustus|last1=Freeman |first2=Thomas |last2=Ashby}}</ref> 
* [[Zisa, Palermo|Zisa]] (1160) and [[Cuba, Palermo|Cuba]], magnificent castles/houses historically used by the kings of Palermo for hunting. The Zisa today houses the Islamic museum. The Cuba was once encircled by water.
* [[Palazzo Natoli]]
* [[Palazzo Chiaramonte]]
* [[Palazzo Abatellis]]: built at the end of the 15th century for the prefect of the city, Francesco Abatellis. It is a massive though elegant construction, in typical [[Gothic architecture|Catalan Gothic]] style, with [[Renaissance]] influences. The Gallery houses an Eleonora of Aragon bust by [[Francesco Laurana]] (1471) and the ''[[Malvagna Triptych]]'' ({{circa}} 1510), by [[Jan Mabuse|Jan Gossaert]] and an ''Annunziata'' by [[Antonello da Messina]].
* [[Antonino Salinas Regional Archeological Museum]]: museum includes numerous remains from [[Etruscan civilization|Etruscan]], [[Carthage|Carthaginian]], [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] and [[Hellenistic period|Hellenistic]] civilisations. It houses all the decorative remains from the Sicilian temples of [[Segesta]] and [[Selinunte]].
* [[Palazzina Cinese]]: royal residence of the [[House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies]] and location of the Ethnographic Museum of Sicily.

=== Churches ===
{{Main|Churches in Palermo}}
[[File:Palermo-San-Cataldo-bjs-1.jpg|thumb|[[San Cataldo, Palermo|San Cataldo]]]]
[[File:Palermo-Martorana-bjs.jpg|thumb|[[Martorana|Chiesa della Martorana]]]]
[[File:Sicilia Palermo5 tango7174.jpg|thumb|[[Santa Caterina, Palermo|Santa Caterina]]]]
[[File:Basilica San Francesco d'Assisi, Palermo.jpg|thumb|[[San Francesco d'Assisi, Palermo|San Francesco d'Assisi]]]]
* [[Palermo Cathedral]]: the long history of the cathedral led to an accumulation of different architectural styles, the latest being the 18th century.
* [[Cappella Palatina]], 12th century chapel of the [[Palazzo dei Normanni]], has outstanding mosaics in both Western and the Eastern traditions and a roof by Saracen craftsmen.
* [[San Giovanni dei Lebbrosi, Palermo|San Giovanni dei Lebbrosi]]
* [[San Giovanni degli Eremiti]]: 12th-century church, near Palazzo dei Normanni, notable for bright red domes, a remnant of Arab influence in Sicily. In his ''Diary of an Idle Woman in Sicily'', F. Elliot described it as "...&nbsp;totally oriental... it would fit well in [[Baghdad]] or [[Damascus]]". The bell tower is an example of Norman architecture.
* [[Martorana|Chiesa della Martorana]]: also known as ''Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio'' (''St Mary of the Admiral''), church annexed to the next-door church of [[San Cataldo, Palermo|San Cataldo]] and overlooks Piazza Bellini in central Palermo. Original layout was a compact [[cross-in-square]] ("Greek cross plan"), a common south Italian and Sicilian variant of the middle Byzantine period church style. Three eastern [[apse]]s adjoin directly to the [[Shrine|naos]], instead of being separated by an additional bay, as was usual in eastern Byzantine architecture.<ref>Kitzinger, ''Mosaics'', 29–30.</ref> The bell tower, lavishly decorated, still serves as the main entrance to the church. The interior decoration is elaborate, and includes Byzantine mosaics.
* [[San Cataldo, Palermo|San Cataldo]]: church on central Piazza Bellini, another example of [[Norman architecture]].
* [[Santa Maria della Gancia, Palermo|Santa Maria della Gancia]]
* [[Santa Caterina, Palermo|Santa Caterina]]: church located on Piazza Bellini, behind Piazza Pretoria, built between 1566 and 1596.
* [[Santa Maria della Catena, Palermo|Santa Maria della Catena]]: built between 1490 and 1520. Designed by [[Matteo Carnilivari]]: The name derives from chains that were once attached to one of the walls.
* [[Church of Saint Dominic, Palermo|San Domenico]]: located near Via Roma, now "Pantheon of illustrious [[Sicilians]]".
* [[San Giuseppe dei Teatini]]: located near the [[Quattro Canti]], it is an example of [[Sicilian Baroque]].
* [[Oratorio di San Lorenzo]]: working in stucco, Rococo sculptor [[Giacomo Serpotta]] and his family decorated the church (1690/98–1706) with such a profusion of statuary, and an abundance of putti, the walls appear alive. In October 1969, two thieves removed Caravaggio's ''[[Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence]]'' from its frame. It has never been recovered.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/violent-crime/art-theft/fbi-top-ten-art-crimes/nativity-with-san-lorenzo-and-san-francesco |title=Theft of Caravaggio's Nativity with San Lorenzo and San Francesco |publisher=Fbi.gov |date=17 September 2012 |access-date=9 May 2017 |archive-date=16 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216043359/https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/violent-crime/art-theft/fbi-top-ten-art-crimes/nativity-with-san-lorenzo-and-san-francesco |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Sooke |first=Alastair |title=Caravaggio's Nativity: Hunting a stolen masterpiece |date=23 December 2013 |work=BBC website |url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20131219-hunting-a-stolen-masterpiece |access-date=24 December 2013 |archive-date=24 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224073639/http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20131219-hunting-a-stolen-masterpiece |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Oratorio del Rosario, Palermo|Oratorio del Rosario]]: completed by Giacomo Serpotta in (1710–17)
* [[Santa Teresa alla Kalsa]], derives its name from [[Al-Khalisa]], an Arabic term meaning ''elected'', was constructed between 1686 and 1706 over the former [[Emir]]'s residence, is one of the best examples of [[Sicilian Baroque]]. It has a single, airy nave, with [[stucco]] decorations from the early 18th century.
* [[Santa Maria dello Spasimo]] was built in 1506 and later turned into a hospital. This church inspired [[Raphael]] to paint his famous ''[[Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary (Raphael)|Sicilia's Spasimo]]'', now in the [[Museo del Prado]]. The church today is a fascinating open-air auditorium, which occasionally houses exhibitions and musical shows.
* [[Church of the Gesù, Palermo|Church of the Gesù]] ("Church of Jesus"): located in the city centre, the church was built in 1564 in the late-Renaissance style by the Jesuits. It was built over a pre-existing convent of [[Basilian monk]]s. Alterations in 1591 were completed in a Sicilian Baroque. The church was heavily damaged after the 1943 bombings, which destroyed most of the [[fresco]]s. The interior has a [[Christian cross|Latin cross]] plan with a nave and two aisles, and has a particularly rich decoration of marbles, intarsia and stuccoes, especially in [[Saint Anne|St Anne's]] Chapel. At the right is the Casa Professa, with a 1685 portal and a precious 18th century cloister. The building has been home to the Municipal Library since 1775.
* [[Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, Palermo|San Francesco di Assisi]]: church built between 1255 and 1277 in what was once the market district of the city, at the site of two pre-existing churches and was largely renovated in the 15th, 16th, 18th and 19th centuries, the last after an [[earthquake]]. After the 1943 bombings, the church was restored to its Medieval appearance, which now includes part of the original building such as part of the right side, the apses and the Gothic portal in the façade. The interior has a typical Gothic flavour, with a nave and two aisles separated by two rows of cylindrical pilasters. Some of the chapels are in [[Renaissance architecture|Renaissance style]], as well as the late 16th century side portals. The church includes precious sculptures by [[Antonello Gagini|Antonio]], [[Giacomo Gagini]] and [[Francesco Laurana]]. Of note are also statues built by Giacomo Serpotta in 1723.
* Church of the Magione: officially known as the church of the [[Trinity|Holy Trinity]]. This church was built in the Norman style in 1191 by Matteo d'Ajello, who donated it to the [[Cistercians|Cistercian monks]].

=== Squares and public monuments ===
[[File:Sicilia Palermo1 tango7174.jpg|thumb|Piazza Pretoria]]
* [[Quattro Canti]] is a small square at the crossing of the ancient main roads (now: Corso [[Victor Emmanuel II of Italy|Vittorio Emanuele]] and Via Maqueda) dividing the town into its quarters (''[[Mandamento (administrative district)|mandamenti]]''). The buildings at the corner have diagonal baroque façades so the square has an almost octagonal form.
* [[Piazza Pretoria]] was planned in the 16th century near the Quattro Canti as the site of a fountain by [[Francesco Camilliani]], the Fontana Pretoria.
* The [[Charles V Monument (Palermo)|monument to Charles V]] on Piazza Bologni, erected in 1631.<ref>{{cite web|title=Charles V and Sicily|author=Luigi Mendola|url=http://www.bestofsicily.com/mag/art381.htm|website=Best of Sicily Magazine|date=2011}}</ref>

=== City walls ===
{{See also|it:Mura_di_Palermo}}
[[File:MuraPunichePalermo.JPG|thumb|[[Phoenicia]]n wall in via degli Schioppettieri]]
[[File:Palermo palazzo normanni.jpg|thumb|The [[Palazzo dei Normanni]]]]

Palermo had two rings of [[city wall]]s, many parts of which still survive.<ref>Pezzini Elena. Un tratto della cinta muraria della città di Palermo. In: Mélanges de l'École française de Rome. Moyen-Age, tome 110, n°2. 1998. pp. 719–771.

DOI : https://doi.org/10.3406/mefr.1998.3654</ref> The first ring surrounded the ancient core of the Phoenician city, the ''Palaeopolis'' or ''Paleapolis'' (in the area east of Porta Nuova) and the ''Neapolis''. Via Vittorio Emanuele was the main road east–west through this early walled city. The eastern edge of the walled city was on Via Roma and the ancient port in the vicinity of Piazza Marina. The wall circuit was approximately Porto Nuovo, Corso Alberti, Piazza Peranni, Via Isodoro, Via Candela, Via Venezia, Via Roma, Piazza Paninni, Via Biscottari, Via Del Bastione, [[Palazzo dei Normanni]] and back to Porto Nuovo.

The walls followed the course of the two rivers that surround the city, the Kemonia and the Papireto, creating a natural moat and improving the military security of the city. During the Roman era, they were certainly implemented, as deducible from the subsequent account of Procopius of Caesarea about the capture of Palermo.

In the medieval period the city was expanded with a second wall. Via Vittorio Emanuele continued to be the main road east–west through the walled city. The west gate was still Porta Nuova, the walls continued to Corso Alberti, to Piazza Vittorio Emanuele Orlando where it turned east along Via Volturno to Piazza Verdi and along the line of Via Cavour. At this northeast corner the [[Castello a Mare]] protected the port at La Cala. A huge chain was used to block La Cala with the other end at [[Santa Maria della Catena, Palermo|Santa Maria della Catena]] (St Mary of the Chain). The sea-side wall was along the western side of Foro Italico Umberto. The wall turns west along the northern side of Via Abramo Lincoln, continues along Corso Tukory. The wall turns north approximately on Via Benedetto, to [[Palazzo dei Normanni]] and back to Porta Nuova.<ref>Palermo – City Guide by Adriana Chirco, 1998, Dario Flaccovio Editore.</ref>

Several gates in the city wall survive.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/albumMap?uname=107794929208535064679&aid=5726470220811767345&locked=true#map |title=Picasa Web Albums – Kevin Flude – Palermo City |date=1 April 2012 |access-date=12 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904035935/https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/albumMap?uname=107794929208535064679&aid=5726470220811767345&locked=true#map |archive-date=4 September 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Opera houses ===
[[File:Palermo-Teatro-Massimo-bjs2007-02.jpg|thumb|[[Teatro Massimo]] opera house]]
[[File:Palermo Teatro Politeama BW 2012-10-09 16-44-27.jpg|thumb|[[Teatro Politeama, Palermo|Teatro Politeama]]]]
Up until the beginning of the 20th century there were hundreds of small opera theatres known as ''magazzeni'' in the city of Palermo.

* The [[Teatro Massimo]] ("Greatest Theatre") was opened in 1897. It is the biggest in Italy ({{cvt|8000|m2|sqft|disp=semicolon}}), and one of the largest of Europe (the third after the [[Paris Opera]] and the [[Vienna State Opera]]), renowned for its perfect acoustics. [[Enrico Caruso]] sang in a performance of ''[[La Gioconda (opera)|La Gioconda]]'' during the opening season, returning for ''[[Rigoletto]]'' at the very end of his career. Closed for renovation from 1974 until 1997, it is now restored and has an active schedule.
* The [[Teatro Politeama, Palermo|Teatro Politeama]] was built between 1867 and 1874.

=== Other sights ===
[[File:Orto botanico Palermo 04.jpg|thumb|[[Orto botanico di Palermo|Palermo Botanical Garden]]: the Winter Garden greenhouses]]
The "Wall of Legality" (Il Muro Della Legalità) depicts 38 important persons who helped in fighting the mafia. The street art project was inaugurated in July 2022 and is a joint effort by 19 artists. It can be found at Piazza degli Aragonesi.

The cathedral has a [[heliometer]] (solar observatory) dating to 1690, one of a number<ref name="ref1">{{cite web |url=http://cis.alma.unibo.it/NewsLetter/090496Nw/Heilbron.htm |title=A paper from University of Bologna describing Heliometers in Italian Cathedrals |publisher=Cis.alma.unibo.it |date=6 December 1995 |access-date=3 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110413205139/http://cis.alma.unibo.it/NewsLetter/090496Nw/Heilbron.htm |archive-date=13 April 2011}}</ref> built in Italy in the 17th and 18th centuries. The device itself is quite simple: a tiny hole in one of the minor domes acts as [[pinhole camera]], projecting an image of the sun onto the floor at [[noon|solar noon]] (12:00 in winter, 13:00 in summer). There is a bronze line, ''[[Meridian (astronomy)|la Meridiana]]'', on the floor, running precisely north–south. The ends of the line mark the positions as at the summer and winter [[solstice]]s; [[zodiac|signs of the zodiac]] show the various other dates throughout the year.

The purpose of the instrument was to standardise the measurement of [[time in physics|time]] and the [[Gregorian calendar|calendar]]. The convention in Sicily had been that the (24‑hour) day was measured from the moment of dawn, which of course meant that no two locations had the same time and, more importantly, did not have the same time as in [[St. Peter's Basilica]] in [[Rome]]. It was also important to know when the [[Equinox|vernal equinox]] occurred, to provide the correct date for [[Easter]].

The [[Orto botanico di Palermo]] (Palermo Botanical Garden), founded in 1785, is the largest in Italy with a surface of {{cvt|10|ha}}.

One site of interest is the [[Order of Friars Minor Capuchin|Capuchin]] [[Capuchin catacombs of Palermo|Catacombs]], with many [[mummy|mummified]] [[Cadaver|corpse]]s in varying degrees of preservation.

Close to the city is the {{cvt|600|m|ft|adj=mid|-high}} [[Monte Pellegrino]], offering a panorama of the city, its surrounding mountains and the sea.

Another good panoramic viewpoint is the promontory of Monte Gallo ({{cvt|586|m|ft|disp=semicolon}}), near Mondello Beach.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.siciliaincammino.it/promontori-sul-mare-ascesa-monte-gallo-da-partanna-mondellopalermo |title=Promontori sul mare: Ascesa a Monte Gallo da Partanna Mondello(Palermo) &#124; Sicilia... In cammino - Trekking e Outdoor Network |access-date=2 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303231619/http://www.siciliaincammino.it/promontori-sul-mare-ascesa-monte-gallo-da-partanna-mondellopalermo |archive-date=3 March 2016}}</ref>

Moreton Bay fig of >30 m girth and of 32m height can be found on the Piazza Marina. This [[Ficus macrophylla]] is most probably the thickest tree in Europe.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.monumentaltrees.com/en/ita/sizilien/palermo/2309_piazzamarina/3517/ |year=2012 |website=monumentaltrees.com |title=Moreton Bay fig on the Piazza Marina, Palermo, Sicily, Italy |access-date=27 December 2019 |archive-date=27 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191227174725/https://www.monumentaltrees.com/en/ita/sizilien/palermo/2309_piazzamarina/3517/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

On the boulevard [[Via Roma, Palermo|Via Roma]] is the [[Palazzo delle Poste, Palermo|Palazzo delle Poste]], an official Italian government building created during the [[Mussolini era]] in the [[Stripped Classicism|stripped classicism]] architectural style. It was designed by the [[Rationalism (architecture)|rationalist]] and later fascist government architect, [[Angiolo Mazzoni]]. Perhaps its most famous feature is the five mural cycle in the [[Futurist]] style painted by the artist [[Benedetta Cappa]] titled "Sintesi delle Comunicazioni" (Synthesis of Communication).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://thule-italia.com/wordpress/2014/04/17/il-palazzo-delle-poste-di-palermo/ |title=Il Palazzo delle Poste di Palermo &#124; Thule Italia |access-date=3 March 2021 |archive-date=20 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190920220056/http://thule-italia.com/wordpress/2014/04/17/il-palazzo-delle-poste-di-palermo/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/21/arts/design/guggenheim-is-to-show-rare-murals-by-a-futurist.html |title=Guggenheim is to Show Rare Murals by a Futurist |newspaper=The New York Times |date=20 January 2014 |access-date=3 March 2021 |archive-date=12 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112032211/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/21/arts/design/guggenheim-is-to-show-rare-murals-by-a-futurist.html |url-status=live |last1=Donadio |first1=Rachel}}</ref>

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