Palermo

A metropolitan city with stunning architecture to explore it is host to exquisite byzantine churches, modern art galleries and tasty local street food and a bustling busy port

Palermo is the largest city and the capital of Sicily and is a busy port in the north western coast. It is an energetic, vibrant and unique place due to its strategic position in the Mediterranean. This has resulted in endless number of invaders and therefore this is influenced in its diversity, culture, architecture and arts.

At first you would not expect it to be a tourist destination but in 2015 the center was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site due to it being an outstanding example of social cultures interchanging.

A visit to the street markets is a must, just to get a feel of the aromas, colours, noisy stalls and the array of influences from the middle east, north Africa and Europe. There are all kinds of foods, produce, fresh fish, a visit here will certainly stick in the memory and to avoid the crowds we recommend going early in the morning. It is a great place to eat authentic Sicilian dishes, including local specialities like pane e panelle (chick-pea-flour fritters in a roll) all at reasonable prices and most tend to opt to eat from a hole in the wall kiosk rather than fancy restaurants.

The excellent long beach in the north suburb of Mondello has a sea promenade under the tall palm trees and is a perfect relaxing place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the center. The wonderful San Vito Lo Capo beach is around 1 hour away.

Palermo has an international airport situated along the coast to the west of the city and has great transport links to the rest of the island, even a direct train as far as Rome.