What to see in Palermo, Italian Capital of Culture 2018

Palermo is a city decidedly rich in monuments and culture, perfect for a stay to discover history and tradition.

In the coming months we will hear a lot about the chosen Palermo Italian capital of culture 2018.

La città Sicilian It is rich in history and tradition and is undoubtedly among the most fascinating and evocative places in our country. Its monuments, in Norman and Baroque style, are the most notable in southern Italy and the shows organized in the city are numerous and highly appreciated.

Whoever visits Palermo for the first time should start from Cathedral, the most famous religious building in the city and included since 2015 among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Christian buildings abound throughout Palermo and are testimony to the numerous historical periods that have passed in the city. The most appreciated baroque style building in the city is the Church of San Domenico, built in the 15th century and within whose framework there is an important cloister, in which many illustrious figures in Italian history were buried.

Palermo's must-see attractions include countless civil buildings, including palaces and museums.

Do not miss the Norman Palace, seat of the Sicilian Assembly and former residence of the great sovereign Frederick II.

The culture of Palermo is well explained in the many museums present in the city, capable of satisfying the most diverse tastes and curiosities. They range from the Antonio Salinas archaeological museum, with a large collection of Greek and Punic finds, to the paleontology museum, without forgetting the gigantic botanical garden of Palermo, with more than 12.000 species of plants present.

Very interesting too Palace of Chiaramonte, testimony of the torture and trials carried out on prisoners at the time of the Inquisition of the 16th century.

We must also not forget that Palermo has a culture with very deep and profound roots. A ride on one of the neighborhood markets, such as Ballarò or Vucciria, will take tourists through characteristic streets and squares, to discover fish and other local gastronomic specialties. He Palermo street food It is famous in Italy and the rest of Europe and allows you to discover incredible flavors and products. Panelle, rice arancini, pani ca meusa (spleen sandwiches) and sfincioni are just a few of these beloved Palermo specialties.

There are many projects for Palermo 2018: from international exhibitions with images of Spencer tunick, youropen Layer, the exhibition-event about Antonello da Messina and the installations of Juan Fabre, Shozo Shimamoto or Martin Kipperberger to “ReSignifications” by Nobel Prize winner Wole Soyinka at the MIUR Prize for the Arts, at the MIBACT MigrArti festival, at the European Music Festival that will bring a thousand young musicians from all over Europe to Palermo in June. And again, an experiment of opera social which will involve an entire neighborhood until the international conference on "Mediterranean Philosophies of Yesterday and Today".

de restoration of the Butera Palace, museum of the Valsecchi collection, in the heart of Manifesta, at the inauguration of two new parks, Al Medina Al Aziz which revolves around the ancient Palazzo della Zisa, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO with eight other monuments of the Norman Arab series, and the green heart of Parque Casina Chinese-Pitrè. A will come to life No monument to the mafia, a museum-archive-laboratory about the fight against the mafia.