{"id":4665,"date":"2022-10-04T10:33:25","date_gmt":"2022-10-04T08:33:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gotosito.it\/?page_id=4665"},"modified":"2022-10-31T23:05:19","modified_gmt":"2022-10-31T22:05:19","slug":"palermo-i-was-not-expecting-it","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.gotosito.it\/index.php\/en\/palermo-i-was-not-expecting-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Palermo: I was not expecting it!"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Palermo: I was not expecting it!<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

<\/p>

Day 1: Arrival<\/strong><\/p>

We will pick you up from Palermo airport. We will take you to your apartment in the heart of the city, in the Donna Franca Florio complex, where we will have a brief presentation of our program during your stay in Palermo. Tonight you are free, choose any restaurant that you like for dinner.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Day 2: Arab-Norman Palermo<\/strong><\/p>

Salty & sweet breakfast in the apartment. We will cross Maqueda Street with our guide and reach the Quattro Canti (Four Corners)<\/strong>: break and explanation. In the same area we will find Piazza Pretoria<\/strong>, San Cataldo<\/strong>\u2019s church and Martorana<\/strong>\u2019s church. We will stop in order to explain each attraction.<\/p>

Then, we will walk through Vittorio Emanuele Street, also named Cassaro (from the Arabic name Al Qasar<\/em>). Here, it is mandatory to stop and visit the unknown but fascinating church of SS. Salvatore<\/strong>, a truly unique building.<\/p>

We will therefore head towards the Normans\u2019 Palace (Royal Palace). <\/strong>This Palace was built on the remains of Palermo\u2019s first Punic settlements. Under Roger II\u2019s reign, a beautiful chapel was built inside the Palace, the Palatine Chapel. Today, the Palace still plays an important role for the city administration \u2013 it is the seat of the Sicilian Regional Assembly. After this visit you will be free for lunch!<\/p>

In the afternoon, our chauffer will pick us up and drive us to the Zisa. The Zisa Castle (from the Arabic word ziz<\/em>, \u201csplendid\u201d) was built in the 12th<\/sup> century and is one of the best architectural examples of the Arab-Norman domain in Sicily.<\/p>

Then, our chauffer will take us to Monreale<\/strong>. Its Dome, dedicated to Santa Maria Nuova (the Virgin Mary), was built in 1174 under the reign of Wilhelm II of Altavilla. The walls of its three apses are coated in golden mosaic, realized between the 12th<\/sup> and the 13th<\/sup> century by local and venetian artists from the Byzantine school.<\/p>

For dinner, we will cook something special for you.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Day 3: Contemporary history in Palermo<\/strong><\/p>

Authentic Palermitan breakfast: arancine, pizzette, roll\u00f2, sfincione (something light!)<\/p>

This day is dedicated to the parts of Palermo that, in the recent past, marked historical moments for Italians, and Sicilians in particular. Our guide and our chauffer will accompany us.<\/p>

Albero Falcone (Falcone tree): this tree is planted in front of the house of Giovanni Falcone, a judge killed by the mafia on May 23rd<\/sup>, 1992. Since then, this place has been decorated with countless messages, photos and trinkets, that transformed it into an important memorial site, in honour of a beloved and respected judge.<\/p>

Via D\u2019Amelio (D\u2019Amelio street): a terrorist attack planned by the mafia took place in this street on July 19th<\/sup>, 1992, killing Italian prosecutor Paolo Borsellino and five police officers that made part of his security detail.<\/p>

Father Puglisi (Two steps. The first one in Anita Garibaldi Square, where he was executed; the second one in the Cathedral, where he is currently buried): on September 15th<\/sup>, 1993, on the night of his 56th<\/sup> birthday, Father Puglisi was executed by the mafia just as he was heading back home from its parish, in the Brancaccio neighbourhood.<\/p>

His tomb is located in the Cathedral, in a funerary monument which shape reminds an ear of wheat. The meaning of this monument is taken directly from the Gospel: \u201cVery truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.\u201d<\/p>

Free afternoon and night!<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Day 4: Viva Palermo Viva!<\/strong><\/p>

We go down to the caf\u00e9 and take something to eat: today we will have breakfast in the bar, together with the Palermitan people, who love eating their breakfast at the bar.<\/p>

In the morning, we will visit the Arab open-air markets and taste Palermo\u2019s street food: the apotheosis of the five senses and the discover of the sixth one.<\/p>

Il Capo: the Capo market, together with the other markets of the city, is an important trading point for the agri-food trade of the region. It is very lively and characteristic.<\/p>

Vucciria: the name of this market comes from the French word boucherie<\/em>, butchery. This market was in fact originally destined to the sale of meat, but it later included sales of fish, fruit and vegetables. Nowadays, this market is not very active during the day \u2013 it completely transforms after the sunset, when it becomes one of the cores of Palermo\u2019s night life, very appreciated by the young.<\/p>

Ballar\u00f2: this market\u2019s motto is \u201cWe talk, we shout, Ballar\u00f2 is magic!\u201d. It is the most ancient market in the city (more than 1000 years old), crossed daily by thousands of people, animated by the so-called \u201cabbanniate\u201d, the noisy calls that the sellers employ in order to captivate the interest of the passers-by and possible customers. We will also visit the most beautiful baroque church in all Sicily: Casa Professa.<\/p>

In Ballar\u00f2, we will buy everything we need to prepare an authentic Sicilian dinner. We will take everything to your apartment and we will cook together!<\/p>

We will have lunch at the Focacceria San Francesco, a famous restaurant of popular Sicilian cuisine, which can boast almost two hundred years of activity. This is the perfect opportunity to savour all the freshly-produced street food delicacies of the island: arancine, panelle, rascatura, crocch\u00e9 and focaccine con la milza (stir fried cow spleen).<\/p>

Free afternoon, we will meet again tonight to cook together in the apartment and enjoy fine food and drinks!<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Day 5: Minchia! I did not expect these many things to still experience!<\/strong><\/p>

Today, feel free to explore Palermo on your own. Here is our advice:<\/p>

Spasimo: the Spasimo church is located in the Kalsa neighbourhood. Its structure was transformed into a hospice for the poorer classes, but nowadays it hosts the Brass Group Foundation, the Jazz Museum and the Popular Music School.<\/p>

Photographic Safari of the most amazing wall paintings of Palermo.<\/p>

The Catacombs: the cemetery of the convent of the Capuchian friars hosts countless bodies, surprisingly well-preserved, that make this place one of the eeriest, almost super-natural places in the whole world. Truly a fascinating site to visit, if not easily scared.<\/p>

Pupi siciliani: the Opera dei Pupi (Opera of the Puppets) is a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. In the past, for the poorest classes, the puppets\u2019 arrival on the scene was the most anticipated event of the week \u2013 like waiting for an episode of your favourite TV series. The pupari <\/em>(puppeteers) exploit the suspense and divide the representation in many plays, that must necessarily end with a fight scene.<\/p>

You are free for dinner!<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Day 6: The sea!<\/strong><\/p>

After a week of staying in Palermo we still have not considered the sea! So, in the afternoon, we will take you to Mondello. This area is well-known for its beach, that is one of the most sought-after in all Sicily, thanks to its many villas in art-noveau style. It is advisable to take a walk barefoot on the shore, characterized by a fine, soft, pinkish-coloured sand. Just one last advice: tonight we will go eat fresh fish and seafood to your heart\u2019s content (a tinghit\u00e8<\/em>, in Sicilian), because tomorrow this will be over!<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Day 7: Returning home<\/strong><\/p>

We will take you to the airport. We hope that you will return home with a brand-new perspective on Palermo, and Sicily in general. \u2018Assabenedica!<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Number of participants: between 6 and 12 people<\/p>