Page 93 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

Palermo is essentially a straightforward street-grid confused by the memory of an

Eastern past and gouged by war damage. Historical, the city sits compactly around a
central crossroads, the Quattro Canti, which is the intersection of Corso Vittorio
Emanuele and Via Maqueda, two streets that date from the city’s reconstruction in
the sixteenth century. Parallel to Via Maqueda, and running north from Stazione

Centrale, Via Roma was a much later addition, linking the old centre with the
modern city. At the heart of this nineteenth-century grid of shops, apartments and
office blocks are the double squares of Piazza Castelnuovo and Piazza Ruggero
Séttimo – together known to Palermitans as Piazza Politeama – a lengthy 25- to 30-
minute walk from the train station (or a quicker bus ride).

Four distinct medieval quarters lie around Quattro Canti: the Albergheria and
Capo districts lie roughly west of Via Maqueda, Vucciria and La Kalsa to the east,
closest to the water. In the past, the inhabitants of these quarters had their own
dialects, trades, palaces and markets – even intermarriage was frowned upon.
Today, the areas hold most of Palermo’s most interesting sights and buildings,
concealed within a tight, undisciplined web of alleys and piazzas. Often, you’ll
come across tranquil gardens or chapels containing outstanding works of art, or even

stabling for a goat – a world away from the din of the urban assault course outside.
Beyond the old centre, on the outskirts of the modern city, are other attractions, from
Palermo’s best park, the Parco della Favorita, to the ghoulish Cappuccini
monastery, while the other quick retreat is to Monte Pellegrino, the mountain that

looms beyond the city to the north.
Given that cars, let alone buses, can’t get down many of the narrow streets in the

old city centre, you’ll have to walk around much of what is detailed in this chapter –
although for certain specific sights, don’t hesitate to jump on a bus, as it’s no fun at
all slogging up and down the long thoroughfares of the modern city.