Day
1
On our first day, we walked nearly
20km and saw most of the city's sights by foot. Our hotel was around 2.5km from
Politeama, in the heart of the city. This was our first stop of the day, where
we sat and admired the piazza and teatro. Going down any of the side roads,
you're not short of cafes, restaurants and shops - although the high-end brands
are all down Via della Liberte. The buildings and architecture was truly
beautiful and the day's highlights included Teatro Massimo, Catedrale di
Palermo, Quattro Canti (a beautiful baroque square, octagonal in shape, with
facades and fountains in four of the diagonal corners) and San Giuseppe dei
Teatini (another church). We even went out further to the port, along the front
- although there weren't any cruise ships docked, mainly freightliners.
Day
2
Although we had already seen the
majority of the sights on foot, we jumped on the 'Hop On Hop Off' tourist bus
today. For €25pp, we had 24 hour access to two routes,
as well as the option of visiting neighbouring town, Monreale. We decided to
sit on the bus the whole way round - no need to get off as we'd seen
everything! - from the central point of Politeama, before switching to a
different bus to visit Monreale. It was a beautiful little town and very quiet
(possibly as it was Sunday), with narrow, steep cobbled streets and more
examples of ornate architecture. Here, we saw the Cathedral and although we
didn't go inside, from the outside, it was spectacular. The views across the
city were also incredible and it was nice to look out, take some panoramas and
get some air. We spent two hours here, but it's easy to spend longer - just
getting lost down the winding streets, or relaxing with an Aperol in one of the
bars.
Day
3
Today, we walked further out from
the city centre... I wanted to see Palermo's football ground, which was
actually really underwhelming - on a main road, it looked quite run down and we
didn't enter the gates. Ashley also wanted to see the Statue of Liberty, on Piazza
Vittorio Veneto. We'd gone past it en route from the airport to hotel and
although it's a bit out-the-way, it's worth a glimpse, for the sheer magnitude
of the obelisk. Later on in the day, we took the metro to the Catacombe di
Cappuccini, following a recommendation from one of Ash's clients. Now, here's
where I sound really ignorant - but I had no idea what a catacomb was, so
didn't know what to expect. Going underground was certainly an experience, but
it's the sort of place you can't really spend more than half an hour - I found
it very eerie.
Of course, we ate and drank a lot
and my next three posts will reveal which restaurants we went to.
Have you been to Palermo before?
Share your recommendations below.
Love, Lucy xx
Oh the buildings are so beautiful. You've made me really want to go now! X
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