Palermo is quite possibly the most underrated city in Italy. It’s not for the fainthearted, but it’s sure got swagger. Sexy, scruffy and slightly addictive, Palermo rewards the traveller who takes the time to get to know it. Slender side streets emerge into crumbling squares lined with palazzi, and terracotta-toned landmark buildings embellish Palermo’s low-rise skyline.
Cultures from the Middle East, Europe and Africa have influenced everything, from food to architecture to dialect. One glance reveals the architectural layers of who came and conquered: Phoenicians, Normans, Turks, Egyptians, Arabs and Spaniards. All of life is here in Italy’s most ethnically diverse city. Here’s how to best experience it.
Best things to do
Computer culture
You don’t have to be a nerd to find MEC (Meet, Eat, Connect) a fascinating way to pass an hour or two. Housed in the 16th-century Palazzo Castrone, across from the Arab-Norman cathedral, this museum-restaurant concept fuses tech and fine food. Architect Giuseppe Forello has one of the largest Apple collections in Europe, a fraction of which appears in this exhibition tracing the firm’s history, with a range of original Macs, iMacs and iPads – along with Steve Jobs’s trainers, jeans and watch. Every evening except Sunday, chef Carmelo Trentacosti (formerly at Rocco Forte’s sumptuous Villa Igiea hotel) dishes up an avant-garde tasting menu celebrating Sicilian flavours, which recently won him a well-earned Michelin star.
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The ‘Square of Shame’, home to the Praetorian Fountain, was nicknamed due to the naked statues around it
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Food for thought
Culinary Backstreets’ food-based walking tours are the best way to get an authentic taste of a place, load up on the famous (and lesser-known) dishes and learn fascinating facts as you go. Savouring Palermo: In the Markets and Beyond is their latest tour (£107 for adults); plugged-in local guides take you to places only a local would know about for mozzarella and anchovy-stuffed panzerotti rolls and panelle, deep fried chickpea flour fritters, a fine example of early Arabic influence. Keep your belt loose for sfincione, thick pizza-meets-focaccia flavoured with sweet onion, oregano and various cheeses, from creamy ricotta to salty caciocavallo. There’s also a strong cultural element,…
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