One Day In Palermo, Sicily / Identities: Palermo and Me

Local author

5 years ago

To the south of Italy the lies the biggest island in the whole Mediterranean, the enigmatic Sicily. Once a kingdom in its own right, for centuries this sun-blessed fertile land has captured the hearts of writers and artists as well as tourists. The Greeks called the capital Panoremus ‘always fit for landing in’ which seems fitting for today’s chaotic port city of Palermo.

Visiting Palermo For One Day

Sit back for a one-day visit to Palermo, through the eyes of Italian novelist Francesco… feel the culture oozing from the historic sites, glimpse the unusual, discover the many identities of this fascinating place and you may want to come over, permanently!

Identities: Palermo and Me

Adapted from an original text by ‘The Stray Idler’

“The only area in Italy that still surprises me”, that’s what my Taiwanese wife always says about Sicily. In a way, I can agree with her. Sicily entered into my soul long before visiting it for the first time, especially through the words of one of its greatest writers: Luigi Pirandello.

I don’t know to which extent Pirandello’s style affected my own writing but I’m sure that his works had a deep influence on my way of seeing life. I was still a teenager when I discovered Sicilian Literature, and started reading his novel ‘One, No One and One Hundred Thousand’ which literally blew my mind. Afterwards, I was a different person and from that day onwards I started looking at the world from a diversity of angles.

That’s why multifaceted Palermo was so suited to my taste, a city with such a complex history, splintered in so many artistic styles, like so many places in southern Italy; it would be difficult to find just one single identity that defines its character.

Palermo City

Come on, I’ll show you around the city my way. Let’s start counting together, shall we?

Getting out in the city center the first thing I notice is this kiosk in An Art Nouveau kiosk in Palermo, Sicily. Art Nouveau style. It’s been there since the end of the 19th century, and is still open for business today. The small dome was designed by Basile, an architect who had previously travelled to Brazil and the allusion is evident.

I knew Palermo had many identities but I didn’t for a moment expect this Brazilian twist. Let’s count it as identity number one.

I’ve only considered the Brazilian factor so far because Art Nouveau deserves a special mention. I mean, from that kiosk you only need to cross the street to see Teatro Massimo, the marvelous theatre designed by the same architect. This building combines Art Nouveau elements together with neoclassical ones. So is this identity 2 or 3? Okay, I give up counting.

Then what about the bright sky? I know it’s not exactly a style as such but in Palermo even the heavens looks like a form of art. You’ll see what I mean when you get to Quattro Canti, the octagonal square in the heart of the old city. Four sides of the octagon are covered by beautiful baroque buildings with curved facades to give an extraordinary effect – look upwards from the middle of ‘four corners’ and sense the celestial circle forming in your mind.

Was I talking about identities? Just turn around one of the corners into Piazza Pretoria to find some more, on the monumental fountain which is covered with statues of mostly Greek and Roman deities.

View of San Giuseppe dei Teatini dome from Piazza Pretoria.

This square is enclosed by buildings on three sides but my sight was attracted to the fourth one across the street. The dome of the San Giuseppe dei Teatini Church is completely tiled with ‘majolicas’ and as always it’s difficult for me to resist the well-matched colors. As always I’m on my particular Italian colors quest.

Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio Church, Palermo

In case you aren’t already amazed, a few steps on there’s a remarkable church called Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio which combines four distinct styles -Norman, Byzantine, Baroque and Arab- as the building has been transformed throughout history since it was first consecrated in the 12th century.

This giddy fusion continues in the awe-inspiring Cappella Palatina which features Byzantine and Norman architectural styles together with some Fatimid elements. Are you still counting? I’m not.

And I won’t even dare to start counting the ones of Palermo Cathedral, which is a real showcase of different styles, different identities of a people with a long and complicated history. Even though this masterpiece has been altered many times, it keeps a majestic harmony.

This city is one, but you can discover one hundred thousand combinations of awe-inspiring elements, which may make you feel like you’re no one.

Local people are very helpful, eagerly showing the way if you’re lost, giving tips on which fruits are the juiciest on those colorful market stalls or the most interesting buys on secondhand book ‘barrows’; and there’s always someone who’ll stop to explain the unexpected street art that you’ll no doubt come across in backstreets where the marks of a long ago World War II conflict are still evident.

Sicilians can be inspiring too as I found out when I went into a small cafe. The owner was a guy more or less the same age as me and we started to chat.

I don’t know why but in Sicily I always start chatting with people…on the bus, in a café, and sometimes on the street. Is it them or is it me? Am I my same self when I step onto Sicilian soil? Do they perceive me as a different person while I’m there? The Stray Idler who is this writing now has changed identity since then, so can’t really reply.

Fruit stall in a street market, Palermo.

Generally, Sicilian people react in an enthusiastic way when they hear I’ve come over from Rome. They seem to sincerely love Rome while I have a bittersweet feeling towards my city. Some have lived in the Italian capital, often when they were in their twenties, and have fond memories of their time there – the case of this cafe owner.

After talking awhile, I mentioned the company I work for, one of the biggest in Italy with branches around the country, including Palermo of course. He unexpectedly changed the conversation, in a good way I mean. He smiled and suddenly said “Why don’t you move here? It’s January right now, look at the lovely weather”. I was wearing a light jacket that doesn’t even come out of the wardrobe until spring in Rome…

He started with the weather and went on to describe other delights of the Sicilian good life. I will not go into detail but have to admit that I agreed with most, and this has shaken me a bit – he wasn’t the first person to suggest I move elsewhere for a better quality of life but for the first time the idea appealed to me, and for once doing so wouldn’t be complicated.

I haven’t taken his advice yet but I did follow one suggestion right away when he said “Have you been to Mondello, yet? It’s winter and will get dark quite early but you should be able to get there before dusk”.

Mondello Seaside

Antico Stabilimento Balneare in Mondello, Palermo.

And I did, got there well before the twilight hour and found the famous beach at its best, perfect for me at that moment in time cloaked in my new found identity. This seaside resort is bursting with life in the summer, busy during most of the autumn and spring because the Sicilian weather is still warm. But in winter…ah, winter is a different scene.

Monello beach at twilight in Palermo, Sicily.

Come wintertime it’s still mild, you can wander around quietly and contemplate the timeless beauty of places like the Antico Stabilimento Balneare, an amazing Art Nouveau seaside spa fashionable in the old days.

Myself, I wasn’t feeling like a tourist anymore, I was simply a guy trying to reshape his one hundred thousand thoughts, feeling like no one while admiring one wonderful, peaceful landscape.

Francesco ‘The Stray Idler’ is an Italian novelist and blogger.
Twitter @StrayIdler

Useful Information

* Mondello beach is a little over 10 km from Palermo city center; the easiest way to get there is on bus 806.

Thinking of visiting Italy? Read our guides to seeing Venice and the Lagoon Islands.