Guide of Palermo, Italy

Palermo, Italy

The capital of Sicily is a city that contains centuries of different kinds of culture: Arabs, Normans, the French, Spanish and the Byzantines have all left their permanent mark on the place.

Quattro Canti is the heart of the old city center of Palermo and corresponds to Piazza Vigliena, which has been known as Quattro Canti for centuries, but also as “Teatro del Sole” as one can always see the sun from this spot, from dawn to dusk. The square is located at the crossroads between the city’s two main streets: Via Vittorio Emanuele and Via Maqueda that cut Palermo into four parts, known as “mandamenti”.

In the four corners of the square there are four seventeenth-century palaces, whose façades have a convex shape facing onto the square, and four basins with statues that represent the four seasons.

Palermo is one of the most lively, frenetic cities in Sicily, and provides lots of opportunities for night-time fun in dreamlike, exotic and eastern-style settings.

One of the most popular meeting places is the market area, Borgo Vecchio that lies between Piazza Sturzo and Piazza Ucciardone. This market is the only one that stays open until late, attracting a lot of young people who meet here to organize their evenings. Other meeting places are Piazza Olivella, that is full of people and the aroma of kebabs and spices, and the lanes that spread out behind the Massimo Theater.