Palermo, Historical area and Mondello

Description

Positioned on the shoreline between the promontory of Monte Pellegrino and Conca d’Oro, the city of Palermo is today the result of the numerous populations that have visited and enriched it. Streets and alleys in the old city open onto monuments, churches and historical buildings which range in date from the Norman occupation to Sicilian Baroque.
Numerous noble residences, some private, others now housing museums or institutes, still others abandoned, tell the story of the city: Palazzo reale or dei Normanni in the historical centre is the oldest royal residence in Europe, today it houses the Sicilian Regional Assembly and features the evocative Palatine Chapel, commissioned by Ruggero II d’Altavilla in the 12^th century; Palazzo Mirto was the residence of the Filangeri family from 1594 to 1982 when it was donated to the Region of Sicily with its furnishings and art collections; Palazzo Valguarnera Gangi is one of the best examples of late Sicilian Baroque; Palazzina Cinese is a historic royal residence situated inside the Park della Favorita.
Religious buildings include the Cathedral of Maria Santissima Assunta, a masterpiece of Sicilian Norman-Arab art; the Church del Gesù, also known as the Casa Professa, a Baroque church dating to the late 1500s; and the Church della Santissima Trinità (La Magione), created by artists and artisans of Islamic origin in the 12^th century.
Teatro Massimo, built in the second half of the 1800s, is the largest opera house in Italy: it recalls the forms of classic architecture with a staircase, columns with Corinthian capitals, a portico and a large metal cupola.
The historic markets are excellent representatives of the vitality of Palermo: these include the ancient market of Ballarò which extends from Corso Tukory (Porta Sant’Agata beside the ancient bastions) to Casa Professa, and the Vucciria, in the heart of the ancient della Loggia neighbourhood.