Palermo

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Comune di Palermo
Municipal coat of arms
Country	Italy
Region	Sicily
Province	Palermo (PA)
Mayor	Diego Cammarata (since November 26, 2001)

Elevation	1 m
Area	158 km²
Population
- Total (as of January 30, 2006)	675,501
- Density	4,275/km²
Time zone	CET, UTC+1
Coordinates	38°07′N, 13°22′E
Gentilic	Palermitani
Dialing code	091
Postal code	90100
Frazioni	Mondello, Sferracavallo, Baida, Boccadifalco, Vergine Maria, Ciaculli
Patron	St. Rosalia
- Day	July 15
Website: www.comune.palermo.it

For other uses, see Palermo (disambiguation).

Palermo (Palermo in Italian, Palermu, Palemmu, Paliermu or Paliemmu in Sicilian) is the principal city and administrative seat of the autonomous region of Sicily, Italy as well as the capital of the Province of Palermo. Inhabitants of Palermo in Italian are referred to as Palermitani or poetically Panormiti.

1 History
2 Climate
3 Demographics
4 Main sights
5 Sports
6 Patron saints
7 Transport
8 References
9 See also
10 External links

[edit] History

Main article: History of Palermo

Palermo was founded in the 8th century BC by Phoenician tradesmen around a natural harbour on the north-western coast of Sicily. The Phoenician name for the city may have been Zîz, but Greeks called it Panormus (see also List of traditional Greek place names), meaning all-port, because of its fine natural harbour. It should be noted however that the city was never a Greek city-state, but was later part of the Greek speaking Eastern Roman Empire . Palermo is widely considered to be the most conquered city in the world, as shown in the following article.

Palermo remained a Phoenician city until the First Punic War (264-241 BC), when Sicily fell under Roman rule. The Roman period was one of comparative calm, Palermo coming under the provincial administration in Syracuse. When the Roman Empire was split, Sicily and Palermo came under the rule of the Eastern Byzantine Empire.

Villa Bonanno park.

Prætoria Plaza.

In the 9th century, Sicily was divided into two prefectures by the Byzantines. The two prefects went to war with each other, and Euphimius, the winner, dreamt of reuniting the Roman empire. However, he lacked an army, so he asked the Arab Aghlabids rulers of North Africa, at the time the up-and-coming power in the Mediterranean, to lend him theirs. Within a week of the Arabs' arrival in Palermo in 827, Euphimius died mysteriously, and they declined to leave. By 878 all of Sicily, except for a few Byzantine enclaves near Taormina, was controlled by the Saracens. In 905 they captured those too. The Arab rulers moved Sicily's capital to Palermo where it has been ever since. Under Muslim dominion Palermo became an important commercial and cultural center, a flourishing city broadly known in the whole Arab world - it is said that it had more than 300 mosques. But they were also years of tolerance: Christians and Jews were permitted to follow their own credo.

In 1060 the Normans launched a crusade against the Muslim emirate of Sicily, taking Palermo on January 10, 1072 and the whole island by 1091. The resulting blend of Norman and Arab culture fostered a unique hybrid style of architecture as can be seen[1] in the Palatine Chapel, the church San Giovanni degli Eremiti and the Zisa.

Sicily in 1194 fell under the control of the Holy Roman Empire. Palermo was the preferred city of the Emperor Frederick II. After an interval of Angevin rule (1266-1282), Sicily came under the house of Aragon and later, in (1479), the kingdom of Spain.

Sicily's unification (1734) with the Bourbon-ruled kingdom of Naples as the kingdom of the Two Sicilies inflicted a devastating blow on the elite of Palermo, as the city was reduced to just another provincial city, the royal court residing in Naples. Palermo rebelled in 1848 and held out against the Neapolitan crown until May 1849.

The Italian Risorgimento and Sicily's annexation (1860) to the kingdom of Italy gave Palermo a second chance. It was once again the administrative centre of Sicily, and there was a certain economic and industrial development.

Palermo survived almost the entire fascist period unscathed, but during the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943 it suffered heavy damage.

The importance of Palermo got another boost when Sicily became (1947) an autonomous region with extended self-rule. But any improvement was thwarted by the rising power of the Mafia, which still today is a dramatic feature of the city, as well as the whole Southern Italy.

Palermo is a city with monumental problems, but is also a city of almost three millennia of history, beautiful palaces and churches, colourful markets, marvelous food and a distinctive cultural identity.

[edit] Climate

**Climate Table**
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Mean daily maximum temperature (°C)	14	15	16	18	22	25	28	28	26	23	19	16
Mean daily minimum temperature (°C)	10	10	11	13	16	19	23	23	21	18	14	11
Mean total rainfall (mm)	71.1	66.0	58.4	43.2	25.4	12.7	5.1	12.7	40.6	99.1	94.0	81.3
Source: Weather Channel

[edit] Demographics

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Panorama of Palermo.

Because Sicily is not as prosperous as the mainland Italian regions, legal immigrants and guest workers rarely make headway into Palermo but Sicily is a natural port of call for illegal immigrants and especially those from Northern and Inner Africa. Even if the immigrant population is not taken into account, the city is one of the fastest growing in Italy with those under 14 still outnumbering those over 65.

Year	Population
1450	c. 30,000
1650	c. 135,000
1800	202,800
1830	171,100
1850	178,900
1880	236,300
1900	295,600
1946	416,500
2005	720,000 (urban area: 1,064,000)

[edit] Main sights

The Cathedral of Palermo.

The Porta Nuova ("New Gate") is the monumental access to the centre of the city.

Baroque interior of the Church of the Jesus.

Palermo has a noteworthy architectural heritage and is notable for its many Norman buildings.

[edit] Churches

The Cathedral of Palermo (a former mosque turned into a church from 1185).
San Giovanni dei Lebbrosi (1071)
San Giovanni degli Eremiti (1132)
Martorana (Santa Maria dell'Ammiragliato, 1143)
San Cataldo (12th century)
Santa Maria della Gangia
San Giuseppe dei Teatini
Oratorio di San Lorenzo
Oratorio del Rosario
Santa Teresa alla Kalsa derives its name from an Al-KhalisaArab language|Arab]] term meaning elected. The church, constructed in 1686-1706 over the former emir's residence, is one of the most outstanding examples of Sicilian Baroque. It has a single, airy nave, with stucco decorations from the early 18th century.
Santa Maria dello Spasimo was built in 1506 and later turned into a hospital. For this temple Raphael painted his famous Sicilia's Spasimo, now in the Museo del Prado of Madrid. The church today is a fascinating air-open ruin, which occasionally houses exhibitions and musical shows.
the Church of the Jesus (Chiesa del Gesù) was built by the Jesuits in the centre of the city from 1564, over a pre-existing convent of Basilian monks. The edifice was further enlarged starting from 1591, becoming one of the most relevant examples of Sicilian Baroque, though retaining some severe late Renaissance fashion. The church was heavily damaged after the 1943 bombings, which destroyed most of the frescoes. The interior has a Latin cross plan with a nave and two aisles, characterized by a particularly rich decoration of marbles, tarsias and stuccoes, especially in the St. Anne chapel. At the right is the Casa Professa, with a 1685 portal and a precious 18th century cloister. The Church of the Jesus is home to the Municipal Library, placede here in 1775.
The church of St. Francis of Assisi, erected in what was once the market district of the city. It was built between 1255 and 1277 in the site of two pre-existing churches, and was largely renovated in the 15th, 16th, 18th and 19th centuries, the latter after an earthquake. After the 1943 bombings, the church was restored to its Mediaeval appearance, which now includes part of the original building such as part of the right side, the apses and the Gothic portal in the façade. The interior has a typical Gothic flavour, with a nave and two aisles separated by two rows of cylindrical pilasters. Some of the chapels are in Renaissance style, as well as the late 16th century side portals. The church includes precious sculptures by Antonio and Giacomo Gagini, and Francesco Laurana, plus a noteworthy wooden choir dating from the 16th century. Of note are also the allegorical statues by Giacomo Serpotta (1723), also author of the stucco decoration.
The church of the Magione (officially church of the Holy Trinity), an ancient example of Norman architecture. The church was founded in 1191 by Matteo d'Ajello, who donated it to the Cistercian monks. However, six years later the conquering German Emperor Henry VI gave it to the Teutonic Order, which detained it until the 15th century. The edifice has maintained the sober austerity of the origins, mainly thanks to the restoration that followed the 1943 bombardments. The façade show a precious series of small blind arcades with double lintels, which are repeated to parallel the triple apse structure. The nave and the two aisles are separated by marble columns supporting ogival arcades; the floor houses the tombstone of members of the Teutonic Order. Interesting is also the 12th century cloister, with small double columns with very fine capitals which were allegedly executed by the same craftsem which were later responsible of that of the Cathedral of Monreale.

[edit] Palaces and museums

Palazzo dei Normanni.

Roger II's Cappella Palatina combines French-Norman, Byzantine, and Arabic influences.

Palazzo dei Normanni, one of the most beautiful Italian palaces and a notable example of Norman architecture, probably built over an Arab fortress. It houses the famous Cappella Palatina.
Zisa (1160)
Cuba
Palazzo Chiaramonte
Palazzo Abatellis, with the Regional Gallery. It was built at the end of the 15th century for the prefect of the city, Francesco Abatellis. It is a lassive though elegant construction, in typical Catalan Gothic style, with Renaissance influences. The Gallery houses an Elenora of Aragon bust by Francesco Laurana (1471) and the Malvagna Tryptich (c. 1510), by Jan Gossaert and the famous Annunziata by Antonello da Messina.
The Museo Archeologico Regionale is one the main museums of Italy: it includes numerous remains from Etruscan, Carthaginian, Roman and Hellenistic civilizations.

[edit] Theatres

Teatro Massimo.

Teatro Politeama.

The Teatro Massimo ("Greatest Theatre") was opened in 1897. Closed for renovation from 1974 until 1997, it is now carefully restored and has an active schedule. Enrico Caruso sang in a performance of La Gioconda during the opening season, returning for Rigoletto at the very end of his career.
The Teatro Politeama was built between 1867 and 1874. Nowadays, the town's Gallery of Modern Art is accommodated here.

[edit] Places

Quattro Canti is a small place at the crossing of the ancient main roads (now: Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Via Maqueda) dividing the town into its quarters. The palaces at the corner have diagonal baroque facades so that the place gets an almost octagonal form.
Piazza Pretoria was planified in the 16th century near der Quattro Canti as a place for a manieristic fountain by Francesco Camilliani, the Fontana Pretoria.

[edit] Other interesting sights

Zisa.

San Giovanni degli Eremiti.

Façade of the Church of the Magione.

Fontana Pretoria.

Harbour with Monte Pellegrino.

The Cathedral has a heliometer (solar "observatory") of 1690, one of a number¹ built in Italy in the 17th and 18th centuries. The device itself is quite simple: a tiny hole in one of the minor domes acts as Pinhole camera, projecting an image of the sun onto the floor at solar noon (12:00 in winter, 13:00 in summer). There is a bronze line, la Meridiana on the floor, running precisely N/S. The ends of the line mark the positions as at the summer and winter solstices; signs of the zodiac show the various other dates throughout the year.

The purpose of the instrument was to standardise the measurement of time and the calendar. The convention in Sicily had been that the(24 hour) day was measured from the moment of sun-rise, which of course meant that no two locations had the same time and, more importantly, did not have the same time as in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. It was also important to know when the Vernal Equinox occurred, to provide the correct date for Easter.

The Orto botanico di Palermo, founded in 1785, is the largest in Italy with a surface of 10 ha.

One site of interest is the Capuchin Catacombs, with many mummified corpses in varying degrees of preservation.

Close to the city is 600 meter high Monte Pellegrino, with spectacular views of the city, its surrounding mountains and the ocean. In his book, "Travels in Italy", Goethe described Monte Pellegrino as the most beautiful promontory in the world.

[edit] Sports

Palermo has its own football team, U.S. Città di Palermo, playing in Italian Serie A and in UEFA Cup. The chairman is Maurizio Zamparini and the coach is Francesco Guidolin (appointed on January 29, 2006). They are currently lying third in the Serie A, 11 points behind Inter Milan. They have equalled a club record in winning five consecutive Serie A matches. They are also playing in the UEFA Cup, currently sitting second in Group H with two matches to play.

[edit] Patron saints

The patron saint of Palermo is Santa Rosalia, who is still widely venerated. On the 14th of July, people in Palermo celebrate the "Festino", which is the most important religious event of the year. The Festino is a procession in the main street of Palermo to remember the miracle attributed to Santa Rosalia who, it is believed, freed the city from the Black Death in 1624. The cave where the bones of Santa Rosalia were discovered is on Monte Pellegrino (see above): when her relics were carried around the city three times, the plague was lifted. There is a Santuario marking the spot and can be reached via a scenic bus ride from the city below.

Before 1624 Palermo had four patron saints, one for each of the four major parts of the city. They were Saint Agatha, Saint Christina, Saint Ninfa and Saint Olivia.

Saint Lucy is also honoured with a peculiar celebration, during which inhabitants of Palermo don't eat anything made with flour, but boil wheat in its natural state and use it to prepare a special dish called cuccia. This commemorates the saving of the city from famine through the intercession of St Lucia. A ship full of grain mysteriously arrived in the city's harbour and the population was so hungry that they did not waste time in making flour but ate the grain as it had arrived.

[edit] Transport

Palermo International Airport, also known as Falcone-Borsellino Airport, Punta Raisi Airport: dedicated to Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, two anti-mafia judges killed by the mafia in early 90s, is located 32 km (19 miles) west of Palermo (Punta Raisi). Buses depart roughly every 30 minutes from the central railway station (via Piazza Ruggero Settimo) to the airport, and can sometimes during rush hour take more than an hour. It can also be reached by trains departing from Centrale, Notarbartolo and Francia stations.

[edit] References

Patrizia Fabbri, Palermo e Monreale, Bonechi, Florence, 2005.
Aymn Almsaodi, The historic Atlas of Iberia

[edit] See also

List of mayors of Palermo
Other towns in the province: Termini Imerese, Monreale, Bagheria, Cefalù, Carini
Other major towns in Sicily: Marsala, Agrigento, Siracusa (Syracuse), Catania, Taormina, Messina

[edit] External links

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