Palermo

Palermo is the fifth Italian municipality by population as well as the main urban center of the island of Sicily and of insular Italy.

The city boasts a thousand-year history and has played an important role in the events of the Mediterranean and Europe.

Founded by the Phoenicians between the 7th and 6th centuries BC, it was conquered in 254 BC. by the Romans and became the main center of the island (Province of Sicily), although Syracuse remained the administrative capital, thanks to the settlement of veterans under Augustus.

Conquered by the Vandals in 429, it passed under Byzantium in 536 and was conquered by the Saracens in 831.

Subsequently, with the advent of the Normans, Palermo was the coronation city for the numerous kings of Sicily; precisely to this circumstance we owe the titles attributed to the city:

«Prima Sedes, Corona Regis et Regni Caput».

Since then it has remained, with ups and downs, the capital of the kingdom. Particularly important were the Sicilian Vespers, a rebellion that broke out in Palermo in 1282.

From 1816 to 1817 it was the capital of the newborn Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and subsequently became the second most important city of the same duo-Sicilian kingdom, until 1861.

The long history of the city and the succession of numerous civilizations and peoples have given it a remarkable artistic and architectural heritage.

The serial Arab-Norman Palermo site and the cathedrals of Cefalù and Monreale, which include several monumental assets located in the city, was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 2015.

Many buildings, including churches and palaces in the city, have for years been recognized as Italian national monuments.

Map: Palermo