Help with Palermo, It.

[scrustyrock]

Any suggestion of what to do in Palermo, It.

[Dog Bear]

Any suggestion of what to do in Palermo, It.

 

Yes, I would like to ask the same. Anybody help?

[ab0si]

I can't comment on getting to/from the ship as I've never cruised there. However, as for the city itself:

 

Palermo was for several centuries a major (perhaps the major) center for culture and learning in the Mediterranean. It had a brilliant Moslem court followed by an equally brilliant Norman court. Then the Hapsburg took over, kicked out the Jews and Moslems and magically turned this thriving city into a backwater.

 

There are a number of lovely buildings from the Islamic and Norman periods. One of the nicest is the Castello della Zisa which houses the excellent Museum of Islam. Many of the buildings are a hodgepodge of different styles (as add-ons and redos were done over the years. Two of the more interesting are Cappella Palatina (in the Palazzo dei Normanni) and the Cathedral.

 

If you are a history buff, Palermo is a very interesting city. I am also a Botanitical garden freak and there Palermo houses one of Europe's oldest: Orto botanico.

 

Paul

[Jade08]

"Palermo Attractions" from Frommer's web site:

 

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/palermo/135_indattr.html