For many years, Palermo was known for one thing—and it wasn’t good: being headquarters for the Cosa Nostra, the Sicilian Mafia. Situated on the northwest coast of Sicily, it was a place gripped with fear, where shootings, raw and brutal, were followed in turn by revenge killings by rivals. The nadir came in 1992, when two prominent judges were targeted. One of them, named Giovanni Falcone, had made it his mission to get the mafia under control. They responded with 300 kilos of TNT, blowing up his car on the freeway, leaving a massive crater and a total of five bodies behind.
The newspaper headline here in Sicily’s largest city the next day compared their situation to the war zone in Beirut. Italian military forces responded and took to the streets—some 1,500 of them—won battles, and turned the tide. Over time, Palermo was liberated. Today, it feels like a busy, prosperous place—one with a long, deep, fascinating history.
Coming in from the port on a guided tour, the only mention of the mafia came when we passed a tall, brown monument, rising some five stories. “This is dedicated to those lost to the mafia,” said the guide, without further explanation. The city acknowledges its connection to organized crime—with this monument to the fallen, as well as events like an art expo earlier this year that honored the 30th anniversary of Falcone’s death and urged people to stay vigilant.
Worlds Come Together
But Palermo has so much more to offer than mob stories. It’s a city with more than a million people in its metro area, set by the sea. Founded by the Phoenicians in 734 B.C., rule here passed through many empires and kingdoms, all of them blown in by the trade winds—including Carthage, Greece, and, of course, Rome, which ruled here for more than a thousand years. “We feel that we are the navel, more Mediterranean than we are European,” said the guide, as we rolled along one of the city’s broad boulevards.Outside the window, a living city unfolded. Tiny fruit markets, overflowing with fresh produce, colorful flower shops, small fish markets, and the day’s catch on display in front of single storefronts, shaded from the autumnal sun by spreading awnings. Today’s tour will have two stops.
First up: a tour through the heart of downtown, starting with Porta Nuova. Adorned with four towering Moorish figures, this grand gate celebrates the victory of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V over the Moors in Tunis, in 1535, and his trip here to the city afterward where he passed, triumphant, through this very spot.
Leading to the Cassaro, the oldest street in Palermo, the guide took us on a tour of the Palazzo dei Normanni. Also known as the Royal Palace, the Normans built its oldest parts in the 11th century. The guide pointed out an inscription in three languages—Latin, Greek, and Arabic. “In this part of the Mediterranean, we absorb parts of so many civilizations,” she said. “And these three, are always mingling.”
Monreale Cathedral
We then rolled up to Monreale, passing through switchbacks to the top, which looks out over the sweeping Golden Valley, rich with agriculture and cradling the city; the vista stretches all the way to the sea. We parked the coach and proceeded on foot up a series of steps, where the little shops along the way mixed genuine items with the usual tourist schlock. Yes, keychains and T-shirts. But also ceramics, mosaics, and even handmade puppets.Huffing and puffing to the top, I reached the cathedral. Inside, it’s a wonder. “It was built in such a monumental way, to impress the pope in Rome,” explained the guide, gesturing to all the gold, all around. The man at the Vatican took notice. King William II of Sicily, a Norman, started construction in 1172, and Pope Alexander III issued a bull in 1174 to approve it. Soon after, Pope Lucius III created the archdiocese of Monreale and elevated this abbey to the status of metropolitan cathedral.
The church has an interesting origin story bordering on the mythical. The Norman king claimed that he dozed off under a carob tree during a hunting trip, and the Virgin Mary appeared to him. She showed him that a great treasure in gold coins sat below the tree, and he used that fortune to build the church.
The main thing you notice when you enter: mosaics. They cover some 65,000 square feet, depicting everything from Old and New Testament stories to recently (at the time of building) martyred saints. Again, so many cultures come together here: The cathedral includes both Western Catholic and Eastern Orthodox architecture, Arab craftsmanship, Greek artwork, and work from Venetians and Tuscans, all funded and overseen by former Vikings.
