View source for Palermo

{{Short description|City in Sicily, Italy}}
{{About|the city in Italy}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox Italian comune
| name                   = Palermo
| official_name          = Comune di Palermo
| native_name            = {{native name|scn|Palermu}}
| image_skyline         = {{multiple image
 |border                = infobox
 |total_width           = 280
 |image_style           = border:1;
 |caption_align         = center
 |perrow                = 1/2/2/2
 |image1                = Panoramica Cattedrale di Palermo.jpg
 |caption1              = [[Palermo Cathedral]]
 |image2                = Sicilia Palermo5 tango7174.jpg
 |caption2              = Interior of [[Santa Caterina, Palermo|Santa Caterina Church]]
 |image3                = 2009-03-22 03-29 Sizilien 099 Palermo, Porta Nuova (3412440502).jpg
 |caption3              = [[Porta Nuova (Palermo)|Porta Nuova]]
 |image4                = Palermo-Piazza-Pretoria-bjs2007-02.jpg
 |caption4              = [[Fontana Pretoria]]
 |image5                = Palermo 0613 2013.jpg
 |caption5              = [[Quattro Canti]]
 |image6                = Palermo Teatro Politeama BW 2012-10-09 16-44-27.jpg
 |caption6              = [[Teatro Politeama, Palermo|Teatro Politeama]]
 |image7                = Teatro Massimo (Palermo)-msu-0462.jpg
 |caption7              = [[Teatro Massimo]]
}}
| image_shield           = Palermo-Stemma (1999).svg
| nickname              = ''Conca d'oro'' (Golden Basin)
| motto = ''Senatus Populusque Panormitanus Urbs Felix et Regni Caput'' ([[Latin]] for "The Senate and the People of Palermo, Happy City and Capital of the Kingdom")
| image_map              = File:Map of comune of Palermo (metropolitan city of Palermo, region Sicily, Italy).svg
| map_caption            = The municipality of Palermo within the<br />[[Metropolitan City of Palermo]]
| imagesize              = 250px
| image_alt              =
| image_flag             = Flag of Palermo.svg
| shield_alt             =
| pushpin_map_alt        =
|pushpin_relief=1
| pushpin_map            = Italy#Italy Sicily#Europe
| pushpin_label_position =
| coordinates            = {{Coord|38|06|40|N|13|21|06|E|type:city(626,000)_region:IT-PA|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes  =
| region                 = [[Sicily]]
| metropolitan_city      = [[Metropolitan City of Palermo|Palermo]] (PA)
| frazioni               = Monreale, Cinisi, Terrasini, Villabate
| established_date       = 736&nbsp;BC
| mayor                  = [[Roberto Lagalla]]
| mayor_party            = [[Union of the Centre (2002)|UDC]]
| elevation_footnotes    =
| elevation_m            = 14
| area_footnotes         =<ref name="area">{{cite web|url=https://www.istat.it/it/archivio/156224|title=Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011|language=it|publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]]}}</ref>
| area_total_km2         = 160.59
| population_footnotes   =<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-01 |title= Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026 |url=https://demo.istat.it/app/?i=POS&l=en |website=demo.istat.it |publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]] |access-date=2026-04-01}} (On the search form, choose the statistical region of the municipality in the Area section, the Region, the Province, and the name of the Municipality)</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-01 |title= Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026 |url= https://demo.istat.it/data/posas/POSAS_2026_en_All_files.zip |website=demo.istat.it |publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]] |access-date=2026-04-01}}The file URL linking on technical dataset.</ref>
| population_as_of       = 2026
| population_total       = 626,273 ([[List_of_cities_in_Italy|5th in Italy]])
| pop_density_footnotes  =
| population_demonym     = {{Plainlist|
* Palermitano
* Panormito
* Palermitan (English)
}}
| postal_code            = 90100
| area_code              = 091
| istat                  = 082053
| saint                  = [[Saint Rosalia]], [[Agatha of Sicily|Saint Agata]], [[Olivia of Palermo|Saint Oliva]] and [[Saint Benedict the Moor]]
| day                    = 15 July
| website                = {{Official website|http://www.comune.palermo.it}}
| footnotes              =
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-zoom = 10
| mapframe-point = none
| mapframe-wikidata = yes
}}

'''Palermo'''{{efn|English: {{IPAc-en|p|ə|ˈ|l|ɛər|m|oʊ|,_|-|ˈ|l|ɜːr|-|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-Palermo.wav}} {{respell|pə|LAIR|moh|,_-|LUR|-}},<ref>{{cite book |last=Wells |first=John C. |year=2008 |title=Longman Pronunciation Dictionary |edition=3rd |publisher=Longman |isbn=978-1-4058-8118-0}}</ref> {{IPA|it|paˈlɛrmo|lang|It-Palermo.ogg|small=no}}.}} ({{langx|scn|Palermu}}){{efn|Locally also {{lang|scn|Paliemmu}} {{IPA|scn|paˈljɛmmʊ|}} or {{lang|scn|Palèimmu}};<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cappello |first1=Teresa |last2=Tagliavini |first2=Carlo |title=Dizionario degli etnici e dei toponimi italiani |language=it |location=Bologna |publisher=Pàtron |year=1981 |page=387 |id={{ICCU|IT\ICCU\UMC\0979712}}}}</ref> {{langx|la|Panormus}}, from {{langx|grc|Πάνορμος|Pánormos}}; older {{langx|ar|بَلَرْم|Balarm}}.}} is the capital and largest city of the autonomous island region of [[Sicily]] in [[Southern Italy|southern]] [[Italy]], located on the eponymous [[gulf]] facing the [[Tyrrhenian Sea]]. A 2,700-year-old city, it is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence.

Founded in 734&nbsp;BC by the [[Phoenicia]]ns as {{transliteration|phn|Sis|italic=no}} ("flower"), Palermo then became a possession of [[Ancient Carthage|Carthage]]. Two [[ancient Greek colonization|Greek colonies]] were established, known collectively as {{transliteration|grc|Panormos|italic=no}}; the Carthaginians used this name on their coins after the 5th century{{nbsp}}BC. As {{lang|la|Panormus|italic=no}}, the town became part of the [[Roman Republic]] and [[Roman Empire|Empire]] for over a thousand years. From 831 to 1072 the city was under [[History of Islam in southern Italy|Arab rule]] in the [[Emirate of Sicily]] when the city became the capital of Sicily for the first time. During this time the city was known as {{transliteration|ar|Balarm|italic=no}}.<ref name="trabia">{{cite web |last1=Trabia |first1=Carlo |website=Best of Sicily |title=Discovering the Kalsa |url=http://www.bestofsicily.com/mag/art184.htm |access-date=26 December 2017 |archive-date=6 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180506004208/http://www.bestofsicily.com/mag/art184.htm}}</ref> Following the [[Norman conquest of southern Italy|Norman conquest]], Palermo became the capital of a new kingdom, the [[Kingdom of Sicily]], that lasted from 1130 to 1816.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Palermo {{!}} History, Attractions, & Facts |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Palermo |access-date=2021-03-03|website=Encyclopedia Britannica |language=en |archive-date=8 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308143945/https://www.britannica.com/place/Palermo |url-status=live}}</ref>

The municipality of Palermo has a population of 626,273 as of 2026.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-01 |title= Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026 |url=https://demo.istat.it/app/?i=POS&l=en |website=demo.istat.it |publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]] |access-date=2026-04-01}} (On the search form, choose the statistical region of the municipality in the Area section, the Region, the Province, and the name of the Municipality)</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-01 |title= Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026 |url= https://demo.istat.it/data/posas/POSAS_2026_en_All_files.zip |website=demo.istat.it |publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]] |access-date=2026-04-01}}The file URL linking on technical dataset.</ref> The population of its [[Larger Urban Zones|urban area]] is estimated by [[Eurostat]] to be 855,285, while its [[Metropolitan City of Palermo|metropolitan city]] is the 5th most populated in Italy, with around 1.2 million people. The inhabitants are known as Palermitani or, poetically, ''panormiti''. The languages they speak are the [[Italian language]] and the Palermitano dialect of the [[Sicilian language]].

Palermo is Sicily's [[culture|cultural]], [[economy|economic]] and [[tourism]] capital. It is a city rich in [[history]], [[culture]], [[art]], [[music]] and [[food]]. Many tourists are attracted by the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]] climate, renowned [[gastronomy]]{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}} and [[restaurant]]s, [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]], [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]], [[Baroque]]<ref>[[Anthony Blunt#Works|Anthony Blunt, ''Sicilian Baroque'']].</ref> and [[Art Nouveau]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.artnouveau.eu/en/city.php?id=41 |title=Palermo |work=Art Nouveau European Route : Cities |access-date=8 November 2019 |archive-date=27 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227220524/http://www.artnouveau.eu/en/city.php?id=41 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[church (building)|churches]], [[palace]]s and [[building]]s, and the [[nightlife]] and [[music]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sicilianculture.com/travel/palermo.htm |title=Travel: Palermo, Sicily |publisher=Sicilian Culture |date=9 March 2002 |access-date=20 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128023349/http://sicilianculture.com/travel/palermo.htm |archive-date=28 November 2010}}</ref> Palermo is the main Sicilian [[Industrial sector|industrial]] and [[commerce|commercial]] center: the main industrial sectors include [[tourism]], [[service (economics)|services]], [[commerce]] and [[agriculture]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/regional-innovation-monitor/base-profile/sicily |title=Sicily |publisher=europa.eu |date=23 July 2010 |access-date=1 August 2017 |archive-date=2 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802163522/https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/regional-innovation-monitor/base-profile/sicily |url-status=live}}</ref> Palermo has an [[Falcone–Borsellino Airport|international airport]] and a significant [[underground economy]].{{Citation needed|date=February 2010}} For cultural, artistic and economic reasons, Palermo is one of the largest cities in the [[Mediterranean]] and among the top tourist destinations in both Italy and Europe. It is the main seat of the [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]] ''[[Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale]]''. The city is also undergoing careful redevelopment, preparing to become one of the major cities of the Euro-Mediterranean area.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://culturforum.it/en/sicily/palermo/ |title=Palermo – Culturforum – Italian language courses In Palermo |access-date=5 August 2019 |archive-date=5 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190805094903/https://culturforum.it/en/sicily/palermo/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholicism]] is highly important in Palermitan culture. The Patron Saint of Palermo is [[Saint Rosalia|Santa Rosalia]], whose Feast Day is celebrated on 15 July. The area attracts significant numbers of tourists and is widely known for its colourful fruit, vegetable and fish [[market (place)|markets]] at the heart of Palermo, known as ''Vucciria'', ''Ballarò'' and ''Capo''.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/05/20/travel/20journeys.html |newspaper=NYTimes.com |title=In Palermo, Life Vibrates in a Fading Market |date=8 January 2008 |first=Danielle |last=Pergament |access-date=21 May 2010 |archive-date=6 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101006224635/http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/05/20/travel/20journeys.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

== History ==
{{Main|History of Palermo}}

{{For timeline}}

=== Early history ===
[[File:Palermo-Museo-Archeologico-bjs-11.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Mesolithic]] [[cave painting|cave art]] at [[Addaura]]]]

Evidence of [[Colonisation|human settlement]] in the area now known as Palermo goes back to at least the [[Mesolithic]] period, perhaps around [[8th millennium BC|8000&nbsp;BC]], where a group of cave drawings at nearby [[Addaura]] from that period have been found.<ref>Sandars, Nancy K., ''Prehistoric Art in Europe'', Penguin (Pelican, now Yale, History of Art), 1968 (nb 1st edn.), pp. 85–86</ref> The original inhabitants were [[Sicani]] people who, according to [[Thucydides]], arrived from the [[Iberian Peninsula]] (perhaps [[Catalonia]]).<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Sicily_-_History/id/5462681 |publisher=Experience Festival |title=Sicily: Encyclopedia II – Sicily – History |date=7 October 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231001248/http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Sicily_-_History/id/5462681 |archive-date=31 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A7kGAAAAQAAJ&q=segre+sicano&pg=PA11 |publisher=Ensayo historico |title=Aapologetico de la literatura española contra los opiniones |date=7 October 2007 |access-date=18 November 2020 |archive-date=5 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505135753/https://books.google.com/books?id=A7kGAAAAQAAJ&q=segre+sicano&pg=PA11 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Antiquity ===

In the 8th c. BC the [[Phoenicia]]ns built a small settlement on the natural harbour of Palermo, which became known as {{transliteration|phn|Ziz|italic=no}}<ref name="it">{{Cite news |url=http://www.italytravelescape.com/history-of-palermo.htm |work=ItalyTravelEscape.com |title=History of Palermo |date=7 October 2007 |access-date=19 June 2008 |archive-date=20 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120221719/http://www.italytravelescape.com/history-of-palermo.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> ({{langx|xpu|𐤑{{popdf}}𐤉𐤑}}, {{sc|ṣyṣ}}).{{sfnp|Head & al.|1911|p=877}} It became one of the three main Phoenician colonies of Sicily, along with [[Motya]] and [[Soluntum]].

The first settlement was later known as ''Paleapolis'' meaning "Old City". The site chosen by the Phoenicians was connected to the mountains with two roads that today have become Via Cappuccini and Corso Pisani.<ref>Palermo punica _ Catalogo della mostra Palermo, Museo Archeologico Regionale "Antonio Salinas" 6 dicembre 1995 – 30 settembre 1996_ Sellerio Editore 1998 {{ISBN|978-88-7681-116-6}}</ref>

The ''Neapolis'' or "New City", the nucleus of the subsequent expansion of the colony, soon developed in the area between the Paleapolis and the port. The new district expanded rapidly, exceeding the size of the old quarter, and soon became the site of markets, artisan and commercial activities. The walls were extended to embrace the new urban perimeter and two new gates were made, while the old gate at the port was moved to make room for the new buildings. In total there were 4 gates, one on each side of the city. The walls followed the course of the two rivers that surround the city, the Kemonia and the Papireto, creating a natural moat and improving the military security of the city. During the Roman era they were reinforced.<ref>Procopius, Gothic Wars, I, 25-34</ref>

The Cassaro district was probably named after the walls themselves; the word Cassaro deriving from the Arab ''al-qaṣr'' (castle, stronghold, see also [[alcázar]]). The colony developed around a central street ([[decumanus maximus|decumanus]]) now the Corso Vittorio Emanuele.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

[[Carthage]] was Palermo's major trading partner under the Phoenicians and the city enjoyed a prolonged peace during this period.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}} Palermo came into contact with the [[Ancient Greece|Ancient Greeks]] between the 6th and the 5th centuries BC which preceded the [[Sicilian Wars]], a conflict fought between the Greeks of [[Syracuse, Sicily|Syracuse]] and the Carthaginians for control over the island of Sicily. During this war the [[Ancient Greeks|Greeks]] named the settlement ''Pánormos'' or 'wide haven'<ref>{{cite book |title=Dizionario di toponomastica |language=it |publisher=UTET |location=Turin |year=1990 |page=554 |isbn=88-02-07228-0}}</ref> due to its large anchorage, from which the present name of the city developed. The Carthaginians began using the Greek name on the city's coinage from the 5th century{{nbsp}}BC.{{sfnp|Graham|1982|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0qAoqP4g1fEC&pg=PA186 186–7]}} It was from Palermo that [[Hamilcar I of Carthage|Hamilcar I]]'s fleet (which was defeated at the [[Battle of Himera (480&nbsp;BC)|Battle of Himera]]) was launched.<ref name="bos">{{Cite news |url=http://www.bestofsicily.com/palermo.htm#Palermo%20history |website=BestofSicily.com |title=Destiny of a King's Capital |date=7 October 2007 |access-date=19 June 2008 |archive-date=11 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511193507/http://www.bestofsicily.com/palermo.htm#Palermo%20history |url-status=live}}</ref> In 409&nbsp;BC the city was looted by [[Hermocrates]] of [[Syracuse, Sicily|Syracuse]]. The Sicilian Wars ended in 265&nbsp;BC when Syracuse allied with the Romans of Italy and pushed the Carthaginians off of the island during the [[First Punic War]]. In 276&nbsp;BC,<ref name="bio">{{Cite news |url=http://www.bio.vu.nl/home/vwielink/WWW_MGC/Area_III_map/Panormos_map/InfoPanormos.html |website=Bio.vu.nl |title=Panormos Info |date=7 October 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041124101237/http://www.bio.vu.nl/home/vwielink/WWW_MGC/Area_III_map/Panormos_map/InfoPanormos.html |archive-date=24 November 2004}}</ref> during the [[Pyrrhic War]], Panormos briefly became a Greek colony after being conquered by [[Pyrrhus of Epirus]], but returned to Punic Carthage in 275&nbsp;BC. In 254&nbsp;BC Panormos was besieged and conquered by the Romans.<ref>Bagnall, Nigel (1999). The Punic Wars: Rome, Carthage and the Struggle for the Mediterranean. London: Pimlico. ISBN 978-0-7126-6608-4.</ref> Carthage attempted to reconquer Panormus in the [[Battle of Panormus]] 250&nbsp;BC but failed.

In Roman times luxurious residences were built and have been found in several locations (piazza Sett'Angeli, Palazzo Sclafani, piazza della Vittoria).

=== Middle Ages ===
{{See also|Siege of Panormus|Byzantine Empire|Muslim Sicily|Kingdom of Sicily}}
[[File:Palermo-San-Giovanni-bjs-2.jpg|thumb|left|[[San Giovanni degli Eremiti]], a church showing elements of Byzantine, Arabic, and Norman architecture]]

As the [[Roman Empire]] was falling apart, Palermo fell under the control of several [[Germanic peoples|Germanic tribes]]. The first were the [[Vandals]] in 440&nbsp;AD under the rule of their king [[Geiseric]]. The Vandals had occupied all the Roman provinces in North Africa by 455 establishing themselves as a significant force.<ref name="jpriv">{{Cite book |last=Privitera |first=Joseph |title=Sicily: An Illustrated History |publisher=Hippocrene Books |isbn=978-0-7818-0909-2 |year=2002 |url=https://archive.org/details/sicilyillustrate00priv}}</ref> They acquired [[Corsica]], [[Sardinia]] and [[Sicily]] shortly afterwards. However, they soon lost these newly acquired possessions to the Ostrogoths. The [[Ostrogoths|Ostrogothic]] conquest under [[Theodoric the Great]] began in 488; Theodoric supported [[Culture of ancient Rome|Roman culture]] and government unlike the Germanic Goths.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9026834/Theodoric#949802.hook |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |title=Theodoric |date=7 October 2007 |access-date=19 June 2008 |archive-date=18 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081118180349/https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9026834/Theodoric#949802.hook |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Gothic War (535–554)|Gothic War]] took place between the Ostrogoths and the Eastern Roman Empire, also known as the [[Byzantine Empire]]. Sicily was the first part of Italy to be taken under control of [[Belisarius|General Belisarius]] who was commissioned by the [[List of Byzantine emperors|Eastern Emperor]]. In late 535 his Byzantine army of 7,500–9,000 and a fleet laid siege to the city in the [[Siege of Panormus]], which had refused to surrender unlike all the other Ostrogothic-held cities in Sicily, and eventually prevailed.

[[Justinian I]] solidified his rule in the following years.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hearder |first=Harry |title=Italy: A Short History |date=25 January 1991 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |url=https://archive.org/details/italyshorthistor00hear |isbn=978-0-521-33719-9 | access-date =19 June 2008 | url-status =dead | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20070720230202/http://www.history.ac.uk/reviews/paper/FootJohn2.html | archive-date =20 July 2007}}</ref><ref name="byz">{{Cite news |url=http://www.helleniccomserve.com/palermo.html |publisher=HellenicComserve.com |title=The Greek and Byzantine Roots of Palermo |date=7 October 2007 |access-date=19 June 2008 |archive-date=17 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617123315/http://www.helleniccomserve.com/palermo.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Chapelle Palatine.jpg|thumb|[[Cappella Palatina]], decorated with Byzantine, Arabic and Norman elements]]

The [[Arab]]s took control of Palermo and most of Sicily in 831, and the [[Emirate of Sicily]] was established, though other cities persisted as Byzantine holdouts until as late as 965.<ref>[[Charles William Previté-Orton|Previte-Orton]] (1971), vol. 1, pg. 370</ref> [[Muslim]] rule in Palermo lasted for about 240 years.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/storiadeimusulm01amargoog |title=Storia dei Musulmani di Sicilia |first1=Michele |last1=Amari |first2=Carlo Alfonso |last2=Nallino |date=13 July 2018 |publisher=Catania, R. Prampolini |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>{{page needed|date=November 2015}} Palermo (''Bal'harm'' during Arab rule) displaced [[Syracuse, Sicily|Syracuse]] as the capital of Sicily. It was said to have then begun to compete with [[Córdoba, Spain|Córdoba]] and [[Cairo]] in terms of importance and splendor.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Of Italy |first=Touring Club |title=Authentic Sicily |publisher=Touring Editore |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E7BYFRh5b7oC&q=%22Palermo%22+%22Cordoba%22+splendor&pg=PA52 |isbn=978-88-365-3403-6 |year=2005 | access-date =18 November 2020 | archive-date =29 May 2021 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20210529132646/https://books.google.com/books?id=E7BYFRh5b7oC&q=%22Palermo%22+%22Cordoba%22+splendor&pg=PA52 | url-status =live}}</ref> For more than a hundred years Palermo was the capital of a flourishing [[emirate]].<ref>[[Joseph Strayer]], ''Dictionary of the Middle Ages'', Scribner, 1987, t.9, p.352</ref> The Arabs also [[Arab Agricultural Revolution|introduced many agricultural crops]] which remain a mainstay of [[Sicilian cuisine]].<ref name="jpriv"/>

[[File:Muqarnas à lintérieur de la Cuba (Palerme) (7034575397).jpg|left|thumb|[[Arabesque]] on a wall of the [[Cuba Palace]]]]

After dynastic quarrels however, there was a [[Norman conquest of southern Italy|Norman conquest]] in 1072. Normans conquered Palermo after a long siege. Indeed, the feat proved difficult because the Normans had never besieged such a populous city with such powerful walls. After 5 months siege, Normans built numerous stairs and war machines and finally conquered the city.<ref>Virruso G., [https://www.touriddu.com/kingdom-of-sicily/ Kingdom-of-Sicily] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806043511/https://www.touriddu.com/kingdom-of-sicily/ |date=6 August 2020 }}</ref> The family who returned the city to [[Christianity]] were called the [[Hauteville family|Hautevilles]], including [[Robert Guiscard]] and his army, who is regarded as a hero by the natives.<ref name="stan">{{Cite news |url=http://archaeology.stanford.edu/MountPolizzo/handbookPDF/MPHandbook5.pdf |publisher=Archaeology. Stanford.edu |title=Brief history of Sicily |date=7 October 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609094555/http://archaeology.stanford.edu/MountPolizzo/handbookPDF/MPHandbook5.pdf |archive-date=9 June 2007}}</ref><ref>Koeppen, ''The World in the Middle Ages'', p. 100.</ref> It was under his nephew [[Roger II of Sicily]] that Norman holdings in Sicily and the southern part of the [[Italian Peninsula]] were promoted from the [[County of Sicily]] into the [[Kingdom of Sicily]]. The kingdom's capital was Palermo, with the King's Court held at the [[Palazzo dei Normanni]]. Much construction was undertaken during this period, such as the building of [[Palermo Cathedral]]. The Kingdom of Sicily became one of the wealthiest states in Europe.<ref>{{Cite book |last=John Julius |first=Norwich | author-link = John Julius Norwich |title=The Normans in Sicily: The Normans in the South 1016–1130 and the Kingdom in the Sun 1130–1194 |publisher=Penguin Global |isbn=978-0-14-015212-8 |year=1992}}</ref>

Thanks to the marriage between [[Constance I of Sicily|Constance, Queen of Sicily]], and [[Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor]], Palermo and the whole Sicily was inherited by their son [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]], who became King of Sicily in 1198 and Holy Roman Emperor in 1220. Palermo was the capital of Emperor [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]]'s vast empire and also his favorite city. Muslims of Palermo emigrated or were expelled during Frederick's rule. After an interval of [[Capetian House of Anjou|Angevin]] rule (1266–1282), Sicily came under control of the [[Crown of Aragon|Aragon]] and [[County of Barcelona|Barcelona]] dynasties. By 1330, Palermo's population had declined to 51,000.<ref name=Long>{{Cite journal |title=Princes and Merchants: European City Growth before the Industrial Revolution |author=J. Bradford De Long and Andrei Shleifer |journal=[[The Journal of Law and Economics]] |volume=36 |issue=2 |date=October 1993 |pages=671–702 [678] |doi=10.1086/467294 |url=http://www.j-bradford-delong.net/pdf_files/Princes.pdf |citeseerx=10.1.1.164.4092 |s2cid=13961320 |access-date=27 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729053941/http://www.j-bradford-delong.net/pdf_files/Princes.pdf |archive-date=29 July 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Early modern era ===

[[File:Piazza Bologni - Carlo V, Albergaria, Palermo, Sicily, Italy - panoramio.jpg|thumb|[[Charles V Monument (Palermo)|Charles V Monument]] (1631) commemorating the monarch's visit in Palermo in 1535]]

From 1479 until 1713 Palermo was ruled by the [[Kingdom of Spain]], and again between 1717 and 1718. Palermo was also under [[Savoy]] control between 1713 and 1717 and 1718–1720 as a result of the [[Treaty of Utrecht]]. It was ruled by [[Austria]] between 1720 and 1734.

=== Two Sicilies ===

After the [[Treaty of Utrecht]] (1713), Sicily was handed over to the [[House of Savoy]], but by 1734 it was in [[House of Bourbon|Bourbon]] possession. [[Charles III of Spain|Charles III]] chose Palermo for his coronation as [[King of Sicily]]. Charles had new houses built for the growing population, while trade and industry grew as well. However, Palermo had become just another provincial city as the Royal Court resided in Naples. Charles' son [[Ferdinand I of Two Sicilies|Ferdinand]], though disliked by the population, took refuge in Palermo after the [[French Revolution]] in 1798. His son [[Prince Alberto of Naples and Sicily|Alberto]] died on the way to Palermo and is buried in the city.

When the [[Kingdom of the Two Sicilies]] was founded, the original capital city was Palermo (1816) but a year later moved to [[Naples]].

[[File:Sanesi - La rivoluzione di Palermo-12 gennaio 1848 - ca. 1850.jpg|thumb|The revolution in Palermo (12 January 1848)]]

From 1820 to 1848 Sicily was shaken by upheavals, which culminated on 12 January 1848, with a [[Sicilian revolution of 1848|popular insurrection]], the first one in Europe that year, led by [[Giuseppe La Masa]]. A parliament and constitution were proclaimed. The first president was [[Ruggero Settimo]]. The Bourbons reconquered Palermo in 1849, and it remained under their rule until the [[Expedition of the Thousand]], led by [[Giuseppe Garibaldi]], conquered the city after the [[Siege of Palermo]] in May 1860. After the [[plebiscite]] later that year Palermo, along with the rest of Sicily, became part of the new [[Kingdom of Italy]] (1861).

=== Italian unification ===

[[File:Giuseppe Garibaldi entering Palermo.jpg|thumb|[[Giuseppe Garibaldi]] entering Palermo on 27 May 1860]]

[[File:Palermo - Grand Hotel et des Palmes - scorcio.jpg|thumb|The historic [[Grand Hotel et des Palmes]]]]

The majority of [[Sicilians]] preferred independence to annexation by the Savoy kingdom; in 1866, Palermo became the seat of a week-long popular rebellion, which was finally crushed after [[martial law]] was declared.<ref name="Riall1998">{{cite book |author=Lucy Riall |title=Sicily and the Unification of Italy : Liberal Policy and Local Power, 1859–1866: Liberal Policy and Local Power, 1859–1866 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wZg4ecXXmNYC&pg=PA198 |date=12 March 1998 |publisher=Clarendon Press |isbn=978-0-19-154261-9 |pages=198– |access-date=25 November 2015 |archive-date=1 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101232343/https://books.google.com/books?id=wZg4ecXXmNYC&pg=PA198 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Italian government blamed [[anarchist]]s and the Church, specifically the Archbishop of Palermo, for the rebellion and began enacting anti-Sicilian and anti-clerical policies.<ref name="Riall1998"/> A new cultural, economic and industrial growth was spurred by several families, like the [[Florio]], the Ducrot, the [[Rutelli]], the [[Sandron]], the Whitaker, the [[Utveggio]], and others. In the early twentieth century, Palermo expanded outside the old city walls, mostly to the north along the new boulevards ''Via Roma'', ''Via Dante'', ''Via Notarbartolo'', and ''Viale della Libertà''. These roads soon had a huge number of villas in the [[Art Nouveau]] style. Many of these were designed by the architect [[Ernesto Basile]]. The Grand Hotel [[Villa Igiea]], designed by Basile for the [[Florio]] family, is a good example of Palermitan Art Nouveau. The huge [[Teatro Massimo]] was designed in the same period by [[Giovan Battista Filippo Basile]], Ernesto's father, and built by the Rutelli & Machì building firm of the industrial and old [[Rutelli]] Italian family in Palermo. It opened in 1897.

=== World War II ===

During the [[Second World War]], Palermo was heavily bombed by the Allied air forces in 1942 and 1943 until its capture during the [[Allied invasion of Sicily]] on 22 July 1943.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://palermo.repubblica.it/cronaca/2013/05/09/news/le_bombe_del_9_maggio_1943_che_distrussero_palermo-58431764/ |title=Le bombe del 9 maggio 1943 che distrussero Palermo – Palermo – Repubblica.it |newspaper=La Repubblica |date=9 May 2013| access-date=5 September 2018| archive-date=5 September 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180905182046/https://palermo.repubblica.it/cronaca/2013/05/09/news/le_bombe_del_9_maggio_1943_che_distrussero_palermo-58431764/| url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite journal |url=http://www.intrasformazione.com/index.php/intrasformazione/article/view/256/pdf |doi=10.4474/DPS/05/02/SGG256/12 |title=I bombardamenti di Palermo (1940-1943) |journal=Intrasformazione: Rivista di Storia delle Idee |volume=5 |issue=2 |pages=146–157 |year=2016 |last1=Pasta |first1=Antinea | access-date=5 September 2018| archive-date=5 September 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180905175823/http://www.intrasformazione.com/index.php/intrasformazione/article/view/256/pdf| url-status=live}}</ref> The harbour and the surrounding quarters were effectively destroyed, as was much of the city, with heavy civilian casualties.<ref name="auto"/> When U.S. troops entered Palermo in 1943 they were greeted with "a thunderous welcome by what seemed the entire population demonstrating their feelings about Fascist rule."   The two captured Italian generals claimed that they were happy because in their view "the Sicilians were not human beings but animals".<ref name="D'Este1988">{{cite book |author=Carlo D'Este |title=Bitter Victory: The Battle for Sicily, July–August 1943 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6eJmAAAAMAAJ |date=January 1988 |publisher=Collins |isbn=978-0-00-217409-1 |page=423 |access-date=24 September 2018 |archive-date=18 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018042618/https://books.google.com/books?id=6eJmAAAAMAAJ |url-status=live}}</ref> Anti-Sicilian prejudice was part of the fascist regime's worldview, promoted by pro-fascist newspapers, particularly in the north of Italy.<ref>Sideshow War: The Italian Campaign, 1943–1945 by George F. Botjer, published by Texas A & M University Press, 1996 pg. 32</ref>

=== Italian Republic and today ===

In 1946, the city was declared the seat of the [[Sicilian Regional Assembly|Regional Parliament]], as capital of a Special Status Region (1947) whose seat is in the [[Palazzo dei Normanni]].

In 1948, the element [[technetium]] was discovered in the [[University of Palermo]].

A theme in the city's modern age has been the struggle against the [[Sicilian Mafia]], [[Red Brigades]] and outlaws such as [[Salvatore Giuliano]], who controlled the neighbouring area of [[Montelepre]]. The Italian state effectively has had to share control of the territory, economically and administratively, with the Mafia.

The "[[Sack of Palermo]]" was one of the dramatic consequences of this problem. This popular term refers to the [[Speculation|speculative]] building practices that resulted in the destruction of a great number of historical buildings and green areas in favour of poor buildings, mainly between the 1950s and the 1980s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.antimafiaduemila.com/home/opinioni/305-mafia-in-pillole/76988-il-sacco-di-palermo-e-la-prima-guerra-di-mafia.html |title=Il Sacco di Palermo e la Prima Guerra di Mafia |website=antimafiaduemila.com |date=16 December 2019 |access-date=4 May 2020 |language=it |archive-date=22 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722073016/http://www.antimafiaduemila.com/home/opinioni/305-mafia-in-pillole/76988-il-sacco-di-palermo-e-la-prima-guerra-di-mafia.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The reduced importance of agriculture in the Sicilian economy has led to massive migration to the cities, especially Palermo, which swelled in size, leading to rapid northward expansion. The regulatory plans for expansion were largely ignored in the boom. New parts of town appeared almost out of nowhere, but without parks, schools, public buildings, proper roads, or the other amenities that characterise a modern city.

The Cosa Nostra has traditionally been the most powerful group in Palermo.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/4727672/italy-police-arrest-alleged-new-mafia-boss-in-sicily/ |title=Italy police arrest alleged new mafia boss in Sicily |website=Global News |access-date=17 July 2019 |archive-date=17 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190717171817/https://globalnews.ca/news/4727672/italy-police-arrest-alleged-new-mafia-boss-in-sicily/ |url-status=live}}</ref> A 2019 [[CNN]] article reported that [[Sicilian Mafia]] activity in Palermo was particularly notorious in one area, Passo Rigano. "According to Italian police, the Mafia not only engages in extortion there, but also has a large role in the town's legal economy—with its involvement in business such as wholesale food supplies, online betting and gambling." The police investigation at the time also confirmed strong links between the Palermo area mafia and American organized crime, particularly the [[Gambino crime family]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/17/europe/mafia-arrests-fbi-italy-intl/index.html |title=19 mafia suspects arrested in joint transatlantic raids |author1=Hada Messia |author2=Lauren Kent |publisher=CNN |date=17 July 2019 |access-date=17 July 2019 |archive-date=17 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190717171206/https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/17/europe/mafia-arrests-fbi-italy-intl/index.html |url-status=live}}</ref> According to [[La Repubblica]], "Off they go, through the streets of Passo di Rigano, Boccadifalco, Torretta and at the same time, Brooklyn, Staten Island, New Jersey. Because from Sicily to the US, the old mafia has returned".<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/17/fbi-mafia-arrests-us-italy-inzerillo-gambino |title=FBI and Italian police arrest 19 people in Sicily and US in mafia investigation |website=[[The Guardian]]|date=17 July 2019 |last1=Giuffrida |first1=Angela }}</ref>

== Geography ==
Palermo lies in a basin formed by the Papireto, Kemonia and Oreto rivers. The basin was named the ''Conca d'Oro'' (the Golden Basin) by the [[Arabs]] in the 9th century. The city is surrounded by a mountain range named after the city. These mountains face the [[Tyrrhenian Sea]]. Palermo is home to a [[natural port]] and offers views of the sea, especially from [[Monte Pellegrino]].

=== Climate ===
[[File:Il golfo di Mondello.jpg|thumbnail|Gulf of Mondello seen from Monte Pellegrino]]

Palermo experiences a hot-summer subtropical [[Mediterranean climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]]: ''Csa'') with moderate seasonality. Summers are very long, hot and dry due to the domination of subtropical high pressure system, while winters are mild and changeable, with rainy weather due to the polar front.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.palermo.climatemps.com/ |title=Palermo, Sicily Climate Palermo, Sicily Temperatures Palermo, Sicily Weather Averages |website=palermo.climatemps.com |access-date=20 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190320161835/http://www.palermo.climatemps.com/ |archive-date=20 March 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Temperatures in autumn and spring are typically warm. Palermo is one of the warmest cities in Europe (mainly due to its warm nights), with an average annual air temperature of {{cvt|18|°C}}; it is one of Italy's warmest cities. It receives about 2,530 hours of sunshine per year. Snow is rare, having occurred about a dozen times since 1945.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.meteoservice.net/dossier-neve-a-palermo-nel-1986-nevico-persino-a-natale/ |title=DOSSIER neve a Palermo! Nel 1986 nevicò persino a Natale! |date=3 January 2015 |access-date=4 February 2016 |archive-date=12 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160912002723/http://www.meteoservice.net/dossier-neve-a-palermo-nel-1986-nevico-persino-a-natale/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Since the 1940s, considerable snowfall has occurred at least five times. In 1949 and in 1956, when the minimum temperature went down to {{cvt|0|°C}}, the city was blanketed by centimetres of snow.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.italyheritage.com/magazine/articles/history/1956-snow.htm |title=The snowfall of 1956 |website=italyheritage.com |access-date=4 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205010618/http://www.italyheritage.com/magazine/articles/history/1956-snow.htm |archive-date=5 February 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Snowfall also occurred in 1981, 1986, 1999 and 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://meteolive.leonardo.it/news/In-primo-piano/2/tutte-le-nevicate-su-palermo-/364/ |title=Tutte le nevicate su PALERMO! |website=meteolive.leonardo.it |access-date=4 February 2016 |archive-date=5 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205024133/http://meteolive.leonardo.it/news/In-primo-piano/2/tutte-le-nevicate-su-palermo-/364/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> The lowest temperature ever recorded in Palermo was {{cvt|-2.5|°C|0}} in February 1967.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.regione.sicilia.it/sites/default/files/2021-11/annale_1967_parte1.pdf | title=Palermo -2.5C | accessdate=23 July 2024}}</ref> The average annual temperature of the sea is above {{cvt|19|°C|0}}; from {{cvt|14|°C|0}} in February to {{cvt|26|°C|0}} in August. From November to May, the average sea temperature exceeds {{cvt|18|°C|0}} and from June to October, the average sea temperature exceeds {{cvt|21|°C|0}}.<ref name="weather2travel">{{cite web |url=http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/italy/sicily/palermo.php |title=Palermo Climate Guide |access-date=30 March 2012 |archive-date=31 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531053315/http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/italy/sicily/palermo.php |url-status=live}}</ref>

{{Weather box
| location = [[Palermo-Boccadifalco Airport]] on the outskirts of the city <small>(altitude: 117&nbsp;m, [https://tools.wmflabs.org/geohack/geohack.php?pagename=Palermo-Boccadifalco_Airport&params=38_07_06_N_13_18_47_E_type:airport satellite view])</small>, 1971–2000 normals, Extremes 1943–present
| metric first = yes
| single line = yes
| Jan record high C = 27.2
| Feb record high C = 28.1
| Mar record high C = 34.6
| Apr record high C = 32.2
| May record high C = 39.1
| Jun record high C = 44.0
| Jul record high C = 43.6
| Aug record high C = 45.2
| Sep record high C = 41.2
| Oct record high C = 37.4
| Nov record high C = 30.3
| Dec record high C = 26.7

| Jan high C = 14.7
| Feb high C = 14.5
| Mar high C = 16.4
| Apr high C = 18.7
| May high C = 23.3
| Jun high C = 27.2
| Jul high C = 29.8
| Aug high C = 30.5
| Sep high C = 27.5
| Oct high C = 23.5
| Nov high C = 19.0
| Dec high C = 15.8
| year high C =

| Jan mean C = 11.8
| Feb mean C = 11.5
| Mar mean C = 13.0
| Apr mean C = 15.1
| May mean C = 19.3
| Jun mean C = 23.2
| Jul mean C = 25.7
| Aug mean C = 26.6
| Sep mean C = 23.8
| Oct mean C = 20.1
| Nov mean C = 15.9
| Dec mean C = 13.0
| year mean C =

| Jan low C = 8.9
| Feb low C = 8.5
| Mar low C = 9.6
| Apr low C = 11.4
| May low C = 15.3
| Jun low C = 19.2
| Jul low C = 21.7
| Aug low C = 22.7
| Sep low C = 20.1
| Oct low C = 16.7
| Nov low C = 12.9
| Dec low C = 10.2
| year low C =

| Jan record low C = -1.2
| Feb record low C = 0
| Mar record low C = -0.3
| Apr record low C = 4.6
| May record low C = 8.4
| Jun record low C = 11
| Jul record low C = 14.8
| Aug record low C = 13.1
| Sep record low C = 10.6
| Oct record low C = 7.2
| Nov record low C = 3.6
| Dec record low C = 0.8
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 97.5
| Feb precipitation mm = 109.9
| Mar precipitation mm = 78.2
| Apr precipitation mm = 65.1
| May precipitation mm = 36.2
| Jun precipitation mm = 17.9
| Jul precipitation mm = 6.7
| Aug precipitation mm = 31.8
| Sep precipitation mm = 65.3
| Oct precipitation mm = 105.6
| Nov precipitation mm = 117.5
| Dec precipitation mm = 123.7

| Jan precipitation days = 9.6
| Feb precipitation days = 9.6
| Mar precipitation days = 8.7
| Apr precipitation days = 8.6
| May precipitation days = 4.1
| Jun precipitation days = 1.9
| Jul precipitation days = 1.2
| Aug precipitation days = 2.4
| Sep precipitation days = 5.4
| Oct precipitation days = 8.2
| Nov precipitation days = 10.4
| Dec precipitation days = 12

| source 1 = [[Servizio Meteorologico]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://clima.meteoam.it/AtlanteClimatico/pdf/(410)Palermo%20Boccadifalco.pdf |title=Palermo/Boccadifalco (PA) 117 m. – Servizio Meteorologico dell'Aeronautica Militare, 1971–2000 |access-date=31 March 2012 |archive-date=3 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180903215656/http://clima.meteoam.it/AtlanteClimatico/pdf/(410)Palermo%20Boccadifalco.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>
| date=April 2012
| source 2= Tu Tiempo<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.tutiempo.net/clima/ws-164100.html |title=Palermo Boccadifalco: dati climatici |publisher=tutiempo.net |access-date= 15 May 2020 |archive-date= 9 June 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200609132008/https://www.tutiempo.net/clima/ws-164100.html |url-status= live}}</ref> Extreme temperatures.
}}

{{Weather box
| width        = 100% <!-- 77% if there is a template or image next to it -->
| open         =
| metric first = y <!-- always, except UK or US cities -->
| single line  = y
| location     = Palermo-Valverde, elevation: {{cvt|21|m|disp=or}}, 1961–1990 normals, Extremes 1960–1990

| Jan high C  =15.4
| Feb high C  =15.9
| Mar high C  =17.5
| Apr high C  =20.1
| May high C  =23.4
| Jun high C  =27.2
| Jul high C  =30.1
| Aug high C  =30.4
| Sep high C  =28.3
| Oct high C  =24.5
| Nov high C  =20.6
| Dec high C  =16.9
| year high C =

| Jan mean C = 11.1
| Feb mean C = 11.5
| Mar mean C = 12.7
| Apr mean C = 15.1
| May mean C = 18.2
| Jun mean C = 21.9
| Jul mean C = 24.6
| Aug mean C = 25.0
| Sep mean C = 23.1
| Oct mean C = 19.7
| Nov mean C = 15.9
| Dec mean C = 12.6
| year mean C =

| Jan low C  =6.8
| Feb low C  =7.0
| Mar low C  =8.0
| Apr low C  =10.1
| May low C  =12.9
| Jun low C  =16.6
| Jul low C  =19.0
| Aug low C  =19.6
| Sep low C  =17.9
| Oct low C  =14.8
| Nov low C  =11.3
| Dec low C  =8.4
| year low C =
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm  =89
| Feb precipitation mm  =69
| Mar precipitation mm  =58
| Apr precipitation mm  =46
| May precipitation mm  =25
| Jun precipitation mm  =10
| Jul precipitation mm  =5
| Aug precipitation mm  =12
| Sep precipitation mm  =42
| Oct precipitation mm  =80
| Nov precipitation mm  =84
| Dec precipitation mm  =93
| year precipitation mm =

| Jan precipitation days  =12
| Feb precipitation days  =9
| Mar precipitation days  =9
| Apr precipitation days  =7
| May precipitation days  =4
| Jun precipitation days  =2
| Jul precipitation days  =1
| Aug precipitation days  =1
| Sep precipitation days  =5
| Oct precipitation days  =8
| Nov precipitation days  =10
| Dec precipitation days  =12

| source 1 = [[Servizio Meteorologico]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://clisun.casaccia.enea.it/profili/tabelle/659%20%5BPalermo%5D%20Palermo%20Valverde.Txt |title=Tabella climatica mensile e annuale di Palermo Valverde |access-date = 9 June 2020 |publisher=[[ENEA (Italy)|Agenzia nazionale per le nuove tecnologie, l'energia e lo sviluppo economico sostenibile]] |archive-date = 6 March 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160306022436/http://clisun.casaccia.enea.it/profili/tabelle/659%20%5BPalermo%5D%20Palermo%20Valverde.Txt |url-status = live}}</ref>
}}

{{Weather box
| width        = 100% <!-- 77% if there is a template or image next to it -->
| open         =
| metric first = y <!-- always, except UK or US cities -->
| single line  = y
| location     = Cinisi, at {{cvt|30|km|mi}} from Palermo. ([[Falcone Borsellino Airport|Palermo Punta Raisi Airport]]), elevation: {{cvt|21|m|disp=or}}, 1961–1990 normals, Extremes 1960–1990

| Jan record high C = 25.6
| Feb record high C = 29.4
| Mar record high C = 34.7
| Apr record high C = 34.6
| May record high C = 40.0
| Jun record high C = 44.2
| Jul record high C = 43.1
| Aug record high C = 42.4
| Sep record high C = 40.6
| Oct record high C = 35.2
| Nov record high C = 31
| Dec record high C = 26.7

| Jan high C  =14.8
| Feb high C  =15.1
| Mar high C  =16.1
| Apr high C  =18.4
| May high C  =21.8
| Jun high C  =25.1
| Jul high C  =28.3
| Aug high C  =28.8
| Sep high C  =26.6
| Oct high C  =22.9
| Nov high C  =19.3
| Dec high C  =16.0
| year high C =

| Jan mean C = 12.5
| Feb mean C = 12.6
| Mar mean C = 13.5
| Apr mean C = 15.7
| May mean C = 18.9
| Jun mean C = 22.4
| Jul mean C = 25.6
| Aug mean C = 26.2
| Sep mean C = 24.1
| Oct mean C = 20.3
| Nov mean C = 16.8
| Dec mean C = 13.7
| year mean C =

| Jan low C  =10.2
| Feb low C  =10.1
| Mar low C  =10.9
| Apr low C  =12.9
| May low C  =16.0
| Jun low C  =19.7
| Jul low C  =22.9
| Aug low C  =23.6
| Sep low C  =21.5
| Oct low C  =17.8
| Nov low C  =14.3
| Dec low C  =11.5
| year low C =

| Jan record low C = 1.4
| Feb record low C = 2.4
| Mar record low C = 2.4
| Apr record low C = 5.8
| May record low C = 9
| Jun record low C = 13.3
| Jul record low C = 16
| Aug record low C = 17.9
| Sep record low C = 13
| Oct record low C = 8
| Nov record low C = 5.1
| Dec record low C = 1.6
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm  =71.6
| Feb precipitation mm  =65.4
| Mar precipitation mm  =59.5
| Apr precipitation mm  =44.1
| May precipitation mm  =25.5
| Jun precipitation mm  =12.2
| Jul precipitation mm  =5.1
| Aug precipitation mm  =13.3
| Sep precipitation mm  =41.5
| Oct precipitation mm  =98.0
| Nov precipitation mm  =94.3
| Dec precipitation mm  =80.0
| year precipitation mm =

| Jan humidity    =73
| Feb humidity    =72
| Mar humidity    =72
| Apr humidity    =72
| May humidity    =72
| Jun humidity    =71
| Jul humidity    =69
| Aug humidity    =71
| Sep humidity    =72
| Oct humidity    =71
| Nov humidity    =70
| Dec humidity    =73

| Jan precipitation days  =10
| Feb precipitation days  =10
| Mar precipitation days  =9
| Apr precipitation days  =6
| May precipitation days  =3
| Jun precipitation days  =2
| Jul precipitation days  =1
| Aug precipitation days  =2
| Sep precipitation days  =4
| Oct precipitation days  =8
| Nov precipitation days  =9
| Dec precipitation days  =11

| source 1 = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]]<ref name = noaa>{{cite web |url=http://geodata.lib.ncsu.edu/fedgov/noaa/clino/TABLES/REG_VI/IY/16405.TXT |title=Palermo (16405) – WMO Weather Station| access-date = 20 July 2019 |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]]| archive-date = 24 August 2020| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200824141434/http://geodata.lib.ncsu.edu/fedgov/noaa/clino/TABLES/REG_VI/IY/16405.TXT| url-status = live}}</ref>
| source 2= Altervista<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://climaintoscana.altervista.org/italia/stazioni-wmo/palermo-punta-raisi/ |title=Palermo Punta Raisi: record mensili dal 1960 |publisher=climaintoscana.altervista.org |access-date= 15 May 2020 |archive-date= 6 August 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200806125935/http://climaintoscana.altervista.org/italia/stazioni-wmo/palermo-punta-raisi/ |url-status= live}}</ref> Extreme temperatures.
}}

=== Topography ===

[[File:Sommer, Giorgio (1834-1914) - n. 9000 - PALERMO - Monte Pellegrino.jpg|thumb|[[Mount Pellegrino]], pictured at the end of the 19th century; the mountain is visible from everywhere in the city.]]

Palermo is surrounded by mountains, which form a cirque around the city. Some of the city's districts are divided by the mountains. Historically, it was relatively difficult to reach the inner part of Sicily from the city because of the mountains. The range's tallest peak is La Pizzuta, about {{cvt|1333|m}} high. Historically, the most important mountain is [[Monte Pellegrino]], which is geographically separated from the rest of the range by a plain and lies right in front of the [[Tyrrhenian Sea]]. In his essay ''[[Italian Journey]],'' [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]] called Monte Pellegrino's cliff "the most beautiful promontory in the world".

=== Rivers ===

Today both the {{Ill|Papireto|it}} river and the {{Ill|Kemonia|it}} are covered up by buildings, but their shape can still be recognised because the streets that were built on them follow their shapes. The only waterway not drained yet is the Oreto river, which divides the downtown of the city from the western uptown and the industrial districts. In the basins were many seasonal torrents that helped formed swampy plains, reclaimed during history; a good example can be found in the borough of [[Mondello]].
{{wide image|Palermo panorama monte pellegrino.JPG|1000px|View of Palermo from Monte Pellegrino}}

=== Districts ===
{{See also|Mayor of Palermo}}
[[File:Districts of Palermo with Roman numbers.svg|upright=1.35|thumb|Quarters of Palermo]]

{| style="width:60%;" class="wikitable"
|-
! style="width:10%;"| Municipality
! style="width:50%;"| Quarters
|- style="text-align:center;"
| |I || style="text-align:center;"|[[Kalsa]], [[Albergheria]], [[Seralcadio]] & [[Castellammare, Palermo|La Loggia]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|II || style="text-align:center;"|Settecannoli, [[Brancaccio]] & [[Ciaculli|Ciaculli-Oreto]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
| |III || style="text-align:center;"|Villagrazia-Falsomiele & Stazione-Oreto
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|IV || style="text-align:center;"|Montegrappa, [[Santuario di Santa Rosalia, Palermo|S. Rosalia]], [[Cuba, Palermo|Cuba]], Calatafimi, Mezzomonreale, Villa Tasca-Altarello & Boccadifalco
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|V || style="text-align:center;"|[[Zisa, Palermo|Zisa]], Noce, Uditore-Passo di Rigano & Borgo Nuovo
|- style="text-align:center;"
| |VI || style="text-align:center;"|Cruillas, S. Giovanni Apostolo, Resuttana & San Lorenzo
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|VII || style="text-align:center;"|Pallavicino, Tommaso Natale, Sferracavallo, Partanna, [[Mondello]], Arenella, Vergine Maria & [[ZEN (Palermo)|San Filippo Neri]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
| |VIII || style="text-align:center;"|[[Teatro Politeama, Palermo|Politeama]], Malaspina-Palagonia, Libertà & [[Monte Pellegrino]]
|}

Shown above are the thirty five quarters of Palermo: these thirty five neighbourhoods or "[[quartiere]]" as they are known, are further divided into eight governmental community boards.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.palapa.it/palapadnn/Quartieri/tabid/67/Default.aspx |publisher=Palapa.it |title=Quartieri |date=8 January 2008 |access-date=30 October 2008 |archive-date=22 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722043844/http://www.palapa.it/palapadnn/Quartieri/tabid/67/Default.aspx |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Demographics ==
{{Historical populations
|1861 |199911|1871 |223689|1881 |244898|1901 |309566|1911 |339465|1921 |397486|1931 |379905|1936 |411879|1951 |490692|1961 |587985|1971 |642814|1981 |701782|1991 |698556|2001 |686722|2011 |657561|2021 |635439| source = [[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Popolazione residente dei comuni. Censimenti dal 1861 al 1991|trans-title=Resident population of the municipalities. Censuses from 1861 to 1991|url=https://ebiblio.istat.it/digibib/Censimenti%20popolazione/Censimentipopolazioneresidentedal1861/RML0050288Pop_res_cens_1861_1991.pdf|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251112200324/https://ebiblio.istat.it/digibib/Censimenti%20popolazione/Censimentipopolazioneresidentedal1861/RML0050288Pop_res_cens_1861_1991.pdf |archive-date=2025-11-12|lang=it|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]}}</ref><ref name="timeseries">{{cite web |title=Resident population - Time series|url=https://esploradati.istat.it/databrowser/#/en/censpop/dashboards|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]}}</ref>
| align = right
| cols = 1}}

As of 2026, the population is 626,273, of which 47.9% are male, and 52.1% are female. Minors make up 16.2% of the population, and seniors make up 24%.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-01 |title= Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026 |url=https://demo.istat.it/app/?i=POS&l=en |website=demo.istat.it |publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]] |access-date=2026-04-01}} (On the search form, choose the statistical region of the municipality in the Area section, the Region, the Province, and the name of the Municipality)</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-01 |title= Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026 |url= https://demo.istat.it/data/posas/POSAS_2026_en_All_files.zip |website=demo.istat.it |publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]] |access-date=2026-04-01}}The file URL linking on technical dataset.</ref>

=== Immigration ===
As of 2025, of the known countries of birth of 622,221 residents, the most numerous are: [[Italy]] (597,438 – 96%), [[Bangladesh]] (5,965 – 1%).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-01 |title= Resident population by sex, municipality and individual citizenship or country of birth from year 2002 |url=https://demo.istat.it/app/?i=RCS&a=&l=en |website=demo.istat.it |publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]] |access-date=2025-02-27}} (Click on 'View by country of birth', and on the search form, choose the statistical region of the municipality in the Area section, the Region, the Province, and the name of the Municipality)</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-01 |title= Resident population by sex, municipality and individual citizenship or country of birth from year 2002 |url= https://demo.istat.it/data/rcs/Dati_RCS_nascita_2025.zip |website=demo.istat.it |publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]] |access-date=2025-02-27}}The file URL linking on technical dataset.</ref>
{| class="wikitable floatright"
|+Foreign population by country of birth (2025)
!Country of birth
!Population
|-
|{{flag|Bangladesh}}
|5,965
|-
|{{flag|Romania}}
|2,600
|-
|{{flag|Sri Lanka}}
|2,441
|-
|{{flag|Ghana}}
|2,087
|-
|{{flag|Tunisia}}
|1,614
|-
|{{flag|Philippines}}
|1,477
|-
|{{flag|Germany}}
|1,160
|-
|{{flag|Morocco}}
|1,122
|-
|{{flag|Mauritius}}
|936
|-
|{{flag|China}}
|723
|-
|{{flag|Nigeria}}
|632
|-
|{{flag|Ukraine}}
|583
|-
|{{flag|France}}
|534
|-
|{{flag|Ivory Coast}}
|508
|-
|{{flag|United States}}
|502
|}

== Culture ==

=== Religion ===

==== Patron saints ====

[[File:GenioPalermoMarabitti.JPG|thumb|[[Genius of Palermo]], the ancient patron of the city]]

The patron saint of Palermo is [[Saint Rosalia]], who is widely revered.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.timesofsicily.com/festino-santa-rosalia-palermo/ | title=The "Festino" of Santa Rosalia in Palermo | work=Times of Sicily | first=Maria Lina | last=Bommarito | date=13 July 2014 | access-date=16 July 2017}}</ref>

On 14 July, people in Palermo celebrate the annual ''Festino'', the most important religious event of the year. The Festino is a procession that goes through the main street of Palermo to commemorate the miracle attributed to Saint Rosalia who, it is believed, freed the city from the [[Black Death]] in 1624. Her remains were discovered in a cave on Monte Pellegrino, and her remains were carried around the city three times, banishing the plague. There is a [[sanctuary]] marking the spot where her remains were found which can be reached via a scenic bus ride from the.

Before 1624 Palermo had four [[patron saint]]s, one for each of the four major parts of the city. They were [[Agatha of Sicily|Saint Agatha]], [[Saint Christina of Bolsena|Saint Christina]], [[Tryphon, Respicius, and Nympha|Saint Nympha]] and [[Saint Olivia]].

[[Saint Lucy]] is also honoured with a celebration on 13 December, during which the inhabitants of Palermo do not eat anything made with flour, but boil wheat in its natural state and use it to prepare a special dish called [[cuccìa]]. This commemorates the saving of the city from famine due to a miracle attributed to Saint Lucy; A ship full of grain mysteriously arrived in the city's harbour and the hungry population wasted no time in making flour but ate the grain as it arrived.

[[Saint Benedict the Moor]] is the heavenly protector of the city of Palermo.

The ancient patron of the city was the [[Genius of Palermo]], [[genius loci]] and [[numen]] protector of the place, that became the secular patron of the modern Palermo.<ref>{{in lang|it}} Alberto Samonà. [http://www.inventati.org/amprodias/txt/sicilia/pellegrino.htm ''Il Genio di Palermo e il Monte Pellegrino''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100328212102/http://www.inventati.org/amprodias/txt/sicilia/pellegrino.htm |date=28 March 2010 }}. Retrieved 2 September 2010.</ref>

=== Sports ===

[[File:Stadio R Barbera.JPG|thumb|[[Stadio Renzo Barbera]]]]

Palermo hosts a professional football team, [[Palermo F.C.|Palermo Football Club]], commonly called simply Palermo, that competes in [[Serie B]] as of 2022, having been excluded from [[Serie B]] after the 2018–2019 season. After it went bankrupt in 2019, a new club was formed by the company Hera Hora Srl.

The [[Targa Florio]] was an open road endurance car race held near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was one of the oldest [[sports car racing]] events until its discontinuation in 1977 due to safety concerns, but it has since run as a rallying event. Palermo was home to the grand depart of the 2008 [[Giro d'Italia]]. The initial stage was a {{cvt|28.5|km|mi|1|adj=mid|-long}} TTT ([[Team time trial|Team Time Trial]]).

The [[Internazionali Femminili di Palermo]] is an annual ladies professional tennis event held in the city, which is part of the [[WTA Tour]].

The [[American football]] team is [[Eagles United Palermo]] and it plays in stadium of [[Carini]].

=== City emblems ===

==== Flag ====
The flag of Palermo is similar to that of the autonomous region of Sicily, but with a different arrangement of colours. The flag displayed on the Palazzo Pretorio, the town hall, has no coat of arms. However, versions with coats of arms of variable appearance in the center have been observed; for example, around the 1950s or 1960s the flag bore the civic coat of arms form ''Il Blasone in Sicilia''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Italia città |url=http://www.rbvex.it/italiac.html#paler |access-date=2023-06-17 |website=rbvex.it}}</ref>

<gallery widths=200 heights=140>
File:Flag of Palermo.svg|Flag
File:Flag of Palermo (Variant).svg|Another flag in use
</gallery>

==== Coat of arms ====
The coat of arms consists of a shield with a red background, stamped by the crown of the city, in the center of which there is a gold-colored eagle with open wings holding in its claws the legend bearing the initials "S.P.Q.P.".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-07-24 |title=Città di Palermo - Statuto del Comune |url=http://www.comune.palermo.it/comune/normative/statuto.htm |access-date=2023-06-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100724062018/http://www.comune.palermo.it/comune/normative/statuto.htm |archive-date=24 July 2010 }}</ref>

<gallery widths=200 heights=200>
File:Palermo-Stemma-3.svg|Coat of arms from ''Il Blasone in Sicilia'' (1871–1875)
File:Palermo-Stemma-2.svg|Another coat of arms from ''Il Blasone in Sicilia'' (1871–1875)
File:Palermo-Stemma (Damiani Almeyda - 1891).svg|Coat of arms used between 1891 and 1999
File:Palermo-Stemma (DCG 18 Maggio 1942).svg|alt=Stemma con capo del Littorio, come da decreto di riconoscimento|Coat of arms with the chief of the lictor, according to the official decree of recognition of 1942
File:Palermo-Stemma (1999).svg|Coat of arms in use since 1999
</gallery>

== Monuments ==
=== UNESCO World Heritage Sites ===
{{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| WHS = Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale
| Image = 
| Caption = The Cathedral of Palermo
| Criteria = Cultural: ii, iv
| ID = 1487
| Year = 2015
| Area = 6.235 ha
| Buffer_zone = 483.03 ha
}}

Palermo has a large architectural heritage and is notable for its many Arab-Norman buildings. [[World Heritage Site|UNESCO World Heritage Sites]] include the [[Palazzo dei Normanni|Palazzo Reale]] with the [[Cappella Palatina]], the [[San Giovanni degli Eremiti|Chiesa di San Giovanni degli Eremiti]], the [[Martorana|Chiesa di Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio]], the [[Chiesa di San Cataldo]], the [[Palermo Cathedral|Cattedrale di Palermo]], the [[Zisa, Palermo|Palazzo della Zisa]] and the [[Ponte dell'Ammiraglio]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Palermo and its Arab-Norman architecture become UNESCO heritage site |url=http://www.italoamericano.org/story/2015-7-7/palermo |access-date = 8 July 2015 |date=7 July 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150709005401/http://www.italoamericano.org/story/2015-7-7/palermo |archive-date = 9 July 2015 |url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sites in Italy, Jordan and Saudi Arabia inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/1312/ |access-date = 8 July 2015 |publisher=UNESCO Centre |archive-date = 8 July 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150708004130/http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/1312/ |url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalú and Monreale – UNESCO World Heritage Centre |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1487/ |access-date = 8 July 2015 |publisher=UNESCO Centre |archive-date = 7 July 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150707100827/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1487/ |url-status = live}}</ref> adding to the list that makes Italy the country with most UNESCO world heritage sites.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thesalmons.org/lynn/world.heritage.html |title=UNESCO World Heritage List |website=thesalmons.org |access-date=25 November 2015 |archive-date=15 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181015160807/http://www.thesalmons.org/lynn/world.heritage.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://top5ofanything.com/list/28beede4/Countries-with-the-Most-UNESCO-World-Heritage-Sites- |title=The Top 5 Countries with the Most UNESCO World Heritage Sites |first=Noel J Riggs, Steve B |last=Scott |website=top5ofanything.com |access-date=25 November 2015 |archive-date=26 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151126043140/https://top5ofanything.com/list/28beede4/Countries-with-the-Most-UNESCO-World-Heritage-Sites- |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.touringclub.it/notizie-di-viaggio/nuovi-siti-unesco-per-litalia-diventano-patrimonio-dellumanita-la-palermo-arabo |title=Nuovi siti Unesco: per l'Italia diventano Patrimonio dell'Umanità la Palermo arabo-normanna, Cefalù e Monreale |first=Touring Club |last=Italiano |date=7 July 2015 |access-date=25 November 2015 |archive-date=26 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151126054752/http://www.touringclub.it/notizie-di-viaggio/nuovi-siti-unesco-per-litalia-diventano-patrimonio-dellumanita-la-palermo-arabo |url-status=live}}</ref>

{{wide image|Panoramica Cattedrale di Palermo.jpg|550px|[[Palermo Cathedral]]}}

=== Palaces and museums ===
[[File:Palermo-Castle-bjs-1.jpg|thumb|[[Palazzo dei Normanni]], seat of the Sicilian Regional Assembly]]

* [[Palazzo dei Normanni]] (the Norman Palace), a notable example of [[Norman architecture]], this palace houses the [[Cappella Palatina]].<ref name=EB1911>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Palermo |volume=20 |page=599 |first1=Edward Augustus|last1=Freeman |first2=Thomas |last2=Ashby}}</ref>
* [[Zisa, Palermo|Zisa]] (1160) and [[Cuba, Palermo|Cuba]], magnificent castles/houses historically used by the kings of Palermo for hunting. The Zisa today houses the Islamic museum. The Cuba was once encircled by water.
* [[Palazzo Natoli]]
* [[Palazzo Chiaramonte]]
* [[Palazzo Abatellis]]: built at the end of the 15th century for the prefect of the city, Francesco Abatellis. It is a massive though elegant construction, in typical [[Gothic architecture|Catalan Gothic]] style, with [[Renaissance]] influences. The Gallery houses an Eleonora of Aragon bust by [[Francesco Laurana]] (1471) and the ''[[Malvagna Triptych]]'' ({{circa}} 1510), by [[Jan Gossaert]] and an ''Annunziata'' by [[Antonello da Messina]].
* [[Antonino Salinas Regional Archaeological Museum]]: museum includes numerous remains from [[Etruscan civilization|Etruscan]], [[Carthage|Carthaginian]], [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] and [[Hellenistic period|Hellenistic]] civilisations. It houses all the decorative remains from the Sicilian temples of [[Segesta]] and [[Selinunte]].
* [[Palazzina Cinese]]: royal residence of the [[House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies]] and location of the Ethnographic Museum of Sicily.

=== Churches ===
{{Main|Churches in Palermo}}

[[File:Cappella Palatina (low-angle).jpg|thumb|Cappella Palatina]]

* [[Palermo Cathedral]]: the long history of the cathedral led to an accumulation of different architectural styles, the latest being the 18th century.
* [[Cappella Palatina]], 12th century chapel of the [[Palazzo dei Normanni]], has outstanding mosaics in both Western and the Eastern traditions and a roof by Saracen craftsmen.
* [[San Giovanni dei Lebbrosi, Palermo|San Giovanni dei Lebbrosi]]
* [[San Giovanni degli Eremiti]]: 12th-century church, near Palazzo dei Normanni, notable for bright red domes, a remnant of Arab influence in Sicily. In his ''Diary of an Idle Woman in Sicily'', F. Elliot described it as "...&nbsp;totally oriental... it would fit well in [[Baghdad]] or [[Damascus]]". The bell tower is an example of Norman architecture.
* [[Martorana|Chiesa della Martorana]]: also known as ''Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio'' (''St Mary of the Admiral''), church annexed to the next-door church of [[San Cataldo, Palermo|San Cataldo]] and overlooks Piazza Bellini in central Palermo. Original layout was a compact [[cross-in-square]] ("Greek cross plan"), a common south Italian and Sicilian variant of the middle Byzantine period church style. Three eastern [[apse]]s adjoin directly to the [[Shrine|naos]], instead of being separated by an additional bay, as was usual in eastern Byzantine architecture.<ref>Kitzinger, ''Mosaics'', 29–30.</ref> The bell tower, lavishly decorated, still serves as the main entrance to the church. The interior decoration is elaborate, and includes Byzantine mosaics.
* [[San Cataldo, Palermo|San Cataldo]]: church on central Piazza Bellini, another example of [[Norman architecture]].
* [[Santa Maria della Gancia, Palermo|Santa Maria della Gancia]]
* [[Santa Caterina, Palermo|Santa Caterina]]: church located on Piazza Bellini, behind Piazza Pretoria, built between 1566 and 1596.
* [[Santa Maria della Catena, Palermo|Santa Maria della Catena]]: built between 1490 and 1520. Designed by [[Matteo Carnilivari]]: The name derives from chains that were once attached to one of the walls.
* [[Church of Saint Dominic, Palermo|San Domenico]]: located near Via Roma, now "Pantheon of illustrious [[Sicilians]]".
* [[San Giuseppe dei Teatini]]: located near the [[Quattro Canti]], it is an example of [[Sicilian Baroque]].
* [[Oratorio di San Lorenzo]]: working in [[stucco]], Rococo sculptor [[Giacomo Serpotta]] and his family decorated the church (1690/98–1706) with such a profusion of statuary, and an abundance of putti, the walls appear alive. In October 1969, two thieves removed Caravaggio's ''[[Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence]]'' from its frame. It has never been recovered.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/violent-crime/art-theft/fbi-top-ten-art-crimes/nativity-with-san-lorenzo-and-san-francesco |title=Theft of Caravaggio's Nativity with San Lorenzo and San Francesco |publisher=FBI |date=17 September 2012 |access-date=9 May 2017 |archive-date=16 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216043359/https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/violent-crime/art-theft/fbi-top-ten-art-crimes/nativity-with-san-lorenzo-and-san-francesco |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Sooke |first=Alastair |title=Caravaggio's Nativity: Hunting a stolen masterpiece |date=23 December 2013 |publisher=BBC |url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20131219-hunting-a-stolen-masterpiece |access-date=24 December 2013 |archive-date=24 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224073639/http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20131219-hunting-a-stolen-masterpiece |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Oratorio del Rosario di Santa Cita, Palermo|Oratorio del Rosario di Santa Cita]] and [[Oratory of Rosario di San Domenico|Oratorio del Rosario di San Domenico]], stuccoes by Giacomo Serpotta
* [[Santa Teresa alla Kalsa]], derives its name from [[Al-Khalisa]], an Arabic term meaning ''elected'', was constructed between 1686 and 1706 over the former [[Emir]]'s residence, is one of the best 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. This church inspired [[Raphael]] to paint his famous ''[[Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary (Raphael)|Sicilia's Spasimo]]'', now in the [[Museo del Prado]]. The church today is a fascinating open-air auditorium, which occasionally houses exhibitions and musical shows.
* [[Church of the Gesù, Palermo|Church of the Gesù]] ("Church of Jesus"): located in the city centre, the church was built in 1564 in the late-Renaissance style by the Jesuits. It was built over a pre-existing convent of [[Basilian monk]]s. Alterations in 1591 were completed in a Sicilian Baroque. The church was heavily damaged after the 1943 bombings, which destroyed most of the [[fresco]]s. The interior has a [[Christian cross|Latin cross]] plan with a nave and two aisles, and has a particularly rich decoration of marbles, intarsia and stuccoes, especially in [[Saint Anne|St Anne's]] Chapel. At the right is the Casa Professa, with a 1685 portal and a precious 18th century cloister. The building has been home to the Municipal Library since 1775.
* [[Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, Palermo|San Francesco di Assisi]]: church built between 1255 and 1277 in what was once the market district of the city, at the site of two pre-existing churches and was largely renovated in the 15th, 16th, 18th and 19th centuries, the last after an [[earthquake]]. After the 1943 bombings, the church was restored to its Medieval 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 architecture|Renaissance style]], as well as the late 16th century side portals. The church includes precious sculptures by [[Antonello Gagini|Antonio]], [[Giacomo Gagini]] and [[Francesco Laurana]]. Of note are also statues built by Giacomo Serpotta in 1723.
* Church of the Magione: officially known as the church of the [[Trinity|Holy Trinity]]. This church was built in the Norman style in 1191 by Matteo d'Ajello, who donated it to the [[Cistercians|Cistercian monks]].

<gallery class="center" widths=200 heights=200>
File:Palermo-San-Cataldo-bjs-1.jpg|[[San Cataldo, Palermo|San Cataldo]]
File:Palermo-Martorana-bjs.jpg|[[Martorana|Chiesa della Martorana]]
File:Sicilia Palermo5 tango7174.jpg|[[Santa Caterina, Palermo|Santa Caterina]]
File:Chiesa di San Domenico Palermo.jpg|[[San Domenico, Palermo|San Domenico]]
File:Palermo 0461 2013.jpg|[[Santuario di Santa Rosalia, Palermo|Santuario di Santa Rosalia]]
</gallery>

=== Squares and public monuments ===
[[File:Palermo 0601 2013.jpg|thumb|[[Quattro Canti]]]]
[[File:Sicilia Palermo1 tango7174.jpg|thumb|[[Piazza Pretoria]]]]
[[File:La fontaine de la honte (Palerme) (6877773882).jpg|thumb|''[[Fontana Pretoria]]'']]

* [[Quattro Canti]] is a small square at the crossing of the ancient main roads (now: Corso [[Victor Emmanuel II of Italy|Vittorio Emanuele]] and Via Maqueda) dividing the town into its quarters (''[[Mandamento (administrative district)|mandamenti]]''). The buildings at the corner have diagonal baroque façades so the square has an almost octagonal form.
* [[Piazza Pretoria]] was planned in the 16th century near the Quattro Canti as the site of a fountain by [[Francesco Camilliani]], the ''[[Fontana Pretoria]]''.
* The [[Charles V Monument (Palermo)|monument to Charles V]] on Piazza Bologni, erected in 1631.<ref>{{cite web|title=Charles V and Sicily|author=Luigi Mendola|url=http://www.bestofsicily.com/mag/art381.htm|website=Best of Sicily Magazine|date=2011}}</ref>

=== City walls ===
{{See also-text|{{ill|Walls of Palermo|it|Mura di Palermo}}}}
[[File:MuraPunichePalermo.JPG|thumb|[[Phoenicia]]n wall in via degli Schioppettieri]]
[[File:Palermo palazzo normanni.jpg|thumb|The [[Palazzo dei Normanni]]]]

Palermo had two rings of [[city wall]]s, many parts of which still survive.<ref>Pezzini Elena. Un tratto della cinta muraria della città di Palermo. In: Mélanges de l'École française de Rome. Moyen-Age, tome 110, n°2. 1998. pp. 719–771.

DOI : https://doi.org/10.3406/mefr.1998.3654</ref> The first ring surrounded the ancient core of the Phoenician city, the ''Palaeopolis'' or ''Paleapolis'' (in the area east of Porta Nuova) and the ''Neapolis''. [[Via Vittorio Emanuele, Palermo|Via Vittorio Emanuele]] was the main road east–west through this early walled city. The eastern edge of the walled city was on Via Roma and the ancient port in the vicinity of Piazza Marina. The wall circuit was approximately Porto Nuovo, Corso Alberti, Piazza Peranni, Via Isodoro, Via Candela, Via Venezia, Via Roma, Piazza Paninni, Via Biscottari, Via Del Bastione, [[Palazzo dei Normanni]] and back to Porto Nuovo.

The walls followed the course of the two rivers that surround the city, the Kemonia and the Papireto, creating a natural moat and improving the military security of the city. During the Roman era, they were certainly implemented, as deducible from the subsequent account of Procopius of Caesarea about the capture of Palermo.

In the medieval period the city was expanded with a second wall. Via Vittorio Emanuele continued to be the main road east–west through the walled city. The west gate was still Porta Nuova, the walls continued to Corso Alberti, to Piazza Vittorio Emanuele Orlando where it turned east along Via Volturno to Piazza Verdi and along the line of Via Cavour. At this northeast corner the [[Castello a Mare]] protected the port at La Cala. A huge chain was used to block La Cala with the other end at [[Santa Maria della Catena, Palermo|Santa Maria della Catena]] (St Mary of the Chain). The sea-side wall was along the western side of Foro Italico Umberto. The wall turns west along the northern side of Via Abramo Lincoln, continues along Corso Tukory. The wall turns north approximately on Via Benedetto, to [[Palazzo dei Normanni]] and back to Porta Nuova.<ref>Palermo – City Guide by Adriana Chirco, 1998, Dario Flaccovio Editore.</ref>

Several gates in the city wall survive.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/albumMap?uname=107794929208535064679&aid=5726470220811767345&locked=true#map |title=Picasa Web Albums – Kevin Flude – Palermo City |date=1 April 2012 |access-date=12 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904035935/https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/albumMap?uname=107794929208535064679&aid=5726470220811767345&locked=true#map |archive-date=4 September 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Opera houses ===
Until the beginning of the 20th century there were hundreds of small opera theatres known as ''magazzeni'' in Palermo.

* The [[Teatro Massimo]] ("Greatest Theatre") was opened in 1897. It is the biggest in Italy ({{cvt|8000|m2|sqft|disp=semicolon}}), and one of Europe's largest (third after the [[Paris Opera]] and the [[Vienna State Opera]]), renowned for its acoustics. [[Enrico Caruso]] sang in a performance of ''[[La Gioconda (opera)|La Gioconda]]'' during the opening season, returning for ''[[Rigoletto]]'' at the end of his career. Closed for renovation from 1974 until 1997, it is now restored and has an active schedule.
* The [[Teatro Politeama, Palermo|Teatro Politeama]] was built between 1867 and 1874.

<gallery class="center" widths=200 heights=140>
File:Teatro Massimo Vittorio Emanuele di Palermo.jpg|[[Teatro Massimo]]
File:Palermo 0579 2013.jpg|[[Teatro Politeama, Palermo|Teatro Politeama]]
</gallery>

=== Other sights ===
[[File:Giardino Inglese, Palermo, Sicily, Italy (9459124620).jpg|thumb|280px|[[Giardino Inglese (Palermo)|Giardino Inglese]]]]

The ''Wall of Legality'' (''Il Muro Della Legalità'') depicts 38 important persons who helped in fighting the mafia. The street art project was inaugurated in July 2022 and is a joint effort by 19 artists. It can be found at Piazza degli Aragonesi.

The cathedral has a [[heliometer]] (solar observatory) dating to 1690, one of a number<ref name="ref1">{{cite web |url=http://cis.alma.unibo.it/NewsLetter/090496Nw/Heilbron.htm |title=A paper from University of Bologna describing Heliometers in Italian Cathedrals |publisher=Cis.alma.unibo.it |date=6 December 1995 |access-date=3 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110413205139/http://cis.alma.unibo.it/NewsLetter/090496Nw/Heilbron.htm |archive-date=13 April 2011}}</ref> 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 [[noon|solar noon]] (12:00 in winter, 13:00 in summer). There is a bronze line, ''[[Meridian (astronomy)|la Meridiana]]'', on the floor, running precisely north–south. The ends of the line mark the positions as at the summer and winter [[solstice]]s; [[zodiac|signs of the zodiac]] show the various other dates throughout the year.

[[File:EsedraNordOvest.JPG|thumb|280px|Villa Giulia (Palermo)]]

The purpose of the instrument was to standardise the measurement of [[time in physics|time]] and the [[Gregorian calendar|calendar]]. The convention in Sicily had been that the (24‑hour) day was measured from the moment of dawn, which 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 [[Equinox|vernal equinox]] occurred, to provide the correct date for [[Easter]].

[[File:Antico Stabilimento Balneare di Mondello.jpg|thumb|280px|The Antico Stabilimento Balneare (Ancient Bathing Establishment) located in [[Mondello]], a seaside borough north of Palermo, is an [[Art Nouveau]] or Liberty-style building atop piers of the beach in the town]]

The [[Orto botanico di Palermo]] (Palermo Botanical Garden), founded in 1785, is Italy's largest, with a surface of {{cvt|10|ha}}.

One site of interest is the [[Order of Friars Minor Capuchin|Capuchin]] [[Capuchin catacombs of Palermo|Catacombs]], with many [[mummy|mummified]] [[Cadaver|corpse]]s in varying degrees of preservation.

Close to the city is the {{Convert|600|m|ft|adj=mid|-high}} [[Monte Pellegrino]], offering a panorama of the city, its surrounding mountains and the sea.

Another good panoramic viewpoint is the promontory of Monte Gallo ({{cvt|586|m|ft|disp=semicolon}}), near Mondello Beach.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.siciliaincammino.it/promontori-sul-mare-ascesa-monte-gallo-da-partanna-mondellopalermo |title=Promontori sul mare: Ascesa a Monte Gallo da Partanna Mondello (Palermo) &#124; Sicilia... In cammino - Trekking e Outdoor Network |access-date=2 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303231619/http://www.siciliaincammino.it/promontori-sul-mare-ascesa-monte-gallo-da-partanna-mondellopalermo |archive-date=3 March 2016}}</ref>

A Moreton Bay fig of >30 m girth and of 32 m height can be found on the Piazza Marina. This ''[[Ficus macrophylla]]'' is most probably the thickest tree in Europe.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.monumentaltrees.com/en/ita/sizilien/palermo/2309_piazzamarina/3517/ |year=2012 |website=Monumental Trees |title=Moreton Bay fig on the Piazza Marina, Palermo, Sicily, Italy |access-date=27 December 2019 |archive-date=27 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191227174725/https://www.monumentaltrees.com/en/ita/sizilien/palermo/2309_piazzamarina/3517/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

On the boulevard [[Via Roma, Palermo|Via Roma]] is the [[Palazzo delle Poste, Palermo|Palazzo delle Poste]], a government building created during the [[Mussolini era]] in the [[Stripped Classicism|stripped classicism]] style. It was designed by the [[Rationalism (architecture)|rationalist]] and later fascist government architect [[Angiolo Mazzoni]]. Perhaps its most famous feature is the five-mural cycle in the [[Futurist]] style by the artist [[Benedetta Cappa]], ''Sintesi delle Comunicazioni'' (''Synthesis of Communication'').<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://thule-italia.com/wordpress/2014/04/17/il-palazzo-delle-poste-di-palermo/ |title=Il Palazzo delle Poste di Palermo &#124; Thule Italia |access-date=3 March 2021 |archive-date=20 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190920220056/http://thule-italia.com/wordpress/2014/04/17/il-palazzo-delle-poste-di-palermo/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/21/arts/design/guggenheim-is-to-show-rare-murals-by-a-futurist.html |title=Guggenheim is to Show Rare Murals by a Futurist |newspaper=The New York Times |date=20 January 2014 |access-date=3 March 2021 |archive-date=12 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112032211/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/21/arts/design/guggenheim-is-to-show-rare-murals-by-a-futurist.html |url-status=live |last1=Donadio |first1=Rachel}}</ref>

<gallery class="center" mode="packed" heights="160">
File:Palermo 0454 2013.jpg|Panorama
</gallery>

==Economy ==

[[File:Mondello palermo2.jpg|thumb|The Mondello Beach, one of the main tourist destinations]]

As Sicily's administrative capital, Palermo is a centre for much of the region's finance, tourism and commerce. It has an [[Palermo Airport|international airport]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.palermo-pmo.airports-guides.com/ |title=Palermo Falcone Borsellino Airport (PMO) Information: Airport in Punta Raisi Area, Italy |publisher=Palermo-pmo.airports-guides.com |access-date=20 April 2010 |archive-date=16 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100416071250/http://www.palermo-pmo.airports-guides.com/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and Palermo's [[economic growth]] over the years has brought the opening of many new businesses. The economy mainly relies on tourism and [[service (economics)|services]], but also has commerce, shipbuilding and agriculture.<ref name="bcglocations.com">{{cite web |url=http://bcg.thetimes.co.uk/Europe/Italy/Palermo |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130109055412/http://bcg.thetimes.co.uk/Europe/Italy/Palermo |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 January 2013 |title=The Sunday Times guide: Palermo |work=[[The Times]] |access-date=3 April 2011 }}</ref> But Palermo still has high unemployment, high corruption, and a significant [[black market]] (Palermo being the home of the [[Sicilian Mafia]]).{{cn|date=August  2025}}

== Transport ==

=== Public transport ===

Palermo has a local railway, the [[Palermo metropolitan railway service]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.subways.net/italy/palermo.htm |title=Palermo Subway Metro Light Rail |publisher=Subways.net |access-date=20 April 2010 |archive-date=28 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100628185521/http://www.subways.net/italy/palermo.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>

The average amount of time people spend commuting with public transit in Palermo, for example to and from work, on a weekday is 63 min. 14.% of public transit riders, ride for more than 2 hours every day. The average amount of time people wait at a stop or station for public transit is 23 min, while 48% of riders wait for over 20 minutes on average every day. The average distance people usually ride in a single trip with public transit is 4.4&nbsp;km, while 3% travel for over 12&nbsp;km in a single direction.<ref>{{cite web |title=Palermo Public Transportation Statistics |publisher=Global Public Transit Index by Moovit |url=https://moovitapp.com/insights/en/Moovit_Insights_Public_Transit_Index_Italy_Palermo-2804 |access-date=19 June 2017 |archive-date=24 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170824180909/https://moovitapp.com/insights/en/Moovit_Insights_Public_Transit_Index_Italy_Palermo-2804 |url-status=live}} [[File:CC-BY icon.svg|50px]] Material was copied from this source, which is available under a [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016050101/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |date=16 October 2017 }}.</ref>

[[File:Punta Raisi staz ferr treni.jpg|thumb|Trains at [[Punta Raisi]]]]

=== Buses ===

Palermo's public bus system is operated by AMAT<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.amat.pa.it/ |title=Home |first=Carlo Di |last=Bella |access-date=22 January 2011 |archive-date=25 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110625072009/http://www.amat.pa.it/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and covers an area of {{cvt|340|km|0}}. About 90 different routes reach every part of the city.<ref>See {{in lang|it}} [http://www.amat.pa.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=76&Itemid=88 Transport net by AMAT] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120807221659/http://www.amat.pa.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=76&Itemid=88 |date=7 August 2012 }}</ref>

=== Trams ===
{{Main|Trams in Palermo}}

Palermo has a public [[tram]] system finalized in 2015 and operated by AMAT. There are four lines:

# Roccella: Central Station
# Borgo Nuovo: Notarbartolo Station
# CEP: Notarbartolo Station
# Corso Calatafimi: Notarbartolo Station

=== Coaches ===
The local coach company, AST,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aziendasicilianatrasporti.it/ |title=AST - Azienda Siciliana Trasporti |access-date=18 August 2012 |archive-date=2 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120902164342/http://www.aziendasicilianatrasporti.it/ |url-status=live}}</ref> with its coaches totalling 35 lines, links Palermo to all of the main cities in Sicily.

=== Roads ===
[[File:Autostrada A20 Torregrotta.jpg|thumb|[[Autostrada A20 (Italy)|A20]] that connects Palermo to [[Messina]]]]

Palermo is a key intersection on the Sicilian road network, being the junction between the eastern [[Autostrada A19 (Italy)|A19]] [[motorway]] to [[Trapani]], the southeastern [[Autostrada A29 (Italy)|A29]] to [[Palermo International Airport|airport]] and [[Mazara del Vallo]] and the southwestern [[Autostrada A19 (Italy)|A19]] to [[Catania]] and [[Autostrada A20 (Italy)|A20]] to [[Messina]]. Palermo is one of the main cities on [[European route E90]]. The three main national roads starting from Palermo are the SS113, SS121, SS186 and the SS624.

=== Airports ===
[[Palermo International Airport]], known as Falcone-Borsellino Airport (formerly Punta Raisi Airport), is a few kilometres west of Palermo, in [[Cinisi]]. It is dedicated to [[Giovanni Falcone]] and [[Paolo Borsellino]], two anti-mafia judges killed by the Mafia in the early 1990s.

The airport's rail facility, known as [[Punta Raisi railway station]], can be reached from [[Palermo Centrale railway station|Palermo Centrale]], [[Palermo Notarbartolo railway station|Palermo Notarbartolo]] and Palermo Francia railway stations.

[[Palermo-Boccadifalco Airport]] is the city's other airport.

=== National rail ===
The main railway station of Palermo is [[Palermo Centrale railway station|Palermo Centrale]] which links to the other cities of Sicily, including [[Agrigento]], [[Trapani]] and [[Catania]], and through [[Messina]] and the [[Strait of Messina|strait]] to the rest of Italy. The railways also connect to the [[Palermo International Airport|Palermo airport]] with departures every thirty minutes.

== Port ==
[[File:Porto e bacini palermo dall'alto.JPG|thumb|The [[port of Palermo]]]]
[[File:Palermo 0538.jpg|thumb|]]

The [[port of Palermo]], founded by the [[Phoenicians]] over 2,700 years ago, is, together with the [[port of Messina]], Sicily's main port. From there, ferries link Palermo to [[Cagliari]], [[Genoa]], [[Livorno]], [[Naples]], [[Tunis]], and other cities, and carry almost two million passengers annually. It is also an important port for cruise ships. Traffic includes also almost {{cvt|5|e6t|e6ST|abbr=off}} of cargo and 80,000 [[Twenty-foot equivalent unit|TEU]]s yearly.<ref>See {{in lang|it}} [http://www.assoporti.it/sites/www.assoporti.it/files/statistiche/Movimenti_portuali_%202011_26giu12.pdf table from assoporti.it]{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The port also has links to minor Sicilian islands such as [[Ustica]] and the [[Aeolian Islands]] (via [[Cefalù]] in summer). Inside the Port of Palermo there is a section known as "tourist marina" for sailing yachts and catamarans.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="160">
File:Palermo 0421 2013.jpg|
File:Palermo 0436 2013.jpg|
</gallery>

== Education ==
[[File:Facoltà di Ingegneria Palermo.JPG|thumb|The [[University of Palermo]]]]

The local university is the [[University of Palermo]], the island's second oldest university. It was officially founded in 1806, although historical records indicate that medicine and law have been taught there since the late 15th century. The [[Orto botanico di Palermo]] (Palermo botanical gardens) is home to the university's Department of Botany and is also open to visitors.

== International relations ==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Italy}}

=== Twin towns – sister cities ===
Palermo is [[sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Comune di Palermo |url=https://www.comune-italia.it/comune-palermo.html |website=comune-italia.it |publisher=Comune Italia |language=it |access-date=16 December 2019 |archive-date=1 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200201100129/https://www.comune-italia.it/comune-palermo.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Bilancio Sociale 2016: Palermo Capitale del Mediterraneo |url=https://www.comune.palermo.it/bilancio_sociale.php?anno=2016&id=350&lev=3&cap=374&int=582 |website=comune.palermo.it |publisher=Palermo |language=it |access-date=16 December 2019 |archive-date=31 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200131230203/https://www.comune.palermo.it/bilancio_sociale.php?anno=2016&id=350&lev=3&cap=374&int=582 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Palermo and Valletta together for 2018. Cultural twinning at Palazzo Asmundo |url=http://www.palermoworld.it/eng/palermo-and-valletta-together-for-2018-cultural-twinning-at-palazzo-asmundo/ |website=palermoworld.it |date=30 December 2017 |publisher=Palermo World |access-date=18 September 2019 |archive-date=3 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200403051727/http://www.palermoworld.it/eng/palermo-and-valletta-together-for-2018-cultural-twinning-at-palazzo-asmundo/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

{{Div col|colwidth=16em}}
* {{Flagicon|TUN}} [[Bizerte]], Tunisia
* {{Flagicon|COD}} [[Bukavu]], DR of the Congo
* {{Flagicon|CHN}} [[Chengdu]], China
* {{Flagicon|GER}} [[Düsseldorf]], Germany
<!-- Gdańsk - not twinning -->
* {{Flagicon|CIV}} [[Grand-Bassam]], Ivory Coast
* {{Flagicon|VIE}} [[Hanoi]], Vietnam
* {{Flagicon|PSE}} [[Khan Yunis]], Palestine
* {{Flagicon|USA}} [[Miami]], United States
* {{Flagicon|USA}} [[Monterey, California|Monterey]], United States
* {{Flagicon|FRA}} [[Montpellier]], France
* {{Flagicon|CAN}} [[Ottawa]], Canada
* {{Flagicon|ARG}} [[Palermo, Argentina|Palermo]], Argentina
* {{Flagicon|COL}} [[Palermo, Colombia|Palermo]], Colombia
* {{Flagicon|ITA}} [[Pistoia]], Italy
* {{Flagicon|RUS}} [[Samara]], Russia
* {{Flagicon|CUB}} [[Santiago de Cuba]], Cuba
* {{Flagicon|GHA}} [[Sekondi-Takoradi]], Ghana
* {{Flagicon|ITA}} [[Sestu]], Italy
* {{Flagicon|GEO}} [[Tbilisi]], Georgia
* {{Flagicon|ROU}} [[Timișoara]], Romania
* {{Flagicon|MLT}} [[Valletta]], Malta
* {{Flagicon|RUS}} [[Yaroslavl]], Russia
{{Div col end}}

== Notable people ==
{{Div col|colwidth=25em}}
* [[Fausto Russo Alesi]] (born 1973), actor
* [[Eleonora Abbagnato]] (born 1978), ballet dancer
* [[Simonetta Agnello Hornby]] (born 1945), writer
* [[Desirée Rancatore]] (born 1977), operatic singer (soprano)
* [[Emerico Amari]] (1810–1870), politician
* [[Roberto Andò]] (born 1959), film director
* [[Vito Artale]] (1882–1944), general
* [[Lucio Maria Attinelli]] (born 1933), journalist and writer
* [[Aldo Baglio]] (born 1958), actor
* [[Pietro Ballo]] (born 1952), tenor
* [[Mario Balotelli]] (born 1990), footballer
* [[Mario Bardi]] (1922–1998), painter
* [[Ernesto Basile]] (1857–1932), architect
* [[Letizia Battaglia]] (1935–2022), photographer, photojournalist and politician
* [[Ferdinando Beneventano del Bosco]] (1813–1881), general
* [[Francesco Benigno]] (born 1967), actor
* [[Alfredo Bordonali]] (born 1919), football player
* [[Paolo Borsellino]] (1940–1992), judge
* [[Paolo Briguglia]] (born 1974), actor
* [[Gabriele Bruni]] (born 1974), sailor
* [[Gaetano Bruno]] (born 1973), actor
* [[Luigi Maria Burruano]] (1948–2017), actor
* [[Tommaso Buscetta]] (1928–2000), [[pentito]] of the [[Sicilian Mafia]]
* [[Lando Buzzanca]] (1935–2022), actor
* [[Lorena Cacciatore]] (born 1987), actress
* [[Alessandro Cagliostro]] (1743–1795), [[magician (paranormal)]] and [[adventure]]r
* [[Phil Caliva]] (born 1945), American racing driver
* [[Stanislao Cannizzaro]] (1826–1910), chemist
* [[Selene Caramazza]] (born 1993), actress
* [[Bruno Caruso]] (1927–2018), painter, illustrator, graphic designer and political activist
* [[Pino Caruso]] (1934–2019), actor
* [[Francesco Saverio Cavallari]] (1810-1896), architect and archeologist
* [[Marco Cecchinato]] (born 1992), tennis player
* [[Michelangelo Celesia]] (1814–1904), Italian cardinal
* [[Christian (singer)|Christian]] (1943-2025), singer
* [[Federico Cinà]] (born 2007), tennis player
* [[Daniele Ciprì]] (born 1962), film director
* [[Max Crivello]] (born 1958), illustrator and painter
* [[Miriam Dalmazio]] (born 1987), actress
* [[Emma Dante]] (born 1967), playwright and film director
* [[Alessandro D'Avenia]] (born 1977), writer
* [[Marcello Dell'Utri]] (born 1941), politician
* [[Nino Di Matteo]] (born 1961), judge
* [[Salvatore Di Vittorio]] (born 1967), composer and conductor
* [[Angelo Duro]] (born 1982), actor
* [[Pepi Fabbiano]], astrophysicist
* [[Giovanni Falcone]] (1939–1992), judge
* [[Vincenzo Ferrera]] (born 1973), actor
* [[Ficarra e Picone|Salvatore Ficarra]] (born 1971), actor
* [[Luca Flores]] (1956–1995), pianist and composer
* [[Ignazio Florio Jr.]] (1869–1957), entrepreneur
* [[Ignazio Florio Sr.]] (1838–1891), entrepreneur
* [[Vincenzo Florio]] (1883–1959), entrepreneur
* [[Corrado Fortuna]] (born 1978), actor
* [[Franco Franchi]] (1928–1992), actor
* [[Antonello Gagini]] (1478–1536), sculptor
* [[Paolo Giaccone]] (1929-1982), [[Forensic Pathology|forensic pathologist]] and professor at the [[University of Palermo]]
* [[Pia Giancaro]] (born 1950), Italian retired actress
* [[Natalia Ginzburg]] (1916-1991), writer
* [[Claudio Gioè]] (born 1975), actor
* [[Filippa Giordano]] (born 1974), singer
* [[Laura Giordano]] (born 1979), [[lyric soprano]]
* [[Marco Glaviano]] (born 1942), photographer and architect
* [[Luca Guadagnino]] (born 1971), film director
* [[Lucia Guzzardi]] (born 1927), actress
* [[Ciccio Ingrassia]] (1922–2003), actor
* [[Beniamino Iraci]] (born 1989), professional football player
* [[Ugo La Malfa]] (1903–1979), politician
* [[Elio Lo Cascio]] (born 1948), historian
* [[Luigi Lo Cascio]] (born 1967), actor
* [[Rosalia Lombardo]] (1918–1920), known as the ''Sleeping Beauty''
* [[Enrico Lo Verso]] (born 1964), actor
* [[Louise of Orléans]] (1812–1850), Queen of The Belgians
* [[Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies]] (1806–1878), Queen of [[Spain]]
* [[Filippo Mancuso]] (1922–2011), magistrate and [[Minister of Justice (Italy)|Italian Minister of Justice]]
* [[Teresa Mannino]] (born 1970), actress
* [[Ciprì & Maresco|Franco Maresco]] (born 1958), film director
* [[Laura Mattarella]] (born 1967), first child and the only daughter of Sergio Mattarella
* [[Sergio Mattarella]] (born 1941), [[president of Italy]]
* [[Giovanni Meli]] (1740–1815), poet and playwright
* [[Pino Mercanti]] (1911–1986), film director
* [[Silvio Micali]] (born 1954), computer scientist
* [[Gabriele Minì]] (born 2005), racing driver
* [[Vittorio Emanuele Orlando]] (1860–1952), [[Prime Minister of Italy]]
* [[Giorgia Pedone]] (born 2004), tennis player
* [[Giovanni Pernice]] (born 1990), dancer
* [[Sophia Petrillo]] (born 1905), character on ''[[The Golden Girls]]''
* [[Ficarra e Picone|Valentino Picone]] (born 1971), actor
* [[Pif (television host)]] (born 1972), actor and film director
* [[Amelia Pinto]] (1876–1946), opera singer
* [[Giuseppe Pitrè]] (1841–1916), [[Folklore studies|folklorist]], medical doctor, professor and senator
* [[Pope Sergius I]] (650–701)
* [[Isabella Ragonese]] (born 1981), actress
* [[Desirée Rancatore]] (born 1977), [[coloratura soprano]]
* [[Eva Riccobono]] (born 1983), model
* [[Antonio Rinaldi (architect)|Antonio Rinaldi]] (1709–1794), architect
* [[Gianni Riotta]] (born 1954), journalist
* [[Giuni Russo]] (1951–2004), singer
* [[Francesco Sabatini]] (1721–1797), architect
* [[Alfredo Salafia]] (1869–1933), [[Embalming|embalmer]] and [[Taxidermy|taxidermist]]
* [[Pietro Scaglione]] (1906–1971), magistrate
* [[Alessandro Scarlatti]] (1660–1725), composer
* [[Renato Schifani]] (born 1950), [[President of the Senate of the Republic (Italy)|President of the Senate]]
* [[Salvatore Schillaci]] (born 1964), footballer
* [[Francesco Scianna]] (born 1982), actor
* [[Enzo Sellerio]] (1924–2012), photographer, publisher and collector
* [[Giacomo Serpotta]] (1656–1732), sculptor
* [[Giuseppe Serpotta]] (1653–1719), scultore
* [[Marcello Sorgi]] (born 1955), journalist
* [[Tony Sperandeo]] (born 1953), actor
* [[Antonio Starabba, Marchese di Rudinì]] (1839–1908), [[Prime Minister of Italy]]
* [[Gaetano Starrabba]] (born 1932), racing driver
* [[Myriam Sylla]] (born 1995),[[volleyball]] player
* [[Nino Terzo]] (1923-2005), actor
* [[Thony]] (born 1982), singer and actress
* [[Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa]] (1896–1957), writer
* [[Giusto Traina]] (born 1959), historian
* [[Nino Vaccarella]] (1933–2021), racing driver
* [[Delia Vaccarello]] (1960–2019), journalist and activist for LGBT rights
* [[Fulco di Verdura]] (1898–1978), duke and jeweller
{{Div col end}}

=== Honorary citizens ===
People awarded the [[honorary citizenship]] of Palermo are:

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 100%; border: gray solid 1px; border-collapse: collapse; text-align: middle;"
! style="text-align: left;background:#B0C4DE"|Date
! width="240" style="text-align: left;background:#B0C4DE"|Name
! style="text-align: left;background:#B0C4DE"|Notes
|-
|-
| 17 May 1996
| [[Tenzin Gyatso]]
| The [[14th Dalai Lama]]
|-
| 14 December 2015
| [[Abdullah Öcalan]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://palermo.repubblica.it/cronaca/2015/12/14/news/cittadinanza_onoraria_a_ocalan_il_sindaco_orlando_siamo_orgogliosi_-129473160/ |title=Cittadinanza onoraria a Öcalan, il sindaco Orlando: "Siamo orgogliosi" |date=14 December 2015 |website=La Repubblica |language=it |access-date=29 May 2019 |archive-date=29 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190529173349/https://palermo.repubblica.it/cronaca/2015/12/14/news/cittadinanza_onoraria_a_ocalan_il_sindaco_orlando_siamo_orgogliosi_-129473160/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
| Founder of [[Kurdistan Workers' Party]]
|-
| |21 August 2018 || [[Albert II, Prince of Monaco]] || [[Monarchy of Monaco|Prince of Monaco]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://monacoreporter.com/2018/08/22/prince-albert-kicked-off-palermo-monte-carlo-regatta-was-inducted-as-sicilys-capital-honorary-citizen/ |title=Prince Albert kicked-off Palermo/Monte-Carlo regatta & was inducted as Sicily's capital Honorary Citizen |date=22 August 2018 |access-date=19 September 2018 |archive-date=19 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180919132147/https://monacoreporter.com/2018/08/22/prince-albert-kicked-off-palermo-monte-carlo-regatta-was-inducted-as-sicilys-capital-honorary-citizen/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.hellomonaco.com/officially-2/from-the-palace-princely-news/prince-albert-becomes-honorary-citizen-of-palermo-and-other-princely-news/ |title=Prince Albert becomes honorary citizen of Palermo and other princely news |date=27 August 2018| access-date=20 September 2018| archive-date=29 May 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210529132630/https://www.hellomonaco.com/news/latest-news/prince-albert-becomes-honorary-citizen-of-palermo-and-other-princely-news/| url-status=live}}</ref>
|}

== See also ==
{{Portal|Italy|European Union|Cities}}
* [[Circolo Matematico di Palermo]]
* [[Hugo Falcandus]]
* [[List of mayors of Palermo]]
* [[Outline of Palermo]]

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
* {{Cite book |last=Almsaodi |first=Aymn |title=The Historic Atlas of Iberia}}{{Full citation needed|date=July 2025}}<!-- Reverted to original title.  Neither "The Historic Atlas of Iberia" nor the title it was edited to, "The Desert Race", appear under the author Aymn Almsaodi on WorldCat, the Internet Archive, or Google Books. The book was added here https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Palermo&diff=next&oldid=117854381 and the title was changed here: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Palermo&diff=next&oldid=127115325 . -->
* {{Cite book |last=Fabbri |first=Patrizia |title=Palermo e Monreale |publisher=Bonechi |location=Florence |year=2005}}
* {{Cite book |last=Graham |first=A. J. |contribution=The Western Greeks |pages=163–195 |title=The Cambridge Ancient History |edition=2nd |volume=III |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0qAoqP4g1fEC |editor=John Boardman |editor2=N.G.L. Hammond |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=[[Cambridge, England|Cambridge]] |display-editors=0 |date=1982 |isbn=978-0-521-23447-4}}
* {{Cite book |last=Head |first=Barclay |editor=Ed Snible |author2=G.F. Hill |author3=George MacDonald |author4=W. Wroth |display-authors=1 |display-editors=0 |url=http://snible.org/coins/hn/index.html |title=Historia Numorum |contribution=Zeugitana |contribution-url=http://snible.org/coins/hn/zeugitana.html |pages=877–882 |date=1911 |edition=2nd |location=Oxford |publisher=Clarendon Press |ref={{harvid|Head & al.|1911}} }}
* {{Cite book |last=Koeppen |first=Adolphus Louis |year=1854 |title=The World in the Middle Ages |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MCNjaNgw9u4C&q=Robert+Guiscard+hero |location=New York |publisher=D. Appleton and Company |oclc=70323705}}
* {{Cite book |last=Langdale |first=Allan |title=Palermo: Travels in the City of Happiness |url=https://www.amazon.com/Palermo-Travels-Happiness-Architecture-History-ebook/dp/B00WKM378I |year=2015 |publisher=Land of Empires Books}}
* Nef, Anneliese (2013). ''A Companion to Medieval Palermo: The History of a Mediterranean City from 600 to 1500''. Brill.
* Tronzo, William (2015). "The Artistic Culture of Twelfth-Century Sicily, with a Focus on Palermo". ''Sicily and the Mediterranean''. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. pp.&nbsp;61–76.

== External links ==
{{Sister project links|voy=Palermo}}
* {{Official website|http://www.comune.palermo.it}} {{in lang|it}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160727224123/http://micro.visitpalermo.it/ Tourist Information Centre]
* [http://www.palermotourism.com/ Palermo Tourist Board]
* [http://www.palermo2018.it/ Palermo capitale italiana della cultura 2018] ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215191132/http://www.palermo2018.it/ |date=15 February 2018 }})

{{Province of Palermo}}
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[[Category:Palermo| ]]
[[Category:Capitals of former countries]]
[[Category:Carthaginian colonies]]
[[Category:Coastal towns in Sicily]]
[[Category:Mediterranean port cities and towns in Italy]]
[[Category:Phoenician colonies in Sicily]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 8th century BC]]