Museo Archeologico Regionale
The name of the museum should really have 'Antonio Salinas' at the end but that made it too long.
Unlike in Agrigento and Siracusa, this is not purpose built. It was once a convent and came near to being bomb wreckage!
However it's as good an archaeological museum as you'd expect to find in Sicily's capital [GOOD]. It's especially worth going if you are heading to or from the wonderful Greek remains at Selinunte.
There is a certain ritual about whether the top floor is open - just ask and you'll be taken up. it's worth doing because the Orpheus mosaic is a beauty. more
Hotel Letizia
Lovely hotel on the first floor of a house in the old town. The rooms are spacious and comfortable, the bathroom sparkling clean. Several restaurants and a supermarket are close by. more
Hotel Rosaria Conco d'Oro
Very near the central station and masses of buses and visible from the Via Roma, one of the widest roads in Palermo, this doesn't look much from outside but it.s a different story inside. Once you go up in the lift to the hotel, it's secure, clean and very friendly. It's a budget place and you share toilet facilities but I never had to wait long - and they're spotless. more
San Giovanni degli Eremeti
This may not be a very closely guarded secret but quite a few of Palermo's visitors seem to miss it. The sound of a deconsecrated and ruined church doesn't seem comparable with some of Palermo's other sites but it's a gem!
The combination of its Norman arches and Arabic styled domes above and the vegetation overgrowing the church somehow make it seem more spiritual than many functioning churches. more
Castello della Zisa
I put this in the second league among Palermo's sights.
It's very well worth seeing but doesn't compare with the Basilica at Monreale or many of the city's churches.
Forget the hype in the adverts about its being as good as the Moorish remains of Andalucia and just enjoy it for what it is, a very fine building with a good collection of artefacts. more
Catacombe dei Cappuccini
The three thumbs rating is for adults who don't mind thinking of death. If you've got children with you, don't blame me - without knowing them I can't even guess whether they'd be excited or terrified.
There are MASSES of Skeletons, arranged by sex, occupation and status - all fully clothed. The most alarming is that of Rosalia Lombardo, who died in childhood in 1920. Strictly this is not a skeleton at all because a secret embalming process means that she maintains flesh and hair! It's often said that she looks as though she's sleeping - perhaps a little poetic licence here but stageringly near the truth.
I was glad I'd been but the grinning skeletons got to me in the end! It's certainly mightily impressive. more
Pizzeria Bellini
Good, solid Sicilian and Italian food in a restaurant next to the Teatro Bellini that has been going for nearly 50 years. They must be doing something right! more
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