Professional Documents
Culture Documents
than 300 mosques were built and markets were full of precious
goods. The Arabs also introduced many agricultural items which
remain a mainstay of Sicilian cuisine.
In 1072 Roger of Altavilla captured Palermo, defeating the Arabs.
The Normans developed the business of the city, making it an
important node for linking Europe and Asia. Also, thanks to
Frederick II of Swabia, many artists and intellectuals contributed
to the further development of the city. Christian worship was
restored and the city continued to be a multicultural centre.
CLIMA E TERRITORIO
Territorio
Clima
In generale, il clima tipico di Palermo quello mediterraneo: le
stagioni intermedie hanno temperature miti e gradevoli. L'estate
arida e calda ma anche ventilata e torrida (quindi con indici di
umidit non elevati) ma facile sentire lo scirocco, il vento
africano che, seppure in rari casi, fa impennare le temperature
massime oltre i 42 C. La maggior parte delle precipitazioni si
concentrano tra ottobre e marzo. Un fenomeno molto raro la
nebbia. A volte nel capoluogo, come nel resto delle citt costiere
della Sicilia, possono registrarsi durante le sciroccate pi intense
massime superiori ai 20 anche in pieno inverno. Le temperature
minime sotto lo zero sono estremamente rare.
Sicilia - Province
Sicilia Fisica
ARTE A PALERMO
Grazie alla sua ricca storia millenaria, Palermo oggi uno dei pi
grandi patrimoni artistici ed architettonici della Sicilia.
I luoghi da visitare sono molti e molto diversi.
Gli itinerari possibili sono vari: quello archeologico, quello arabonormanno, quello barocco, quello del liberty palermitano.
ARTS IN PALERMO
Palermo is noted for its rich history, culture and architecture,
playing an important role throughout much of its existence.
Palermo shines in the center of the Gulf bearing its name, a city
with a rich past and which in ancient times was the melting pot of
European and Arab civilizations, testimonials of which still
abound.
The province is full of attractions. Numerous tourists are attracted
to the city for its good Mediterranean weather, its renowned
gastronomy and restaurants, its Romanesque, Gothic and
Baroque churches, palaces and buildings, and its nightlife and
music. Palermo has a large architectural heritage and is notable
for its many Norman buildings.
CHIESE DI PALERMO
Cattedrale
La cattedrale di Palermo un grandioso edificio dedicato alla
Vergine Maria ed il risultato della stratificazione di quasi due
millenni di storia; infatti, essa composto da vari stili che
sono emersi nelle varie fasi di costruzione. Eretta nel 1185 sull
area della prima basilica che i saraceni avevano trasformato in
moschea, ha subito nel corso del tempo vari rimaneggiamenti:
lultimo stato alla fine del Settecento, quando si rifece
radicalmente l interno sul progetto di Ferdinando Fuga, uno
degli architetti pi in voga del tempo. Egli trasform la pianta
dell edificio da basilicale a croce latina, aggiunse le cappelle e
anche la grande cupola. L interno della cattedrale ha subito una
ristrutturazione neoclassica: gli originari
gruppi di quattro
colonne sono stati sostituiti con massici pilastri.
MURA E CASTELLI
Le Mura di Palermo
A Palermo sono presenti vari tipi di mura tra cui le mura punico romane, la pi antica cinta muraria della citt. Queste dividevano
la citt in due differenti quartieri, la Paleapoli (o citt antica) e la
Neapoli (o citt moderna).
Altre mura risalgono alla dominazione araba e al loro interno
venne costruito il palazzo dei normanni (detta al-Kasr).
Durante il periodo normanno vennero mantenute molte delle
fortificazioni preesistenti. Con la crescita della popolazione le
mura presero la conformazione dell'attuale centro storico,
delimitato tutt'oggi dalle mura rinascimentali.
Castelloammare
porto.
MAIN SIGHTS
CHURCHES
Cathedral
Palermo Cathedral is the citys cathedral and main church. It is
characterized by the presence of different architectural styles,
due to a long history of additions, alterations and restorations,
the last of which occurred in the 18th century. The present
neoclassical appearance dates from the work carried out over
the two decades from the work carried out over the two decades
1781 to 1801, and supervised by Ferdinando Fuga. The
cathedral is located at Corso Vittorio Emanuele, corner of Via
Matteo Bonello, Palermo. The church was erected in 1185 by
Walter Opamil (or Walter of the Mill), the Anglo-Norman
archbishop of Palermo and King William IIs minister, on the area
of an earlier Byzantine basilica. The medieval edifice had a
basilica plan with three apses, of which only some minor
architectural elements survive today. The main faade is on
Western side and has the appearance set in the 14th and 15th
centuries. It is flanked by two towers and has a Gothic portal
surmounted by a niche with a precious 15th century Madonna.
Cappella Palatina
The Palatine Chapel is the royal chape of the Norman kings of
Sicily situated on the ground floor at the center of the Palazzo
Reale. The chapel was commissioned by Roger II of Sicily in
1132 to be built upon an older chapel (now the crypt) constructed
around 1080. It has three apses, as it is usual in Byzantine
Walls in Palermo
In Palermo there are various types of walls including the walls
Punic - Roman, the most ancient city walls. They divided the city
into two different districts, the Paleapoli (or old town) and
Castelloammare
Castle at sea o the Palermitans it is a local secret rarely shared
with outsiders. Little remains of it beyond the gatehouse, part of a
large round tower and the foundations of its moat. It is located
about midway between the Cala bay and the main port, at the
end of Via Cavour. Castello al mare has a particularly
distinguished history; it was already a minor seaside fortification
in Arab times, flanking the slave-trading quarter outside the city
of Balharm. The structure seems not to have figured much in the
Norman battle which led to conquest of Balharm in 1071.
The Normans expanded the fortress, adding a round tower not
un like that of Windsor Castle. Well into the Spanish era Castello
al mare remained the citys principal coastal defence.
Local rioting during 1860 and in the years following led to the
destruction of most of the castle as Palermitans brought down
the walls and appropriated the stones to build homes in the
vicinity. What remained of the castle was abandoned, and
following the Second World War some buildings were illegally
erected around it. It has been partially restored but it is rarely
open to the public.
The Zisa
The Zisa is a castle in the western part of Palermo. The
construction was begun in the 12th century by Arabian craftsmen
for king William of Sicily, and completed by his son William II.
The edifice had been conceived as summer residence for the
Norman kings, as a part of the large hunting resort known as
Genoard (Paradise on Earth) that include also the Cuba Sottana,
the Cuba Soprana and the Uscibene palace.
The Zisa is clearly inspired by Moorish architecture. The name
Zisa itself derives from the Arab term al-Azz, meaning noble,
glorious, magnificent.
Castello di Maredolce
GASTRONOMIA SICILIANA
La cucina siciliana nasce dall'incontro tra diverse culture.
Palermo, in quanto capitale, sempre stata sede dei governanti
di Sicilia e quindi emiri, re normanni, Borbone, spagnoli e
francesi. Proprio per questo i cuochi siciliani hanno sempre
dovuto lavorare con la fantasia per creare, da piatti
essenzialmente poveri, portate adatte all'alta aristocrazia.
Il riso, ad esempio, stato trasformato in deliziose arancine
dorate mentre gli ortaggi in stuzzicanti pasticci come la caponata
o la frittella.
La variet di sapori e decorazioni
si riscontra soprattutto nei dolci
siciliani. La cassata, i cannoli, le
Sfince di San Giuseppe e il Gelo
di Mellone
Pasticceria siciliana
Come tutte le cucine povere,
sono importanti i piatti unici come la pasta con le sarde, le paste
al forno come la pasta 'ncaciata e la pasta alla norma.
Arancini
WHAT TO TASTE
Countless and tasty food and wine delicacies are what this land
offers.
To start are the rice oranges and the pani ca meusa", a roll of
bread stuffed with veal entrails. Unforgettable dishes of the
territory are the pasta with sardines, baked aneletti al forno and
sfinciuni tuna.
Other local specialties are the cchi mascolini pasta, spaghetti
alla carrettiera, typical Ustica fish soup, and fish broth with
attuateddi pasta.
Fish-based dishes stand out among the second courses:
beccafico sardines, tuna with onions, tuna with rag sauce,
and hakes cooked the Palermo way. Lamb and mutton meat are
the
specialties
of
the
Madonie
area.
As to desserts, there is a wide range of martorana fruits, from the
cassate to cannoli and the mostaccioli, not to mention the
notable production of wine among which the outstanding Corvo
di Casteldaccia and Partinico wines.
DOVE MANGIARE
Preparazione:
Sbucciate e tagliate con un coltello affilatissimo le arance riducendole a
tocchetti o a spicchi. Dopo avere eliminato i semi eventuali, sistematele
in una insalatiera. Aggiungete le aringhe sminuzzate e condite con olio,
sale e pepe. Tagliate le cipolline scalogne a listarelle sottili, unitele alle
aringhe e alle arance e servite in tavola, guarnendo a piacere, con una
spolverata di prezzemolo. In mancanza delle arance sanguinelle,
potete utilizzare arance di altra qualit, come tarocchi, o brasiliane.
Vanno escluse sicuramente quelle di vaniglia.
Alcuni ristoranti
Da mamma caff una trattoria dove lo chef Ciccio propone
delle ricette siciliane, tra le quali la pasta orgasmo, derivante di
un misto di pesce.
Federino, una terrazza aperta solo alla sera famosa per le sue
specialit greche, libanesi e turche (Piazza scalo all Arenella
16);
Il ristorante Ferro propone una cucina creativa e una ricca
cantina di vini siciliani (Piazza Sant Onofrio 41-42). In stile
giovane ed essenziale, il ristorante offre una cucina a base di
verdure e piatti della cucina siciliana ed esotica come il kamut,
soia, tofu (via Enrico Albanese 24-26).
Il Friends bar propone con fantasia i piatti della cucina
tradizionale (via Brunelleschi 128) mentre la trattoria Gagini
prepara men tipici di pesce (via Cassari 35-37).
La Hanami davanti alla chiesa di San Francesco offre cucina
etnica che si pu anche mangiare al tavolo delle amicizie una
tavolata comune dove si cena accanto a perfetti sconosciuti (via
di Alessandro Paternostro 56).
Il Maestro del Brodo (Bartolo) una trattoria che perpetua la
tradizioni del bollito di carne di vitello. Oltre e molti primi
tradizionali offre anche un ampia selezione di pesce fresco (via
Panieri 7).
WHERE TO EAT
Taverns in Palermo
Some restaurants
Il Baro osterie: in this tavern you can take a trip in the scents
MUSICA A PALERMO
MUSIC IN PALERMO
I PUPI SICILIANI
The Puppet theatre is one of the most famous and popular forms
of art of the Sicilian tradition. This form of theatre, exalting the
rebellion of the poor and the humble against the rich, has been
declining in the last decades due to major commercial forms or
expressions like cinema and television, that have caused the
closure of many puppet theatres. Although often considered a
low-class artistic expression the marionette show remains a best
attraction and a symbol in the Sicilian tradition.
The Museo Internazionale della Marionetta (International Puppet
Museum) in Palermo, has much contributed to preserving and
supporting this art. It collects some three thousand pieces among
marionnettes from the Catania and Palermo traditions, a whole
section dedicated to Eastern paladins along with pieces of the
Naples theatre.
The puppet owes his existence to the work of master craftsmen
that today continue the work of their illustrious ancestors, who
founded real puppeteer dynasties. Outstanding are the
Cuticchios, descendants of Cav. Giacomo Cuticchio, whose work
has influenced every puparo (puppeteer) since.
The Opra dei Pupi (Puppet Theatre) represents the battles
between Saracens and Christians in the Middle Ages. It became
popular in its current form, around the second half of the
nineteenth century. Its success was fostered by the well-known
Cantri or Cantastorie and the Contastorie, streets story tellers
and singers who first evoked the adventures and stories of epic
knights and heroes.
PALERMO OGGI
PALERMO TODAY
Association Libera
born March 25, 1995 with the intent to solicit civil society in
combating gangs and promoting law and justice. Libera is
currently coordinating more than 1.500 associations, groups,
schools, basic reality, of local commitment to build cultural and
political synergies capable of spreading the culture of legality.
The law about the social use of property confiscated from the
mafia, education for democratic legality, the efforts against
corruption, the fields training against mafia, project work and
development activities wear are some of the concrete
commitments of Libera.
Libera is recognized as social promotion association by the
Ministry of Social Solidarity. In 2008 it was included among the
excellences Italian by Eurispes.