THE OLD CITY CENTRE OF PALERMO

The old city centre of Palermo, with its area of over 240 hectares - about one square mile - is one of the largest in Europe and also one of the richest and most varied. It contains over 500 palaces, churches, convents, and monasteries, plus seven theatres. The city has steadily expanded since the period of Phoenician colonisation, with successive waves of Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Swabians, Normans, and Spaniards, until the more recent town-planning initiatives in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. As a result, Palermo is extremely variegated and complex in its layout, although it has also succeeded in maintaining a clearly recognisable overall uniformity of structure and character.

Little is known of ancient Palermo. The name itself is Greek in origin (it is derived from Panormos, meaning "all harbour"), clearly referring to the city's geographical location. The original port - of which the present-day port, the Cala, is but a small reminder - enjoyed an excellent and almost impregnable position looking out to the Tyrrhenian Sea.

The area where the original nucleus of the city began to develop corresponds to what is now that of Piazza Vittoria, the Norman Palace, and the Archbishop's Palace. This area was called Paleapolis (“old town”) to distinguish it from Neapolis (“new town”), the newer part of the city that spread over an area sloping down to the sea, bounded by two rivers, the Kemonia and the Papireto.

The old city centre now covers the area of Piazza Verdi (Teatro Massimo), the central railway station, Porta Nuova, and Porta Felice (the last two being respectively the city's south and north gates). The marks of the devastating air raids of the Second World War are still plainly visible, although the city has lately started on a series of massive restoration work.

Traditionally divided into four separate quarters, the old city has its centre in the octagonal Piazza Vigliena (better known as Quattro Canti di Città), the geometric and symbolic heart of the city. This square was laid out in the 17^th century, when Via Maqueda was constructed bisecting the old thoroughfare known as the Cassaro, now renamed Corso Vittorio Emanuele.

Via Maqueda was created by order of the viceroy de Cardines, duke of Maqueda. It was a most important step in Palermo town-planning design and was, at that time in Europe, one of the most ambitious city architecture projects ever seen. The square, originally designed by the Florentine architect Giulio Lasso, was completed after his death by Mariano Smiriglio, the official architect of the Palermo Senate.

The four rounded corners of the square, decorated by fountains, statues, niches, and coats of arms, are divided into three orders, respectively presenting the four seasons, four kings of Spain (Charles V, Philip II, Philip III, and Philip IV), and the city's four Patron Saints (Santa Ninfa, Santa Cristina, Sant’Oliva, and Sant’Agata), each saint protecting the city quarter lying behind her. The square was given the name "Theatre of the Sun" because at all hours of the day at least one of the monument's architectural backdrops is illuminated by the sun.

VIA MAQUEDA. The construction of Via Maqueda created a crossroads that reflected the ideals of a hierarchic conception of society - it also totally demolished the old medieval quarters.

The long thoroughfare of Via Maqueda, from Piazza Verdi to Piazza Sant’Antonino, is flanked left and right by numerous palaces and churches. These include: the Chiesa della Madonna del Soccorso (1606); the 17^th-century Palazzo Majorana di Leonvago; the 17^th-century Palazzo Sartorio-Grassellini; Palazzo Scordia-Mazzarino, one of the most prestigious aristocratic palaces in the whole city, dating from the 16^th century and refurbished in the 18^th; the Collegio San Rocco, built in 1633 as a residence of the Scolopi Fathers and restored in neoclassical style; the Chiesa di Santa Ninfa dei Crociferi (1660), whose Renaissance-style façade is a later addition by Venanzio Marvuglia; the little Oratorio della Carità di San Pietro, decorated by Guglielmo Borremans in 1738; Palazzo Merendino-Costantino, designed by Venanzio Marvuglia in the late 18th century; and, opposite this, Palazzo Giurato (later renamed Rudinì), rebuilt in the mid-18^th century, with its characteristic "duck-breast" balconies.

Adjacent to the Quattro Canti is Piazza Pretoria, dominated by the magnificent Pretoria Fountain (1555), a work by Francesco Camilliani and Michelangelo Naccherino that the Senate of Palermo purchased from a noble Florentine. This is surrounded by the 15^th-century Palazzo di Città or Palazzo delle Aquile (the Town Hall), the Chiesa di Santa Caterina, Palazzo Guggino-Chiaramonte Bordonaro (18^th century), and Palazzo Gastone (late 18^th century).

Close to Piazza Pretoria is Piazza Bellini, which is overlooked by a number of fine buildings: the splendid Chiesa di Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio, also known as la Martorana - this church, founded in 1143, possesses some splendid Byzantine mosaic decorations, with various baroque additions; the Chiesa di San Cataldo, which preserves its original Arab-Norman structure, with three red domes on top and a fascinatingly bare interior; the Chiesa di Santa Caterina (1596), of Renaissance structure, with a double-ramp staircase and sumptuous baroque decoration; and the Teatro Bellini, formerly Teatro Carolino, dating from the 18^th century and restored in the 19^th. This sequence of monuments - Quattro Canti, Palazzo di Città, and Piazza Bellini - has few equals in the world.
 

Continuing along Via Maqueda beyond the Quattro Canti, we find: the former Convent of the Theatine Fathers; the Chiesa di San Giuseppe (entrance from Corso Vittorio Emanuele), built in the early 17^th century and in 1805 transformed by Giuseppe Venanzio Marvuglia into university buildings (now the seat of the Faculty of Jurisprudence); next to this, the little Oratorio di San Giuseppe dei Falegnami, decorated in 1701 with stucco work by Giuseppe and Procopio Serpotta; and Casa Martorana, built over the ruins of a Norman convent and now the seat of the Faculty of Architecture.

Further along in the ancient Jewish quarter - there was a synagogue here until 1495 - is the Chiesa di San Nicolò da Tolentino (1609), a church boasting a majestic façade and containing many fine works of art. Since 1865, the former convent adjacent to the church has housed the Palermo Public Records Archives - a collection of the city's oldest documents kept in a series of fine rooms, one of which is the superb Aula Grande designed by Giuseppe Damiani Almeyda.

These are followed by: the 17^th-century Chiesa di Sant'Orsola, with its elegant rococo interior; the vast Palazzo Gravina di Comitini (the administrative seat of the Province of Palermo), built in the second half of the 18^th century by Andrea Palma, with sumptuous decorations in the interior done by Gioacchino Martorana; and the nearby Palazzo Filangeri di Santa Flavia, dating from the 16^th century, rebuilt in the following century, and completed in the second half of the 18^th century. Also here we see: the enormous Palazzo Celestri di Santa Croce (or di Sant'Elia), one of the finest in Palermo, with an ample 18^th-century façade, two courtyards, a monumental stairway, and magnificent frescos by Gioacchino Martorana; the 17^th-century Chiesa dell'Assunta, with its lavish baroque decoration, mainly done in stucco; the imposing Palazzo Filangeri di Cutò, dating from the early 18^th century, which is in two parts surrounding two central courtyards - it has a grand double staircase, and the central portal through an archway leads into the public street (this is known as the Cutò Arch); Porta di Vicari or Porta di Sant’Antonino, built in 1789 (replacing the original gate) in neoclassical style and embellished by marble fountains; and the 17^th-century Chiesa di Sant'Antonio da Padova, a sober structure containing a number of noteworthy works of art, including some frescos by Pietro Novelli and a wooden cross by Fra Umile da Pietralcina 1639).

CORSO VITTORIO EMANUELE. Corso Vittorio Emanuele, the thoroughfare that bisects Via Maqueda and links Palazzo Reale to the sea, has always been the most important street in the city. In the Phoenician and Roman periods, several smaller streets branched off from it, leading to the upper part of the city, where the medieval quarters began to develop. This main street corresponds to the ancient Cassaro, a term derived from the Arabic term Qasr, meaning castle or fortress, so called because at the highest point of the street the Arabs built the original Palace of the Emirs, which later became known as the Norman Palace and then as the Royal Palace. In 1581 the street was extended down to the sea, and two great gates were erected at either end: Porta Nuova and Porta Felice. Porta Nuova was built by order of Viceroy Colonna in 1583 in honour of Charles V after his victory in battle over the Turks; it was later destroyed by an explosion and rebuilt by Gaspare Guercio, who added an open arcade and a pyramid-shaped covering tiled in majolica; one of the two façades, in rich carved stone, has four gigantic telamones representing the Moors taken prisoner by Charles V.

Also built by order of Viceroy Colonna, Porta Felice was constructed in order to embellish the seaside promenade. The gate gets its name from the Viceroy's wife, Donna Felice Orsini. Work started in 1580, was continued by Mariano Smiriglio in 1602, and brought to conclusion by Pietro Novelli and Vincenzo Tedeschi in 1642. Beside Porta Felice is the Loggiato di San Bartolomeo, an open portico that is the last remaining part of the 17^th-century Ospedale di San Bartolomeo, which was bombed in 1943.

The Cassaro has always been a favourite location for the grandest aristocratic and ecclesiastic constructions. Among those, as we proceed from Porta Nuova towards Porta Felice, we can still today admire the following buildings: the Chiesa di Santa Maria Maddalena, in the San Giacomo military quarter and now incorporated in the Carabinieri barracks, originally a Norman church but with some baroque additions; the former Ospedale di San Giacomo, an important example of late 16^th-century Palermo architecture; the late 16^th-century Palazzo del Seminario Arcivescovile, which stretches round a harmonious porticoed courtyard; and the Palazzo Arcivescovile, built in 1460 by Archbishop Simone da Bologna and renovated in the 18^th and 19^th centuries, a fine palace that preserves an elegant three-light Gothic window from the original building. The Palace leads directly into the Diocesan Museum, which houses important works of art, many of which date from the 12^th to the 15^th century and come from deconsecrated or demolished churches.

Immediately adjacent stands the Cathedral, dedicated to the Most Holy Mary of the Assumption, with its spectacular and imposing façade, separated from the Cassaro by a flat open space. Built by the Normans on the exact spot where in early Christian times stood a sanctuary (later transformed into a Christian basilica and then an Arab mosque), the building has undergone some drastic transformations in the course of the centuries. The most important of these works date from the 15^th and 16^th centuries, when the beautiful southern portico in Catalan-Gothic style was created (1453), and the 18^th century, when the cupola was added. The vast interior, now in neoclassical style, conserves the sarcophagus of Frederick II, together with those of Roger, Henry VI, and Constance of Hauteville, as well as numerous works of art, including a silver urn with relics of Santa Rosalia, Palermo's patron Saint.

In front of the Cathedral, the street is flanked by a series of fine aristocratic palaces: Palazzo Asmundo di Sessa, 1770; Palazzo Imperatore, late 16^th century; Palazzo Filangeri di Cutò (not to be confused with another palace of the same name in Via Maqueda), 17^th century but redesigned in the 19^th century; Palazzo La Grua di Carini, first built in the 17^th century but reconstructed in the second half of the 19^th century; and Palazzo Castrone-Giardina di Santa Ninfa, built in 1588 and redesigned in 1788, the courtyard of which boasts a 16^th-century fountain. On the Cassaro stands the imposing building of the former Collegio Massimo dei Padri Gesuiti, a Jesuit college dating from the 16^th century but drastically altered in its design. This building, which stands on the site of the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Grotta, is now the seat of the Biblioteca Centrale della Regione Siciliana (Sicilian Region Central Library), established in 1778 and possessing a rich collection of manuscripts and illuminated codices.

Nearby is the Chiesa del Santissimo Salvatore, designed in the late 17^th century by Paolo Amato and embellished during the 18^th century with sumptuous decorations: it has a splendid circular structure, with a vast open gallery all around, and today is used as an auditorium.

Other buildings are in the area are Palazzo Airoldi, built in the 18^th century and redesigned by G.B. Filippo Basile in 1872, and Palazzo Geraci, restructured in the late 18^th century by Giuseppe Venanzio Marvuglia - bombs in World War II left nothing but the façade.

In Corso Vittorio Emanuele, just before the Quattro Canti, is the 16^th-century Piazza Bologna (sometimes incorrectly called Bologni) with its statue of Charles V, a work by Scipione Li Volsi (1630). This square is surrounded by: Palazzo Alliata di Villafranca, rebuilt in the 18^th century with two ample portals and numerous splendid ornamentations; Palazzo Ugo delle Favare, terminated in the early years of the 18^th century in mannerist style and possessing a large central portal; and the former Convento di San Nicolò dei Carmelitani, now the seat of the Military Tribunal and rebuilt after the last war - the only traces remaining of the building's 16^th-century origins are the portal and the cloister.

Opposite the square is Palazzo Belmonte-Riso, designed in 1799 by Giuseppe Venanzio Marvuglia, of which we can admire the recently restored façade - the building was badly bombed in the last war. Adjacent to this is the completely redesigned 18^th-century Palazzo Tarallo della Miraglia, now a grand hotel, opposite which is the 17^th-century Palazzo Pilo di Marineo. At the side is one of the most interesting examples of Palermo baroque architecture: the early 17^th-century Chiesa di San Giuseppe dei Teatini, with its main, late-Renaissance façade overlooking the Cassaro - the eastern façade stretches along Via Maqueda. The vast interior contains a rich selection of polychrome-marble chapels and other works of art.

Further down the street, beyond the Quattro Canti crossroads in Via Maqueda, we come to another beautiful church rich in works of art, the Chiesa di San Matteo, with a magnificent marble façade presenting splendid chiaroscuro effects. This church was designed in the first half of the 17^th century by Mariano Smiriglio and built with the collaboration of numerous architects, painters, and sculptors. Further along is a series of 18^th-century palaces: Palazzo Termine d'Isnello (with frescos by Vito D'Anna), Palazzo Ventimiglia di Prades (façade restored in the 19^th century), Palazzo Vannucci di Balchino, Palazzo Amari di Sant’Adriano, Palazzo Cammarata Testa (with a 19^th-century neoclassical façade), and Palazzo Roccella, late 16^th century.

Further down, opposite Piazza Marina, we can admire: the neoclassical façade of Palazzo delle Finanze (the tax and revenue office), built in the first half of 19^th century on the site of a notorious old prison, the Carceri della Vicaria, demolished a few years before; and the 16th-century Chiesa di Santa Maria di Portosalvo, in the imitation classical style of Antonello Gagini. Opposite these is the Chiesa di San Giovanni dei Napoletani, built in the late 16^th century by the Congregation of Neapolitan Citizens, a church with an oblique-running portico. Alongside the Cassaro, in Piazzetta della Dogana, stands the splendid Chiesa di Santa Maria della Catena (St Mary of the Chain), which gets its name from the chain once attached to a wall to the side of the church used to close off the ancient port. This church, built in 1502 by Matteo Carnilivari in Catalan-Gothic style, is strikingly bare in its captivating interior. Immediately beyond this is the 17^th-century Palazzo of the State Archives (formerly the house of the Theatine Fathers), which contains a collection of important documents dating from the 12^th to the 19^th century. Just before Porta Felice, on the Cassaro, is Piazzetta Santissimo Spirito, with the Fountain of the Cavallucio Marino, a work by Ignazio Marabitti (1792), beyond which is the spectacular stairway leading to the Mura delle Cattive (see Tribunali Quarter).
 

VIA ROMA. New energy was given to the process of the modernization of Palermo’s city layout when in 1885, some years after the unification of Italy, a plan proposed by Felice Giarrusso, a local engineer, for the creation of Via Roma was realized. The aim was to connect the railway station directly to the new city and the port area. The building of the new thoroughfare spelt the end of numerous buildings and drastically altered certain areas like Piazza San Domenico. Via Roma was soon flanked on either side by imposing buildings constructed in the eclectic style of the period at the turn of the 19^th century.

In the square in front of the Central Railway Station (1886) is an equestrian statue of Vittorio Emanuele II (1886) by Benedetto Civiletti, beyond which is the monumental entrance to Via Roma, flanked by two exedras designed in 1936 by Giuseppe Capitò. The street presents a long succession of buildings, including: the elegant Palazzo Napolitano, designed by Salvatore Caronia Roberti (1923), in front of the Palazzo delle Ferrovie (1930); the Finocchiaro Cinema Theatre (1926) in art deco style with three tiers of boxes; the Palazzo del Banco di Sicilia (1936), also designed by Salvatore Caronia Roberti and, behind this, the Palazzo della Cassa Centrale di Risparmio, designed by Ernesto Basile in 1907, a building rich in art nouveau ornamentation; Palazzo Savona (1922), on the corner with Corso Vittorio Emanuele; and Palazzo Arezzo (1897).

Along Via Roma, the crossroads with Corso Vittorio Emanuele, we come to the Chiesa di Sant’Antonio Abate, a 14^th-century church that in the course of time has undergone many transformations, especially in the 16^th century, while in 1823 an earthquake severely damaged the building, after which it was restored in Neogothic style; nearby is the 14^th-century campanile, which used to perform a civic function, summoning sittings of the Senate and the Sicilian Parliament. On the other side, opposite the steps leading down to the Vucciria market from Piazzetta Caracciolo, is the Teatro Biondo (seat of the Palermo Repertory Theatre), designed in eclectic style by Nicolò Mineo in 1903, in which the boxes are decorated with refined art nouveau motifs by Salvatore Gregorietti.

A little further along is Piazza San Domenico, one of the most important squares in the old town centre, designed in 1724 by Tommaso Maria Napoli and marred by the creation of Via Roma; here stands the Colonna dell’Immacolata (Column of the Immaculate Virgin), a triumphal work with the Virgin Mary at the top and a series of bronze and marble statues around the base (once there were archangels and sovereigns, now replaced by popes). To the back is the majestic Chiesa di San Domenico, a baroque church built in 1640 with a spectacular façade dating from 1726, flanked by two elegant campaniles. This church is considered the Pantheon of illustrious Sicilians and contains many works of art, including some by Antonello Gagini, Antonio Canova, the painter known as lo Zoppo di Gangi (“the Cripple of Gangi”), Rosalia Novelli, Gaspare Guercio, Lorenzo Olivier, Filippo Pennino, and Giuseppe Velasco. The adjacent former Dominican Convent, with its 14^th-century cloister, is now the seat of the Società Siciliana per la Storia Patria (Sicilian Historical Society) as also of the Museo del Risorgimento. To the side is the 18^th-century Palazzo Montalbano, partially demolished by the creation of Via Roma, and Palazzo Paternò Moncada (1905), opposite the square.

Further down the street, beyond Palazzo Rossi - a building probably of 15^th-century origin and redesigned in the 17^th - is the massive Palazzo delle Poste (General Post Office), built during the two decades of Fascism by Angiolo Mazzoni, with a wide staircase, a monumental colonnade, and interesting futuristic paintings and furnishings inside. A little further along still are Palazzo Ammirata, a building in art nouveau style designed by Francesco Paolo Rivas in 1908-11, and the Palazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali Venezia (Venezia General Insurance Building), designed by Ernesto Basile in 1912. In the adjacent Via Cavour is Villa Whitaker, built in 1884 in Gothic-Venetian style by an English architect, Henry Christian. Also in Via Roma are the Anglican Church (1875), commissioned by the Whitaker and Ingham families (wealthy English industrialists who settled in Sicily in the early part of the 19^th century), and the eclectic Hotel delle Palme, originally the residence of the Ingham family but transformed by Ernesto Basile in 1907 - among the hotel’s many distinguished guests over the years was the composer Richard Wagner.