These catacombs contain the bodies of some 8,000 ecclesiastics and distinguished citizens embalmed by Capuchin friars between the 17th and 20th centuries. The catacombs were created in the 16th century when space in the cemetery ran out for deceased monks. They decided to mummify one body - and the practise continued until the 1920s, encompassing not just men of faith but upper class people as well.
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Things to see in Palermo
Tourist offices
Palermo Tourism
Address: Via Principe di Belmonte 92 , Palermo, 90139, Italy
Tel: +39 91 585 172.
Opening Hours:Mon-Fri 0830-1400 and 1430-1800. www.palermotourism.com
Palermo Centro tourist information office has information on tours and excursions, accommodation, car hire and events. Other outlets can be found at the airport (tel: +39 91 591 698) and at Stazione Centrale (tel: +39 91 616 5914).
Available for one-, two- or three-days, the Palermo Tourist Card (tel: +39 91 626 8043; www.pmocard.it) gives reduced admission to more than 35 attractions alongside free use of public transport and with discounts on shopping, dining, entertainment and leisure.
Catacombe dei Cappuccini (Capuchin Catacombs)
Opening Times: Daily 0900-1300 and 1500-1800.
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: No
UNESCO: No
Address:
Via Cappuccini 1, Palermo, 90129, Italy
Telephone: +39 91 212 579.
Website:
www.catacombepalermo.it
La Cattedrale (The Cathedral)
Palermo's grand cathedral offers a striking mixture of architectural styles which reflect its history of invasion: Arab, Norman, Byzantine, Swabian, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, baroque. Its ornate structure provides a glimpse of the city's medieval past. The Treasury houses a tiara belonging to Constance of Aragon.
Opening Times: Mon-Sat 0700-1900, Sun 0800-1300 and 1600-1900.
Admission Fees: No
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Palermo, 90040, Italy
Telephone: +39 91 334 373.
Website:
www.cattedrale.palermo.it
Palazzo dei Normanni e Cappella Palatina (Norman Palace and Palatine Chapel)
The main attraction of this former royal residence (now the seat of the Regional Parliament) is the Palatine Chapel within. Designed by King Roger II in 1130, it is a jewel of Norman art with a splendid Arab honeycomb wooden ceiling and exquisite Byzantine mosaics in shades of gold and blue.
Opening Times: Mon-Sat 0815-1740, Sun 0815-1300.
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
Piazza Indipendenza, 1, Palermo, 90129, Italy
Telephone: +39 91 626 2833.
Website:
www.fondazionefedericosecondo.it
Orto Botanico (Botanical Gardens)
The lush Orto Botanico (Botanical Gardens) are a tranquil oasis that house an enormous variety of exotic plants from all over the world. This huge open-air museum covers more than 12 hectares (30 acres) and has important florae from Sicily and across the Mediterranean with plants that date back from the 18th century.
Opening Times: Daily 0900-1900 (1800 in winter)
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
Via Abramo Lincoln 2/A, Palermo, 90133, Italy
Telephone: +39 91 2389 1236.
Website:
www.ortobotanico.unipa.it
San Giovanni degli Eremiti (St John of the Hermits)
Built in 1132, St John of the Hermits is the most obviously Arabic of Palermo's Norman relics, with five ochre domes topping a little church built on the remains of an earlier mosque. The beautiful cloister and luxuriant garden make a peaceful haven in the Albergheria.
Opening Times: Mon 0900-1300, Tue-Sun 0900-1830.
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
Via dei Benedettini, Palermo, 90134, Italy
Telephone: +39 91 651 5019.
Galleria d’Arte Moderna (Gallery of Modern Art)
Housed in a former Franciscan convent, the Gallery of Modern Art is home to an important collection of Sicilian paintings and sculpture. Journey from the 18th century to mid-20th century, pausing in a special section dedicated to Sicilian hero, Giuseppe Garibaldi.
Opening Times: Tue-Sun 0930-1830.
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
Via Sant’Anna, 21, Palermo, 90133, Italy
Telephone: +39 91 843 1605.
Website:
www.gampalermo.it
Mondello Beach
Around 20 minutes from Palermo by bus, the vibrant city beach resort of Mondello offers a crescent of clear waters and soft, white sand. This is where the Palermitani come to bronze and bathe. Visitors may have to pay for some sections of the beach, but expect beachside bars, volleyball and pastel-coloured changing cabins.
Opening Times: Daily 24 hours.
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
Viale Regina Elena, Palermo, 90149, Italy
Museo d’Arte Contemporanea della Sicilia (Museum of Contemporary Art)
Situated in Palazzo Belmonte Riso, a wonderfully restored 18th-century palace, the Museum of Contemporary Art showcases a collection of local works from the 1950s to the present day. As well as giving an incredible insight into Sicily’s passionate and political artists, the museum hangs art from Italian and international creatives.
Opening Times: Tue-Wed 1000-2000, Thu-Sat 1000-2400, Sun 1000-2000.
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
Corso Vittorio Emanuele 365, Palermo, 90100, Italy
Telephone: +39 91 587 717.
Website:
www.palazzoriso.it
Museo Etnografico Giuseppe Pitre (Ethnographic Museum Giuseppe Pitre)
Dedicated to Sicilian folklore and countryside life, this museum was established in 1909 by the ethnologist Giuseppe Pitré. Its vast, 5,000-strong collection includes reconstructions of farmhouse furniture, objects of ordinary life, many clothes and music instruments as well as torture instruments, puppets and traditional costumes.
Opening Times: Tue-Sun 0930-1800.
Admission Fees: No
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
Via Duca degli Abruzzi,1, Palermo, 90133, Italy
Telephone: +39 91 740 9012.
Museo Internazionale delle Marionette (International Puppet Museum)
This collection of puppets from Palermo, Catania and Naples is the widest and most complete in existence today. The museum holds over 3,000 exhibits, including Sicilian and foreign puppets and marionettes. All are handmade antiques, some dating back centuries. It also has puppets from Indonesia, India and the Far East.
Opening Times: Mon-Sat 0930-1300 and 1430-1900.
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
Piazzetta Antonio Pasqualino, Palermo, 90133, Italy
Telephone: +39 91 328 060.
Website:
www.museodellemarionette.it
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