Palermo

Palermo City Tour

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"Whoever goes to Palermo and doesn't see Monreale, goes there a jackass." – A Sicilian saying
"I believe that these are legacies to my deeper and remote inspiration. To my childhood, to my people, my peasants, my father land-surveyor, the garden of lemons and oranges, to the gardens of the latifund familiar to my eye and my feeling, where I was born. Sicilian peasants who hold the primary position in my heart, because I am one of them, whose faces come in front of my eyes no matter what I do, Sicilian peasants so important in the history of Italy..." – Renato Guttuso, Italian painter

Highlights: Palatine Chapel, Palazzo dei Normanni, Church of St. John of the Hermits, Monreale, Norman Cathedral

Meeting Point: Near Palatine Chapel (details provided in automatic confirmation email)

Tour Duration: 3 hours

Group Tour Time: 9 AM

Private Tour Time: Your choice

Tour Fee Payable in Advance:
€35/Person
Free (Children 5 and under w/ID)

Entrance Fee Payable Onsite:
€9 (EU children and seniors receive discount with proper ID)

Monreale Cathedral

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The largest province in Sicily and the capital of the island, the layout of Palermo is based on urban planning from the Middle Ages and is an easy place to get lost. Arab architectural influence from the Middle Ages is evident throughout the city including the Abbey Church of St. John of the Hermits and the town of Monreale which overlooks Palermo’s valley. The adjacent town of Monreale, meaning “Royal Mountain”, is a highlight of or tour. Our tour guide will acquaint you with the geography, customs, history and culture of this 2,700 year old city.

One of the most fascinating monuments in the city is the Abbey Church of St. John of the Hermits which was first created as a monastery in 6 AD. It was later transformed into a mosque and is currently a church with six magnificent red domes signifying the changes in power in the area. Our tour guide will share the complicated history of this city and give some insight into its influence on modern society. We will stop at the Cappuccini Catacombs which has approximately 8,000 mummified or embalmed bodies of well off Palermitans who were buried there until 1881 when the tradition was abolished. In July of each year, the biggest social event of the year is celebrated: The Feast of St. Rosalia, the patron saint of Palermo. Also on our itinerary is a visit to the adjacent town of Monreale. Its cathedral and cloister represent the largest concentration of Norman, Arab and Byzantine art in one place. Our tour would not be compelte without a visit to the town of Bagheria which shows off gorgeous villas built by Palermo nobility in the 1700s.